JOURNEY TO SELF DISCOVERY SERIES

QUESTION 1: WHO AM I?
A question of identity.
You can’t value what you don’t know exist or you carry.
You will only value yourself based on the (perceived) value you believe you carry.
Who are you Damilola ?
Who are you Grace?
Who are you Esther?
Who are you Joseph?
It is an insult for someone else to know you more than yourself!
KNOW THYSELF!!!
Self awareness / knowledge is essential, if you want to live a fulfilled life.
For people who have discovered themselves, you still need to keep asking yourself, who am i? Because it will lead you to new discoveries about yourself. You will and should evolve and continually be the best person to consult when it comes to matters relating to you.
For people who are yet to experience self discovery, you need to ask yourself “who am i?”.
There are two categories of people here:
People who think they know themselves
People who know that they don’t know themselves
These category of people change without they themselves noticing.
When you don’t know yourself, you won’t even know when you are changing, evolving, discovering new things about yourself and when you are not.
WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE / STAND OUT from the remaining 7.2 billion people in the worl?
What do you know about yourself?
What can others say about you?
Are you sure the answers define the ‘real’ you?

QUESTION 2: WHAT DO I LIKE DOING?
Is a question related to your passion, gifts and talents.
If there is one thing my people close to me know about me, it is that, I love books, I love reading and I am passionate about self development and purposeful living. There are so many other things some people know and some things about me that people don’t even know at all.
When you are passionate about something, you are naturally enthusiastic about the thing, the zeal and drive is just there to do it.
So, what are you passionate about? Is it football, singing, spoken words, football, sewing, fighting corruption, ending rape, the list is endless…
A gift/talent is something that is bestowed on you. It is inborn, a natural ability or skill.
What are your talents / gifts? Creating stuffs out of nothing, writing, planning, ability to discern how to do stuffs other people learn, encouraging people e.t.c
Personally, I love encouraging people, I have personal issues I deal with too, but I can easily put mine aside to help others. It’s not normal, lol.
What do you know about yourself?
What can others say about you?
Are you sure the answers define the ‘real’ you?

QUESTION 3: WHAT GETS ME ANGRY WITH PASSION?
WHAT IS THAT ONE THING I WANT TO CHANGE IN MY SOCIETY??
Is a question related to your personal experiences and happenings in the society
Recently, I found out I am not okay hearing cases of injustice and unfair treatment, I get pissed off, I get angry. I keep asking myself, “why?”
Since, I started my NGO – Tender Hearts Foundation I have always never supported social vices, I am totally against it – cyber crime, cultism, addictions, gambling, prostitution, rape, pre marital sex activities etc.
I have come to realize that God knows why we go through whatever we go through, I didn’t understand this while growing up until I when God began to help me, and bring across my path people that have or are experiencing ‘some’ of the things I experienced. He keeps drawing people to me, because he raised me up for it.
Summary of everything is that, I hate to see people live purposeless lives…
Yours could be to help rape victims.
Yours could be to help drug / pornography/ masturbation addicts overcome it.
Yours could be to help people turn their mess into messages.
Yours could be to be a human right activist
Yours could to be to help prostitutes, see the light and forsake their former ways.
God can help you communicate this through writing, speaking, counseling, empowerment programs, trainings etc.
What do you know about yourself?
What can others say about you?

QUESTION 4: WHY AM I HERE?
Is a question of purpose
Answering this question helps you to picture / know/ have a glimpse of your role in the kingdom, as Child of God.

I am here as a kingdom financier
I am here to preach the gospel and revive the people of Libya.
I am here to dominate in the fashion world by doing my business with integrity (these are just simple examples, it may and should be deeper than this).
If you know all the answers to the aforementioned questions and you can’t answer this, na gbege o.
The things you love to do and change in the society should be related or help you in playing your role in the Kingdom.
What do you know about yourself?
What can others say about you?
Are you sure the answers define the ‘real’ you?

QUESTION 5: WHOSE AM I?
Is a question of Origin.
Who do you belong to?
Who and what do you believe about your existence? – God or gods or non.
Who and what you believe determines your experience.
You can’t feature in a kingdom you can’t picture..
You can only be like your ancestors.. light produces light!
You see followers of gods becoming Traditionalist, disciples of Christ becoming Children of Light…
(Psalm 16:4a)

THE GREAT DESIRE

MATT 6:33/ LUKE 12:31-34

GREAT: very big, very good, important superior, uncommonly gifted, strong, powerful, noble, mighty

DESIRE: To want, to wish for earnestly, to require, demand, to request.
Woman: an ‘adult’ female human

INTRODUCTION
Desire is not bad in itself, only when you desire things that don’t please God.
God’s utmost desire is that we please me, we do what is acceptable in His sight, we desire what He desires.
If we say we love God, we would obey His commandments.
Love is God’s nature, if we claim to be His children, we must Love like Him. (1Cor 13:1-13)
Everything we do must be driven by LOVE/God (1John 4:8)
We must desire, more of God, more of His Power, more of His Presence, we must desire to be like Him. It is only then that we can be empowered to do greater works.
When we thirsts, we go in search of water, it is only when we thirst and desire for more of God, that we are filled.

