Spiritual Awakening: What if God doesn't give you your desire?

 

Spiritual Awakening: A Call to Revival

As I reflect on my teenage years, I recall a song that deeply inspired me:
"I shall have what I decree,
Yes! I believe it belongs to me,
Yes, I'm going to speak into the atmosphere."

However, as I grew into adulthood, I realized that serving God extends far beyond singing in the choir. It demands consistent spiritual awakening, a deepening love for Christ, and a hunger for more of His presence.

The Need for Spiritual Awakening

There is a critical need for consistent spiritual awakening; this cannot be overemphasized. We must deepen our love for Christ and His Word, stir up a hunger to know Him, and cast down the blinding spirit that prevents people from recognizing God’s love and His desire to commune with us daily This awakening will enable us to glory in living—living in the world but not of the world.

This is not just a spiritual exercise but an awakening; it is an outpouring of God’s grace and power, a revival in Christianity (Ephesians 5:14).

What Is Revival and Where Do We Find It?

• Awakening to Our Callings: An awakening to our assignments, our calls, and our dreams; to pick up the mantle of prophets, writers, ministers, and government officials who positively impact the world.

• Global Revival: God, through the Holy Spirit, is stirring up a revival in Nigeria and worldwide, shaping governments, marketplaces, and every sphere (Ephesians 5:14). This movement will leave a lasting impact, just like the 1725-1742 revival in the USA.

• A Call for Generations: This revival is a call for this generation and generations to come; it will not be renounced until we take Jesus into every aspect of life—our offices, marketplaces, and governments.

The Challenges of Proclaiming Christ

We are in a generation where people are often ashamed to proclaim Christ—ashamed of how their friends will perceive them, even hesitant to say, "Jesus loves you." They forget the command to seek first the Kingdom of God. They need miracles but do not want the miracle worker. They need healing but don’t seek the healer.

God is looking for men and women who will be swords, tearing down the devices of the enemy on the earth (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) across every social platform. Take Jesus there.

A Call to Awaken

Awake! The darker and more wicked the world becomes, the higher the price we must pay for change.

Awake! God desires that we find rest; His Word says, “Come, ye who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Rest from the troubles of this world.
Rest from challenges.
Rest from sickness.

Rest from dysfunction.

Rest from shame.

Oh, how ready He is to make us whole! It brings Him great joy to see you happy and at peace.

Revive!

If you feel called to experience this revival, join us in prayer and reflection. Subscribe to our newsletter for more inspiring content and share this message with others seeking spiritual awakening. Together, we can make a difference!

GOD SHOULD BE GIVEN AN AWARD FOR HIS TARDINESS

After my service year, I didn’t sit around for long before landing a good job offer. The interviews I attended weren’t overwhelming, but God did it.

In contrast, Yemi reached out to me one month before celebrating our one-year anniversary after service, and she still hadn’t gotten even a second-stage interview. She contacted me in tears and asked the very common question: "Has God abandoned me?"

Yemi, with her qualifications and burning heart for God and service, was stuck in this exhausting moment of life.

But have we really paused to ask, "God, what do You have for me to do in this season?"

The discerning spirit is crucial for a child of God. No season is the same, and for everything, there is a time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV): "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Knowing what to do at the right time is very important. You must be able to discern the times:

KNOW WHEN TO START, 

WHEN TO HOLD ON, 

WHEN TO WALK AWAY, 

WHEN TO RUN. 

I have come to the realization that timing is crucial for success in business, career, family, ministry, and relationships. Time and chance happen to everyone, allowing positive responses to occur.

In God's perfect timing, everything comes together for the best.

We all have our time zones. Just because God has called you to something or told you that you will achieve something doesn’t mean it is time yet. Wait and be discerning of the set time.

1 Chronicles 12:32 says, "Men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do, 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command."

David was anointed as king in 2 Samuel 5:3, but he did not become king until the set time came.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 notes: "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise."

Your ability to discern the times comes with a feeling of ease. You can’t force things to happen outside of God's time. Doing things in God's timing comes with ease, and everything needed to bring it to pass is put in place by God.

God is preparing us for the different seasons in our lives. There are times when He sends us to the wilderness, leaves us there, and deals with things we never knew we had. He broods over us and brings the perfect opportunity. Just like David He brings out.

Seasons bring change, so be discerning of when the spotlight comes.

Prepare ahead and be sure that the odds are for you, not against you. So, when God's time presents the opportunity, you won’t be caught off guard.

Remember, all things work together for those who love him, and He will make everything beautiful in its time.

REVIVE!

Consistent growth in the spirit.

Stretch Yourself Consistently in the Spirit 

A few weeks ago, when I returned from work, I told my younger sister that we would be having 5 Saturday 8 hours prayers. We would be praying in the Holy ghost, she laughed, She was like... You’re joking, right? I replied, "Da play".

