Saturday, November 21, 2015

There is a Time for Everything


    For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 NLT

A few days ago, I got some disheartening news. I had been so expectant... I've prayed about it, confessed that it was mine, thanked God in advance for it. During the week, the devil whispered a question into my ear "What if it doesn't happen, will you still praise God?" I smiled and answered "YES!!!" without thinking twice, the truth is I was too confident that it was mine...so saying yes was easy.

So in the middle of my praise and worship session which always comes before my prayer sessions, I got an email. First of all. I was surprised that my phone was on...when the notification for the incoming email came in, I grabbed my phone so that I could put it on silent (which I always do while praying). My eyes happened to see the sender of the email before I could silence my phone. I continued to sing as I read the preview, the first three lines seemed to be a joke. Maybe it was a mistake or a terrible dream???.. in the midst of my praise and worship session, I opened the email. To my disappointment, it was the opposite of what I was expecting. 

I gathered myself together and proceeded, it was a distraction. I had to pray...the people, things, and nations that I intercede for continuously are much more important. I continued my prayer session for a couple of hours. At the end, I had to face reality. The reality of that email echoed, "denied!...rejection!!...you're not good enough!!!..." I went through a series of emotions within a few minutes...I felt sad, I felt hurt, I felt embarrassed, I felt ashamed, I felt disappointed. I wanted to cry, but I made up my mind not to give the devil the opportunity to see me down.

Then I remembered the question that the devil asked me during the week, "What if it doesn't happen, will you still praise God?" So I decided to do just that, praise God! I honestly didn't feel like it, when I started it was difficult but I continued. The next day, I woke up with "not-so-happy-feelings"...I had to get out this funk. I remembered something that my spiritual father once said, "A minister of God can not afford to be depressed." I had to minister at church service the next morning, my church members have needs...if I remained stuck on me, myself, and I...I wouldn't be able to minister to them as I should.

I decided to encourage myself in the Lord and shake it off. I started with listening to a few sermons and then I praised God...with all of my heart, with all of my mind, with all of my soul. In no time, I was over it. After all, one of my favorite scriptures is: Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (KJV). I've been here before, stuck on what coulda-shoulda-woulda happened. But I know better, I serve the alpha and omega, the all knowing God whose timing is always the best.

Of course, the thought of it still comes to mind, of course I still wish it happened... but I've made up my mind to stop looking at the closed door, I don't want to miss the opened door that God has placed before me. 

As the opening scripture says, there's a season for everything. I remember when I was in high school...I could wait to go to college...when I was in college, I couldn't wait to go to grad school...when I was in grad school, I couldn't wait to have a career...when I was single I couldn't wait to be married...when I was skinny, I wanted to gain weight...when I was living with my parents, I couldn't wait to move out...when I moved out and had a roommate, I couldn't wait to live alone...and the list goes on.

Over the years, I've learnt to enjoy the moments. I've decided to just press play instead of hitting fast forward on life. Like my spiritual mother says "Life is in stages". So enjoy each stage, because they'll never come back. At times pause and focus on the now, yesterday is gone and tomorrow will come...no need to rush the process. Like Paul, I am learning how to abase and abound (Phillippians 4:12 NIV), I am learning to dance in the midst of the storms of life, instead of sitting around and waiting for them to pass. When it is all said and done, I'm blessed and victorious.I may not be where I want to be but I am so much futher from where I used to be. I choose to walk this journey or life by faith, not by sight.

Enjoy each and every moment...they turn into everlasting memories. Memories that will make you laugh and thank God when you revisit them in the near future. 

Confession: In the name of the Lord Jesus, I declare that I am blessed. The circumstances and situations that surround me do not define me. I always win, all things work together for my good. Amen

Prayer starter: Heavenly Father, I thank you because your plans for me are always good. In you I have hope and a future, I ask for grace to always walk in this consciousness in Jesus' name. Amen. 


You're blessed!


- Bunmi



Wait before you go:




1. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, life won't make any sense, it will be cold and empty. You deserve more! Take a few minutes and click on the 'Come to Jesus' tab at the top of the page and be saved!


2. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!



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Monday, November 16, 2015

Camp Day One!

Hello everyone!

To my new readers, welcome! To those of you that have come to this blog time and time again, I appreciate you!

As promised, I will be continuing my personal testimony. If you have missed the previous posts, click on the 'Destiny Steps' tab at the top of this page.

*****

As I walked through the gates, I was bombarded with photographers asking if I needed to take a "passport"...I later discovered that they were referring to passport photographs. I eventually discovered that I need some for registration so I pick one out of the masses. I'm sure the man was wondering if all was well with me, I couldn't smile to save my life. I glared through his lens with the ugliest frown pasted on my face as he clicked away. At the end of it all, I don't think he cared...all he needed was my money.

People were standing everywhere, talking and laughing away. I was ready to flee, if only I could run away and end up in Lagos in 2.2 seconds. I managed to proceed to the registration table with my huge bag that did not have wheels. I had food items for days, you'd think I was going to be away for 3 months. I had a big bag of garri (a Nigerian staple), cereal, a big tin of milk (powered milk) and a big tin of milo (hot chocolate). I stuck out like a sore thumb.

