Friday, April 29, 2016

Life Eternal

 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 KJV


The words 'eternal life' are often misunderstood. Some mistake it for living forever (that's just a part of it). Eternal life is a type of life. It is Zoe (A Greek word used in the new testament), which is life as God has it. It is the type and quality of life that God has. God cannot fail; neither can he be sick or poor. God rules over all, he is in control and he is in charge. These are some of the characteristics of eternal life. And to the glory of God, you can have that life also! Because Jesus paid a precious price for it, he gave his life for you.

Furthermore, Eternal life is to know God the father as the only true God and to know the Lord Jesus who he sent as our redeemer. It is a life given to us by God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This life is resident in Jesus Christ and this life is the light of men (John1:4-5). We can only shine as we should (the light of the world) by accepting and living out this life. 

This life is supernatural; it is far above natural existence. It takes its reference from above (John 3:31). The key to flourishing in this life, is have a revelation of Jesus (Philippians 3:10). We live to glorify God. As the light of the world, our duty is to attract others to Christ by shinning in him. We do this by the knowledge of his light (Psalm 36:9). 

What is this light? It is the substance that created the heavens and the earth.
This light is the essence of our existence. It is our education for Godly-abundant living. This light is real, it's alive, and it is a mighty force. This light existed before the world began. This light is the Word of God. This light is a person. This light is our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

As we learn to walk and fellowship with this light, we prosper in every area of our lives. As believers, we have a treasure that abides in us. This treasure is the precious Holy Spirit; whose job is to reveal Jesus to us (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
  

Your life at this moment is a reflection of what has been happening in you. We were created to live from the inside out; not the other way around. We were created as children of the kingdom of light to rule and reign. We were created to be in charge! Don't allow circumstances and situations to room you; that's not eternal life. The supernatural life controls the natural life. Refuse to be an ordinary human, lay hold on eternal life (1Timothy 6:12) and become a super-extraordinary individual! 

As we fellowship with the Word of God, the light of God is rooted within us. The more we fellowship with it, the brighter the light will become. The brighter the light, the more abundance of life you enjoy.

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!


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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Short Story: Oluwatomiyin

Hello Everyone!

Today I will be featuring a new short story titled "Oluwatomiyin". Oluwatomiyin means my God is enough for me to praise; it is a Nigerian word from the yoruba language. This story is a reminder that God has a plan for each and every life; there are no mistakes with God. No matter what circumstances and situations you may find yourself in, God has an excellent and beautiful purpose for your existence. That purpose is BIG and you won't be satisfied until you discover and fulfill it.

I hope that you will be blessed by this short story, thanks for reading!


****

My mother fell in love with my dad during their high school (secondary school) days. They were young, full of energy and high off of life as they knew it. They celebrated reaching the six month mark of their relationship by losing their virginity to one another. Six weeks later, my mom fainted during their outdoor sports event at school; she was a track and field star. She was rushed to the hospital and discovered that I was conceived. Her heart broke into a million pieces, she was ashamed and afraid. She was 16 years old; she wasn't ready for adult responsibilities.

When her parents arrived to at the hospital, she informed they were crushed. They scolded her and called her every name in the book. They couldn't phantom how a pastor's child could be pregnant. They did all that they could to raise her right. They taught her the ways of the Lord; but instead she decided to take a ride on the dark side and party with sin. They were livid and they didn't hide it one bit.

My mom, her name is Jumoke by the way...felt her whole world caving in around her. My dad, Tunji... the first man that she ever loved also turned his back against her. He told my mom that there was no way he could father a child, after all they only did 'it' once. He denied that he was my father and told my mom to never come contact him again. He said that she was a liar and a slut. He told her that she lied to him about being a virgin. My dad said that she was pregnant for someone else and was trying to pin it on her. When my mom's parents arrived at Tunji's parents' house, he maintained his verdict but added a twist. It was his story and he stuck to it! He claimed that he never laid a finger on my mom; therefore there was no way that he could impregnate her. My grandparents apologized for wasting their time and drove home in silence.

