TAKE MY LIFE

After accepting the life of Christ as far back as November 1998, I started as a zealous brother in the Lord. I led Bible study for Scripture Union Nigeria in my secondary school. I discovered I had issues with pride, so I asked the Lord to take away my pride. But He said; “Son, you have to give up your pride.” As believers, we struggle with a lot of things in life that we shouldn’t. Accepting the life of Christ Jesus means we are saying to the Lord, “Take my life and all its components (ego, career, personality, influence, status, qualification, experience)”. If that was our confession and we meant it, giving our entire life to Christ shouldn't be a big deal. I remember the words of a songwriter that goes; “My life is not my own, to you I belong, I give myself to you”. The life that we claim ownership of is not ours. It belongs to God. The fact that He gave us free will doesn’t permit us to play Him in paying tithes, giving offerings, fasting, praying, meditating on His word, soul-winning, and lots more. I thought to myself some years ago, that if God decides to take someone's life back, nothing will happen. The best anyone can do is organize a befitting funeral service. Nobody can take God to court. So to get an assurance of eternity, why not peacefully live your life for Him? I will take us into my favorite song, Take My Life and Let it Be: Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in endless praise. This means accepting the life of Jesus Christ should make you dedicate your entire life to a higher purpose of living for God. Being consecrated to God simply means you have dedicated your life to holy living. Consecration comes from the word “sacred”, which means dedicated or set apart for service or worship, devoted exclusively to one service or use. When you are consecrated to God, He takes your moments and days. Consecration to God leads you to so many other things that you might have struggled with but it becomes easy. Jesus shows a perfect example in Hebrews 10:18-22. When God takes your moments and your days, your mouth will always be filled with endless praise. Praise is a function of being in God’s will. When you say Lord, take my life, you are saying Lord, I’m ready to be obedient to you. Let’s take a look at someone who asked God to take his life - Abraham. God gave Abraham an instruction in Genesis 12:1 to leave his father’s house and go to a place He would show him. Abraham followed God blindly. He wasn’t careful like most of us, asking questions like; “Is it a fertile land? How is the topography? Hope it’s not a desert. Lord, the vision is for an appointed time, can’t You just wait for a while? God, are you the one talking to me or is it the devil?” Usually, we start asking funny questions only when He gives us instructions we are not comfortable with. At the end of it, after Abraham obeyed God blindly, he was rewarded in Genesis 12: 2-3. This means there is a reward for every act of obedience. God gave Abraham another instruction in Genesis 17: 9-15, and he also obeyed without leaving anything out. I must confess that it was a difficult instruction. Circumcision is naturally painful, talk more of doing it at an old age like Abraham, but he obeyed. After his act of obedience, he was rewarded in Genesis 17: 5-8. God gave yet another instruction to Abraham in Genesis 22:1-13 to offer the son He gave to him in his old age. He didn’t hesitate to obey God and he got the reward in Genesis 22:15-18. Living for God means giving all to Him. Your moments, days, money, resources, and everything you can think of. I have come to discover that the more you give to God, the more you live for Him. To be continued… AYODEJI ANIFOWOSE Twitter: @gfatherghusband Instagram: @gfather_ghusband, @ayodeji.anifowose Facebook: www.facebook.com/greatfathergreathusband, www.facebook.com/ayodeji.anifowose E-mail: ayollc.company@gmail.com www.ayodejianifowose.com

REST! REST!! REST!!!

