Are you dealing with a problem child?

This week, the UCB devotional did a series on encouraging parents who are dealing with a problem/difficult child.  Below is a summary of their posts, I know it will bless a parent. 

‘God has a ‘purpose’ for your problem child, so keep loving them and praying for them however long it takes’.

‘When your children are young lay your hands on them and speak God’s Word over their lives. And as they enter their teenage years continue to pray and speak God’s blessing upon them. Fight for your child of promise!

‘When a child grows up and constantly makes bad choices it may not be genetic; it may be that the enemy has targeted them because he’s discerned their destiny. That’s when God steps in’

‘As a parent, when you do your part God will do His. When you do all you can for your child, God will intervene and do what you cannot do’.

He can use every circumstance in child’s past to fuel their future with wisdom and strengthen them to fulfill the thing to which He’s called them. So don’t give up on your child of promise. Pray, ‘Lord, You promised it, I believe it, and it will come to pass!’

I will also add that we need to keep saying what God says about our children even when circumstances are contrary.

Shalom.

Practical Tips to Achieve Your Goals

Hello everyone,

Trust you are well. Time seems to be flying by so quickly and we are already in the last quarter of 2015.  One of the things that people do towards the end of the year or very early in a new year is to set new goals.   It is possible that we might not be where we expected to be by now in relation to those goals.  In my last post, I talked about forgetting those things that are behind us, identifying those things that stopped us in the first place so we can press on in prayer, word and action to lay hold of what God has in store for us.

As we look forward to next year in anticipation of what God has in store for us, let us make sure that our goals are line with His plans for our lives.  Personally, I believe that pursuing anything that is not in line with His will for my life is a waste of my time and resources.  The bible states in Proverbs 19:21 that "many are the plans in a person's heart; but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails'.  The NLT puts it this way. 'You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail'.

Sometimes you will have your to do list but at the end of the day, you might not have done everything that you planned to do.  For example, on Saturday, I had a list of things that I wanted to achieve for the day.  I got up early to make a start but I ended doing something else.  I remember thinking to myself that what happened to me.  I still saw that it was a fruitful day with my family.  My plans were different at the start of the day but I believe God's plans came to pass.

The bible says that we should commit whatever we do into God’s hands and He will establish your plans (Proverbs 16:3).  Please see below some practical tips to achieve your goals

1. Commit your goals to God, as you do that, He will let you know whether to go ahead with them or not.  Sometimes, He will give you a different strategy to achieving them.  God cares about every detail of our lives so share your goals with Him.  We must learn how to hear from God. As stated in Psalm 37:5, as you commit everything that you do to the Lord, trust in him, he will help you.  Another translation use the word ‘entrust’ instead of commit.
2. Set the goals by writing them down.  Have you written down all your plans and goals for the rest of 2015 and 2016?
3. Identify three habits you need to form to achieve your goals and why you need to form those habits.
4. Identify three actions that you need to take.
5. Have an accountability partner or mentor.
6. Know what has stopped you in the first place and press in prayer, his word and action.  Pray for greater grace to accomplish.
7. Get rid of fear and do it.
8. It’s never too late.

As long as you are alive you have the choice to keep trying until you finally succeed.  I leave you with Proverbs 21:25 - “Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.  This is a reminder that we need to do what it is necessary to achieve our God given goals.  His grace is available for us.

Please see below more information about our coming event in November, we are trusting God for a time of restoration, healing and deliverance.  Hope to see you there.  Have a fruitful October in God's presence where we are safe and enjoy your weekend.

With kind regards,

Dupe Makinde

President, Blossom Network
Director, God’s Grace Foundation
www.blossomnetwork.org
www.godsgracefoundation

Join us for a time of great impact and restoration in God's presence.
Do you feel that you have lost everything because of past mistakes and disappointments?
God will restore as He did for Naomi.
Highlights - Special session for over 50s, Personal Development, Worship, Word & Prayer.
Date: Saturday, November 7th 2015
Time: 11am to 3pm
Venue:  Ground Floor, Royal Sovereign House, Beresford Street, London SE18 6BF
Admission is free.