The silence ate away at my mom, she felt trapped in a nightmare. As they sat in Lagos traffic for 3 hours, tears kept streaming down her face. She should have known better, he made her do it. She wanted to make him happy. She wanted their love to last forever. Who knew that 30 minutes of frocklicing with her lover could change her life forever?

She had no other choice; she went the chemist (pharmacy) bright and early the next morning. She asked the chemist for medication that she could use to abort a baby. They transaction took place in between whispers; once she handed over the money she received the deadly weapon. She took two pills as she was told for the first night and experienced minimal cramping in her stomach but nothing happened. She repeated the dosage two nights in a row, still nothing happened. She used the last of her money to buy that medication; with no other option she accepted her fate.

On most days, going to school was horrifying. She dreaded having to see Tunji, he pretended like she didn't exist. When she walked pass people she was greeted with stares as rumors spread. Some people said that she had a sexually transmitted disease; others said she had an abortion. Tunji told his friends that she cheated on him. She couldn't focus; she wallowed in misery while sitting in class. She was shocked at how a straight A student, track and field star, daughter of well-known pastors, and the girlfriend of the most handsome boy at school become a laughing stock. If only she could turn back the hands of time.

****

I've always been a survivor; I never go down without a fight. She had no choice but to accept the fact that I was stuck with her for life. After a few weeks, her parents decided to send her to go live in the village with her maternal grandma. It was bittersweet, she would miss her family but needed an escape from her fairytale turned nightmare life. As she packed her bags, she secretly prayed that somehow things would get better.

On the day of my birth, my mom never knew what was coming for her. As she swept the front of the house, her water suddenly broke. A bell went off in her head signifying that it was time. She wobbled to her grandma's room as fast as she could. 

"Ma'mi! Ma'mi! Ma'mi" {Translation: My mother! My mother! My mother!}.

Grandma was fast asleep. She felt my head descending into her pelvis and she let out a loud gasp. Grandma jumped out of bed, took one look at my mom and started praying for my safe delivery. She called out to her neighbor to quickly get the local midwife. The midwife arrived 10 minutes later to find my head peeking at her. She encouraged my mom to push, with that singular push I was introduced to this world. A world that I'd come to have a love-hate relationship with. My name is Oluwatomiyin.

Stay tuned for my story!


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.


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Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Destiny Testimonies: Rearranged by Destiny

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for stopping by today! This testimony will bless you!


Sade sent in her testimony and few weeks ago and I was overwhelmed. Her testimony reconfirmed that God is a God of multiple choices! We may make mistakes or may be forced to make decisions against our will, but God is more than able turn it all around! This testimony reminds me that God truly loves us and wants us to have his very best. Please enjoy this testimony and be blessed!


****
Source: Google


It was December 2005 when I became friends with a guy who was going to form a large part of my life’s story. I met Bosun through a friend who lived in my estate back in Nigeria. Bosun and I became friends and he quickly won my mum’s heart. She thought he was very responsible and desired to have him closer. Somehow, we got in an assumed relationship. We continued our assumed relationship which seemed okay at the time because I was that church girl who really didn’t invest in relationships. So our assumed relationship was as blank as could be and it seemed okay. Well, until I met Fola who happened to be one of my National leaders at my Christian organization in December 2006. I was also a chapter leader at the time and so Fola and I always met at leaders’ meetings and so on. At the time, we could not become official until our leadership term was over. Fola and I grew so fond of each other and I seemed to forget my assumed relationship with Bosun each time I was in Fola’s company.

