A NEW DAWN

Wow! It's the End of May 2013, it's 5 months out of the year and we are about to hit half time of the year 2013. I don't know about you but I am excited to usher in June 2013 for the following reasons;

1. June is the month where we celebrate fathers and I am all about fathers! I am so excited about fathers day. ( Remember to order the kindle version of my book, fathers you must take the lead by Bridget Elesin on amazon, if you are in Lagos, Nigeria, the book is in Laterna bookstore in Victoria Island, Success Bookstore Riggs Plaza by Omole Bus stop, Ikeja, and the bookstore in Avenues to wealth Our Place, 7 Olufunmilola Okikiolu street by Eco bank off Toyin street Ikeja.

2. June is my biological father's birthday and everyone that knows me personally, know I love my Dad! So it's a great time to celebrate him.

3. My brother is getting married....hey this guy is my "adopted" brother who is more like my own biological brother, he has been a blessing to my parents and us all, so I am excited to welcome a new sister-in-love.

4. Best of all, it's my 10th wedding anniversary this June! Wow! Ten year of God's faithfulness to my destiny helper and I. It's been a decade of fun, some experiences during this ten years pleasant, some painful but in all, it's been a joyful, fruitful and beautiful ten years with a lot to thank God for. If I have to get married over again, I will still say yes "i do" to my dear husband, destiny helper, covenant partner, father to my prophetic children and my best friend that loves me unconditionally.

So you see why I so am excited about June 2013? Lol. I have called it a month of divine recovery and total restoration. I await God's best this season. So join me in thanking God and please pray for my family. June 2013 will be the month of months in your family and mine in Jesus name amen.

Note; If you think there is nothing to celebrate, please celebrate the fact that you are alive to see June 2013. Remember that a lot of People that started this year with us are no longer alive. Dead men/ women don't think of the economic situation or personal challenges, they are going through. So dear brother and sister, rejoice as God has got you and i covered as we continue to trust Him for better days ahead.

A MARRIAGE MESSAGE FOR LIFE

I read this message and I was blessed by it. Octavia and her husband are a couple I respect on Facebook with their real life messages on marriage and practical christianity. This is another message straight from the heart. I pray someone will be liberated by this post to love for life. It's a long read but worth every word!

CALLED TO LOVE FOR LIFE"! ~ Octavia E Vance

He has let me down. He has hurt my feelings. He has left me hanging. He has ignored me. He has walked out on me. He has raised his voice at me. He has hung up on me. He has allowed my tears to fall. He has done things that were uncalled for. But at the end of the day, THAT’S MY MAN! The man God blessed ME with! You may ask, “How in the world can you love a man like that? A man who’s done those things to you”? And my answer will ALWAYS be the same. “Because I am CALLED to love him, even when he is unlovable”! And guess what? It takes CHRIST to love a man who has hurt you in what God called and made HONORABLE!

I did not marry to stay in the marriage for only the good times. I married to stay married FOR LIFE! I married to honor God and not fall anymore into sexual sin with the man I gave my heart to. I married to make beautiful babies with the man who’s called to cover me for life. I married because in spite of his flaws, I love my man! You know, the imperfect man God blessed me with but he's perfect for me.

I can’t just love my husband when he is good to me. Oh no, that is too easy. I can’t just love my husband after mind blowing sex. Oh no, that’s even easier. I can’t just love my husband when he’s putting money in my hands to do what I want with. Now that’s easy as pie! No I must also love him even when he is at his worse because I vowed before man and God to do so! And I am a firm believer that you do reap what you sow. How do I know this? OK let me share!

That same man who has let me down has been dependable. That same man who has hurt my feelings has repented and made things right. That same man who has left me hanging has come back and caught me in the spirit when I was spiritually falling. That same man who has ignored me has given me his undivided attention while I was pouring my heart out to him for hours. That same man who walked out on me has been by my side when I was at my worst. That same man who raised his voice at me is the same man who whispered sweet “somethings” into my ear. That same man who hung up on me a few times in the past, answers my every call. That same man who allowed my tears to fall has wiped them before my tears finished forming. (Oh yes he did)! That same man who has done things uncalled for has done things above what I asked of him. My point?

