YOU DO NOT HAVE A POINT TO PROVE TO ANYONE

You only have one life to live, so you better make the best out of it. I listened to something this morning that got me thinking about some of the things that I did growing up as a teenager and a younger adult.

Peer pressure they say is one of the major things that ruin teenagers and permit me to say adults alike. Most of the time, you find out that people do things not because they really want to do them but because an external factor (either positive or negative) is influencing them to do those things. Like Sir Isaac Newton said in his laws of motion, all things are in a state of rest until acted upon by an external force.

Are you aware that you don’t have any point to prove to anyone? I barely remember the faces of half of the girls we did some crazy things to impress back then in secondary school, even their names escape me. I remember in secondary school we had these two groups (Mekas & Big Boys) most boys made subtle efforts, some more than others to be a part of either of the two groups. Silly stuff went down and all but looking back today, I cannot remember most of the people from back then. During our university days, there was the hip crowd that would always gather at Iya’s place for breakfast and some bottles all day long and the various brotherhoods across campus, but today, all of that is a blur. Imagine the fate of those people that lost their lives, property, money earned by very caring parents etc. in a bit to “Belong” and today all of that is like a mirage, a fleeting thought from memories past.

Isn’t that the same case today where people drive cars that they don’t have need for, live in houses and estates they can barely afford, send their children to schools that they have to borrow money perpetually to pay for and go on vacations relying on the breakfast package that comes with their bed & breakfast hotel booking all of these just to keep up appearances or try to prove a point.

I know there are healthy competitions, but as you are reading this, there is that one person whose name just pops up in your mind or maybe it sounds like I am talking about you. But we all know that one person or persons who fit this description. You may have confronted them once or so on the matter or you just talk behind their backs about it.

Truthfully, after all is said and done, YOU DO NOT HAVE A POINT TO PROVE TO ANYONE. Not your friends nor enemies, not your family nor pastor, not your boss nor colleagues, not even your spouse. The one person you owe an explanation for your life and the way you live/lived it, the one person that you have a point to prove to is the one who made you #GOD.

If this is the case, why don’t you live your life in a way that will be pleasing to the person you are accountable to? He has a point to prove through you.

Selah!

@IamOluwaObinna

Post Elections - New Dawn NIGERIA

As we enter this new dispensation in our history as a nation, I want to congratulate Nigeria and all Nigerians for the great feat that was achieved yesterday. Indeed, it is obvious that God is still interested in the affairs of this nation Nigeria.

Despite the pressure and technical challenges, I must really commend Prof. Attahiru Jega for his composition and demeanor all through this very inundating task, Nigeria and Nigerians are proud of you Sir.

So many people didn’t know what to expect and even the international community is wowed at how well things have panned out and I know that these post-election outcomes are completely an act of God as the reality we see on ground is nothing like the permutations in the heart of many and the predictions of many.

To all our brethren who fled the country in fear of the unknown, we are all alive and well (though some are not excited about the results) and we look forward to welcoming you home whenever you decide that it is safe enough to return home.

To those of you who did not vote, you will have to live for another 4yrs with the decision that we made on your behalf and please don’t you dare complain about anything for the next 4yrs because you had an opportunity to say something and chose to observe us from the comfort of your sofa or bed as it may apply to you.

To those of us who voted, I want to commend you for your bravery. Your candidate may have lost or won, but the important thing is that you and I became a part of history and will tell our children how we were part of the process that saw a sitting democratically elected president (for the first time in the history of Nigeria) voted out of office. The tone of that story will depend on which side of the divide you were on lol, but all the same, together we made history and posterity will forever remember us.

To his Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, I want to salute your bravery Sir. You became the leader of this great nation in very challenging times and under very difficult conditions and I can only imagine the pressure, stress and distress alike that your office must have put you through. Your conduct yesterday just before the final result was announced I must commend as heroic. I wish you well in all your future endevours and hope that you will not do anything in your remaining days in office to change my comments.

To the president elect Gen Muhammadu Buhari, congratulations Sir. The people have spoken and I hope you have heard us. A leader is as strong as his team, a team is as strong as its weakest link. I think this is my only advice to you as you prepare to take on the enourmous challenge of leading this great nation of super smart people. My prayer is that God will grant you the wisdom to do His will only.

