YOU CAN BE A HISTORY MAKER

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• For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion (Ecclesiastes 9:4).

Time is ticking; every single second, minute or hour; history is been written. Where do you stand? Are you just ticking away with time or you are history in the making. We are not here just to mark time.We are here to impact lives, leave a mark on our generation and hopefully write history.

Look at a list of a few history makers.

•  Abraham Lincoln
• Yaa Asantewaa 
• Mother Theresa 
• Martin Luther
•  Kwame Nkrumah 
• Charles Wesley
•  Charles Spurgeon
• Tetteh Quarshie
• Florence Nightingale. 

What does all these people have in common? They were all great men and woman. They made history. But unfortunately they cannot continue making history today because they can no more participate in life —they were great: they were lions—but now they are dead lions.

For many of us, if we compare ourselves to some of the names mentioned above, we just won’t measure up even though they are dead. The description “living dogs” might suit us, but because we are still alive and have the opportunity to participate in life, we can also write history and join in the league of great men and women.

Don’t allow life situations to hem you in. So long as you are alive, all hope is not lost. You can do something with your life. Challenges and difficulties are a part of life, but those who make the decision to rise above their challenges are the ones who make history and are celebrated. 

Whatever situation or circumstance you find yourself, don’t call a pity party for yourself, rise up.

• Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37). 

You have only two options in life: Sit back and do nothing, or get actively involved in life. Make a Choice!

A Walk with Jesus

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• Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him (Luke 8:22-25)

The Christian life is more than religion—do’s and don’ts. The Christian life is a relationship with Jesus. It is a constant daily walk with Jesus. There are certain things that will definitely show in the life of anyone who is walking with Jesus. The term Christian simply indicates a follower of Christ. The word first appeared in the Bible in Acts 11:26. Can people observe and without you telling them, they will acknowledge by themselves that this is a Christian? Like we say in pidgin English, “eno be mouth mouth”. Truly, Christianity “no be mouth mouth”, people should be able to just look at us and acknowledge we are Christians. Are you a “mouth mouth” Christian or you genuinely portray what Christ stands for?

With the scriptures quoted above, let us walk through a few things I believe will mark a walk with Jesus.

1.      CHANGE

• vs 22. Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth

Note the statement “…Let us go over unto the other side…” This statement denotes change from one place to the other. As Christians, our walk with Jesus should bring significant changes in our lives. Whatever state of life we are in, Jesus always calls us up to higher places. “…Come up…and I will shew thee things… (Rev 4:1). You can’t walk with Jesus and remain in your old, bad way of life. With Jesus, bad behaviour, bad attitudes, bad ways of doing things should give way to good behaviours, good attitudes and good ways of doing things. This is not legalism. This is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit who always prompts and nudges us about things that need to be worked on in our lives. As Christians, our daily interaction with others should always improve. “Going unto the other side” should be the desire of every believer. 

Don’t be complacent. Wherever you are now in life , there is an “other side”. Walking with Jesus should produce a passion in us to improve and be better persons. Don’t settle for less. Every Christian should aspire for change. Are you not amazed at the constant changes occurring around you in business, technology, medicine, science and etc?  My first car was a VW Jetta 4. I loved it till I saw the new model. Though it was the same model, the difference was so vast. Look at mobile phones and the revolution they are going through. These natural phenomenon should teach us great lessons as Christians.

Change is a constant of life and God demands strongly we aspire for change as Christians.

• Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them (Isaiah 42:9).

• Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:18-19)

 2. LAUNCH OUT 

• vs 22c “…And they launched forth…”

• But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22)

It is not enough to aspire and talk about Change. After, talking, we have to launch out. To launch out simply means taking-off or taking actions about the things we believe God is telling us. The changes we desire in our lives have to be worked at. They have to be backed with action. You can’t walk with Jesus and be lazy at the same time. Change is not a mere wish. Change is not chance. Change is deliberately worked at.

If all of us who Christians will launch out and implement what we believe, there will be great results in our individual lives and in our communities at large. When Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 that “let your light so shine before men…” I believe what He meant was that live out what you believe. Christian men and women, launch out! Live what you believe. In business, let your light shine. In politics, let your light shine. In leadership, let your light shine.

Are you walking with Jesus? Then launch out and do what He said you should do.

3.      CHALLENGES

• vs 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

• We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

This is not popular theology, but it is a fact. Our walk with Jesus opens us up for life challenges. Jesus Himself said it clearly in John 16:33.

