(4 minutes read)

We are all in a fight. Everyone is currently fighting a battle. It might be small. Big. Obvious. Or even hidden but everyone of us is fighting at some level. Maybe that’s why some refer to the church as the church militant. Because we’re fighting. Just that we fight from the place of victory that Jesus made available to us.

One of the fights that 99.9% of Christians face is the battle to fulfil destiny and lead fruitful lives. The enemy is always on the tab, devising crude and refined ways to stop any child of God he can, from fulfilling destiny. But it doesn’t have to be you. You will need to fight though because the devil don’t playing dumb. He means serious business but like I said earlier, you fight from a place of victory, demanding for all that is yours and commanding the devil to take his dirty hands off all that belongs to you. Because the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus has made a fruitful life possible for you. The enemy takes you seriously but deceives you into thinking there is nothing to you. Don’t believe him. His agenda is to give you blogs you aren’t prepared for because you weren’t expecting them

Now, If the fight in you is smaller than the fight against you, the fight against you can bring you down. If what is coming against you is stronger than what you’ve put inside of you, your chances of survival is seriously being jeopardized.

Read that again.

‘But how do I increase the fight inside of me?’ You may ask.

Good question. Simple answer but I’ll have to explain.

Just do these three things:

1) Soak yourself in the revelation of God’s Word that scripts your fruitful dream life. That is, Get that Word of God that sparks something on the inside of you and also describes your dream life. Let’s not get spooky though;. ALL word of God; EVERY Scripture, is inspired so it could be one that resonates with you as you study the Word (which is why study is amazing, you get the Word into your core); or it could be one revealed to you, so long as it’s God’s Word and it hits the subject, it’s okay.
When you get that word, speak it. I always love to say this: Seek it? Say it. Talk about it but mostly to yourself and God. Sometimes you don’t have to broadcast your dreams. Brooding over them in prayer before you tell anyone about them, can be powerful.

2) Gather the information relevant to your dream and build up on it. In other words; read, study and amass practical and applied knowledge. Develop your capacity on every frontier that will enable you fulfil your dream. This could mean intellectual knowledge, skilful/hands-on knowledge, even building strength to be able to carry out your dream.

3) Keep your dream before you, in pictures. Your mind’s core language is pictures so speak to your mind in the language it understands. And make it simple. Let me tell you what I did. I pasted my picture on a word document, wrote down my dream beneath it in my name and printed the document.  Its black and white but it doesn’t matter, it’s feeding the fight on my inside because every time i look at it and read it, I read about my future and I bring it into my present. I tell myself, babe, this is the path, we stay here! And we stay here by repeating the dream to myself in words and backing it up with Scriptures thus drawing it down into my subconscious from my conscious world.

So these three things –
The revealed Word,
Relevant Information
An envisioned future;
and you’ll be building the fight inside of you.

And when the fight gets tougher, because it will, remind yourself whose child you are. Tell yourself- I am (insert your name) of the most High.
As for me, I AM Aijay Ufomadu of El-Elyon and in my lineage, we don’t fail and we don’t back down! It might be tough and it might get hard but Greater! Is the God on my inside! Than whatever I encounter on my outside. If God said it, that settles it, we war with it and We STAY here till we possess it.


Hope that put some Holy-Ghost adrenaline on your inside. 

You have yourself an amazing God-Defined Weekend
God bless you


AijayUfomadu
Driven by value | Inspiring you to thrive

(7 minutes read)

“A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: ‘Puppies For Sale.’

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; ‘How much are you going to sell the puppies for?’ he asked.

The store owner replied, ‘Anywhere from $30 to $50.’

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. ‘I have $2.37,’ he said. ‘Can I please look at them?’

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, ‘What’s wrong with that little dog?’

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. ‘That is the puppy that I want to buy.’

The shop owner said, ‘No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.’

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said;

‘I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.’

The shop owner countered, ‘You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.’

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, ‘Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!’”

It takes someone who has experienced a thing to truly understand how it feels for someone else and even at that, we can not sometimes accurately say we know exactly how it feels for the person because pain thresholds are different and people are wired in various ways. Nevertheless, if you wanted to fully understand how hot fire feels, you need to talk to someone who’s been actually burnt before.


It’s easy to judge others when we haven’t walked in their shoes and while we should always prompt and push others to give and be their best, we must be sure that we don’t push them beyond what they are able to carry. Even God won’t do that. Now that doesn’t mean we allow each other be lazy or turn a blind eye when someone is obviously making mistakes, it just means that you walk in love, compassion and understanding in an intentional way.

Today, I want to do a shout out to everyone who is striving against the odds to make their lives work.

I want to celebrate those who are going through so much that it takes all of the strength they can muster to go through each day.

To everyone who’s battling deep insecurities they’ve tried unsuccessfully to eliminate (yet).

To everyone who’s standing on the outside even though they are crumbling on the inside.

You smile so well it takes a keen observer, probably someone who’s been through pain, to see that your smiles are not quite getting to your eyes.

To those who smile even when their hearts are shattering to pieces. Those who smile through their tears.