Moving Forward with Greater Grace

Hello everyone,

Trust you are well and enjoying what is left of the summer break.  This blog is all about sharing my thoughts and I also aim to inspire others with my posts.  I just got back from a week’s break in Nice with my family. We also had the opportunity to visit Monaco, Cannes, Grasse and Antibes.  The South of France is such a beautiful place.  It was really a great family break for us so I am grateful to God for the opportunity.  Nice is a wonderful place to relax and unwind.  On my mind today is about moving forward with grace.

In order for us to move forward, we have to forget things that are behind us so we can press forward to that which is ahead us.  You have to forget your mistakes, successes and regrets. It means learning your lessons and using them as stepping stones to higher things.  So what are the common things that can stop us from pressing on to lay hold of our destinies in Christ.

Fear – this is a common one that affects most people and it can stop us from moving forward.  If you don’t walk by faith, you will not take any step or do anything.  We have to get rid of the fear of failure and rejection.   As women, we are always looking for validation from everyone.  What happens when those close to you will not validate you, will you give up?  You must be prepared to walk with God by faith to fulfil your destiny

If you feel in adequate for your God given assignment, be inspired by the story of Gideon in Judges 6.  As God told him in verse 16, ‘I will be with you’.  He is always with us to accomplish His purposes in our lives.  The Spirit of God will clothe us with power to press into our higher calling in Jesus name.

Unhealthy Association – in order to press into God’s plan for our lives, we have to align ourselves with the right people.  A good example is the story of Samson; this was a man who had a specific call of God on his life even before he was born.  He also had a problem with choosing the right woman.  In Judges Chapter 16, we have an account of how he trusted Delilah with his secret even after she lied to him three times.  One would think that he should have realised that Delilah was not good for him.  If you notice that someone is consistently letting you down or bringing bad things to your life, you need to prayerfully evaluate that relationship and ask God for wisdom before they finally sink you like Delilah did to Samson.

Finally, there is always a time of preparation before your showing to the world.  I am reminded of the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery after God gave him a glimpse of his destiny.  He was hated and suffered great rejection but the One who gave him the dreams brought them to pass.  He had to forgive those who hurt him along the way knowing that God turned around everything for his good.  If you have been hurt by people close to you, you can and must forgive them so you can be healed and move forward.

I believe there is so much ahead of us, so let us move forward and pick up those God-given projects that we might have abandoned.   God wants to press in prayer, in His word and action.  We have to make plans for growth so we can grow and fulfil our potential.   We also need to trust God for greater grace to accomplish and overcome limitations or whatever stopped us in the first place.  I leave with you Philippians 3:13-14:

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”

Shalom,

Dupe Makinde

www.godsgracefoundation.org

www.blossomnetwork.org

Identify the Distractions

Late last year, I was reminded of the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42.  In this story, Martha welcomed our Lord Jesus and his disciples into her home when they arrived in her village. But it was her sister Mary that sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he said.  We were also told that Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing, another translation says that she was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen and she was obviously not happy when her sister did not join her in the preparation. She actually told Jesus to ask Mary to come and help her.  But the Lord said to her that she was worried and upset over many things and that the only thing worth being concerned about is what Mary chose and it will not be taken away from her.

We can see here that there were two women who made two different choices when Jesus was in their house.  The first woman was Mary who chose to sit at the Master feet to learn from Him.  The second woman was Martha who the bible said was distracted or pulled away from learning at the Master’s feet because of the all the preparations that had to be made.  We also learnt that Martha was upset about Mary not helping her and she complained to Jesus who corrected her and said that Mary made the right choice.

I believe God is reminding us to not allow legitimate things or our various duties as women to distract us from sitting at His feet or learning from Him.  He understands that as women especially if we are married or have children that we have many things to do but He is also saying that the only way to have a balance is for us to prioritise our time with Him.  As he said to Martha, that is the main thing that will not be taken away from us.  We need to be in His presence to understand His will, to hear His voice and to know what we ought to do in every season of life.

Are you at a crossroad in your life and you don’t know the next step to take?  Why don’t you pull yourself away from all the distractions and sit at the Master’s feet so that your vision can be clearer.  As you read this write up, please identify any distractions that you need to pull away from in order to spend quality time with the Master.  I pray that the God of all of our Lord Jesus Christ will give onto to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened in Jesus name.  I leave you with Luke 10:41-42:
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41-42).  Have a great week in His presence.