Marriage is a lot of things, but one thing it is not is EASY! Marriage God’s way is the training ground for the mission field for those who are married (We will talk more about this at a later date). Contrary to popular belief, we do get hurt in marriage. We do have to administer grace and mercy to our spouses in marriage. We do have to repent and forgive in marriage. We do have to apologize and reconcile in marriage. Not just in my marriage but EVERY marriage done God’s way. Why is that? Because marriage God’s way is where you have an imperfect man and an imperfect woman who are both being perfected DAILY through Christ! So, if that husband and wife are BOTH being perfected, what makes ANYONE think there won’t be hard times in marriage? What make anyone think a believing husband or a believing wife won’t mess up? What makes anyone think that Christian couples are supposed to be PERFECT? What makes anyone think that born again believing couples will NEVER have to fight for their marriage? What makes anyone think a Godly couple will not have to battle their flesh? Please let’s be real! Just because many or even MOST couples don’t or won’t share their inner marital battles does not mean that there aren't any battles! Just because many couples pretend that all is always well does not mean that all is always well. Listen, marriage may be private but the testimony on how couples make it through is to be shared to encourage those who need it. God must be glorified, not just in how he’s blessed us with money and with things but also how he’s brought us out of adultery, pornography, masturbation, lying, constant fighting and more. You know…all those things Godly couples “NEVER” do!

The point of this post is Singles, please don’t look at all the weddings of others and only daydream of all the beautiful days of marriage without understanding that there WILL be days that are not so beautiful. Married couples, please don’t look at your marriage as hopeless just because you and your spouse have seemingly failed in so many areas of your marriage. There have been some ugly days in my own marriage. I’m just being real, but the scripture I harp on is how He made ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME! Yes HIS TIME! And if He made things beautiful, that must mean there are some UGLY things that had to be made beautiful right? But just because God will do His part does not mean we don't do our part and work on our marriage. It just means while we are working, it may not look so good right now, but we must keep working and eventually we will see the results we are working for!

If you don’t take anything else from this post, please take away this; when you say “I Do” or “I Will” that means you are answering a call to LOVE YOUR SPOUSE FOR LIFE! Not a call to “love your spouse for now” or a call to “love your spouse only during the good times” but to love them “FOR BETTER or FOR WORSE”! There’s so many things that can go under the “FOR WORSE” part just as there are so many things that can go under the “FOR BETTER” part. But understand that marriage is to be FOR LIFE, so you are CALLED TO LOVE your wife or husband FOR LIFE!

Never let the letdowns and mishaps of your spouse cause you to hate them. Instead use those moments to love them like you've never loved them before! In other words, if you love them at their worse, you will find yourself loving them more and more at their best! I know many are reading saying, “I can’t do this” and I’m here to tell you, you are right. YOU cannot do this. Not through your own flesh but, you CAN do this THROUGH CHRIST!

So for many of you who are going through in your marriage, KEEP WORKING and you will see what was once so beautiful on your wedding day is even more beautiful; even with all the battle scars you and your spouse have accumulated over time. Understand that even though there will be hard times in marriage; and even though you will have to extend mercy, grace and forgiveness to your spouse for their wrongs against you, you were CALLED TO LOVE FOR LIFE!

1 Cor 7:28b (NIV), “…But those who marry will face many troubles in this life…”

But God is always with us, all we (we as in husband and wife) have to do is OBEY and He will work everything out!

Eccl 3:11, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time…”

Notice it does not say He WILL make but HE HAS MADE. In other words, you and your spouse may be facing problems in your marriage today but God has already worked it out. All you have to do is heed to His Spirit and His Word on what YOU need to do, then you will see the BEAUTIFUL He already made in HIS TIME!

Mark 10:9 (NASB), "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate". #CalledToLoveForLife

Please share this with as MANY as you can as you never know who it will help! Thanks Fam!

THE PAIN OF SARAH

I don't know who these words are for, but I received it during a praise and prayer meeting which I attended. As I was praying, the words came to my spirit; " the pain of Sarah" and as I tried to figure out what this pain was, the story of Sarah and her maid Hagar came to my heart. You can find this story in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21. I don't know the decisions/ actions you or your loved ones have taken that is troubling your home, business, or life in general. I don't know the pain in your heart as a result of that decision/ action, but read the express words I got

"The pain of Sarah" - when that thing that cause you pain lives with you or around you and its a daily reminder of your actions or actions of people close to you, then its time to pray.

Prayer point ; God of Sarah arise and remove every Hagar from my life, marriage, family, job and ministry in Jesus name amen.I await our testimonies. I believe I will testify too.

DONT TURN YOUR LATER TO NEVER

In my few years on earth , I have seen people come and go. I have seen loved ones die, seen many people die with unfulfilled dreams, some even dying without fulfilling purpose. I have seen people live an average life plus live below God's best for them because of one excuse or the other. 

Every day, some of us postpone what we should do for today till another date. We tell ourselves we will do it tomorrow or another day till we end up not doing that thing. 

I have seen couples put off spending time with each other, telling themselves they will have time for themselves when the children have left home. Most times that day never comes. 

