If you are like me you are sitting back at this point reflecting and counting your blessings to see how far you came in 2016. I don’t even have enough vocabulary to put in words what 2016 has been and all it has taught me. But i’ll just say it this way  IT’S BEEN REAL.

Today is officially the last Friday and the last work day of 2016 atleast for those who are on the 9-5 type job. Even though this year my thinking has somewhat shifted and i’m asking myself more is there any such thing as 9-5 anymore i think we have more “when i wake till i stop” kinda clock. But as i sit back and reflect on the year I’ve had i can only be thankful.

My personal mantra this year with every thing that has been thrown my way is that “God never ends a story without bringing back the glory”. This i have found to be true even as i struggled to accept some certain experiences that i would have wanted a different outcome for.

If your heart is heavy as we round off 2016 i pray you find the courage to look inwards and still know that there is still something to be thankful for.I pray you can gather the mustard seed faith to believe for more as you journey on in life. I have learnt that we may never have all of our prayers answered within a time-frame of any particular calendar year but that shouldn’t cloud our hopes that things will get better and our lives is on to something good.

In every aspect of our lives we are where we are for a reason and sometimes those reasons are as simple as we failing to move forward with our dreams.So if you are not moving forward before you play the blame game asking questions that isn’t beneficial to you in anyway you may want to ask yourself point blank “WHO IS RESPONSIBLE” for me not moving forward. The quality of the questions we ask ourselves will determine the actions we take and the results we get. So sometimes it’s not others standing in our way and its not God not answering our prayers it just us not facing the truth about ourselves.So as we close out 2016 it’s time to sit with ourselves and ask quality questions that inspire us to be better people in 2017.

For me in 2016 i am thankful for every high, low, reconnect, disconnect, happy, sad, answered prayers, silent moment and everything in-between. What doesn’t break us make us stronger and that’s the truth. And my mantra really came true for me God never ends a story without bringing back the glory.

I hope to do better in 2017 with blogging more because this year i know i haven’t been in this space much. But from next year there is a schedule in place.

Here is to closing 2016 out with a bang and wishing that 2017 we are better people for God first, then ourselves and then for all of the lives attached to our existence.

Stay winning!

 

 

 

 

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ NIV)

If you’ve been in the delivery room with an expectant mother you’ll understand the importance and significance of strength to an expectant mother. As soon as the contractions are coming the midwife is in her ear encouraging her to stay on course. Contractions are painful and it increases gradually but that is also the moment a mother has to push. The survival of her baby depends on her ability to push in spite of the pain. If she gets tired or can’t push she risks her life and her baby’s life. 

It’s the same thing in life when you are trying to birth purpose you have to learn how to push with every painful contraction. You don’t give up because it gets hard or because you feel alone.The time it gets harder the most is the time you must get stronger. The mother can’t start the pushing when contractions are far apart the moment contractions get closer the pain increase but in the midst of that increased pain it’s time to push the baby out. Life might be dealing you several blows in this moment when your purpose is about to be birth but that is the point you must be ready to push.Before you got to this point everything might have been okay and all of a sudden the threshold of pain increases and things look like they are falling apart in that split second and if you are not careful you start to question your purpose and start to blame life and yourself for ever thinking you had the strength to prevail and birth destiny. The increase of the pain doesn’t mean the end of your birth. Your destiny doesn’t finish because the pain pangs get unbearable but if there is anything significant about the closeness of contraction it’s that the time of delivery is here. So when you feel like everything is falling apart that’s the moment you need to start reminding yourself that the time to birth your destiny is just around the corner and you can’t get tired of pushing until you see your purpose revealed.

The work of the midwife is to know the timing and what to do to get the baby out alive and healthy. The midwife is the voice that speaks in the ears of the mother telling her she can make this moment happen and the midwife does all in her power to let the mother know she’s not alone in that moment.Expectant mothers don’t get to the delivery room and start asking for the qualification of the midwife she just has enough faith that if the midwife has been assigned to her then she knows she’s qualified to take the delivery. The midwife doesn’t cut contractions but she stays around reassuringly so the mother to be knows she is not on her own.God is more qualified than any midwife but most of the time we question His qualification and start asking Him to prove to us He’s able to bring us out of this pain and deliver our destiny. We expect Him to cut the pain and assume that the presence of pain means the absence of God. We say things like “if God is in this with me why do I have to go through so much to get what I want”. 