Until next time,

Dupe

Beware of Strange Doctrines (2)

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16).

In the above verses when Jesus asked the disciples who people say he is; Peter gave the right answer as it was revealed by the Father to him.  It’s amazing that the same Peter rebuked Jesus when he said that he was going to suffer, be killed and raised on the third day.  The bible says in verse 22 that Peter called him aside and began to rebuke him.  Our Lord Jesus recognised who was speaking and he rebuked Satan because he said that He was seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s.  If we do not see things from God’s point of view, we will miss His plan or purpose for our lives. 

We also have to make sure that we listen to advice or opinion that are line with God’s point of view.  In verse 24 of the same chapter, Jesus then went to say that if any man wants to be my disciple or follower, he should deny himself or turn from his selfish ways, take up their cross and follow him.  Following Jesus means not doing your own thing, you can’t be a follower of Christ and be selfish.  It means giving up what you think is right and walking with God says it’s right.  It doesn’t mean that we are robots; it means that we willingly follow his ways and do what He asks us to do. 

The benefit of following Christ is not only in this life but in the life to come.  This is because if you hang onto to your life, you will lose it but if you give up your life for his name sake, you will save it (verse 25). 

I leave you with this verse in Matthew 16:26

 “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?”

I pray that you will truly be a follower of Jesus Christ.

God’s servant,

Dupe 

Beware of strange doctrines (1)

“Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:11-12)

The above verses tell us to beware of the strange doctrines that are contrary to the true doctrine of Christ. The word ‘beware’ means to be careful, cautious, to look out, to watch out, to take heed and think twice about something.  This verse is reminding us to be careful or watch out for strange doctrines.  The word strange means odd, weird, and abnormal; in this case, we are talking about doctrines or teachings that are not in line with God’s word.  The only way we can identify strange doctrines is if we know the true doctrines of Christ; we should take time to study the word of God and fellowship with the Holy Spirit so that we can grow in the grace of God.

“Like new-born babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1Peter2:2).  The only way to grow spiritually is to crave and live on the pure spiritual milk. If you are feeding on strange milk or diluted word of God, you will not grow as you should.  Your spiritual growth is your responsibility.  I pray that you will grow in the grace and knowledge of God as you feed on the true milk of the word.

Shalom,

Dupe

Unhealthy Comparisons

UCB Word for Today devotional recently focused on Unhealthy Comparisons and the series blessed me.  Here are the main points:

1.      Paul didn't measure his progress by the pace of the runner in the lane next to him. He said, in essence, 'I'm running according to the drumbeat I hear on the inside, not the outside. I will support and encourage you, but I will never compete with you. My goal is to recognise and maximise what God has put within me. I'm not chasing you, I'm chasing me”.

2.      There will always be somebody who has more education than you, preaches better than you, or makes more money than you. So shake it off and be yourself! The Bible says, 'He who walks with wise men will be wise”...

3.      The only course you can run and win is the course God has given you.

4.      Others may inspire and instruct you, but you must go to God in order to find out what He’s called you to be and then align yourself with it. God told the prophet Habakkuk, ‘…Write the vision and make it plain…that he may run who reads it’ (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV).

5.     It is okay to admire somebody else’s vision and be inspired by them, but you must receive your own vision from God and run with it. Only when you do that, can you live to the fullest. God wants you to run according to what He has shown you, not what somebody else says. Stop taking your cues from people. Go to God!

6.       You are the question, God is the answer. And as long as you know who is who, you’ll always make progress in the journey of life.

 

Have a fantastic Christmas break and may your 2013 be far better than this year. 

 

Every blessing,

 

Dupe

 

Have a fantastic Christmas break and may your 2013 be far better than this year.  Enjoy the Turkey and the rest.

 

Every blessing,

 

Dupe

Have a fantastic Christmas break and may your 2013 be far better than this year.  Enjoy the Turkey and the rest.

Have

 

Every blessing,

 

Dupe

 

Have a fantastic Christmas break and may your 2013 be far better than this year.  Enjoy the Turkey and the rest.

 

Every blessing,

 

Dupe

Have a fantastic Christmas break and may your 2013 be far better than this year.  Enjoy the Turkey and the rest.

 

Every blessing,

 

Dupe