Recently, I had an opportunity to go on a compulsory 3-day rest. No Facebook, Twitter, Emails, WhatsApp, BBM, SMS, call or Viber! But come to think of it, the woman close to my heart made me go on the compulsory rest and I’m now feeling like I unilaterally decided on my own. Funny me! Some things came to my mind before, during, and after the rest which I will share with us in this article. It is good to be hardworking. However, we need to continually apply wisdom as we work diligently, regardless of whether we are an employee or self-employed. Everyone who has ever worked with me in any area can testify that I can be a hardened workaholic. I enjoy working, being busy, and achieving good results in all that I do. This automatically requires my diligence and hard work. To God be the glory, I don’t fall sick, use drugs, or get admitted to a hospital if I rest when I’m supposed to. Note that the words ‘REST’ and ‘SLEEP’ are different. Rest means a period of inactivity or relaxation, while sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind characterized by altered consciousness and relatively inhibited sensory activity. It is the inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles and reduced interactions with surroundings. (Source: Wikipedia) Many of us, even the older generations, have been victims of inadequate rest. If we take a random poll, some people will confess how inadequate rest has affected them. What does rest do for us or in us? It helps us to retain a state of increased calmness, or otherwise reduce levels of pain, anxiety, stress, or anger. It decreases muscle tension, lowers blood pressure, and slows heart and breath rates amongst other health benefits. I’m sure some of you will be surprised to realize all these health benefits of rest. Guess what happened when I went on the compulsory 3-day rest. I didn’t die because I didn’t work. And none of the work I was doing stopped. Church services never stopped because I was away, and I didn't develop ear problems from not using my phone for days like I used to. Try to take some rest. The only way to maintain a car or mechanical equipment is proper servicing. Likewise, human beings need maintenance which takes the form of rest. “If you fail to rest, you might be laid to rest while the rest of us will do the rest of the work and still achieve the best results”. If your absence will affect the workflow or activities wherever you work, or have a role to play, then you have failed. A good and successful leader reproduces himself or herself so their absence doesn't prevent work from being done. The Bible says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But don't tempt God because He's our healer. Since God promised me perfect health and told me to rest when I should, I can't remember the last time I used Paracetamol or Vitamin C. When I'm tired, I drink a lot of water, eat enough vegetables and fruits, and rest. Even God who is our Creator and maker worked for 6 days and rested on the 7th day. Wow! The one who gives us strength also took time to rest after working. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11 KJV And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 2:2-3 KJV If He who you draw strength from rested on the 7th day after working full time for 6 days, then who are you not to rest? Rest! Rest!! Rest!!! It will help you give out a better output and maintain good, healthy habits. If you don't take a break now, you might break down. Rest now, do not wait till you are forced to rest. AYODEJI ANIFOWOSE Twitter: @gfatherghusband Instagram: @gfather_ghusband, @ayodeji.anifowose Facebook: www.facebook.com/greatfathergreathusband, www.facebook.com/ayodeji.anifowose E-mail: ayollc.company@gmail.com www.ayodejianifowose.com

