LEAD YOUR THOUGHTS

Have you ever been shocked by your thoughts? Have you ever found your mind going down a certain road and you could not even believe it went there?

If you’ve not, fantastic. If you have, Read on.

As a person I’ve found that I have an amazing capacity for deep and long thinking. I’ve been told it’s a function of the mix of my temperaments.

In an earlier post, I shared how I realised that I had to choose what I thought about. Read that post here: https://tobilobaajayi.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/what-are-you-thinking-about/

Today I stumbled on a part of another common scripture that’s quite instructive for me and as many who struggle to think the right thoughts.

Read with me:[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),….2 Corinthians 10:5

I just sucker punched at …’we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ….’

A lot of the times, our thoughts lead us and we think that’s fine but I can see now that  should lead my thoughts to obey Christ.

We are often told to ‘follow your heart’, ‘do what your mind tells you to do’

I daresay, that’s the wrongest(pardon my French) piece of advice you can ever take as a Christian.

To lead my thoughts would mean that I tell my mind what it can think about and not just filter the thoughts after they have run through.

Practically, that means that I tell my mind ‘you can’t think that’, not ‘you can’t dwell on that’.

It’s funny that the Scripture uses the word ‘We’ putting the responsibility squarely on our individual shoulders.

God will not lead your thoughts for you; you have to do it yourself.

I need to reverse the trend. I need to start leading my thoughts to obey Christ and not following it

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

 

A ‘KNOCKING’ GOD

A post on one of my favourite facebook groups finally convinced me to write this post.

There’s this scripture I’ve known for a while but in the last few days it’s come back to me in a new way.

Read with me:  ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.-Revelations 3:20 (AMP)

In the last few days I have not been able to get over the fact even though God was addressing a church that could easily represent most of us today-lukewarm Christianity, He  still ‘knocks’ at the door of our hearts.

In essence, God is seeking your permission our permission to save us!

I can almost not wrap my mind around it. Christ died to save us and yet still asks our permission to dwell in our hearts?  He’s the one person that has the right to force salvation on us but He does not do it, He still makes it our choice and persuades us to make the right choice.

This got me thinking about how I present the gospel to unbelievers and backsliders?

Am I standing on a high horse looking down at them and making them feel like second class citizens and acting like final judge and jury over their destinies? Or am I preaching the truth in love, not forcing the gospel down my listeners’ throats and chocking them with it?

I think we should take our cue from our ‘knocking ‘God who despite the fact that He has the right to ram the gospel down our throats and force us into acceptance, does not do it but allows us to choose it.

Jesus died to give us a relationship with him and with God, not a religion. A religion can be forced but a relationship is chosen.

Preach the gospel as a relationship and not a religion and I dare say that our messages will have impact.

Are you preaching the message of a ‘knocking ‘God or the message of a ‘forceful ‘God?

Preach the right message. Preach the message of a ‘knocking’ God and watch Him knock on hearts and turn them to Him.

I’m preaching the message of the ‘knocking’ God today.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

INSPIRATIONS: The Story Behind the Book

For those that do not already know or guess, I wrote a book. Yes I finally got around to doing it.

It took a long time- about three years in my own estimation, but I have friends who claim they’ve been expecting this for ten years.

‘Inspirations’ is a product of a growing walk with God.  When I started to put these poetic verses together about three years ago I had just started my journey again after a long hiatus into a personal relationship with God.

God was teaching me so many things that my human mind could not hold it all, so  I  started to write it all down.

As I wrote, the more the words came in fulfillment of a scripture the Lord dropped in my heart after this book went into production.

Read with me: ‘There is a Spirit in Man and the inspiration of the almighty gives him understanding-Job 32:8

This book is the beginning of understanding that the Lord has given me about His word.

It’s been an interesting journey and I hope you take it with me.

The book launches in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday 24^th August 2013

Time:12 Noon

Venue: 44 PSSDC Road Magodo Shangisha Lagos Nigeria

If you are in Lagos Nigeria, This is your opportunity to ask me questions and get your copy autographed.