Reality hit when Bosun went as far as submitting my name for the US visa lottery and my name got randomly selected. Everyone who knows about this lottery understands that a US is considered a golden ticket in many parts of the world. My mum went from loving Bosun to being indebted to him. He knew this and figured it was time to present his marriage proposal to my parents. My dad had just returned from his long stay in the UK and got all the background information he needed about Bosun from my mum who obviously sang his praises. I had just returned from work when my dad said to me, “You will be getting married before traveling to the US.” To say I was shocked by this news was an understatement! Bosun could have discussed this with me first and allowed me decide whether or not I wanted to spend my life with him. But it seems he also realized my mum felt indebted to him so he did not anticipate any objection from her; my choice would be easy. I was that child who hardly ever questioned my parents’ decisions and I also knew my mum felt indebted to Bosun so I could never find the courage to object the decision even after countless rehearsals on how to object. Fola and I were right outside the church when someone walked up to me and congratulated me for getting ready to be married. We were still not official and I did not think I owed him details of how my life was taking a turn less than I desired. So I walked away and avoided the explanation while I broke down in tears as I got on the next bus back home. Fola had so many questions but left town since I was not offering an explanation.

I convinced myself that I would grow to love Bosun as time went on in the marriage. By the time I realized how far the craziness had gone, Bosun and I were married. We got married a couple of weeks before my relocation to the US, of which I struggled with this reality and considered even submitting my body to him as a defilement of my body. My heart was distraught and I tried daily to understand what was really going on.

After relocating to the US, it only got worse as most of our conversations were centered around submitting papers for Bosun’s immigration to the US. We had not really developed an emotional connection so there was usually nothing to talk about over the phone. 3 years went by and I was still struggling with a decision I could have spoken up against in the beginning. Bosun and I never grew close; we were married strangers and while I felt he wasn’t doing so much to earn my love as his wife, I honestly felt he offered the best he knew how to. Unfortunately, his best could not mend my seemingly shattered life. I had lived in a shadow of my own life for 3 years and I spent many times feeling incompetent about my position as a wife while other times, I felt God let me take the wrong turn in life, and then left me to deal with my own mistake.

I lived broken and bitter for so long and buried myself in church activities as a way of escape from my miserable life. Everyone who knows the Nigerian culture understands that divorce creates a stigma plus I could not bring myself to make that decision. So by mid-2011, I had started consider suicide or eloping to a new place where I would just change my identity as I prayed to God for a way through this misery. I had developed really bad health problems that resulted mostly from depression. I battled with Cluster headaches and high blood pressure; my friends could not understand what was happening to me because I hid my problems from them. I also ended up in very bad car accidents as a result of being so absent minded on the road and just wallowing in my worries. I did not know how God would save me from all the craziness but during this period,

I would hear God’s comforting words sometimes of which He said to me one night while driving home from work, “I allowed all these happen as a way to preserve you. However, He did not say what He was preserving me from; this was the last I heard from Him, for about a year. By early 2012, I had had a full cup of everything; this was after I visited home in Nigeria and Bosun decided it was time to inform my mum of my refusal to give my body to him even after 3 years of marriage. Somewhere in that conversation, I threatened I was going to kill myself instead of letting him come any close to me. By the time I made it back to the US, my blood pressure problems had started again and at this point, I really had to decide.

I knew suicide wasn’t God’s will for me and I was really worried about how my parents would take the news of my disappearance if I ever went with that option. My last option was to ask for a divorce which I disagreed so much with but then, I felt convicted it was the right thing to do with me being at the point of taking my own life and after experiencing all my health problems. This was a tough step for me as I did not have the courage to tell my parents over the phone; I sent my dad a text message and explained what had been going on to him. I had already called my marriage counselor and informed him of my decision and he went ahead and called Bosun to inform him of my decision.

Source: Google


This was the beginning of another tough phase for me as my mum refused to accept my decision and insisted I work it out with Bosun. My dad on the other hand was very apologetic for not asking to confirm I wanted the marriage to Bosun. He called to say he would support whatever my decision was. I also informed my Christian leaders about my decision and explained what was going on; this was one I also dreaded but to my surprise, I did not receive any objections from them. Bosun’s family got real worried I would pull off from processing his immigration since asking for a divorce but that was not my plan and I assured them I would stick with the plan on that end. Bosun moved on the same year and got married about a year later with a son.