I have seen parents put off spending time with their children, saying they need to work hard to give them a good life, missing out on important milestones in their children's lives. 

I have seen people put off educating and improving their lives, because they have one excuse or the other why they can not go to school now, plus why they can not afford the things they have to do now.  

I have seen people forget to care for themselves because they do not have time to eat, look nice and presentable. They ignore health issues as they do not have time to go for a check up or stop to make sense of their body signs.

I have seen people live lonely lives because they do not have the time to build meaningful relationships, I have seen people running in the "rat race" of life pursuing things with no value in eternity.


I have seen people put off committing to serving God and accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour because they think, they should enjoy their lives as youths and later in life, commit to Jesus Christ. 

What most of us forget is that, time waits for no one and only God knows who will wake up tomorrow alive. One of my favorite words i tell myself and others now which i heard from a dear Minister friend, is you can take sleeping pills to sleep but there is no waking pill to wake up as only God gives life to man and will be the one to wake us up each day. So none of us knows what tomorrow offers? So why postpone being kind? Living your dream? Spending quality time with your loved ones? why postpone living life on purpose now, today?

I recently read the story of a couple that did not have a proper honeymoon and promised themselves they will go on a honeymoon trip after the children are all grown and have left the house to stay on their own. Years after, they made plans but few weeks to the honeymoon trip, the man died and that trip never happened. After reading that story, my perspective changed and I now live intentionally every day as i have the habit of procrastinating, ( God is still working on me and I am working on myself to stop that habit) . I have come to realize that tomorrow waits for no man so I try to quit the excuse game and just do what I have to do. I am not there yet but I am better and I have chosen to live life NOW and not LATER. What about you? 

Prayers; God help us to live life with eternity in view, help us live Now and not live a life of Later or Never in Jesus name amen.

SAINTS AND SINNERS

I have noticed as Christians that most of us are living double lives, what we say is not really what we are, small wonder, most unbelievers don't want to be Christians as they see us as hypocrites; Saints on Sundays and Sinners during the week. These days, a lot of Christians go through the day without connecting with God. They are so caught up in activities that are not essential to their Christian growth. There is no studying of God's words, no meditation, no prayers and above all, we have left out living a Holy life, small wonder, Christian men and women are falling into sin daily. There is no accountbility amongst believers. We have all gone our own way and living for ourselves instead of God. I truly pray that we will all evaluate our lives and make the necessary change that will put us on the right path in our Christian walk.

Find below a write up I believe is worth reading by every Christian. The points below will also work for other "sin". If we can all truly return to reading our bibles, meditating, prayer and holiness, we will avoid a lot of heartaches in our lives and homes. God help us all.


7 Ways to Stop the Adultery Epidemic by J. LEE GRADY

Why is there an epidemic of moral failure in the church? Because holiness has become a foreign concept.

It happened again. For the third time in six months, the pastor of a large church in my hometown of Orlando, Fla., has resigned from his pulpit because of adultery. I’m sad. I’m sick. I’m sorry for the pastors, and sorrier for the congregations that are having to deal with the fallout caused by bad choices.

I’m also cringing because an increasingly hostile public sees these train wrecks as evidence that Christians are hypocrites who preach one thing and live another. We stand for biblical marriage between one man and one woman, but in many cases those marriages are failing. No wonder the gay community hates our flimsy platitudes.

Why are we witnessing this epidemic of moral failure? Many factors could be cited (easy access to pornography, sex-saturated entertainment, the devil and his demons, etc.)—but I don’t think we need a list of excuses today. I’m tired of excuses. The devil does not make us do this. It is totally possible for Christian men and women to live in holiness today. The power of His grace is not affected by social trends or hell’s attacks.

Maybe we’ve made this too complicated. Let’s go back to some basic ways we can stay pure:

1. Practice regular “fire drills.” Paul told Timothy to “flee” from youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). But you can’t flee a burning building if you don’t know where the exits are. If you don’t map out your plan of escape, you won’t run when you are confronted with a lustful glance, an X-rated website or a brazen proposition. When faced with temptation, don’t play with it, talk to it, stroke it, analyze it or revisit it in an hour. Just bolt for the door!

2. Don’t live in isolation. Many people are vulnerable to moral compromise because they spend so much time alone. God designed us to live in community. If King David had not left his brothers on the battlefield and returned home, he would not have seen Bathsheba skinny-dipping on the roof. You are less likely to succumb to temptation if you are surrounded by family or Christian friends.