To those who have questions that don’t seem to have answers. Questions that have never been answered.

To those who are so broken they don’t want to face another day.

To those who’ve made mistakes the world would never let them forget. Sometimes the mistake is large. Sometimes it’s small. Nevertheless, you’re reminded everyday in one way or the other that you missed it and it feels as if you’ll never get over it or recover.

To everyone so confused that it’s almost like a way of life, so much that clarity feels strange.

To those who have sought for long but haven’t  found yet.

To those who are doing everything they know to do but things still won’t budge.

To those struggling with depths entangling them.

To everyone rejected. Misunderstood. Maltreated. Talked about. Maligned.

To everyone fighting battles that even people closest to them know nothing of. Battles of the mind and flesh that are both tormenting and hateful.

To every one whom the enemy has moved into their minds making life a mental hell

To everyone who generates hateful controversy just by being the simple people they are, living their lives the best way they know

To everyone who doesn’t even understand what’s happening.

To everyone who’s given up or about to.

To everyone fighting at some level, high, middle , surface or deep.

I might not totally understand your pain or how it feels, but I have known some degree of pain strong enough to want to drive you to end it all. I’ve been at points in life where it didn’t matter anymore, heaven felt like a welcome relief. The only trouble was how to get there without committing sin  . I know the deep pain of loss. I know the torment of fear. I know what it feels like to be in so much despair because you’ve done all you know to do but solutions aren’t coming.

But through it all, I’ve seen that God is faithful. I have judged Him faithful. He didn’t leave me in any way and the trials work like the refiners fire, purifying me and making me more like Him. I can say that what the enemy meant for evil, God has turned around for my good. And from the wild rock has come my honey.

Today, I look back and I say, If not for God.…
God, my God, Who has that special touch and ability to step in and turn it around so much that  the memory of the pain and the misery of the past become as the waters that pass away (Job 11:16).

I just came by today to encourage you to fight! Yes. Fight and keep fighting even if that’s all you do. Jesus didn’t die for you to waste your life. And He definitely didn’t leave Heaven’s glory for a couple of years just so you could throw everything He died for, away.

Like Terri Savelle Foy says, ‘we will never outgrow warfare. We must simply learn to fight.’ When you conquer a devil, the next one is waiting for you at the next level. That’s how we build strength and character.

I’m not sure I know the exact next step for you to take but I just need you to hold on to God even if it’s by a strand. And worship Him even though you don’t understand and don’t want to, because, you see, in the presence of worship, the mist clears. The light is bright. Things become clearer.

So if you’re seeking and haven’t found, keep at it. You’ll soon find.

If you’re knocking and no show yet, keep at it, the door will soon open

If you’re asking and no answers yet, stay at His feet, answers will soon come.

Do all you need to do. Fight with God’s Word. Do all you can and make sure you don’t give up!

Remember that when you heal, your healing isn’t just the only thing that happens. You come out of your struggle with the anointing to help another sister or brother heal too. And people are waiting for you to cross the line so you could also help them cross too. So please do not give up. I know it’s hard. But staying there is harder because it does you no good.

I also want to remind you that just because you feel damaged, wounded or scarred don’t mean you don’t have worth. If anyone makes you feel worthless because of your wounds or scars, give them a smile and deny them access into the deepest parts of your heart. Then look up to God to give you your own true friends, your own squad; people who will pray and fight with you. Do all you can. Just make sure you don’t give up

I can’t promise you it will be fine right away but I can tell you that if you don’t stand and fight, it will never be fine. I can also tell you that what’s happening has nothing to do with what you did or what you’re doing now; it’s not about your past or present and it will never be about those; it’s about your future- what you could do in the future if the enemy leaves you to become all God has called you to be .So he’s unleashing on you to stop you. Please I beg you, do not let him win. Do not. If anything, if it gives you any comfort, make up your mind to win just to spite him and add some extra sauce by helping some others win too, in their lives. But most importantly, make up your mind to thrive and make your Father More proud.

God is already proud of you because, look at you, you’re still here. Now make Him more proud. Worship Him. Stay in His Word. And fight. Your salvation is much nearer than when you first believed.


God bless you and I’m consistently praying for you.

Have an amazing God-Defined Weekend

Aijay Ufomadu
Driven by Value| Inspiring you to thrive

(3 minutes read)

Sometime ago, a doctor recommended a drug for some pains I had. The drugs were anti-inflammatory in nature and I knew that I had to be cautious especially because I was still breastfeeding. My baby was almost two and usually, I am not expected to still be breastfeeding and I didn’t mention it either, to the doctor. But when I realised what could be at stake, I decided not to breastfeed for the duration of the drug and also use the opportunity wean him, as this had been long overdue.

My son didn’t take it lightly though. Maybe because he was already older than my first who I stopped breastfeeding at one year without much drama. He cried and cried but inspite of his wailing which really tugged at my heart, I couldn’t succumb because it was not just about weaning him, it was also about how safe it was to breastfeed and I wasn’t going to let his cries make me allow something that could hurt him. It wasn’t even likely but I thought to err on the side of caution.

As I pondered on the situation, it reminded me of God’s love. How God will sometimes withhold something from us and no matter how much we wail or throw tantrums, He stays on His decision. It can get confusing at times because as far as we’re concerned, everything looks good and this thing we need is necessary; just same thing my son would have thought in his mind. But you see, we see in part and we prophesy in part and as long as we’re on this Earth, there are some things we would never fully understand, some answers we might not get, till the other side of eternity.

I believe that’s why The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that He that comes to God must believe that HE IS and that HE IS a rewarder. It’s like a blind Faith journey only that the faith here isn’t blind, it is brightly illuminated with God’s Word. So you would need to keep your eyes on the big picture and on the Bigger God Who loves you more than you could ever love yourself

We must of necessity believe that God is Who He says He is and that He truly rewards. Only then can some delays or denials make sense, because we know that even though we don’t have the full picture, God does and He loves us and wants the best for us.

So do all the truth you know to do and trust God. Believe in His Word trusting that His love for you will give always give you the best. And after you’ve done all the good you know to do, stand on His Word without wavering because He Who called us is faithful.

Ask Him for WHAT you need but try not to suggest the HOW to Him. He’s never out of options


Do have an amazing God-Defined Weekend

Aijay

NB: The doctor later reconfirmed that the drug was ok for nursing mothers and another doctor friend of mine gave me some good tips on how to wean my baby almost painlessly and it really looked like a life saver. Just that it didn’t work. Not so little dude is holding on for as long as he can. I need help. Please pray for me

(2 Minutes read)

I choose Joy!!

I’ve always been an emotional person and that transcends into everything I do. Initially I thought it was a burden and I always used to ask God to take it away. But as I found more of my identity in Christ, I realised it was a strength, a key strength that God has given me to aid the delivery of my life assignment. But just like every other gift from God, the enemy attacks it but it’s in fighting FROM the standpoint of victory given to us at Calvary, that I turn around the pain to purpose, the pity to praise and the mess to a message. 

This is where I find myself a lot of times. I take everything to heart, I feel everything deeply and knowing this made me learn to address my feelings and always choose the right ones. And one of the dispositions I always choose is Joy!

Life might to dish out some lemons but what you do with the lemon depends on you. You can either focus on the bright side, mix in some Scripture sugar and make a lemonade or eat the lemon bitter but the choice is really yours to make.

For me, I’ve decided to always choose Joy because it is with Joy that I’ll draw water (the benefits of salvation) from the well of salvation ( benefits like health, favour, increase etc.) – Isaiah 12:3

So how do I do this?

By focusing on the Word. For me, Gods word is the final say and when it gets difficult to handle, I ask Him to help me keep focus.

Whatever I can’t handle, I give to God. I can’t come and kill myself. God has even said to cast my cares on Him. So as soon as it starts to give me sleepless nights or make my heart hurt, be it a relationship or friendship, an issue, whatever it is; I give them all to God because I love my peace of mind… and joy. 

When I give things to God and He gives me an instruction, I do it because therein lies my peace…and joy. It’s not always easy but the pain of disobedience will always outweigh the inconvenience of obedience.

I involve God in my affairs and I do it on time. If by any chance I forget, I tell Him immediately I remember because God ….everything from beginning to the end of time and He loves me, He knows how and where to lead me. I can trust HIM absolutely.

There are a whole lot of others but these strategies top my list for now. I need to do these to thrive as Joy is the very foundation of my flourishing.

It is very easy to become that person that walks around sad, looking like they’re sucking lemons. But it comes right back on you, Negatively!
Don’t give the enemy such leverage in your life. Choose Joy. Day in Day out! There’s nothing so  wrong that God can’t work out right!

I choose JOY!!!

Have an amazing God-defined Weekend.

In ancient times, a king had his men place a boulder on a roadway. He then hid in the bushes, and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers passed by and simply walked around it.

Many people blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone removed.

One day, a peasant came along carrying vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the way. After much pushing and straining, he finally managed to push the boulder out of the way.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explain that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the road.”

Where is your gold? Or should I say, where is your gold hidden?

Everyone of us was born with the ability to solve a problem or a set of problems and in solving that problem, we create value which in return, brings us reward.

When God created the world, He left some portions for us humans to finish and that’s why we see folks like Bezalel and Oholiab solving problems by crafting equipment that would make daily living, easier, in times as far back as a couple of years after creation.

If the world needed the gifts and skills of these men to solve problems as far back as then when things were well… relatively sane, how much more would the world need the gifts and skills of men to have its problems solved, today?

Unlike the King in the story, God did not create the problems we have today in the world; they are aftermaths of the fall. But like the King, God is watching from heaven to see what and how we’ll handle our problems because frankly, He knows we have the ability to.

“But Aijay, that’s preposterous and highly assumptious! The world’s problems could never be entirely solved!’

Before you hang me, let me explain.