• …In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Christianity is not “immunity” from challenges. It is not a bed of roses. In fact, the more I desire to walk with God, I have come to realise that it is not an easy walk at all especially the moment you desire to see changes in your life. That moment you desire to step out and be different, you get attention from the devil. It seems to me that “life is not interested in you” when you are not desiring any change. “Life will not mind you” so long as you are living a normal life. But the day and moment a desire for change swells up in your heart, “life becomes interested in you” and throws out all the challenges and storms. You see, the disciples were having it easy without any struggles with a storm, until Jesus instructed that they go to the other side.

In Christ, there are still challenges, struggles, disappointments and storms to go through. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) Look closely at the scripture. “ But as they sailed he(Jesus) fell asleep…” Sometimes, God does seem silent on our issues, in fact, sometimes the more the “heat” intensifies, the more we feel God’s distance. In such situations, don’t give up. Keep believing.

Don’t expect an easy walk with Christ. “The kingdom of God suffereth violence…” (Matthew 11:12). Brace yourself for some “violent” occurrences as you walk with Jesus and in your attempt to cross over to the other side.

• My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:2-3).

• Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you (1 Peter 4:12).

4.      DEPENDENCE ON GOD

• vs 24a And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish…

• Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil (Proverbs 3:5-7)

I have indicated already that walking with Jesus is a relationship. In this relationship, we have to learn to depend on God. Don’t ever come to a point in your life as a Christian where you leave God of the equation of your life. Mind you, amongst the disciples were experienced fishermen who should know their trade enough to be able to handle the storm. But I believe this particular storm was beyond their experience. Don’t become too experienced in life that you leave God out in your decisions. Pray about EVERYTHING. Seek God’s face on every issue before you act. Experience should not be your first point of call. God should be your first point of call. 

Check out something from 1 Samuel 30:3-8)

• 3. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.  6. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 7. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.  8. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

In this scripture, David returned from another battle only to come and meet his “home” ransacked and destroyed. This guy is a warrior, to me, his first point of call should be to first give the enemy a “hot” chase and rescue his people. But, as experienced a warrior he was, “…David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop?” In my mind, I am like, David, for heaven’s sake, you don’t need to ask God this question. Just pursue. But then I suddenly realised that there could be the possibility of God saying “don’t pursue, just relax, I will bring them back” David’s question doesn’t indicate someone who doesn’t know what to do. His question was a sign of depending on God in every decision he takes. 

Let me say it again. Don’t let experience be your first point of call. God should be your first point of call. Dependence on God manifests in two ways.

1.      Prayer.

• “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17)

• “…men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1)

 2.      Faith

• And he said unto them, where is your faith…? (Luke 8:25a)

• But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

LOVE-The Four Letter word with four different meanings.

 It is a season of love and it is worth nothing that the English word LOVE is a derivation from four Greek words- Eros, Storge, Philia and Agape.

EROS

Eros is generally love that is intimate, sensual and erotic. The word erotic is actually derived from Eros. As the name suggests, Eros is love that is sexual in nature.  In it‘s abused form, eros manifests in many forms- Lust, fornication, adultery and the likes. Eros when not rightly expressed can become abusive, exploitative and manipulative.

STORGE

Storge is commonly referred to as familia and it depicts love that is shared amongst family members.Storge is natural affection. Marital love usually evolves from storge.

PHILIA

Philia refers to friendship. It is a level of affection shared purely by friends and can generally be described as platonic.

AGAPE

• “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.“ John 15:13

Agape love is the highest form of love. It is love that is unconditional. This kind of love is selfless and puts the interest of others first regardless of the results. Agape love is the kind of love God manifested towards us when He sent Jesus down in the form of man to die to reconcile humanity to Himself.

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“ John 3:16

• “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“1 John 4:10

Agape love is the love we should all strive to emulate. Yes we are human, we will not be able to fully extend this kind of love, but even in our humaness, we can allow ourselves to be vessels through which God can love.

• “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.“ 1 John 4:11 

The Power of Friendship

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• A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

“Everyone needs somebody”—that is a very popular saying and it is true. No one is an island, we all need relationships and friendship to carry on in life. Every assignment, dream, vision and purpose God has for our lives are intertwined with the assignments, dreams, visions and purposes of God for other people.

 We need one another to complement each other. The kind of friends and company we keep matters a lot: Friends can make or break us. The advice and counsel of friendship is very crucial to our success. Every great individual assignment has been accomplished with the help of friendship.

