THE POWER OF RETREAT

THE POWER OF RETREAT

One major ingredient of success and staying on the cutting edge in life and carrier is the ability to pause, and come away from our normal routines in order to assess our lives and work.

We live in a fast paced world with looming deadlines, meetings upon meetings, business trip etc. Many people are overwhelmed and over scheduled and don't even realise why their personal effectiveness level is waning. 

You might want to consider having a retreat; taking a day or weekend off where you don't have a to-do list, a time that is completely void of distractions and external demands. 

A retreat is a time to refuel and increase your personal motivation because empowerment begins from within. Our inner strength the key to advancement and effective living. You find peace and restoration when you take time out to rest and refocus.

In a time of retreat you hear better, your dreams and visions become clearer, you receive greater inspiration and your intellectual and emotional capacity is rejuvenated.

Taking a time out helps us to hear God more clearly and take better decisions.

As we enter the second half of the year, I recommend you take a day or a whole weekend off to assess, refocus and give direction to the remaining half of the year for greater and maximum productivity.

You will succeed.
Seed Deji Elufisan

Who is in your front row?

Life is theatre. Invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is healthy enough to have a frofront row seat in your life. There are some people in your life who need to be loved from a "DISTANCE".

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you let go or minimize your time with those draining, negative, incompatible, not-going anywhere" relationships. Observe the relationship around you, pay close attention.

Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones set you on the path of growth? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or worse? Which ones recognize and appreciate the gift and potential within you? This does not in any way susuggests lack of self confidence; it simply understandinunderscores the fact that relationships are powerful and they influence our lives.

Not everbody can handle you sharing your dreams. Beware of toxic relationships. The more you seek quality life, respect, growth, peace of mind around you, the easier it will become to decide who gets the front row in your life. Your fron row seaters are those that should cheer you on in life and not those that are filled with envy and disdain for you.

Ask for wisdom and discernment to choose wisely the people who will take that position in your life. You may not be able to change the people around you, but you sure can change the people you choose to be around.

This is truth.

By Damilola Adegbuyi

Be blessed.

The Process Reveals The Value

THE PROCESS REVEALS THE VALUE

REV. GBEMINIYI EBODA

Ask the majority of men and women who have done great exploits to what they owe strength, depth of character and diversity of experience that have enriched their lives. They will most likely tell you that these are the fruits of their struggles. They will tell you they acquired their finest discipline and their best character drill in an effort to escape from an uncongenial environment; to break the bonds which enslaved them; to get an education; to escape from poverty; and to carry out some cherished plan, whatever it was. They were tempted to give up and quit trying, but rather, they persisted, continuing to water and fertilize their dreams.

The way to succeed is to persist to a thorough finish in whatever one undertakes. The art of holding on – sticking with, hanging on, never giving up, no matter how great the discouragement or dark the outlook – is an indispensable quality of success. This is because there is a great link between your life’s challenges and opportunities for the success you want.

A philosopher once commented that an eagle’s only obstacle to flying at greater speed and ease is the air. Yet, if the air was withdrawn, and the proud bird was to fly in a vacuum, it would fall instantly to the ground. The very element that offers resistance to flying is at the same time, the condition for flight.

Man will always require self-effort to develop. If there were no obstacles to overcome, there would be no progress. The civilisation of today, from education, infrastructure, urban development, to transportation, energy and so on has been the product of man’s efforts to improve on the quality of life, to overcome old, cumbersome ways of doing things.

When circumstances are against you, you must be able to set the sail of your soul and use the adverse winds to your advantage. The secret of using pain, suffering and frustration is in many ways life’s greatest secret. When you have learnt that, you are unbeatable and unbreakable.

Diamond could never reveal its brilliance and beauty, but for the friction of the stones which disclose its hidden wealth. That is what makes the difference between coal (graphite) and diamond. It will also differentiate you from mediocrity. Coal underwent the pressure up to a point and then gave up on the journey of transformation. It thus ended up as ‘coal’. Diamond however went the full swing, withstanding severe temperature increases, and then, it arrived! The difference in their worth is quite obvious. If you go through the full length of life’s pressure, your worth will no doubt be enviable…

Pleading the Blood: What does it really mean?

Text: Exodus 12:13-14, Hebrews 9:11-14

THE PASSOVER was an event in the Old Testament that truly depicted the power of the blood. We see that through the blood of sacrifice, there was atonement, protection, and an assurance of peace with God. This forecasting picture would later be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

John the Baptist introduced Him as....."the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29. Everyone present at that baptism on that day, understood the implication of John's words, but it was difficult for them to accept the idea that the Messiah, who is the King, is also the sacrifice, that He's also the Lamb!

This was a signal not just to them, but also to all that will come through all ages. The Apostle Paul, later calls it " the wisdom of God, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory".

When we talk about the blood of Christ, we are touching something the scriptures refer to as "precious" 1 Peter 1:19. Why is this so? It is because of it's power and value it carries in the three realms; in Heaven before God, on Earth over man's life, and in Hades before Satan. The blood of Christ carries ABSOLUTE power to address human errors, need, failure and bondages.

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO "PLEAD" THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
Let me quickly say here that there are many things God is not counting against us simply because we just do not know better. But the moment enlightened, we must adjust and move on in our faith walk.

Now, pleading the blood of Jesus Christ does not imply  begging God. God has not called us to come and beg before Him. Many of of us have been raised in an environment where we heard the words " we come under the blood of Jesus", or " we cover this matter with the blood of Jesus, or we hear someone leading prayer say "I cover so and so with the blood of Jesus" and we all echo " the blood of Jesus".

Well, as good or as sanctimonious those may sound, that's really not how to to plead the Blood. You really are not pleading the blood by just echoing "the blood of Jesus".
The "plea" or "plead" according to Oxford dictionary of English language means:
- to present or argue for a position (as in a law court).
- to address a court as an advocate on behalf of a party.
- to invoke a reason or a point as an accusation or a defence.

I particularly like the last definition. Pleading the blood of Jesus is to apply, appropriate, and affirm, over your life, the THINGS that Jesus has secured for you in the shedding of His blood. It is the SPEAKING of those things of which you have received by the virtue of His death on the Cross.

Revelation 12:10-11 KJV

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Notice the statement, " by the word......". Let us see another scripture.

Hebrews 12:24 KJV

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Again notice the statement, "that speaks.....".

Here is the point, by our speaking of those things that represent the Redemptive work of Christ, we do plead His blood.

So when you say, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, you're pleading the blood. By saying, "He gives His angels charge over me, they keep me in all of my ways", you're pleading the blood. When you say, "I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus", you're pleading the blood. And so on and so forth.


Remember, by declaring and affirming those things we have in Christ Jesus, we do plead His. So the next time you say "I plead the blood of Jesus", make sure you are saying it with this understanding and not just by echoing it.


Stay blessed.

Deji Elufisan
Author of books and a conference speaker. His purpose is seeing others achieve their purposes in God. He is passionate about seeing lives transformed by the power of God. He is happily married to Toyin and they are blessed with children.