To all Nigerians, it is a New Dawn.

God Bless You.

@IamOluwaObinna

Post Elections - Day 1

The long awaited and much talked about Nigerian presidential elections have come and gone and we await the results today. There are arguments for and against the two most prominent candidates and it is mind boggling the volume of accusations, counter accusations, information (both true and false ones) flying around about these candidates and I hear them and just smile. Sitting here typing this piece, my colleagues have been on this same election, matter for over 30mins and it is not yet 7am.

My heart is glad with these outcomes because it tells me that people are finally ready in Nigeria to be involved in the affairs of the nation.

If you were eligible to vote and didn’t, I really don’t have much to tell you as you are entitled to the freedom to either exercise your civic rights as a citizen of this great nation or not to. However, in the aftermath of the elections, you do not have any moral rights to open your mouth and say anything either for or against whichever government that is sworn in come May 29 2015.

That said, I must confess that the long wait on Saturday to be able to cast my vote, leaves much to be desired but thank God that we eventually were able to cast our votes. And I actually saw how passionate Nigerians are about the desire to have good governance which is very commendable. I could also off of the discussions sense those that were into shady businesses and were scared that if a certain candidate won in the presidential polls, a possible jail term might be their portion (lol).

At the end of this entire process, I am glad that NEVER again will a leader over this nation come into power and assume that the populace will take just about any crap that they doll out at us. The voice of the PVC is the voice of the people and it sounded very loud and clear over this past weekend.

As we eagerly await the results of the election, I want to commend my fellow Nigerians for conducting yourselves in a very civil manner through this electoral process, I also want to commend all our friends in diaspora for your prayers and thoughts towards us.

I would like to say that by the time the results are announced later today, let us also conduct ourselves in the same civil manner with which we cast our votes and accept the results in good faith. No matter what the results are, whether or not it favours your preferred candidates Jesus Christ remains King over Nigeria.

God Bless Nigeria and Happy Easter.

Why Go To Church?

Have been doing some studies recently and the more I sit and meditate on these things, the more convinced I am of the need for us to re-evaluate the things that we have been taught in the times past. In the past few weeks, I have come across some insights that have shaken the very core of my belief system and I will be sharing some with you.

In this part of the world, majority of us are religious people. That is to say that we were brought up either in Christian homes, Muslim homes, pagan homes or homes where African Traditional Religion (ATR) was the way of life. Whichever it was, we have had it as part of our foundational belief that there is God and the things we have been taught has then informed the way that we relate to God even after we become born again.

Very recently, I began to question a lot of the religious processes that we have been taught to believe is the right thing on so many topics concerning God, our faith, mode of worship etc. And being that most of the people I look up to, also taught me some of the things I am (I still am processing my thoughts) querying, I decided to go to God Himself for answers. I have been so consumed by these thoughts and findings that the days just flew by very fast. My next few posts will be on my findings on some of those topics (though I am not allowed to share some of them yet) and your comments, contributions and arguments are very welcome.

When I speak with new converts about Jesus, I always recommend to them that they go and study the book of John. So when I started my inquiry, I was directed to go study the book of John.

John 4: 19-24… (NKJV) The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in sprit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I read this converse and it sounded like two Christians of different denominations having a conversation on whose church was the better church to worship in. Or what do you think? But I love the way Christ closed out on the conversation which was what caught my eye; “But the hour is coming, and now is…” Selah!

Now is the time when God is not interested in your pettiness. Now is the time where the weightier matter of your motive is what the Father is interested in. When we gather in our various places of worship on Sundays or Tuesdays or Wednesdays or Thursdays or for vigils whichever your meeting times fall into or the various seminars that takes place virtually every weekend these days, why are we gathered? Are we truly gathered in spirit and in truth or are we gathered because you will not be allowed to minister if you do not come into church at a particular time? Are we gathered because it is thanksgiving Sunday and it will be a great opportunity to showcase the new outfit you just got? Are we gathered because we just have to share that testimony of the brand new acquisition you just acquired and let hatters know that we are moving forward despite all odds? Are we gathered to come and kill all our enemies that are not allowing us make progress? Are we gathered because it is compulsory for all ordained ministers to be in attendance? Are we gathered because it is another Sunday and we must gather? Are our gatherings to tick the box of a religious obligation, or are we gathered because we know that God is seeking for sincere worshipers?