WHEN THE FOUNDATION IS DESTROYED………

As a young child, growing up made me understand the importance of having a good foundation in all one does. For example, in solving a particular mathematical equation, you won't get the right answer if you approach it wrongly. So also with life. For instance, if a pregnant woman refuses to attend an ante-natal and do the necessary things, the baby might not come out fine. The same applies to a child whose parents refuse to bring him up with good morals. That child might end up bringing shame to the family. Not just the parents, but relatives, the entire community, the child's school, his friends, his country, and even the world at large will be affected. It pays to have the right foundation and bring up a child in the right way. The result is always glorious, wonderful, and of course, leads to a successful future. During the recent FIFA World Cup final in New Zealand, something significant happened. The match between Nigeria's (our dear country) U-20 team and Brazil (my favorite football team), on the 1st of June 2015, had the two coaches put a lot of effort into training, just to win the match. The Nigerian technical team kept an eye on the heart of the midfield. Manchester United’s Andreas Pereira and Atletico Paranaense’s Marcos Guilherme pitched their camps and fired ammunition at the Nigerian defense. While Real Madrid's Jean Carlos and Fluminense little magician, Kennedy, sniffed around for mistakes from the backline and duly exerted justice. After so much training and preparations against all odds, the Brazilian team defeated the Nigerian team by 4 - 2. This might have shocked the Nigerian team. Well, were we surprised? What do you expect from a team with a faulty foundation? They were supposed to be U-20, but they are over 20 years old. Some of them are in their 30s. But they reduce their ages to the 'football age' just to fit into the under-20 team. What a shame and a wrong foundation. To millions of Nigerians, Brazilian Futebol is likened to the Coca-Cola drink, which is the most popular and most consumed soft drink in this part of the world. There is a joke around here, which goes thus: A maid was asked by her master to fetch a bottle of mineral (non-alcoholic beverage) from the refrigerator. The maid opened the refrigerator, but there was no bottle of Coca-Cola inside. She saw 7UP, Sprite, Pepsi, Malt, Bitter Lemon, etcetera. She went back to her master and told him there was no mineral. The master eventually discovered that as far as the maid was concerned, the only drink she knew as mineral was Coca-Cola. This is because almost every Nigerian knows and maybe drinks Coca-Cola. You either drink it or you don’t. The same goes for Brazilian Futebol here. No Nigerian football enthusiast can claim to not know or have heard of legends like Garrincha and Socrates of blessed memory. Or living legends like Pele, Zico, Zagalo, Romario, Carlos Alberto Torres, Dunga, and then Rolando (the enigma), Ronaldinho, Taffarel, Adriano, Kaka, Lucio, Pato, Robinho, and of course, Thiago Silva and the other special boys of Brazil like Neymar, David Luis, Ramires, Oscar, Paulinho, Hulk, Lucas, Marcelo of the Fillipe Scolari 2014 FIFA World cup finals experience. There are a host of other world-class Brazilian footballers playing in Europe and Asia. The impact of Brazilian footballers is still massively felt in Ukraine, Russia, and the Far- East. Professional football clubs in Europe are still vying for the signatures of young talented Brazilian-made footballers. It is on record that for the past five years, Brazil has contributed the largest number of footballers, playing for clubs involved in the European Champions League. Brazil is the land where futebol is played as if it were a dance. Brazil is the only nation that has qualified for every World Cup since it began in 1930. What is called ‘tiki-taka’ in Spain, is nothing but a refurbished form of the Brazilian ‘jogo bonito’ or the ‘samba’ beautiful futebol. The current FIFA ranking does not matter to us, because no other nation in the world is branded by the beautiful game of football, except Brazil. Not even Germany. While we agree that sports in Nigeria have witnessed some degree of decline, bordering on systemic failure, following the near collapse of the infrastructure that once made Nigeria a force within the African Continent and the Commonwealth, the Nigeria Brazil Sports School sees the current situation in Nigeria as a half-filled cup. As a solution provider, Nigeria-Brazil Futebol Academy (NBFA) wishes to be part of the solution and not part of the problems facing sports development in Nigeria presently. We are very optimistic. We believe that we can, and we will, Deo-volente, originate innovative and creative strategies that would rejuvenate grassroots sports development in Nigeria. We are determined to groom the next generation of young, sublime, disciplined athletes, coaches, administrators, managers, technical officials, and sports scientists. Let’s build the right foundation in football, as YOU join the Nigeria-Brazil Futebol Academy (NBFA) this August 2015. It's a two-week training for the U-20, U-17, and U-13 in a residential football camp. Check the Nigeria-Brazil Football Academy – (NBFA) Facebook page for details. We are solution providers and we believe we will provide the next generation of genuine age-grade players for our beloved country. We are part of the change. Let’s do it together. Viva Nigeria. AYODEJI ANIFOWOSE Twitter: @gfatherghusband Instagram: @gfather_ghusband, @ayodeji.anifowose Facebook: www.facebook.com/greatfathergreathusband, www.facebook.com/ayodeji.anifowose E-mail: ayollc.company@gmail.com www.ayodejianifowose.com