We can’t let pain make us doubt the existence of God. The pain you go through doesn’t rule out the victory. I have learnt that victory after pain makes us appreciate our victory even more. God is speaking in your ears and His presence is surrounding you even if like the mother about to give birth your pain clouds the moment and you can’t seem to tell who is around or who is not. In the midst of pain the mother has to listen to the command of the midwife otherwise she will push when she’s not ready. No matter what threshold of pain she’s battling she has to listen to the command and push in the moment otherwise it will be a waste of her strength if she pushes when the midwife hasn’t asked her to push and if she continues to push out of order she wears herself out and wears the baby out and loses strength to deliver her miracle in the moment. Make sure you are listening to God and not trying to force yourself because you think you understand this process more than the one who is here to help you birth the purpose. Your bundle of joy will be delivered but stay in the process and DON’T STOP PUSHING. What is coming out is going to be more beautiful than the pain you are experiencing there is purpose in the pain DON’T STOP PUSHING.

  

In life we are constantly bombarded with things that seek to grab our attention either to take us in the right direction of our higher purpose or to make us make detours that take us away from purpose. We all have principles we live by that highlights for us the right and wrong. Each time we do right we are happier and doing wrong tend to cause us regrets, disappointments and generally just zaps the joy from us.
The dictionary defines principles as the guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct. Your principles could be derived from your religious beliefs, family ethics, cultural beliefs or your personal beliefs. As people who are striving each day to be the best of us we don’t necessarily set out to do the wrong things or as a Christian I’ll say we don’t necessarily set out to sin or take detours. Some how life happens and before we could catch our next breath we find ourselves doing the exact things we swore we wouldn’t do. If we are being honest some of the choices that lead us down the wrong path or cause us to sin are not things that others did to us but choices we made because we couldn’t say no to our senses. Sometime we are our own worst enemies we know the things that trip us or that are not good for us but we hang around such things only to play the blame game when we get hurt. God loves us but He hates sin and in order to align with His purpose for our lives we must count on Him and depend on Him to get it right. Having had my own fair share of detours in life and learnt from my mistakes. Below are some of the ways to keep from going in the wrong direction. The list isn’t exhaustive and this should only help as a guide and included to some of your own personal list of what works to safe you from going in the wrong direction that don’t serve your purpose.
i) Stay connected to your source: The source of a thing is its sustainer (anon). A fish will not do well outside of water so how do I expect that I will navigate life successfully, live out my true potential and say no to sin without my source (God).To stay connected to Him means building my relationship with Him daily through prayers and the study of the word. When you stay connected with your source and you are working daily on the relationship by way of studying the bible you are opening yourself to receiving direction and instruction on how to stay in the right lane. The word of God is filled with all what is expected of our lives and how we can do right but when we don’t study it we won’t know how well to respond when life presents us with choices that is bound to sway us in the wrong direction. Through Prayers we are communicating with God how we feel and we are swapping our weakness for His strength. We pray to align ourselves to Him so that we can be quick to discern and get the courage we need to face life in His will.When you pray you are inviting the enabler to help you live out the godly principles you have learnt and forgive where you may have goofed in the past.

ii) Have the right people in your circle: I’m not one who blame others because I believe everyone is capable of choosing their action at any given time. But I believe if we hang around people who don’t helps us grow then we may be in company of those that are bringing us down. Because nothing stays on the same plain. It’s either they are adding to you and you are adding to them or y’all are just not helping each other. They say evil communication corrupts good manners and the bible clearly states a company of fools will be destroyed. So if I’m bent on living right and fulfilling purpose then I can’t just let anyone hang around who isn’t helping me go forward. If all they talk about and all they want to do is the wrong stuff and I continue to hang around them, one day something will give and I will be pushed to subordinate my values to the the wrong that’s placed before my eyes. If you know you want to be the light that shines so bright you need to hang around other lights so that you can provoke each other unto good works.So check your circle. Your association determines a great deal how far you will go in life don’t just hang around just anybody for the sake of it.

iii) Have an accountable buddie: You can’t tell everybody everything about your life. There are some people you can trust to hold you down even when you are at your worst. People who won’t tell your secrets at the mountain top who will cover you in prayer when you’ve made your worst fall. Someone you can call when you sense you are about to do something or you’ve done something and who you are sure would knock sense into you. It helps to keep you in check when you have an accountability buddie. These ones are different from your everyday friends. They are people you know want you to do right and to stay on course with keeping to your goals. So be careful while you choose these ones.

iv) Have a time of reflection: Life can get so busy and it becomes important to take time out to reflect in a quiet place. If we let things get too busy we lose the grip on our core and all that keeps us grounded and sane. We feel drained and find ourselves constantly in battles of choices even when those choices atime are no brainers. But because we are tired and worn we start to make blunders and find our life going out of balance and we see our choices taking us down the road we said we were not going to head down. Don’t let your life spiral out of control take time to have your “me” time where you look into your life and tell yourself some good old truths to keep you from straying. Within every 24hrs do a self check where you can see where you’ve neglected things that should be priority and where you could play back your actions.