Check your heart, Why exactly are we gathering?

Now is the time when “TRUE WORSHIPPERS” must worship God in spirit and in truth. Remember that God sees our heart and He knows why you are gathered so you better make sure that it is not just another religious exercise the next time you gather. Imagine how amazing the gathering will be if all participants are there to genuinely lift up their hearts in worship to the one true God. God said He is seeking for such fellows, are you one of them?

When next you are going for a gathering of believers, I want you to ask yourself this question; why am I attending this gathering?

Selah!

Grateful Heart

Gradually we approach the end of this amazing year 2014 and if you are like me, when you look back, you can recount so many reasons why you should be grateful to God. We may not have achieved all that we set out to achieve this year, but we are by no means anywhere near where we started at the beginning of the year.

First, there is the gift of life. That I am able to sit in front of this laptop and type without any aid or support is a unique testimony of its own.

In this year 2014 by divine arrangement, I walked into purpose and began to pastor the most amazing set of human beings anyone can find on the surface of the earth. I don’t see them as congregation; I call them family because that’s what Treasure Place is to me. It’s been 7 months of resounding testimonies and increased grace as God has kept ALL His promises to us as individuals and a church.

In this same year, I embarked on projects that seemed larger than life and I look back from where I am now and can’t even explain how we were able to complete each of those projects.

In this same year, my mum clocked 50 though she still looks 35 lol. God has been good to me and my family, He has shown up for us when we least expected Him to. He has been our strong tower, our shield, our buckler, our friend and indeed our Father. I am a living witness to the fact that God is indeed the father of the fatherless and the husband to the widow because He has indeed carried all our burdens.

I can go on and on about the things that God has done for me this year, all the sheets on this word document might not be enough to capture them all. But I felt a need to help someone recount all that God has done for them this year and find a reason to lift up their voices to the heavens in thanksgiving.

I cannot close out on this write up without mentioning the greatest of all the testimonies this year. In this year 2014, I got married to the most amazing woman on the surface of the earth. Words are never enough every time I try to describe her and if you know me well, that’s a rarity but Sunmi does that to me, she leaves me speechless ALWAYS. I can only but thank God for the gift of an amazing wife, a virtuous woman and most especially, my friend. And by virtue of this union, I have embraced a new family, outstanding in-laws. They are the best in-laws anyone could have asked for walai.

It has been a fruitful/productive year with a lot of high points. That doesn’t mean that the year didn’t come with its challenges. What life would it have been without the usual bumps on the way? However, despite the daunting challenges, God saw us through it all.

This is me saying; Father, I am grateful for all you have done, all you are doing and for all You will yet to. I do not take your tender mercies and your loving kindness for granted. I love you with all my heart, with all I have and with all that is within me. I will forever serve You and these are the declarations of my heart via my mouth (or my fingers as it where).

Is there anything you are grateful to God for this year? Why don’t you take a few minutes and let Him know how grateful you are of all that He has done.

I remain @IamOluwaObinna and I am committed to your Peak Performance.

Selah!

VOTER'S CARD PALAVA

If you are like me, Sunday is the most busy and productive day of the week and is usually packed full, with every meeting almost as important as the other and attendance mandatory. So I took out what I thought was going to be a few minutes from my very tight Sunday schedule to pick up my permanent voters card, all I can say is thank God for favour.

The first group of people I approached to enquire about what the process was, all had a look of agitation and pent up anger on their faces, so I threaded carefully as I approached them. “this thing is not rocket science” one of them kept repeating, “for crying out loud, I have been here since 11.30 and this people are making it seem like there is no better way to handle this voters card ****”.

In situations like this, I have learnt to step back, observe and respond only when comments are passed my way. But as I stood there and a few minutes turned into a couple of hours, I began to feel the frustration of the crowd, anger began to well up within me… I pause for a second and thought about it again, this nonsense is happening because people like you and I have refused to take responsibility for our governance and wellbeing. We have abdicated power to old greedy men that should be in retirement homes waiting for their great grand-children to come visiting and the few young ones that have been privileged to walk that corridor of power, have been blinded by the corruption of office and like he-cocks in pursuit of a hen, have lost all sense of direction and common sense with focus on only one thing; grab, grab and grab some more before the oil dries up.