TYP ES OF DESIRES
Godly/Acceptable Desire
Request, wants that pleases God e.g. JESUS (Matt 26: 30)`
Human/Selfish Desire
Wants, cravings, requests that doesn’t glorify God e.g. David (2Sam11:2-5,14;12:13.

BODY
What is a kingdom?
A kingdom is a king’s domain – “MAIN/MAJOR”
There’s no king without a kingdom
A king rules over the affairs of a Kingdom – the King of Kings! (Rev 19:6)

“we are heirs of that Father,
We are joints heirs with the son,
We are children of the kingdom
We are family
We are one”

Every born again child belongs to His kingdom
The Kingdom of God (Acts 17:28)

OUR GREATESET DESIRE should be that ‘HIS KINGDOM COME..’(Matt 6:10 / Luke 11:2b)
The kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:7)
Blessed are they which do HUNGER and THIRST after RIGHTEOUS for they shall be filled Matt 5:6
In the kingdom of God, only God’s will is done. “LET YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN” (MATT 6:10)
Everything in Heaven pleases God, and that’s how it is meant to be on earth.
We are to desire to do His will, or else we are not of His kingdom o. (Rom 8:14) so, if God is not the one leading you, then something or someone else is leading your life.
And in the kingdom of God, we can’t do anything worthwhile on our own, except we are helped by the Holy Spirit to do God’s will.
The Holy spirit is the Spirit of God (ROM 8:9)
This is what happens when the spirit of God empowers you, it should be evident that ‘The kingdom of God “has come’ to people around you. (Luke 11:20)

THE GREATEST DESIRE
What do you desire?
Your greatest desire should be to:
CONTINUALLY thirst for righteousness.
Desire to be transformed (Rom 12:2)
Ensure that our lives encourage other people to be part of God’s kingdom, not the opposite. (Luke 11:52)
TO SEEK him (Matt 6:33)
TO DWELL in HIS PRESENCE (Psalm 27:4)
TO KNOW Him (1Cor 2:2, Phil 3:10)
TO BE LIKE Him (Gen 1:26a, John 3:2)

CONCLUSION
You are a representative of God the Kingdom, what you do and don’t do affects the kingdom, so we to play our role in the kingdom:
Have you discovered your role in the kingdom?
You can’t fully become what you don’t know?
Discover why you are here and be willing to do everything you rare led to do by the Holy spirit to fulfill your purpose here on earth!

Be like Jesus.
Be and Make the Difference

Here is My PVC Story.

After months of registering for the National Identity Card and being told it’s not ready, I wasn’t so passionate about getting a PVC.

Yet, I still went ahead to make enquiries about where I could get the PVC done. At Ikorodu, I was told it’s the same struggle as that of the National I.D. aargh!

All this happened while I was still serving, the only day I am a bit free is on CDS days and atimes I get to teach on those days #NoTime. Body no be fired wood jare.

Then I was left with not choice than to zero my mind to do when I get back home after service.

I consulted google so I could find out the closest location to my house and mehn…. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The Inec office is like 1hr 30mins – 2 hours journey from my house, Transportation nko, I will eat too o #AreYouKiddingMe

One my friends then told me to go to Ogudu LG, but Ogudu is in Lagos, I reside in Ogun State. It can’t work, if I intend to vote at home.

So, when I finally got home, I told my mum, about the closest location… She was like “Owode” Kilode? (Why Owode?)

We discussed it at home frequently, hoping that a closer office or annex will spring up, because as at the last elections there was a point of registration in my ward here.

So one day, someone or better put a voluntary organization volunteered to take us to the inec office at “Owode” very early

While in the bus, i kept myself occupied by reading Olayode Juliana’s REBIRTH (it’s a must read for every home).

And my eyes saw plenty things when we got there!

To be continued… 😀

Part II of my PVC story

While in the bus going..
My eyes were glued to the wonderful book, I was reading (check former post for the book title).