If you’re outside Nigeria, you can purchase the book on Amazon by following the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Inspirations-Tobiloba-Ajayi/dp/1625103603/ref=sr_1_1/182-2911010-4984247?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376896017&sr=1-1&keywords=Tobiloba+Ajayi

If you’ve purchased the book and read it, Please drop your reviews on the amazon page.

The feedback will be priceless to me.

Thank you!

Tobiloba

 

GIVING GOD GLORY?

There is this scripture I learnt a while back that I had somehow relegated to the recesses of my mind that came back out this week and it has me thinking seriously.

I’m here to share that burden.

Read with me:  So whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it to the glory of God- 1 Corinthians 10:31

I got stopped cola at the words, ‘whatever you do’.

How many things do I do daily with the sole aim of giving God glory?

I have to admit, not a lot. Probably not 1%of all my actions in one day is geared towards giving God glory

I just run through the day like that without asking His input –most days

Who can relate?

If you can read on.

 If I’m to do everything in a way that would bring glory to God how would my life change?

My thoughts would need an overhauling

I will have to start thinking more of others

The list of required changes is long. Even my attitude to food would have to change!

Sounds weird? Its not so farfetched though, Its scripture

If we did everything with the sole aim of giving Him glory how different would our lives be?

I daresay, that holiness would not be an issue anymore

I’m issuing myself a challenge. I need to do ten things a day with Christ in mind.

I need to be more consistent in including Christ into every aspect of my life.

Who wants to take the challenge with me?

Tobiloba

A GOD HOLE

When I was younger, I was fantastic at setting goals and drawing up blueprints for my life. I did not need a class in vision and goal setting to be able to do it.

I even set timelines for the achievement of the said goals and if I did not meet those timelines or goals I was very hard on myself.

For the most part, I accomplished most of the goals I had set for myself in their given time frames and then I got depressed.

Any witnesses?

Have you ever felt like there’s just this nagging feeling of dissatisfaction that stays with you no matter how many things you acquire and how much you do?

If you have, continue reading.

A lot of people around me then could not understand my depression and kept telling me I was ungrateful and that so many people would kill to have my life.  What they did not know was that I did not understand what was going on either.

God dragged me out of the pit of depression and taught me that all that mattered in life was Him and nothing more. I never knew how to scripturally explain that lesson.

Until today.

Read with me: …. ‘He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy],’…. Eccl 3:11

By the way, that feeling is never going to completely disappear  but it can be  a good thing.

The dissatisfaction I felt (and still feel sometimes) that led to the depression back then is what I like to refer to as a God hole. It was placed there by God to lead us back to him and away from things with little or no eternal value.

What are you doing with you God hole today?

Is it leading you to depression or leading you to the cross?

You get to choose.

I choose to let my God hole lead me to the cross.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

 

LET THEM GO

There’s an adage in my language that say that ‘twenty children cannot play together for twenty years.’  I’ve found that adage to be quite true in life.

Today I actually confirmed that it is also a spiritual principle. There are certain things that God will not show you until certain people leave your life.

There are certain promises of God for you that will not be revealed or manifest until you separate yourself from certain people.

‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was seated on his throne. His long robe filled the temple. He was highly honoured’- Isaiah 6:1

Every time i read that scripture I wonder why the king had to die before Isaiah, who was a palace prophet could see the Lord. I thought it was just conjecture until today I saw another scripture and was convinced I was on the right track

‘The Lord spoke to Abram after Lot had left him. He said, “Look up from where you are. Look north and south. Look east and west. ¹⁵ I will give you all of the land that you see. I will give it to you and your children after you forever.-Genesis 13:14-15

God waited until Lot had left Abraham before showing him what the deal was.

There are certain people that need to leave tour life for you to see the fullness of God and His plan for your life. Let them go.

Stop holding on to people God wants to weed out of your life before He reveals himself. Stop delaying your revelation.

Let them go! God has substitutes!

I’m letting go of unprofitable connections

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

A GOOD THING

I have this pastor and friend who started telling me a while back that, the earlier your husband finds you, the better for  him.

I did not understand what the guy was talking about so I let it slide.