I have a few questions:

1.      Why did it take FOUR years for a voter’s card that I registered for to be produced?

2.      After the eventual production of the card, why did INEC have to cut it so close to election-day to “eventually” share the voter’s card?

3.      The passport photograph that is being collected from people who registered for a card FOUR years ago, whose faces also appear on the permanent card, who have come in person to pick up their cards, what is it going to be used for?

4.      If you tell me it is for record purposes as I assume some of you might be thinking, what happened to the biometrics data that was obtained from me FOUR years ago? Or is that one history now?

5.      Why were those INEC officials taking records on sheets of paper in this 21^st century? Isn’t there a database with the information of everyone that registered for this exercise FOUR years ago that the officials could refer to online and verify the details of citizens?

6.      What stops us from doing like an online pre-verification exercise and make the collection process a walk-in exercise?

Okay, let me stop ranting and let’s talk solutions.

I think it is time we start taking actions, we need credible leaders, that fact is no longer up for debate. And like someone clearly pointed out yesterday, I don’t know how many of you reading this right now that know the name of their constituency councilor. Posters are already flying around of people we do not have a clue what their credibility is, some of these contestants don’t have a track record from anywhere be it private or public enterprise but their pictures keep popping up every other four years. We need to hold someone accountable for their words and take responsibility of following through to ensure that they meet their obligation to the populace.

I have decided that I will start with my constituency(I don't even have a clue yet which constituency I belong to lol, but I will find out), then move on to my local government. I will find out what the four year agenda of the contestants are, listen to their manifestos, make my choice and VOTE. After the elections, I will also follow up to ensure that the person in office (whether or not he/she is the individual I voted for) will keep to the dictates of his/her manifesto. We will use all legal means possible to follow through on our demands; it is high time we hold our office holders responsible for their actions.

You will hear more from me on this matter, trust me on that. But I implore you to take responsibility of the welfare of this nation, if not for yourself, for the sake of generation after you. Let us all go out and vote come 2015, and make our votes count.

I remain @IamOluwaObinna, I am committed to your Peak Performance.

PAUSE.... THEN RESPOND

It’s been a long while I posted a blog on this page and I sincerely apologize for that. between my last post and now, the “She” that I referred to in a few of my previous posts has become my wife *smiley* and God has given us the great task of leading an amazing set of people in Treasure Place. I can indeed say that out of the race of a group of believers, God has raised a group of men and women that the world will get to meet in no too distant a time. Needless to say that God has indeed been faithful.

As a preacher, I have over time, found out that it is easier to preach the word to others than to practice the contents of what we preach. I have had cause to counsel so many people on various life issues and when I find myself in that same place, I tend to forget the words from scriptures that I so easily shared with others.

This last week was one of the worst weeks I have had to endure in a very long time, a lot happened that had me angry and frustrated and just when I was about to lash out, a calm voice said ‘healer, heal thyself’.

That was what I needed to reset my brain. I began to drill down to the root cause of the anger and ask myself salient questions like; why are you angry? Is this anger directed at a person or a situation? What does scripture say about anger? How have you complied with what scripture says about anger? Based on the things you have told people in this situation before, how can you rate your response now compared to their response? Is there anything you can do to remedy the situation? When are you going to take action?

The moment I completed this self-evaluation, and began to take actions, it was like a burden lifted off my shoulders.

When scripture says that laughter does good like medicine, I can completely relate with that. I wear a smile all the time, it is not necessarily because all is well at all times, no. I smile because though all may not be well, the enemy is expecting me to wear a frown and it tickles me to know that my smile frustrates him.

Some events occur in our lives and we respond in certain ways to those events. Though we are Christians, it is understandable that we are first humans and most times our tendency is to respond to incidents in our human nature. However, the ultimate response to life’s events will be the “Christ-like” response and this requires some conscious effort on our own part as believers.

Decide today to respond to every matter in a way that is befitting a child of God. Like the popular saying goes, you can always ask yourself before responding to any matter; “What would Jesus do?” and if you are not so sure what Jesus would do or in doubt how He would have reacted, you can always tow my Pastor’s line and ask from scriptures; “What did Jesus Say?”

It’s a new month that the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in it, do have a great week ahead.

@IamOluwaObinna and I am committed to your Peak Performance