There is no challenge, problem or issue in this world that is so great that it shocks God. God is not up in heaven wondering how we humans will cope with the challenges we’re facing. No. And that’s because He’s provided the solutions to every problem we could ever have and the solution is with us humans.

For every challenge on earth, there’s someone somewhere who God has gifted with the skills to solve that challenge, issue or problem. If there is a solution yet unsolved, it’s because the person or persons gifted with the ability to solve it hasn’t ‘presented themselves’ yet. So yes, you just might be right in saying I’m assumptious in believing that all of the world’s problems could be solved, But that’s because the person(s) with the solution(s) is/are either not aware or knows but hasn’t stepped out yet due to one reason or the other. Either way, holding back isn’t helping us, it’s depriving us.

You have a gift to give to the world, a flavour to add, a solution to provide. But you need to step out of yourself and GIVE that gift! Stop blaming the world for the issues and go do your part! Let’s stop bypassing the problems, shifting blames and passing responsibilities. Let’s become responsible and respond to God’s ability in us.

Let’s  step up, into the game and bring our flavour; our quota, to the table as we work towards making the world an increasingly beautiful place.

And you know the amazing thing, as you solve the problem, you won’t end up empty-handed. Rewards come to those who add value so step out, do the work, add value…your gold is hidden beneath the boulder of the problems you’ve been gifted to solve!

Have an amazing GOD-DEFINED weekend

God bless you.

Aijay Ufomadu

Amazing You,

How’s the year panning out for you?

How are your 2021 resolutions (If you made any) going thus far ?

And if you didn’t, that’s fine, I totally understand.  

Because sometimes your new year resolution could be to not make any resolution. 

Your new year resolution could be to just BE!

Live and breathe.

And it’s very much okay to make your new year resolution much later in the year or even in the middle of the year!
 A popular proverb says and I quote:- ‘when you wake up, is your morning’.

In other words, when your light dawns, your day begins (figuratively). 

Just ensure though that you are not spending your time lounging in bed, sipping cocktail and watching life. Be sure you’re in bed because you’re resting or healing.

This year is going to be really fast!  It was just about 2 minutes ago when we just said Happy New Year and boom! it’s the end of May already.

Honestly, time is running. But hey! You don’t have to run with it. Or feel pressured that you haven’t started anything yet. 

It’s okay to make some movement and by all means do, but if you’re not at a place where you can make meaningful movement, commit to your healing and focus on that so you can spring back and get back on track because, we need to move.

And if you’re already hitting the goals, keep at it. Just ensure you move at your pace and take some rest when you need to and after you’re rested, pick up again.

In January I had a burnout. I talked about it in an earlier post but i want to share another perspective to it today.

So, I had already hit some of my goals for the year but I was exhausted. And in the middle of the exhaustion,  I was still trying to act strong till I had to sit down and acknowledge the truth.

I was exhausted. And burnt out.

I had been on a 4 week marathon building about 4 websites, a magazine, massive contents and writing books, in addition to being a wife, mama, daughter and sister. 

I was tired, and angry! I was wondering if it was all worth it.

You see, exhaustion has a way of making you disillusioned. Suddenly,  you start to think that everything you believed for, the life you longed for and worked towards, isn’t possible. 

Exhaustion makes you want to creep back into your hole and focus on surviving instead of thriving. 

I was tired and I knew it. 

We’re a generation that gets some kicks from getting things done but sometimes we forget that there is the skill to getting things done and there is the spirit of getting things done.

What I mean is this: There is no need ticking off a ‘to-do’ list of something that ordinarily should be done in a more meaningful way, but you rushed through it because you’re trying to do so much and you just need to tick it off as done!

An example is rushing through our devoted communion time with God just to tick our mental or physical register that we’ve prayed long and satisfy our religious conscience. Trouble is, when we really need the strength that the prayer should provide, we won’t find it because we didn’t dig deep, we only went shallow.

God would rather we spend a meaningful 15 minutes with Him than a rushed 30 minutes.

Another is reading. We all want to say we’ve read 100 books by December 2021.

Amazing!

But our lives stay the same because we hardly remember what we read and/or not implementing because we didn’t take the time to draw a parallel between what we read and our lives.

How about doing a job or an assignment and rushing through it only to have to do it again because we didn’t do it well or putting up with a shabby work because we don’t have time to redo it.

Then those moments when we’re working on something or catching up on the phone and we make our kids repeat themselves 5 times because they are talking to us but we can’t hear them; we’re distracted.

We fill up our to-do list with 1000 items because well, maybe we’ll get some robotic powers during the day to execute them :)

I wish there were no effects to living like this but alas, there is! Because as we water down our concentration, our brain starts to get used to the idea of us living a life that is not focused. 

So the brain knows that you typically don’t give your full attention to a thing and you do more than one thing at a time, ALL the time. So when you’re doing just one thing, your brain starts to look for a second and maybe third thing to add to what you’re doing cos hey! ‘Here, we do more than one thing at a time even if our attention isn’t focused on it’.

There are some times you NEED to do more than one thing to get things done but there are times you need to focus on just one thing and do it well.