Then a few days ago, a scripture dropped into my spirit that cleared it all up. It reads:

He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord.-Proverbs 18:22

Then the Holy Spirit started to teach me a few things. I’m sure you bible scholars already know these things but I can be a learner sometimes.

It is a man’s job to find a wife, not the other way round. Do not be tempted to reverse the roles except you are expressly led by the Lord to do so.

A wife is a good thing! Ladies, you are a good thing. Do not let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. Treat yourself the way you would treat a good thing.

Do not allow yourself to be treated less than how a good thing would be treated

There is a certain favour that a man receives from God the day He finds a wife-not a girlfriend or a fiancée.

The longer it takes a man to find a wife, the longer it takes him to begin to walk in that favour.

A man should treat a woman,-especially his wife, the way He would treat a good thing. She is an asset and a door to a certain level of favour.

I need to constantly remember:

I am a good thing! I am an asset!

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

 

AMPLIFY CHRIST

I have heard it being said, that the church today is in a sense ‘recycling’ members.

This basically connotes that unbelievers are not joining the fold in the numbers that they should, the current believers are just moving from congregation to congregation.

Then the question of what to do was thrown to the whole house. More evangelism was suggested, radical approaches put forward.

Then recently, I found myself pondering on that discussion, and the Holy Spirit dropped a verse of Scripture in my Spirit. It reads: ‘And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.-John 12:32

It is not our job as believers to convert on convince anyone, It is the Holy Spirit’s job.

We however have to ensure that our message when we ‘witness’ or ‘evangelize is the right message.

The right message is a message that has Christ not just as the central theme but as the entire subject matter.

Are you preaching Christ or preaching denominational doctrine and dogma?

Any message that does not preach Christ and Christ only cannot be used by the Holy Spirit to convict or convert anyone.

I dare say that this is the reason our evangelism tactics and crusades and all our programmes towards soul winning are bearing little to no fruit.

It is only when Christ is lifted up that He can draw men to Himself.

Are we lifting up Christ or our congregations/General Overseers?

We need to Amplify Christ and nothing else. When we do this He’ll do the rest.

I’m amplifying Christ and Christ only.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

 

 

 

 

LIVE SAFE

Every time I hear prayers being raised by believers against devils and all the enemies that want to kill them, I usually wonder why we spend so much time focusing on the devil and giving him so much attention.

I don’t know about you but I understand by scripture that the day I gave my life to Christ, my life became hidden with Christ in God- Colossians 3: 3

What does this mean for me as a Christian and for every other person who claims to be one?

Anything that will come to you will have to get through God and then through Christ.

If I have that level of protection, why should I be afraid of anything?

Nothing gets through God that He does not allow. If He allows it, He has a purpose for it. If He has a purpose for it, then I can be sure that it is all working out for my good.-Romans 8:28

This realization does two things for me as a believer:

–          It frees me from the fear of anything because I know that nothing comes to me that has not passed through Him

–          I can be confident that no matter what comes to me, it will all work out for my good beczuse He allowed it.

I hope it does the same for you

Are you living scared or are you living safe?

Your life is hidden with Christ in God

You are safe so live in the consciousness of that safety.

I’m basking in my Christ given safety.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?

In the last few weeks in church we have been teaching and learning about the second coming of Christ. We do this every year but this year something (s) struck me that has me thinking and I need to share those thoughts.

The bible is clear that God will judge based on not just our actions but on the thoughts and intents of our hearts. –1 Corinthins 4:5

Then I got thinking about the thoughts that go through my mind of a daily basis and I was worried for myself. I realise that even though my actions may be above board and conform to Christian standards my thoughts were nothing close.

My thoughts were a disaster that had me wondering how God even coped with the knowledge.

Any witnesses?

And guess what? Your actions mean nothing if your thoughts are not right.

At this realisation I asked God for help.  

And then in His usual gracious fashion, He sent me back to His word where He clearly states:

^‘ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Obviously God knew we would be assailed with the wrong thought ideas so He gave us the instruction above to guide us in our thinking,

You cannot control the things that drop into your mind but you decide on the things you allow stay there.

What are the things staying in your mind today?

What are you thinking about?

Would you pass if God were to judge those thoughts right now?

I need to realign my thoughts.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba