[Ukemeobong Michael]

Very instructive word! I find it easier to evangelize with love than preaching condemnation. The gospel is good news about God’s love.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

So true! How you handle the money in your custody will determine how much responsibility and wealth God can entrust to you. If you are faithful in little, you are faithful in much. Budgeting, tracking expenditure and financial goal setting are important.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Thank you Nia for the thoughtful post. I can totally relate to this. Sometimes covered beneath our smiles are many pressures, challenges and uncertainties as we appear to be pulled on every side. It makes me see when Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:8: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed,but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

When it seems like I am getting overwhelmed, I just hold on knowing that sometimes during the storm all you need to do is to hold on and it will pass. I try to meditate on the scriptures around that area, speak them out loud or just remain quiet instead of complaining. I try to pray even when the words don’t make sense. But sooner or later, the storms calm, the light shines through and I am better for it.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Thank you@purposefaith for sharing on this important yet underemphasized subject.

The bible tells us that where there is no vision, the people perish. The bedrock of depression lies in hopelessness – a lack of vision or desire for the future. Being in the Medical field, I have seen people physically harm themselves or being suicidal because they just don’t imagine any future.

God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plan is to prosper us and to give us a future and a hope. If anyone is hopeless, when we come to God in prayer and submission, He answers by implanting a hope for a better future. This hope, the bible says, never dissapoints- it is not a mere wishful thinking, but comes with the faith to make our dreams come true. It comes with inward imaginations that has a dynamic ability/energy to activate a change in our status.

For me, this hope of a great future is what drives my daily activities and keeps me strong and focused in times of adversity knowing that, my hope’s anchor is God and He is faithful to complete everything He has started. Hallelujah!

[Ukemeobong Michael]

For me this year, one strategy I can share that has added immensely to my growth is to read more books and even search for and watch videos that pertain to any particular area (whether spiritually or in my career) I want to develop in and I am amazed at how much knowledge I have been missing out on. Someone said that all you know is not all there is to know and realizing that is the key to personal growth and development.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Amen! I operate in spiritual gifts!

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Very thought-provoking! We are not going to be rewarded by the amount of activities we have done but by how much of those results stand the test of time(abides). It’s more about the quality of the impact and not just the impact. I pray and strive to always give the best in all my service in the Kingdom.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

I refuse to be hoodwinked by the moral corruption of this age.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

That’s true. The Kingdom is demonstrated by powerful works not just words.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

I really love to hear this. For a lot of us, we grew up in a religious culture of blame, little wonder we blame God, our spouses, our parents, our children and everyone else easily. We see that when a Christian brother or sister falls into a misbehaviour or sin, people gather like vultures to disect/criticize or even destroy them for their wrongs without even thinking that themselves may fall into same challenges too. We must be careful not to do the devil’s job- accuser of the brethren.

This reminds me of the story of the woman caught in adultery, and how Jesus handled it. He told her “…neither do I condemn you”. There is therefore, now no condemnation in Christ. The gospel of the Kingdom brings the freedom to live above sin and the condemnation. We work on producing good fruits and be blameless. If we miss our step, we get up like that woman, knowing that Christ does not condemn us, rather, our Master is able to keep us from falling. That way we are able to strengthen others too when they stumble or fall.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

That is quite true! Thank you Pst Phil for sharing. It is important to self reflect/examine without drawing blame to oneself!

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Great! Thank you Nia for sharing your touching story with us. It is quite encouraging to see how you gracefully handled it with the person.

It is so true that we cannot control what other people do but we can choose to control how we respond them. Difficult people will be difficult and it is important not to judge ourselves by their standards. We can rise above the darkness and may be, they might just see that ray of light through us.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

I think that makes a lot of sense because it is the little things that make up the big picture. the more faithful we are in the little the better capacity we have for more to be added to us.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Hi Minkee. That’s a very important question and we actually have a blog on self discovery which can help answer this question to a good extent. You can check out the blogs section of the app.

I believe being the best version of ourselves starts with the question you just asked which leads to self discovery. Then like Paul states in Phillipians 3:13 that he is constantly rediscovering himself, by forgetting the past and consistently pressing forward to achieve/become the big picture that God has called or shown him to be. We must be ready to be malleable by God through obedience to his instructions so we can be melted and moulded (transformed) into His own picture of us which is always a bigger picture than we could ever imagine for ourselves.

[Ukemeobong Michael]

Thanks a lot @phil4krist for the insightful response. Thats quite true because I noticed that if you are a very efficient person, people will want to involve you in everything even when it goes against your vision and mission in life. Everyone also wants to be around you. To protect our focus, we need to learn to say, “No” and cut down our engagements to get the BEST results and not just the GOOD results. I see why Paul stated that all things are lawful to him but not all things are necessary.