3. Stay faithful in spiritual disciplines. Nothing makes the heart colder than a lack of quiet time with God. Charles Spurgeon said, “Prayer will make you leave off sinning, or sinning will make you leave off praying.” If you have spent time with Jesus in the morning, you are not going to invite Delilah to cut your hair off that evening. If you are too busy with your work to pray and read the Bible, you are already headed for a spiritual train wreck.

4. Be ruthless with temptation. Today’s wimpish Christian culture encourages us to be soft toward sin. Yet the apostle Paul used athletic imagery when he taught about the strenuous effort of resisting sin. He wrote, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27, NASB). If you can’t resist looking at a pornographic website, you are a spiritual baby. If you can’t run when Potiphar’s wife turns on her charm, you need to get your jellyfish spine in shape. Grow up and quit making excuses for your weak morals.

5. Confess your sins regularly. Last weekend during a men’s conference in Philadelphia, one brave brother shared openly how he had been molested as a child—and how the trauma of abuse led him into a pattern of fornication. After he shared his weakness, dozens of men felt the freedom to come to the altar and confess their sexual sins. Transparency is the path to sexual purity. You cannot expect to be pure if your inner life is a cesspool of ugly secrets. Tell somebody. Get the monkey off your back.

6. Keep the home fires burning. I’ve met many Christian men who struggle with all kinds of sexual temptation. But after talking with them, I learn that they have no regular intimacy with their wives. The apostle Paul taught that husbands and wives have an equal responsibility to fulfill each other sexually (1 Cor. 7:3). If the fires have gone out in your marriage, find a counselor or enroll in a marriage course in your church. God can rekindle romance and repair your communication breakdown before your chilly marriage freezes beyond repair.

7. Get regular spiritual checkups. Adults are supposed to see a doctor annually to prevent heart ailments, cancer and other problems. Yet many of us never open our lives to input from pastors or mentors. (And many pastors have no one to examine them!) Learn to ask for prayer and counsel. Share your struggles and weaknesses. If you detect a weak spot in your armor, don’t wait until the devil blows you out of the water to ask someone for help.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of Fearless Daughters of the Bible and other books.

CHARACTER

This is worth reading by every man and woman especially those that are leaders. I got it from Phil Cooke's newsletter called The Change Revolution. His site at www.philcooke.com is worth visiting.

Character: Who you are when you're alone by Phil Cooke

The title of this post is an old adage – probably one you’ve heard a hundred times. But I was reminded of it’s importance last week when I visited Canada to speak at a private, nonprofit event. I arrived into the Calgary airport a few hours before the event, and with some time to kill I noticed there was an outlet mall near the airport. So I pulled in, and went to the local coffee shop to check my email and catch up on work. After an hour or so I decided to take a walk around the indoor mall. Now here’s the scenario:

I was more than a thousand miles from home.
I’m outside the United States.
I don’t know anyone in Calgary.
I’m not famous, so I’m walking around in total anonymity.

It’s exactly at this point that all those stories of executives, pastors, nonprofit leaders, politicians, and others crossing the moral line begin. Hitting on a woman, having an affair, making a fool of yourself at the bar, picking up a pornographic magazine – whatever.

I was thinking about that when something surprising happened. Standing outside the Tommy Bahama outlet store I got tapped on the shoulder.

“Aren’t you Phil Cooke?” The man asked.

It was Tom Simes, a filmmaker with Five Stones Films in Saskatoon. He’d been following my social media feed, reading my books, and came up out of nowhere to chat. And fortunately, because I wasn’t doing any of the questionable things above, we had a very nice talk, and really enjoyed the conversation.

The lesson? Even in places you’ve never been, people are watching. God is watching. You may think you’ve done everything you can to cover your tracks, but the truth is, in a connected world, with instant messaging, email, and social media, word travels fast.

Be transparent. Don’t have anything to hide. Someone told me recently, “You’re only as strong as your biggest secret.”

If you’re serious about leadership, believe it.

MAY 2O13 - OUR MONTH OF ANSWERS TO PRAYERS AND PRAISE

Happy new month of May my dear Family and friends, may this be your month of answers to prayers and praise. I woke up this morning and felt led to read the book of Esther, I actually listened to it via my audio bible and was wowed by what I heard. It was as if I was reading the book of Esther for the first time. My prayers for you and yours from the book of Esther this month is;
1. God will bring people that will fight your cause and give the right counsel that will make you a praise. He will bring genuine helpers of destiny your way.
2. God will break all known and unknown protocols to show you forth.
3. God will make you obedient to His words and lead you in the right path to go.
4. God will remember you for good and promote you .
5. God will fight and disgrace all the enemies of your destiny and will secure your future with praise.

Have a terrific month enjoying God's uncommon grace.
May everyone celebrating this month enjoy uncommon favour in all their endeavors in Jesus name amen.