Growth in the spirit is in stages. Peter in 1 Peter 2:2-4 KJV said: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 

Note that it says that you may grow thereby meaning we are meant to grow not to remain as babes. 

In 2 Peter 3:18KJV But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he also made same admonition. 

Growth comes with intentionality; it doesn’t just happen. It's not magic but rather comes from a place of hunger for intimacy with God. 

Spiritual growth is a lifelong process and should require your hunger to Stretch yourself. When you do this God opens what he has in mind for you according to his word in Jeremiah 29:11. 

IT’S NOT A QUESTION OF IF GOD WILL BUT IT’S A QUESTION OF YOUR HUNGER FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD.;

• Cultivate the habit of consistent and heart felt prayers, it opens up your spiritual senses.
• Makes you super sensitive to God’s leading.

• Meditate on God's word.
• Be watchful and mindful of eye gates, your ear gates and your mind gates.

God wants to build a love relationship with us, would you be open to say yes to him today.

Because of that dream's consistency, I dreaded Sleep.

 

bzzzzzt  bzzt........

Somehow my heart skipped a beat as I answered a call from an unknown number.

When I picked up the call this was my conversation with the caller. 

Caller: Hi I am Ballon, I got your number from your sister and I was wondering if you help with the interpretation of a dream I had. 

As we began to discuss, I realized that many of us tend to be puzzled about our dreams while most do not just care. They become concerned when they dream of losing a loved one or influencing their mortality.

We all dream, it is just that we tend to forget what we dream about. An average person dreams four to six times per night just that most tend to forget what they dreamt about. 

To be able to analyze your dream first off you must understand the sequence of your dreams and understand fully how God speaks to you. Most people have encounters with the Lord through dreams.

Dream analysis can be simple, most times tactical. The dreams you get may not always mean what you think, you can sometimes dream something, and it means something else. 

Dreams can be: 

• Prophetic dreams: Gen 37:5-8 (NIV): The dreams of Joseph were prophetic they tell of the future God has for him ...We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
• Symbolic dream:  Gen 41:16-20. ...The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: they are seven years of famine. "Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. The dreams of Pharoah were symbolic, it symbolized a period of famine and plenty.
• Encouraging dreams: Judges 7:13-14 (NIV)...''This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."
• Warning dreams: Gen 20:3 (NIV) But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman''. (Matt 2:12) (NKJV) "Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way."

This passage refers to the wise men being warned in a dream to avoid Herod after the birth of Jesus.

 So here is the secret I have learned, when you have a dream, take that dream to God, and in Him, you will find the meaning of the dream. 

The book of Deuteronomy 29:29 says the secret things belong to God, but the things revealed belong to us. 

For more tips on dreams Get Stephanie Ike Okafor's book on Dreams. It helped me a lot and I know it will help you too on your revival journey.

Obedience to instructions.

 

Giving out a big and loud sigh I stumped my feet angrily. The time gradually gets to 7:12 am and I am yet to get a bus going to Victoria Island. Work resumes by 8:00 and coupled with the Traffic in Eko "On a Monday morning".

I might end up getting to the office by Quarter to 10 am. I kept pacing to and fro in the park and was angry at myself.

I woke up with the impression in my spirit that I should take a BRT bus considering the time I usually come out the bus stops are always almost empty but gradually slowly and steadily, it gets filled up before 6 on Mondays.  

See me concluding that I do not think it matters, today is like every other day I will just go to the park like I usually do I will get a bus. On my way to the park, I heard the voices again but ignored them.

Doesn't this sound like you, there are times when the Lord gives us instructions that will keep us from harm, delay, and danger and we disregard his voice as just anything.

So today we call ourselves descendants of Father Abraham and we can't obey even the simplest of instructions the Holy Spirit gives us, Abraham was a man who trusted and followed the Lord not knowing the outcome but believing it's of good, even when he needed a child, but was already old he didn't doubt he believed. When he had Isaac God gave an instruction for him to sacrifice he son he obeyed. In the making of a man, we must be obedient to the instructions God gives per time.

God's blessing is in obedience, obedience brings forth fruits. The quality of your obedience determines the bigness of your blessings.

My Morning Routine: A Close Call but the good shepherd showed up.

 The distance between my office and house is quite far, so I try to wake up by 5 a.m. After saying my prayers, I rush out for the day’s job—what Nigerians would call "looking for my urgent 2k."

As I hurried out of my apartment, my foot suddenly hit a rock, causing sharp pain. I went down, clutching my toe and suppressing a scream. After a moment, I quickly recovered and headed to the park to catch a taxi to the office.