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Matthew 6:33

A time will come in life where we need to ask ourselves this question: what exactly am I looking for in life? In our churches these days, you will hardly find 30% of worshippers in the church who truly love God and are not in church for selfish reasons. Many are Christians not because they love Him, but because they understand that without Him they can’t be what they want to be in life. That’s why many people run after the miracles of God, and not the God of miracles. This means they are looking for miracles and not God. I got to a certain point in my journey with God and asked myself why I wanted to follow Jesus and not the devil. Is it because of those things He promised to give me if I seek righteousness? Sincerely answer these questions; why are you following Jesus Christ? Why are you in church? Many are in church today, because they need connections with big business partners, since lots of them are in church. Some are in church because they want to marry a godly brother or sister. This means we are focusing on the wrong thing. The bible says; “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness". It doesn’t say we should make those things He has promised us our focus while seeking His Kingdom and righteousness. All He is saying is seek His kingdom and righteousness, having trust in Him that He has taken care of your tomorrow and needs. Matthew 6:34. Having faith in God is one level, and trusting Him is another. When the four Hebrew guys were thrown into the fire, they said our God will deliver us. That’s faith. They went further to say even if He doesn’t deliver us, we won’t bow to other gods. That’s trust. When we go around chasing what we want, we end up missing what we need. Until we learn to truly focus on Kingdom business, we will miss out on what we need. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness Matthew 6:33a So what are you looking for? AYODEJI ANIFOWOSE Twitter: @gfatherghusband Instagram: @gfather_ghusband, @ayodeji.anifowose Facebook: www.facebook.com/greatfathergreathusband, www.facebook.com/ayodeji.anifowose E-mail: ayollc.company@gmail.com www.ayodejianifowose.com

Don’t Sleep Until February 15th 2015!

It’s a season of heightened emotions in Nigeria, both as a result of Valentine’s Day and the 2015 Presidential Elections. The purpose of this post is to address the latter. 14 parties are contesting in the Presidential Elections. Over the past weeks, we have seen various moves and tactics by the various parties to undermine the stances of their opponents either by attacking policies or individual candidates. However, the fallout from what was previously perceived by many neutrals as an excellent political move by the APC happened. APC's adoption of a senior pastor in RCCG as its Vice-Presidential candidate is fast becoming a glaring sign of desperation on the part of APC to rule Nigeria at all costs. Pastor E. A Adeboye is the most loved clergyman in Nigeria, (a feat he attributes to God). The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a mission with the largest members in Nigeria and a teeming presence on Twitter (@rccgworldwide and @rccghq). Picking a Senior Pastor from RCCG is a brilliant move. But the church via its Twitter pages and the official Facebook page of Pastor E.A Adeboye has stated clearly that it remains a mission and not a political body, and as such, does not endorse any individual or party for any election in Nigeria or elsewhere. Having clearly stated this, it beats my imagination that some people claiming to be senior Pastors in RCCG have been going around northern states in Nigeria (Niger State and Sokoto State), meeting with some pastors in secondary schools with false information purportedly from the General Overseer of RCCG to tell all pastors to embrace change; the one from APC. The umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria which are CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) and PFN (Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria) and the Provincial Pastors of RCCG in these regions have said that this information has not gotten to them yet. There is an appropriate channel through which such information would be passed across and not through hush meetings and gatherings in secondary school compounds and living rooms. Having seen that Pastor E. A Adeboye and RCCG will not be dragged into political waters, and the church's leaders have resolved to stand firmly neutral while encouraging its members to exercise their civic rights and be responsible citizens by voting. This makes me wonder; Is APC getting desperate? I know that whoever is going around spreading messages that Pastor E. A Adeboye wants people to embrace APC is a fraud. Such a person is not a pastor from RCCG, let alone a senior one. Such a person can only be a mole planted by unscrupulous people to cause unnecessary tension in the nation. Such persons do not represent Pastor E. A Adeboye or RCCG. The only change Daddy G.O will ask anyone to embrace is not one from any political party, but the one brought about by accepting the life of JESUS CHRIST and LIVING HOLY. Let no one be deceived. It is your right to vote for whoever you choose. Be responsible, go get your Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) and vote! Don’t be caught sleeping, because while you sleep, some people are planning things. Stay awake and watch your side!