But your brain doesn’t know the difference because you’re doing a whole lot EVERY time.

So you’re reading a book and at the foot of the page, you realise you can’t remember what you read on that page because your mind was everywhere but on what you’re reading.

And you maybe have to read the page again..but you’ve lost time.

There’s power in focus and this is a WHOLE message. 

But I’ll paraphrase the message by saying that doing a few things very well is better than doing a lot with mediocrity. 

Take this truth from an ambitious and multi-tasking human like me, I love to load my lists and tick off stuff but I’m learning that it’s not in the amount of things I do, it’s in the quality of the things I do; the 20% that makes the difference and you know what, alot of times, those relevant things that make the difference aren’t much.

They might not fill your to-do lists but they’ll help you become what is in your to-be list:- the list that describes the life you want to live and the person you want to become.

My charge to you today is to disconnect from the chatter and noise of what social media and influencers say you life should look like. They did not create you and even though they have a great sense and an idea of how a successful life should be, God has your own ultimate blueprint, especially if you’ve been stressed out and running battery low.

Disconnect and find your way back to God’s throne room, take a long hard look at your life and lay it before Him and ask Him to help you eliminate the clutter, even the ones you thought you couldn’t do without.  And ask Him to help you live your days more meaningful.

When you do that, your life will truly start to make sense.  That doesn’t mean it will be a merry-go-round because God will stretch you by calling you out of your comfort zone so you can build your capacity, do more and become more. Abundant fruitfulness happens on the stretch.

But you won’t be stressed because He will not give you more that you can bear. Stress happens when you try to do more than your capacity can carry.

Skills in a task are important. The act of doing a thing is important but it’s the spirit with which you do the task that makes the difference, making your work stand out.  That’s why two people can do same thing but get different results. One is an act(skill), the other is an art(spirit). One is usually done to cross it off a list and move on, the other is done with purpose and intention. 

Make your life an art; operate from a place of peace and focus, purpose and intention. 

I pray for you today that God will fill you with the wisdom you need to know what is relevant and what is extraneous, in every season of life that you are in, so you can focus on what truly matters per season and live your days more bright, more energized and more meaningful. 

I leave you with this
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:4-5 (The Message Version)

Have an amazing God-defined week ahead 

Love, light and laughter. 
Aijay

Sometime early this year, I had a deadline to meet that ended up taking much more of my time than I had planned so I literally worked on the task for three days straight.

By the time I had gone past the second day, I realised I wasn’t studying at midnight like I usually do and of course I told myself God would understand, it’s the season but by the third day, I was in a place of dire starvation but not from physical food. 

I wasn’t feeding my Spirit.

You see, I was reading my Bible a little here and there but my day to day demands require that I not only feed on God’s Word very well for myself, I feed to the overflowing because someone or something might draw on me. But here I was, just scratching by and managing, and I could feel that weakness inside that had nothing to do with my physical body. 

At that point, I knew something had to give so I don’t give.

Haha

It’s amazing all the parts of ourselves we have to take care of, to be in one piece; body, soul and spirit.

Before we go on, let’s look at an analogy.

Imagine that your life is a house and your dreams are the appliances in the house. And imagine that you live in my country Nigeria where power isn’t too stable and you have to get a standby generator and depending on the capacity you want, there is 1KVA, 2KVA , 3.5KVA and up to 100KVA generator and more, so you can keep your life moving when power goes off.

Now Imagine that you have this big deep freezer you bought to keep your foods fresh and when you went to buy a generator, you got a 2kva generator hoping it will sufficiently ‘carry the load’ of your deep freezer.

I know you’re prolly smiling now. You know the answer.

We all do.

Kolé werk

It’s not possible.

How can it even be? Even if the generator comes on by any miracle, it will have this really low sound like it’s rumbling, more like complaining – ‘Aunty madam or uncle Oga why you put his Kain load for my head’. Plus the deep freezer won’t come on. (If you can think of other things that will happen when the freezer is switched on, please hit reply and let me know. But please finish the post first )

Haha

Ok. Enough of the joke.

But hey, I’m serious.

Wait. how did we get here?

Oh I remember. I was talking about how I got hungry..in my spirit.

So while keeping this analogy in mind, let’s head back to my story.

Having identified my challenge, I promptly worked on my schedule and created time for what matters – The Word of God, all the while wondering why my spirit couldn’t bear with me for a few days.‍  

As I sat down to study and feed my spirit, I heard the words – ‘Do not stop feeding what fuels you’

And like a rushing wind, it all came to me.

‘I’m a spirit being. I operate from my inside. My spirit is what keeps me and enables me function, live and thrive. But my spirit itself needs to be fed to do it’s work and what my spirit feeds on is not amala, it’s the word of God. ‘

And it is same for you, believing you’re born again. (If you’re not, write to me please and we can talk about it)

Do not stop feeding what fuels you.

I have dreams. Big ones. But if my spirit isn’t fit enough to sustain me, I can’t do much and I can’t go far. And as much as physical and emotional fitness is key, spiritual fitness is actually more important. 