Moses had Aaron (Exodus 4:14).

David had Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3).

Jesus had His twelve Disciples

Peter had John (Acts 3:1).

Paul had Barnabas and later Silas (Acts 12:25; Act 15:40).

John Mark had Barnabas (Acts 15:37).

Who do you have?

Do you have friends that can challenge you to be the best in life? Don't ignore the power of friendship. It is a powerful biblical concept that needs to be embraced whole heartedly. Two obviously are better than one—the business world calls it synergy.

• Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him thatis alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

• And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Genesis 2:18).And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7).

Don’t take friendship for granted. Surround yourself with good friends who can challenge you and bring the best out of you. You deserve the best, so don’t waste your time around people who are not serious in life.

Navigating the Path of Life

“I am confused, I don’t know what to do with my life” Who am I, why am I here, what is God’s will for my life? These are very tangible questions on the lips of many. Have you ever felt like this before?

Unless I miss my guess, I am sure we have all walked that path before. It is not an exciting path—but it is also the path that will take you into your destiny. It is a very frustrating moment, but when you finally get the answers, you look back and you are grateful to God you walked that path. Truly, the defining moment in every person’s life is when an answer for the identity question is found.

My journey of frustration started during my level 300 days in the University of Ghana. I was going to graduate with Linguistics and Philosophy. I was clueless and had no idea of what direction my life was heading. But thank God eventually, I found my path. 

Now, it’s been about eight years since I left University and I will want to share a few things with anyone who wants to find clues about where their life is heading. 

1. Ask God

• If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 God created us. He created us for a specific purpose. If you want to know why you are here, just check with God. Pray and ask Him for direction, and you will get it. 

2. What are your natural gifts and talents? 

• “A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16

Your natural gifts and talents are an indication of what you can do with your life. I don’t consider myself the best, but throughout my education—from JHS through to University, my essays stand out. Almost every teacher who taught me samples my essays and read them in-front of the whole class. It even happened in the University in a Classical Civilisation Literature class. (I have classmates on facebook, and I will dare not lie). Now, why on earth did I never look at this to develop a career out of writing? Why did it take me that long to know I have something I can “capitalise on?” Don’t look too far. Look at the things you do without “sweat”, they are big indicators of what you can do.

3. Look at your Family.

It is not for fun that certain things run through families. Things run through families, and you might as well look into your family and see what runs through it in terms of career. We are quick to see the negative things that run through our families but we miss the opportunities of seeing the positive things. My dad is a pastor. He was also once a union leader for Mankoadze Fisheries. My elder brother is a journalist (Stephen Anti of Multi TV). My Mum; O dear, that woman can narrate history and make you feel like you are there. My sister is a caterer, very creative. 

These things did not mean anything to me until I also started writing, preaching and organising programs. I belong to a creative family—we can write, we can talk and we can design. Don’t look too far—look at your family; the traits in there are big clues for your future aspiration. 

Trust me, you might be the first in your family to accomplish something that has not been done before, but if you go back and look at your family, you will realise what you have achieved is not new at all. It will only be a result of family traits. For example I have written a book—first in my family but it is a result of communication skills and creativity in the Family.

4. Your Passion and Enthusiasm

Your passion, enthusiasm and drive are an indication of what you can do with your life. What gets you excited, what gives you a sense of fulfillment, what things will you do even if you are not paid? Those are clues of what you can do. Let’s look at two persons from scriptures whose passion and enthusiasm gives us an indication of their assignment on earth was.

1     (i) Moses:

• And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known (Exodus 2:11-14).

Before God’s “formal” call came to Moses, he already possessed the passion and enthusiasm to defend and deliver Israel out of Egypt.

...he [saw] an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

   (ii) Apostle Paul

• I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women (Acts 22:3-4)

• …an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (Philippians 3:5c-6).

Paul was a Pharisee and very passionate in defending the law. By his education and upbringing, Paul already had a passion to defend the name of God. To him, the Christians of his time, before his conversion were blasphemers, blaspheming the name of God. Paul was persecuting the church, killing the Christians with such passion and zeal—and in his mind, he was serving God.

Read what he said again:

• “…zealous toward God” 

The above statement summarizes Paul’s assignment on earth—zealous for God. The only problem was that he had a misplaced zeal and all God did was to redirect that zeal—and one of the greatest Apostles of all time was born. 

What do you have? Allow God to use it to bless humanity.