v) Be mindful of the information you take in: Social media is filled with a whole lot of information. The good, the bad and the ugly. If you are a person who isn’t fighting to go anywhere in life or a person that isn’t ready to be somebody whose life has meaning and glorifies God then you won’t need to sift the information you take in. But if you love God, yourself and want to add value and live a life of meaning in this life then you have to be mindful of what you let yourself eat at life’s information banquet. Go after what inspires greatness in you, what pushes you to be more of the good person you want to be. What comes out of you will be as a result of what you’ve taken in. So if you’ve filled yourself with junk all day you are not strengthened to say no when opposition arises to sway you in an unwholesome direction.

The above list isn’t exhaustive as I pointed out earlier but they are just basics to help us stay in the right path as we pursue our God given purpose for our lives. When we spend time with our source, have the right information, have the right circle of friends, have accountable buddies, take our constant reflective time we are strengthened to act right and take actions that serve our purpose more. Let’s be honest life will throw things at us that will try to sway us from doing all the right things we have made up our mind to do but the choice of whether we win or lose is a matter of where we are anchored.
May we continue in the right path and no matter what happens on our journey may we always remember that we are royalty and we have the responsibility to guide our crown. May our lives always work to give God glory and may we never take the wide road that lead to destruction may we always stay on the narrow path that leads us to life.

I will love to hear from you. Share with me some of the things you do that helps you stay in your lane on PURRPOSE.

THANKS to all who have liked and will like my blog posts and those who have left me comments and followed my blog. You inspire me to stay on PURPOSE.

You win when you don’t QUIT.

Photocred:Kelly Langston images taken off the internet images of “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” search.

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The above quote from Mandy Hale's book (I’ve never been to Vegas but my luggage has been) struck a chord in me when I read the book earlier in the year and each time I see the quote it continues to minister to my spirit. Too many times we wait to get to a destination before we look to find the life lessons embedded in it. We all want to arrive, we all want to find and hold the treasures, trophies and spoils of our war but sometimes the “destination” is just “the destination” but the true lessons are embedded in the journey. 2014 is about coming to a close. It’s been 12 chapters long and several pages but somehow some of us have a way of waiting for the end of it to really see that we find those things we wrote on our vision board and prayer list before we admit it’s a good year or that the year taught us anything that has improved our person and equipped us with the wisdom to help someone else on their journey to purpose. Let’s face it maybe you didn’t start the business as you expected but you took time out to build yourself and prepare for the destination, you learnt how to build your brand, you built your network and have some really great relationships now that you didn’t have last year or the year before that. Agreed you didn’t get to your destination but you didn’t give up either and the truth is you are closer and more prepared to get that business off the ground than you were before.
Maybe you didn’t get the promotion you felt you deserved but you learnt how to put your best foot forward and do all it takes to demand what you really believe you deserve.

Don’t get it twisted I’m not a traveller who never want to get to the destination or a warrior who never cares to be the champion but life has taught me that the process is as important as the end and I can’t always base my wins on just what I get for completing my race sometimes the fact that I took part in the race is a blessing on its own and the lessons I learnt is as valuable as the prize I get from winning the race.

This year I decided I was going to be more intentional about living and not just take what is thrown on my plate, I told myself I was going to get better with everything and be the best of me. I knew this was a challenge because going up against your past is much tougher than looking over your shoulder at someone else because you know “you” and all you have to change and how daunting it is to win against the personal records you set in the past. You understand that you’ve stayed the same because you’ve not pushed too hard or because you lacked motivation or you just never saw a reason to change any of those routine that never serve you to be better. You know you have to win over complacency and set a new record in your personal routine of reading, exercising, communication, diet etc. I knew I was going to have to hold myself to some higher standards and discipline than I’ve done in the past if I am to be better than I was before. I pushed myself because I knew to be intentional meant you are not waiting on people to get you to do things and by doing this I learnt a lot of lessons about myself.

I learnt I’m stronger than I think I am and more resilient than I ever gave myself credit for. I learnt it’s ok to choose me and to walk away with my head held high instead of playing the blame game when out of my own lack of discernment the people I give my commitment to turn out to be users. I learnt that when I fall I don’t stay down I have only one option and that is to get up and keep going. I learnt that sometimes my mind could be thinking ‘no’ but my actions won’t align and I’ll fall right on my face doing the things I said I wouldn’t do but also the fact that I didn’t align my actions with my words don’t rule me out of life’s race I must get up and find my alignment and comeback swinging harder next time I’m faced with the same situation and as long as I keep rising and keep going I will find alignment and I will win. I learnt that sometimes the only thing standing between us and our goal is our inability to get out of our own way and go after what we say we truly deserve. I learnt that I can walk away from things and people that are not serving me and my greater purpose. I learnt that personal discipline is the key to trumping your past and soft answers really turns away wrath. If you put your mind to it you can really change the things that are within your reach and you can live comfortably with that change.