And that is where the generator analogy comes in.

Some of us are carrying around ‘2KVA generator powered spirit’ and we have 100KVA dreams and we’re wondering why we aren’t making progress

Sis & Bro. Tiz not the village pipo o. They are innocent this time.

It is your spirit that you haven’t pumped with the kind of food it eats.

You need to be fuelled but only a well-fed spirit can fuel you.

Only a well fed Spirit can sufficiently carry you from season to season.

By all means you still need a healthy body and energetic mind and we will come to that in a bit. But life begins from your inside and till you get it clear there, you will be dragging yourself around on the outside.

Now you might ask, ‘Aijay I know people who are doing amazingly well but they aren’t born again. Let’s leave this church matter abeg.’

I agree. For the first part of the comment not the second.

But you see, these people you’re talking about are not born again (like we just agreed) so they definitely don’t have kingdom-minded dreams like you.

They aren’t Christians so the enemy isn’t so scared that they will partner with God through their dreams to draw someone to Christ. The devil knows that whatever good they do ends there. No one will be invited to church or be told that Jesus did this and He can do it for them too

In other words, they aren’t a threat to the enemy.

BUT. YOU. ARE.

Copy that?

You are. A threat. 

You are a risk to hell because when you become successful, God can use your success to draw men to Himself. 

When you partner with God and do well, you become a light and people will want to know Who helped you..and of course they’ll know God in the process.

You’re going to take more people upward with you than someone out here who ain’t born again and is so successful.

You’re a risk factor to hell

And that’s why the enemy won’t fold his hands and watch you do well. 

That is why if you aren’t paying attention to what you should be paying attention to, the enemy is taking you more seriously than you take yourself.

But what is the connection between this and that?

The connection is this: The only effective weapon we have against the enemy is God’s Word and for that Word to get into our life, we need to pass it through our spirit.

Do you get it now?

Infact, can we have a heart to heart roundtable discussion here? Cos I feel like we are all on this table, me inclusive.

Like we’re busy. So busy our spirits are getting bushy..with weeds.

We’re trying to make a life and in the process, we forget to live. Truly live.

This is 2021 and we’ll make a difference guys. We will.

But we will need to start focusing on what truly matters

Yea? Yes.

I’m going to also say that feeding what feeds you isn’t for your spirit alone. It’s definitely for your spirit first but there are other parts. Like taking care of relationships that light your inner fire.

Consuming relevant information that helps you grow.

Eating healthy foods that keeps you strong.

Handling your money a little better so it can multiply and be available for extra deeds

Fill in the gaps for yourself. You know what fuels you in other ways.

But first, pay attention to your spirit

I wish I could go on but I just realised I’ve passed my word count for my posts and I’m trying to get better at writing shorter mails. I’m not sure how that is panning out though 

But do you see the picture now?

It is some serious business.

And I’m not talking reading 10 chapters a day. That is not sustainable if you’re a busy professional. 

I’m talking sitting down with your Bible and an open heart and asking God to teach you, and if a verse of a Scripture is all you can do in thirty minutes, meditating and getting it into your heart on a daily basis, it’s enough.

I’m talking a real and practical approach to studying God’s Word that will stretch you but will still be sustainable for you. 

I’m talking about writing some verses on a sticky note to meditate on throughout the day or setting phone alarm reminders at intervals, to excuse yourself from the busyness of the day and go somewhere private to declare God’s Word for even 3 minutes.

Sometimes it is not really in the length of time, it’s in the heart you put into it. And sometimes, it’s both.

Truth is, the more effective you want to become, the more you have to make time for God’s Word. 

Get all the knowledge you can for your field or area of expertise because you need that edge to excel. But never rely on that knowledge alone. There is a God Factor.

And maybe if you can’t do much during the week, you can have a weekly word retreat during the weekend. Fight if you have to, but make sure you make it happen

There are different ways to do this but your heart has to be in it first. 

Do you understand?

So my charge to you this week is to get into the middle of your own life and make your life work. What you need to move your life forward isn’t outside of you, it’s on the inside of you and you need to pay attention to it.

I pray for you today that the light of God’s Word illuminating your heart will always exceed the light of men shining on you, and that you will not only show people the way to a great life, you will also live a great life.

As usual, I leave this with you

Let the Word of Christ —the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. 
Colossians 3:16a MSG

And this

“Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.
Acts 20:32 MSG

You go on and have a fruitful and amazing God-defined week ahead.

Lots of love, light and laughter!

Aijay.

The year has been panning out nicely and it’s been a mix of excitement and exhaustion. I’m a little behind on my goals but I have decided that I am a human and not a robot so it’s okay. And even though the Holy Ghost empowers me, even God rested so I have to rest to.

Yes? Yes  

You see, I’m a very ambitious child of God and I get kicks from plenty to-do lists and goals achieved but I have also learnt to take the breaks i need when I do, like i did pretty recently.

I decided long ago that I might want to act all smiling before everyone and pretend everything is fine but I would never lie to myself. Not even in naming it and claiming it, I won’t. 