Months went by and I started to get some relief from the consequences of my bold decision. In July 2012, I reached out to Fola who had made several attempts to move on, one of which I was aware because the lady was my friend and she told me. Fola and I had not been in touch because I couldn’t keep up being friends considering what we shared in the past. I wanted to catch up with him but never imagined in my wildest dreams that Fola would have still wanted to be with me. I also reached the point in my life when a relationship or another marriage was the last thing on my mind. I had been broken and needed to recuperate from all the madness. So I did not want to go the relationship route with anyone. In fact, most of my male friends thought I built a wall against men. I just was not ready and so when Fola re-expressed his interest in a relationship with me after we had been chatting for a while, I freaked out and avoided him. I told him I didn’t want a relationship with him; I even explained that I was talking to someone else because it was just too much drama being with him. This was because he was the same one I always loved and felt bringing him back in the picture would raise questions.

Around the same time in 2013 when I felt he should have gotten over me, at least after knowing that I was seeing someone. Contrary to my expectations, Fola still wanted to be with me and after talking for a few months, he had me talk to his mum over the phone who I thought was so unreal in the way she calmly spoke to me, after knowing how I left years ago and how I left again in 2012. So I freaked out again and asked him to never contact me again. I couldn’t deal with the drama but by June 2014, my spiritual father who also happened to be Fola’s spiritual dad called me about a conversation between them and how fola insisted he would wait for me to get comfortable about marrying him, unless I went ahead and married someone else. My spiritual dad asked if I would marry Fola if all the drama was not involved and without hesitation, I said I would absolutely marry him. Fola set the standard for me years ago and he was my consistent prayer for a husband. He knew how to shed light into my thoughts and dreams in life and he consistently challenged me to be better. He had a sense of direction and I knew life would be fulfilling with him, so why not!? My spiritual dad urged me to please reach out and really hear him out whenever I planned to visit the country next.

Source: Google


I visited and there I was as this man poured out his heart. I wondered how God could take me through the crazy route only to lead me to the point of finally realizing that Fola was my blessing and restoration. God turned my misery into joy; He restored my broken life! Of course, we had to deal with all the side talks and rumors but Fola was bent on going through with his decision to be with me. I just knew I was blessed with my own, in spite of! Fola and I got married December 2015, 9 years after our first meeting.


I finally understood what God was preserving me for. He preserved me for my marriage to Fola. It happened with lots of bad experiences but I remain thankful that God chose this path to mold me and make me into the woman He destined me to be. God beautified my broken life within a year and I have absolutely no regrets.

I truly hope that you were blessed and encouraged by this testimony. No matter what your case may be, remember that God has a perfect plan for your life. Trust him and he will lead you through it!

Has God gotten you through a rough patch? Would you like to share your testimony also? We'd love to share in your joy! Email us: destinationdestiny7@gmail.com.




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_


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Saturday, April 09, 2016

Are you tired? worn out? or burned out?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you always tired? Does every day seem like an uneventful routine? Are you tired of hearing about the good life but your reality seems far from it? I have good news for you, help has arrived!

Stop trying so hard, your works won't yield the desired results. Lean on grace, that's how to truly live. At times, if we are not careful we can get carried away with trying to do all the right things to get God to bless us. You don't have to pray or fast to get God to do something for you. Now they are both great and necessary, however they have their place. Prayer is for fellowship purposes and fasting is done in order to be sensitive enough to hear from God concerning a particular thing.

The bible tells us that God has given us ALL things (2 Peter 1:3). We gain access into these things as we learn to walk with him and learn from him. God didn't create us and dump us on Earth to figure things out on our own. We were created to dependent on him for everything. 

Jesus Christ came to the Earth to give us grace (John 1:17). Grace is God's supernatural ability given to us to live the abundant life (John 10:10). You don't work for grace; it is a gift (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 11:6). In the above scripture, we have an invitation to come to Jesus and recover life! Accepting this invitation leads to rest...no more being tired, worn or burnt out. Grace is unforced, it is a flow (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Religion will tell you otherwise. It will tell you that you have to follow a set of rules to please God. Religion will tell you that you're a sinner and you'll never be right with God. Religion will tell you that it is normal to be poor or sick. But that's not God's Will for you; it is all lies.

