Month: August 2021

Posted in SOUL FOOD, Uplifting Christ

Distractions Kill Dreams

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

As I was thinking about how best to talk about distractions in our daily lives, a common analogy that came to mind was two plants with distinct benefits growing on your field. Distractions are not necessarily bad ideas but they sway a person from achieving his/her main purpose.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines Distraction as a thing that takes your attention away from what you are doing or thinking about

Distraction can be the good thing that keeps you away from achieving the best.

Think about this: You have prepared your field to plant Corn and you realize that some Okra are growing among your Corn. It’s one thing if you have the capacity to nurture the two plants, and another thing if you don’t have space and resources.

Corn

Both plants are good. They can grow well on your field and probably fetch you money but if you don’t have the capacity to keep the two, then the Okra can prevent you from achieving your set target for the period. Their presence on your field would mean that they would share nutrients with your corn and probably affect your harvest.

Okra
Credit: aces.edu

From the scenario above, the Corn is the main objective, plan, target, desire, etc. The Okra is a sidetrack, something you didn’t plan for. It popped up from nowhere, or suggested by other people, or its only appealing to your desires. The field is your lifetime, year (like 2021), moment, season. And the Nutrients are time, money, energy, relationships, etc.

You prepared your year (field) for Corn (marriage planning, kids planning, new business, expansion, new job, new certification, relocation, weight management, etc). But some Okra happened to grow on your field. You’ve looked around you and kind of wonder “what have I done for myself this year?” Every other plants seem to be growing fine but the Corn.

One thing you should note is that different people have different purpose for their fields. That is as you decided to plant Corn in this year, you best friend’s plan was to plant Okra. Therefore don’t be deceived into thinking that an Okra growing on your field is a good thing. It might look good at the moment but it’s not part of your plan this year.

Distraction is a poison pill that kills dreams. It leads to disappointment and misery. It’s objective is to make you feel bad in the end and give up because you would feel strongly that time has been wasted for what is not important. It is therefore important that you know what you don’t want so that you can give your attention to what you want to achieve.

Know that your enemy (Satan) has you marked for distraction so pray and let wisdom guide you in your every decision. Proverbs 4:25-27 (CEV) says that Keep looking straight ahead, without turning aside. Know where you are headed, and you will stay on solid ground. Don’t make a mistake by turning to the right or the left.

Take a quick look back, at the beginning of the year, or your career, business, relationships, family, etc. Are you on track? or somehow distracted? Distraction can be dealt with so start today and your old age will thank you for making right choices.

Posted in JESUS, Motivation, My Little Story, Safe with Jesus, Uplifting Christ

My Little Story: Gold In The Bread

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

I heard this story as a kid about one beggar who sat daily on a busy street asking for money. One rich man saw the struggle this beggar had to go through from morning to evening and decided to help change his life for the better.

As a result, he went to his bakery and requested that a gold be put in a bread which he would give to the beggar the following morning. He got the bread and gave it to the beggar hoping that the beggar would eat the bread, find the gold, sell it, and use the proceeds to start a new life. However, the beggar thought he had no need for bread but money so he sold the bread for cash.

The buyer, realizing the worth of the bread rushed to the beggar the following morning, gave some money to the beggar and told him that he would gladly buy the next bread for more money.

Weeks later, the rich man saw the beggar at the same spot and felt sorry for him but thought maybe he should repeat the same process. He went to the bakery, got bigger gold in the bread, and made it attractive so that it would appeal to the beggar for him to at least open it. After that he went to the beggar and asked what he did with the previous bread. The beggar told him that he needed money badly so he sold it for cash. The rich man told him to please eat this new bread with his family because it was specially made for them.

Sadly after he left, the beggar thought this bread would fetch more cash so he went to the previous buyer and sold it for more cash. Time passed and the rich man saw the beggar at the same spot, going through the same struggle but he wouldn’t help again because he thought another person needed the same opportunity.

Lesson:

Like the beggar, many of God’s children in dire situations where they have to depend on others for survival. Others are wealthy but they aren’t independent and thus seek to play it safe to win people’s favor. God sees our daily struggles and has given us the Bread of Life.

This Bread of Life is Jesus Christ. However, we often trade Jesus Christ for short term benefits. We feel urgent need for little bit of freedom, fame, money, power, influence, peace, etc so we trade this Bread for them. But the Gold is in Jesus Christ. If only we would take time to break this Bread, then we would find the Gold that will transform our lives.

In Jesus Christ, there is Freedom. There is Peace. There is Power which gives greater Influence. There is riches and glory. There is Healing. There is EVERYTHING.

As I thought deeply about this, I am guilty and feel sorry for myself because I haven’t fully appreciate this Bread I have in my life. I don’t know about you. I don’t know how you have traded yours in the past but we can make amend today and own this Bread, break this Bread, and eat this Bread, and we will be fulfilled to the point that we would have no need in this life and the one to come.

I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.

(John 6:35, CEV)

Whatever it is that you are hungry and thirty for can be found Jesus Christ. There is Gold in the Bread.

Prayer: Most High God, my Father, thank you for giving me this Precious Bread of Life. Please help me to appreciate that everything I need to be successful in this life and to make it to Heaven is in Jesus Christ. From today, I wouldn’t trade Him for anything the enemy would offer. Help me Lord in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Posted in GOD CARES, SOUL FOOD, Uplifting Christ

God Uses People To Bless People

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Opportunity knocks at our doors every day but it comes in a form that has to be unraveled before one can notice. Every person you see is an opportunity in disguise. That is an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus Christ, an opportunity to get help, an opportunity to sell your idea, opportunity to make money, network, etc. It would interest you to know that your next big thing could be the next person you meet or interact with.

Hebrews put it this way:

Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

(Hebrews 13:2, AMP)

It’s not always the case that you will meet people like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, CEOs and MDs, etc before you think of opportunity. Sometimes it could be the security man at the entrance, an employee, a taxi driver, or a stranger in some distress situation. Thus care should be taken so that your ego and/or pride does not become a blockade to your blessings. Remember that Naaman got to hear about Elisha through a slave maid (2 Kings 5:1-17) and David was able to recover all that was stolen when he helped that poor guy who was left behind by his master to die (1 Samuel 30).

You have no idea who God has sent your way to be a blessing therefore be mindful of how you interact with people.