If something was twisted in a way it shouldn’t be, I’ll tell myself the truth and focus on fixing it.

That doesn’t mean I will confess negative. No. But I’d like to identify what is wrong so I can seek specific solutions for it.

So if I need help, I won’t wait till I’m on the floor, I’ll ask. 

If I feel uncomfortable with something,  maybe a relationship or with a person, I won’t sweep it under the carpet, I’d like to identify what could be wrong and discuss with the person if possible.  But I won’t ignore it hoping it will go away.

For me, the exhaustion wasn’t welcome because I had some goals to crush, I still do. But I had to tell myself the truth so I don’t break down. And this decision to be true to my self and not take on more than I’ve built capacity for at the moment, got me thinking on something I have discovered in our generation: It seems to me that we are a generation that generally don’t like to say the truth to ourselves. We often lie to ourselves.

Sometimes it’s because of fear. Other times it’s the desire to impress.

Sometimes it’s because we’re living life very fast and crushing goals that we don’t stop to listen to our deepest feelings.

And at other times it’s the misguided religious conception that you have to fake it till you make it.

Or maybe you want to ‘blindfold’ your heart to the truth so you can indulge in your desires and not feel guilty.

Whichever it is, we’d rather put up a false appearance than acknowledge what we’re going through. We’d rather keep a plastic smile than admit something hurts or is wrong. We’d rather paint a situation to suit our desire than see it for the colour it really is. 

We’d rather live a lie

And I get it. You can’t trust everyone with your heart. I get it. Even Jesus didn’t take the praises of men to heart because He knew what a man’s heart was like. 

That’s why I’m not asking that you tell the world. I’m only asking that you tell yourself – the truth.

Learn to come home to yourself and accept the truth for what it really is

Even if you can’t let anyone in, let yourself into your own heart, tell yourself the truth and attend to yourself.

Pay attention to you.

Let me give you a few examples:

You have noticed your salary always finishes before the end of the month and you tell yourself it’s because you’re underpaid.

Honey, that’s not the reason.

Truth is, how you spend 1000 is how you’ll spend 1000000, prudently or carelessly. If you can’t handle what you have now well, you can’t handle what you’re looking to earn either. You need to tell yourself the truth – my money game is not good- and work on it.

You have exams you’re scheduled for and you’re giving priority to other things and then the time for the exam draws closer and you feel pressured and blame everyone but you. Honey,  wake up and smell the coffee.

You know you shouldn’t eat junk. You know it gets you tired. But you splurge on it and expect to wake up strong and active the next day.  Plus you’re not expecting to add weight. 

You know weightloss is 70% what we eat right?

You are close to a colleague at work and the platonic lines are getting tinier. You’re crossing the lines but you’re still telling yourself – he’s just a friend. And you’re married. Ahh!

You are an ambitious visionary going somewhere to happen. And you have a strong picture of your future but you haven’t sat down to draw up a strategy. 

You’re a Christian and you’re hoping to be a multi-influential personality and you want to do so without engaging God’s Word. You want to be successful as a Christian without playing your part.  That’s a strong spirit of deceit at work because as long as you’re a Christian,  the devil will fight you.  You need to stay awake!

You have some funny dreams at night and it’s  beginning to bother you. If you’re grounded enough in God’s Word, stand your ground and run the devil off. If you don’t have that confidence yet, that’s okay.  Reach out. Or start building confidence in God’s Word aggressively because the yoke will be broken when you’ve fed fat on the Word  of God.

Life is really simple. Let’s not get it complicated.

Year 2021 has just started and I believe you’ve made a decision to protect your peace like we talked about last week. 

To that decision I ask that you please add another- a decision to be true to thyself.

Like a famous person once wrote: “To thy own self be true.”

This mantra has helped me and kept me from getting into things I had no business being in.

It has helped me keep touch with my core so I can live from inside out. 

I can live an increasingly authentic life because I’ve learnt to stop and take count,  introspect, ask questions and really look at situations. 

It will help you know your strengths and grow them. And it will help you know your weaknesses so you don’t tempt yourself.

You will know what you can handle and what you can’t,  and acknowledge the gap so you can fill it up.

You won’t have to try to be what you’re not. Or live in false rhythms because you’re trying to be perceived in a certain way.

It doesn’t mean you won’t be disciplined.  It means you’ll be intentional. 

And it means you’ll start to operate from a place that is truly yours, as you grow to become all God has called you to be.

Authenticity is beautiful

Making a decision to be among the few who own up to tell themselves the truth will probably be one of the best decisions you’ll make this year because it will help you build a life that is truly authentic, something that is rare these days.

I pray for you today that the strength and grace to look inwards and grow your life from the inside out, will rest on you. And that you will from this time to thyself, be true.

I leave you with this: 

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
Proverbs 4:23‭-‬27 MSG

You have an amazing God-defined week.

God bless you
Aijay

Ps: If this blog blessed you, please forward it to someone you love. Better still, you can get them to sign up on www.aijayufomadu.com . Let’s share the love

Pss: Forgive me for any typo errors you might see.
 