Hands on heart the result of 2014 didn’t turn out as pretty and perfect as I would want it but it’s amazing how much peace I have as I round off this year. The tunes I played and the pitch I sang wasn’t perfect all through and the truth is I wasn’t going for a year that was halfie halfie, my game plan was to win it all even though this didn’t happen on all sides I’m glad i played the hand I was dealt without being a coward in the face of all that came. I stand at the finish line of 2014 to say thank you to the God who brought me through every step of the way. The very God I failed many times but who still forgave and yes I have a smile on my face not because everything is perfect but because I have being stretched and I am grateful to God and give Him the praise due Him.

Let’s me be honest I’m smiling because the stretching made me wiser, stronger ,better and the mistakes grew me and I can walk away from this year knowing His grace brought me through one more time. So whether I didn’t get all the things on my vision board sorted I’m thankful I still got God,family and friends who believe I’m worth the love and who are still cheering for me. This year I’m smiling because my level of honesty with myself reached an all new high and I got my routine in good gear. I’m still a work in progress and I believe the journey always teaches us so many lessons if we truly pay attention to the messages. It’s great to have all our request granted from our vision board but it’s more amazing to know our lives have been enriched by everything that came our way and by our resolve to be a better person. I pray we all have a better 2015 where we count more wins. Cheers to a great journey in 2015 and don’t wait till the end to count your wins. Stay wining all day everyday.
In Christ alone my hope is found. Cheers to the NEW YEAR!!!

Whatever I have, Wherever I am,I can make it through anything in the ONE who makes me who I am~ Philippians 4:13 (msg)

The marvellous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour will not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse~ Helen Killer

We started out not knowing how high we were going to fly. We stepped forward in hope and with determination to make the most of this journey. We kept pushing because we were determined not to let this whole experience be like the past years.Without a road map but with God’s word and a mental navigation we saw the peaks and made it through the valleys.

For one i was determined to find happiness, stay focussed and chase after God on a different level. I was determined to outdo my past and be a better person than i have been over the years. My first blog this year was titled don’t change the song and like everyone who was on this journey i had moments when i felt like a billion bucks and moments where i could have changed the song because life changes seem unending,dreams seem so far away and goals seem unattainable but i did not let the highs, the lows and everything in between faze me.

Determined to learn and determined not to give up or complain i became my own pastor preaching to myself to continue, i became everything to myself from cheerleader to motivational speaker because i have finally learnt the most important lesson- people or things are not responsible for our happiness but we owe it to ourselves to deliberately choose to be happy and take everyday we are given as a gift from God and make the most of it.

I certainly can’t remember details of every single event but i go over the one goal i was working on through this journey (which is to be a better me through every experience) and with joy in my heart i can say the peaks and the valleys of this year matured me. I owned every moment and i did not let anyone rain on my parade by telling me what i can or can’t be. We are only defined by God’s word and unless they are God’s word they don’t get an opinion in determining who I am.

I don’t know what your peak and valley experiences were this year but i hope it pushed you to appreciate God, beauty and the simple things of life. I hope it revealed you as you are meant to be and helped you appreciate yourself just a little bit more than you did years before.

I know some people wanted more out of this journey but somehow events turned and they are left with broken hearts, broken dreams and broken promises. I can relate, i’ve been there and that’s one of the reasons why i like to relate to life in chapters and journey because the end of one chapter or journey leads you to another exciting new beginning full of hope and possibilities. Don’t give up just yet because morning always come no matter how dark the night.

The journey and the chapter of 2011 is about to end and we are about to start another epic season. But before you peek into the script of Act 1 Scene 1 of the next season make sure you give the last day of 2011 your best and end it on a high. I hope like me you all have plans to be in church tonight because that’s where we kick it off into the new year but above all i hope your heart find its way to God and stays with Him because you don’t want to start climbing in 2012 without a backing or a stronger arm to hold.

To the moments and the people that changed us in 2011, to friends that became family, to words that were meant to break us but motivated us to keep going, I raise my glass and i say THANK YOU.

I love you all. Lets go start our journey and our stories over again in 2012. This very moment Promise yourself to reach higher, dream bigger, grow better and take the limits off God because with Him all things are possible.

We are more than a conqueror.