All God wants is a relationship with you. All God needs is your faith (Hebrews 11:6). Put your hands in his today and allow him to lead you; with each step taken in and by grace. Stop trying so hard, Jesus did all for you on the 
cross (Galatians 3:13-14). 

Are you ready for the good life? Step out in faith today! Trust me you won't fall, Jesus is waiting for you with open arms.

Confession: Heavenly Father, today I make up my mind to walk and work with you by Grace. I rest in you in Jesus' name. Amen.



Prayer starter: Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace. Today I ask for strength and wisdom to live the life that Jesus came to give me. 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!



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



7. Follow me on Instagram: destinationdestiny_mlmt

Friday, April 01, 2016

Clarity and Confirmation

At this point in time, getting into another relationship was not on my agenda. I needed to recuperate. I was not ready at all. I was embarrassed by another failed relationship. I couldn’t believe that I allowed myself to believe a lie (that I told myself) for over a year. All the signs were there, various people tried to help me see them but I insisted that he was the “one”.

I found myself in a tug of war. God told me that the pastor is the “one” but I believed that the last two guys were the “one” also. How could I be so sure? By now, I knew without a shadow of doubt that the other two were a mistake; I couldn’t afford to make another mistake. I had to be 1000% sure. While fighting the revelation that I received about who my husband was, God started speaking to me through others.

One day my best friend and I were chatting and she sent this scripture to me: Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” She was trying to encourage me, trying to cheer me up after the breakup. When I read the scripture, I was stunned. She went on to say that she had been meditating on that scripture and that she was trusting God that we would marry men as described in that scripture.

 A few days afterwards, my dad called. We were catching up as usual then out of nowhere he said these words “Olubunmi, I believe that you’re going to marry a great man…like a pastor of something, that’s why it’s taking so long.” I sat there speechless, quietly thinking to myself “Where did that come from?” After these two incidents, I started to take the revelation seriously; there are no coincidences with God.

To be honest, I wasn’t excited about the whole thing. I dragged myself to the place of prayer. There were no butterflies in my tummy, no blushing when I saw him. I was neutral. A very long time ago, I made up my mind that I’d never marry a pastor or a doctor because they would be too busy and wouldn’t have time for family life. When I found out that he was a doctor, I gasped. God has a wonderful sense of humor!

So I took out so time to pray and fast while asking God for confirmation. This time around was different, I hadn’t gotten emotional involved with him prior to praying about us being together; that made things easier. I started off by telling God how the relationship couldn’t work. I didn’t know him, I was not attracted to him, he seemed too perfect for me, someone told me that I dressed too “flashy” for ministry, I didn’t see myself as a pastor’s wife, he wouldn’t accept my past and the list goes on and on.

After I finished my pitiful monologue, God still insisted that he was my husband. So I decided to let down my guard and be opened. During this time, I’d see him from time to time and I noticed that he was getting friendlier. He also encouraged me to finish foundation school faster than I initially intended to. He told me that he had “something” for me to do. I went ahead and speeded up the process. After completing foundation school at our church, you have to take an exam and then have an interview.

By this time, I had more confirmation. One night I had a dream and I saw myself and him in a certain place. Two baby girls were there and they were crying hysterically, I was frantically trying to calm them down until he showed up and helped me. I had no idea what that dream meant at the time. About a week later, we had a corper’s retreat. He was one of the guest ministers. After his message, he started giving prophetic words. One of the things that he said was that there was someone in that room that was going to get married that year but wasn’t engaged at the time. He went on to say that the marriage will be significant, that the couple will take young ladies off the streets and clean them up, empowering them to fulfill their purposes. As soon as he said those words, I remembered the dream and smiled.

Things were getting clearer…I was becoming more convinced.


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


7. Follow me on Instagram: destinationdestiny_mlmt