Psss: Have you checked out this website www.styledbyabba.com? You should if you haven’t 

Pssss: Sending you love, light and laughter

How has 2021 been for you so far? 

Some might say we just crossed the 1/3rd mark of the year so it’s somewhat early to judge.

Well, I’d say that whatever you decide to do, make up your mind from now to have an unshakeable disposition of peace towards the year.

Last year shook alot of folks to the core. There were questions, fears, unrest, deep concerns, lots of speculations etc. But if you observe closely, you’d see one theme underlying all events – the loss of peace. 

All around people were going through stuff mostly covid-related and social-issues-related, amidst other things.
 
Unfortunately,  without peace, there’s so little you can do. 

Peace is a mighty force. 

Peace gives you the clearheadedness and inner strength you need to proceed. 

Maybe that’s why it was a primary target because alot of folks came into 2020 (last year) pumped to pursue their dreams especially after the ten year challenge. And the decade 2020 was a little different than 2010 because social media wasn’t so pumped then as it is now. 

So we had alot of people showcasing their success so far in ten years and the rest of those who didn’t have much success to show, swearing that come 2020, they will do their own bit. 

No more dulling. 

People were charged, inspired and challenged and 2020 was going to be the year of great unveiling. 

That must have really scared the devil

Here comes 2020 and just when some folks  were waking up and gearing to unleash, a little bit of hell was unleashed and till now, the effects are still showing.

But this is 2021 and even though there might be alot of healing for you to do, depending on the level of loss or unrest you had, I’m here to implore you not to give up on your dreams and the one way you can achieve your dreams is to ensure nothing steals your peace this year. 

This year, guard your heart and pursue your peace.

You see, like I said, 2020 came innocent but the enemy threw in a curve that sent alot of us falling and with it went our peace, focus and joy.

But 2020 has gone. Thank God for it.

This is 2021 and we just cannot afford to play tag along again. 

We can not.

‘It’s too early to decide’ some folks have said.

Maybe. 

But you can decide right now that whatever happens in the year, you will do all you can to protect your peace.

If it means staying off news both on TV and social media for a while, then do so.

If it means getting off groups where all they share is bad news, who is sick or dead, where they are fighting etc, please do.

If it means pressing ignore button on some events or happenings around you, please do.

If it means getting a lot of healthy and well-scripted comedy skits and watching them whenever you feel unhappy, please do.

Maybe its staying off the phone or not calling some people

If there is a relationship that steals your peace, it might be time to hand it over to God and take some steps back because truth is, there is only so much you can handle, You need to deliberately guard your peace this year.

What this means is that you minimise your arguments, fights and disagreements. 

Sometimes you just agree to disagree so peace will reign, especially in matters that aren’t that important.

It means you identify what is really important and what is not so you know what to focus on.
 
It means you don’t react in every situation or give your opinion to everything.

It means you gauge your tolerance level for bad news and deal with yourself accordingly.  Do not expose yourself to news, environments and stuff that will drain and drown you.
Just because your neighbour can hear bad news all day and still go swimming doesn’t mean you can handle it. And it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you, it just means you’re differently wired.

It might mean that you forget about what you think people think of you and focus on your life and moving forward

Whatever it is for you, fill in your blanks. 

You might not even know all it means for you now but commit to monitoring your emotions and taking note of situations that steal your peace,addressing them and documenting the appropriate response to them that will preserve your peace.

Because you see, 2021 is pregnant for everyone. But you can only deliver your own when you have the peace of mind, focus and inner strength you need to pull through.

We’re not sure what will happen in 2021 but we’ve made up our mind ahead of time to preserve our peace no matter what.

And I’d say that the most important part of preserving our peace is setting it firmly on God’s Word. Thats the way forward and the way is sure.

Bury God’s Word in your heart and your responses to life will be more peaceful.

You can start by commiting to reading a chapter of the Bible, preferably new testament, just one chapter and writing down one thing, just one thing you learnt. 

If you’d like to get a nice new journal with a biro you love or use an ejournal, by all means please do. Or just get a journal you can write in.

The important thing is that you do it.

Surely that’s not too much is it?

See, I know we’re busy but we’ve got to make time for what will keep us alive and strong so we can enjoy the fruits of our labour.

2021 will be a truly great year that might still have curves and twists..but the level of greatness it will be for you inspite of the curves and twists, depends on your ability to focus on birthing.

Remember a pregnant woman guards her baby by guarding her lifestyle. 

This year, guard your dreams by guarding your heart and peace.

Guard your heart. Guard your peace
Change your lifestyle.  Change the Game 

I pray for you that the God of peace will fill your heart this year and no matter what you hear or encounter, His peace will stand strong like a mighty oak in your life.

I leave you with this

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Colossians 3:15‭-‬17 MSG

Cheers to pursuing what gives us peace this year and beyond

Sending you love, light and laughter 
Have an amazing God-defined rest of the year 2021

God bless you
Aijay