I approached the registration desk and was attended to by unsmiling  NYSC officials. There was no "Hello, how are you doing?" or "Welcome to camp, we hope that you'll enjoy your stay!" Who was I kidding? They proceeded to ask for my ID, call up letter, and my bachelor's degree. After transferring the documents into their hands, I got a rude awakening. "Why are you giving me a photocopy of your certificate (degree)?" Where is the original? I was puzzled, who carries around their degree? I kindly explained to them that I was an international student and my degree was in America.

All hell broke loose! They didn't like the sound of that! "How can you come to camp and not bring your original certificate?" *hisses teeth* "Please go and sit down, we can't register you." Before I could pick my jaw off the fall, they called the next person. I dragged my feet and huge bag to a sit close by. I sat there helplessly, in no time the tears began to flow. My mom called to check on me and I could not stop crying. She tried to calm me down and encouraged me to plead with them. 

They didn't bother looking my way. Another NYSC official came to me, he asked if I was okay. He saw my tear stained face. I explained to him what happened and began to cry again. He told me to stop crying, he said that I would be attended to eventually. Little that I know that he would become one of my top camp admirers...story for another day.

I was exhausted, I just wanted to relax. I eventually went to check into my "room" (more like a room that I shared with 40-something other girls) and pick out a mattress. I walked into the room that I was assigned to, all I saw was a bunch of bunk beds and different ladies settling in. I picked the first bed that I saw as soon as I walked in. Before I knew it, about 3 girls rushed towards me. They introduced themselves and asked a numbered of questions. As I answered them, I felt better. They went on to be apart of my camp "squad".

I eventually went back to the registration table, my roommates encouraged me to go and pick out my uniform and jungle boots...as they're called. In most cases, the uniform and boots wouldn't be your size. As I approached the registration table, one of the unsmiling ladies that attended to me earlier called out for me. This time around to my surprise, she actually had a smile on her face. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you." "I went to choose my bed and room ma." "Look at you! You didn't even register yet and you've picked your room."

Her smile grew larger as she accepted the documents she initially rejected. I was taken aback by her sudden change of heart. After a few minutes, I was officially registered! I got a registration number and proceeded to pick out my uniform and boots. By the time I got there, the sizes of everything available was double my size. I sighed and took what was available. Off I went to my room...every and anything that happened after that was a blur.

Day 1 DONE!

To be continued....


You're blessed!


- Bunmi



Wait before you go:




1. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, life won't make any sense, it will be cold and empty. You deserve more! Take a few minutes and click on the 'Come to Jesus' tab at the top of the page and be saved!


2. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!



3. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' section located on the right of this post.


4. You can share this post or previous posts by clicking on the respective social media icon on the right.


5. Follow me on twitter @BunmiAdebiyi_


6. Like my page on facebook: Bunmi Adebiyi







Friday, November 06, 2015

Love = Service

Galatians 5:13King James Version (KJV)13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Over the past few weeks, the Lord has been taking me on a journey. I'd like to call it a love walk, he's been holding my hand and revealing some aspects of love that I've never considered. I've discovered that many of us really do not know what love is. The world has sold us a lie, as the years roll by I see that the devil has watered down love and made it immoral, diluted, adulterated and self-centered. I'm enjoying this discovery of love...I'll share as much as I can as time goes on.

****

When we truly love others, it will be expressed in our level of service towards them. Love...that is true love, is expressed in service. When you hear the word "service", what comes to mind? 
Service is defined as: "the action of helping or doing work for someone" (source).



When we love someone, we look for ways to make them happy...we look for ways to meet their needs. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as an act of love, this was an example that he expected them to follow once he left the scene (John 13:1-15).

Love is not selfish, it is self-giving
Love puts others before himself
Love goes out of his way to be a blessing
Love never gets tired of helping others

The greatest way to love someone is to serve him/her. There are people in your life that need you to serve them in order for them to make progress in their own lives. You have a calling and you were given gifts and talents not for your own good but for the good of others (1 Peter 4:10). If you don't step up to the plate, many people will be stuck on the sidelines.

Service shouldn't be seen as a daunting task, it is a privilege, it's an honor. If you take time to think about it, you'll discover that you have made it this far because someone believed in you...someone encouraged you...someone prayed for you...someone supported you. No one is self made, no one is an island...it takes a village to become a success.

An act of service could simply be an encouraging word, or assisting someone with s project or sharing your personal testimony so that someone can overcome the same or similar challenge.

If the Lord Jesus could stoop low to wash the feet of his disciples, what is your excuse? People are waiting for you! Be of service to someone today. Look around for the needs around you and meet them!

Confession: The love of God has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit, I give expression to that love as I serve others. Amen

Prayer starter: In Jesus' name, I receive the grace to put others before myself by aiming to meet their needs. Amen





You're blessed!