Upon arrival, amidst the morning rush and everyone trying to beat Eko's notorious traffic, I stood patiently. Suddenly, a private car stopped in front of me, calling out, "Eko! Eko!" I hastily jumped in.

As I settled into the seat, I felt awkward and struggled to get comfortable. Then, the car stopped, and one of the occupants got out. A few minutes later, it stopped again. The same person from the front seat tried to enter the back. Seeing the door open, I swiftly exited before he could get in. Immediately, the car zoomed off.

I exclaimed, "Aih! Aih! Aih! I almost entered one chance! God done save you today!"

As I reflected on this experience, I was reminded of God’s intentional love while studying Psalms 23:1-6.

Here’s the truth: The Lord is your Shepherd; you lack nothing. He makes you lie down in green pastures, even in the presence of your enemies. He blesses you right in front of those who despise you.

As your Shepherd, He promises in His Word (which you should affirm daily) that goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. Note that He said "in the presence of your enemies," meaning challenges will arise, but victory is assured.

He is, and forever will be, the Good Shepherd.

Revive!

Naomi's Story: A Test of Faith.

 

One fateful day, Naomi's vibrant life was reduced to a single, devastating word: cancer. Her body was betraying her. At 28, Naomi stood pacing, wondering how life could be so unfair.

She had been an active choir member since her teenage days, serving zealously and humbly. Her academic and professional journey seemed effortless; she aced her JAMB and POST-UTME exams on her first try and landed a banking job right after her service year.

Life seemed perfect until Naomi started experiencing fainting spells and nosebleeds a few months into her job. She attributed them to fatigue and stress, took a few days off, and resumed work. However, the symptoms persisted, including breathlessness and bleeding.

Her boss advised her to visit the company hospital, where she received a devastating diagnosis: a rare, unknown-type cancer with no known cure. The recommendation was chemotherapy.

Naomi's world crumbled. She cried, questioning God and her own faith. "Did I not pray enough? Did I not fast? Did I not help the poor?" Her esteem to preach God's word was shaken because she thought to herself, "What is my evidence?"

She battled social isolation, feeling hopeless and disconnected. All attempts by her friends to make her happy weren't working. She kept questioning life's purpose, meaning, or spirituality.

While in the train station to Ibadan to visit a friend, she came across a flyer titled "A Wounded Lion Is Not a Dead Lion." These words resonated in her mind for over 45 minutes, stirring an inexplicable strength within her.

When she arrived at her friend's, they attended a worship service where she heard Psalm 34:17-18: "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." 2 Corinthians 12:9 also spoke to her: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He took my infirmities and if he took it i do not have it.

She found comforting scriptures and meditated on them for days, which turned into months, and eventually a year and three months. She battled cancer, countering it with God's word.

Encouraged by loved ones, Naomi confidently told her doctor, "I won't die; I'm healthy." On her next visit, she declared, "I will be declared cancer-free."

With her family's help, her church, and friends, they insisted on her healing through prayer, fasting, and meditating on God's word for wholeness.

A few weeks later, she returned to the hospital. The doctors ran additional tests, and after 40 minutes of scrutinizing the results, they exclaimed, "Are you sure this is the right result?" The lab scientist concurred.

Naomi's story teaches us:

• Faith is alive, not dead or assumed.
• It grows through trials and challenges.
• Continuous faith-building is crucial.

To strengthen your faith:

• Read and continuous of study of God's word.
• Meditate and reflect.
• Take conscious steps.

Remember, faith can move mountains. It's one of the keys to overcoming life's challenges put your faith to work.

Revive!

A SMILE LOOKS GOOD ON YOU.

As i smiled and felt a relief on my face, it was like a weight was lifted off my face, I felt younger and more beautiful.

When you think of all the challenges you've encountered in 2024 yea it was hard, at some point we were all like oh let this cup pass me by, for most it did and most it didn't but see how wiser, stronger and triumphant you've been. so, here's one of the lessons i learnt this year.

Life is short, but peace begins with a smile.

No matter the challenges don't lose that smile. it eases the day's stress/anxiety, it connects you to people 

Hello......Even God laughs so start with a smile.

Psalm 2:4 "He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision''

RESET or REBOOT

As the world gets crazy and there's a roller coaster of activities, mood swings thoughts and demands

Demands from your career,

Demands from family,

Demands from your business, relationships and how to reach your Life goals.

Remember to sit back and reset; re-evaluate your goals, habits and relationship. These are essential for your mental health.

Always remember that no matter the tumbling of the word and all the happenings there is one who is mindful of the strands of hair on your head, if he can be mindful of that which means he sees, he hears everything you say, you think, he is too mindful of you to leave you without a help. 

Take time out today and reset.

God is saying to you Isaiah 41:10 MSG Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you"

Revive!