- Bunmi


Wait before you go:


1. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, life won't make any sense, it will be cold and empty. You deserve more! Take a few minutes and click on the 'Come to Jesus' tab at the top of the page and be saved!


2. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!


3. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' section located on the right of this post.

4. You can share this post or previous posts by clicking on the respective social media icon on the right.


5. Follow me on twitter @BunmiAdebiyi_


6. Like my page on facebook: Bunmi Adebiyi

Monday, November 02, 2015

Iwalewa VIII

Hello All!

Happy New Month! Wow, God has been faithful! It's November!!!

The Lord will crown off the year with goodness for you in Jesus' name!

Thank you so much for reading Iwalewa, I hope that you've enjoyed reading this story. Furthermore, I pray that you've been empowered, inspired and blessed by this story. This is the last installment of Iwalewa. Look forward to more short stories soon!

I will continue my personal testimony next week, stay blessed!



******

That was five years ago.

That pastor drew me close and made sure I became grounded in the church. His name is Pastor Timothy Adepoju, his wife Pastor Olaide Adepoju was also very kind to me. I thank God daily for them. Not only are they my spiritual parents and mentors, but they are also my in-laws. Yup I married their son, Evangelist Lanre Adepoju, three years ago on December 7th. December 7th is now a day that I remember for good! Lanre is indeed God's best for me, words are not enough to state his worth. And I thank God for our baby girl Charisma, after salvation and marriage, being a mother is the best thing that has happened to me. 

******

Shortly after I re-dedicated my life to Christ. Pastors Timothy and Olaide requested to see me in their office one sunny Friday afternoon. I was shocked, as I walked down the street that led to their office, I began to play various scenarios in my head. Was my mom okay? Did I do something wrong? Is it the way I dress? 

As I entered their office, the smiles on their faces and the compassion in their eyes blotted out all fear from my heart. I knelt down and said "Good afternoon sir and ma"

They responded in unison, "Good afternoon, you are blessed."

"Please get up dear" Pastor Olaide said.

"Have your seat, how's your day been so far?" Pastor Timothy asked.

After exchanging pleasantries, they proceeded to tell me that God revealed some things about me to them. They said I was a ministry gift, meaning I was called to the ministry. They said God brought me to Grace and Truth Ministries to re establish my foundation in him and that he was going to use me to do great things while I was in school. One being, helping young women who had been sexually abused to heal by the Word and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. I sat there glued to my chair. "How could I do that? I was still learning the ropes... I wasn't even sure if I was completely healed myself... I was too shy to talk in front of people... I wasn't good enough to lead others." 

These thoughts kept replaying in my head until Pastor Olaide said, "Iwalewa, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, God created you for this. You were anointed even before you were formed in your mother's womb. We are here to help you."

I proceeded to attend foundation school, became a worker and joined the teaching ministry, I also joined Pastor's mentoring program. In a matter of months my life changed drastically. The smoking-drinking-partying-angry-depressed-nightmare having Iwalewa was long gone. I was brand new, and Jesus was so real to me. Life was awesome!

I eventually graduated from school with a 3.5 GPA and went on to Physical Therapy School for three years to receive my Doctorate degree.

Remember Jamilla? My old roommate. She got saved and joined the church. Isn't God faithful? She is now married to an awesome man and has twin girls named, Ayomide and Ayomikun.

I stand before you beautiful ladies as Pastor Iwalewa Adepoju not because I'm perfect but by the grace of God. His grace has made me and it is his grace that has sustained me. True beauty is a result of embodying Godly character. You all have beautiful destinies, God does not have favorites. He loves you just as much as he loves me. And he has sent me here to encourage you. You may have been violated or taken advantage of but you can and will get past this. Forgiving is easier said than done at times, but it's the first step to freedom. God is the God of new beginnings. Would you like to give or rededicate your life to Christ today? He's right here in our midst, calling out to you with open arms. All you have to do is answer and take the first step, he'll take it from there.



Can you relate with Iwalewa? Would you like a beautiful testimony also? Today's your lucky day!

Receive the life of Christ today or rededicate your life, it's very simple. All you need to do confess that he's your Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead so that you can live an abundant life.

Say this simple prayer in faith and that's it!

"Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I believe with my heart that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and I boldly confess his Lordship over my life. I believe that God raised him from the dead to give me a new life. Thank you Lord, I am reborn! I am a Christian, a child of the Almighty God! I am saved! AMEN!

If you just said this prayer, Congratulations! Welcome to the family! Welcome to the abundant life! Now there are some other steps that you'd need to take and I'd be glad to help you, feel free to contact me via my inbox or email: bunmi1adebiyi@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Shalom

You're blessed!


- Bunmi


Wait before you go:


1. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, life won't make any sense, it will be cold and empty. You deserve more! Take a few minutes and click on the 'Come to Jesus' tab at the top of the page and be saved!


2. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!


3. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' section located on the right of this post.

4. You can share this post or previous posts by clicking on the respective social media icon on the right.


5. Follow me on twitter @BunmiAdebiyi_


6. Like my page on facebook: Bunmi Adebiyi