When we got there around 7am, we meet some people on ground and the officials too (you know, I later heard the Inec officials rarely resume that early)

There was no sign post of any sort to indicate there was an Inec office there, the building looked like a residential house sef, but it’s meant for Inec official matters, I guess.

They had lists of groups of people form surrounding towns. So we submitted our lists too and we were given numbers… Ending around 50 something.

So they started by calling first 5 people, then the first 20. In my sane mind, I was already thinking, we should leave there early, if they are fast!

My mind and body wasn’t fully prepared for what I experienced. While we were waiting for out turn. Other people in trouped in priavte cars, then came the MFM and Redeem in large numbers #TodayNaToday

Thinking, the Inec officials will continue from where the number stopped. 😂😂😂
We saw the church people coming forward to start form a queue.

The drama that ensued wasn’t from here. This around 9-10am. The officials Sha Said they can’t keep them waiting, so the numbering was useless, they will call In people from each line.
People shouted but we no get choice. Sha let us do and go.

Then.. when it was time to go in.. The officials arranged in such a way that they could easily access the doors (they have been in this business na, me I didn’t pay cognisance until we were blocked from entering) and that’s how many of them went in ahead of us.

All the while we were hanging around waiting for our turn, the officials were smuggling in the private car owners #laughing
We just saw them inside! #Gbam

The annoying part is that there’s not order, they started by giving us numbers, then they said we should form queues, later again they said numbers, and then again queues, back and forth. I was angry!!!! The system is (lips sealed, you already know)

Several times, some of the workers were just chilling, because everywhere was in disorder, the people were just beyond control, everyone wanted to enter, anyhow, anyhow; so the officials wouldn’t allow anybody in.

The high point was when I finally got myself inside, by staying on the queue. One of the officials had to tell another, “why did you allow them enter, let them go back inside, why didn’t you ask so so and so how you were supposed to do it” At that point I was boiling. #WhatRubbish

They explained to themselves and allowed us stay but said they will be using numbers when next people are to coming in. #Chai e

Let me Sha do my own and go #i can’t come and faint Biko. When we got in, there were people who didn’t fill the form we filled, registering for PVC.

The man that attended to me, was nice. He wasn’t part of those that came outside.
So, I had to wait for the Temporary Voter’s Card to be ready….

After i collected, I had to wait for others that we went together who were still struggling to get in.

The drama that happened is beyond what I can describe here.

But like one man said, they are making t hard for us to the PVC, without it they know you can’t vote and that’s were rigging starts from. It is a strategy.

We must be more strategic,
we must not be discouraged,
We must do what is needful.

Get your PVC – Permanent Voters Card
Don’t be a lazy Nigerian #wink

Thank you for reading 😘😘

PARENTS AND TEENS RELATIONSHIP

PROV 1:10 “My son if sinners entice you, consent thou not” (HCSB)

Prov 22: 6 “TEACH a YOUTH in the way that he should and when he is old, he will not depart from it”

PARENTS/GUARDIAN: We are caretakers, God is the real parent. We should go to him whenever we have issues with our children. We must ensure that the daily needs of our children are met and for any reason we cannot, let your children know why and they will not allow sinners to entice them, if they have been taught well. You must never compare them to another person or child, deal with your children individually.

TEENAGER: is still a child, an individual between the ages 0f 13- 19. We should take every stage our children’s life seriously and even this phase more seriously. A teenager is very curious and adventurous so they need to be handled with wisdom. They are likely to experience: abuse, low self esteem, pornography, bullying, neglect, academic issues, peer pressure, puberty/menstruation, exposure to social vices such as drug abuse, cyber crime and will be looking for ”acceptance” e.t.c.

RELATIONSHIP: a connection or association.
what kind of relationship do you have with your teenager?
Is it a strained one or a smooth one?
YOU are the determinant of the success of the relationship.
The scriptures admonishes us to “teach”

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: When we as acting parents fail to teach our teenagers, the world – their friends, what they read, watch and listen to on TV – will teach them.
Many parents have failed to perform that role of teaching, that’s why the nations is failing at large, because the family is the bedrock of any society. The school, church and other socializing agents are meant to help, we should never put on the absolute responsibility to raise our teenagers.

BE A ROLE MODEL: We can’t teach our teenagers what we ourselves don’t live by and expect them to follow it. Because they are eager to learn, we have to be available (quality time) for them, know what they are consuming, because it is whatever they feed on, GROWS!
People will rather do what you do, than do what you say. Let us model Christ to them, in the best way that we can. If we are willing, the Holy Spirit will enable us.

FAMILY VALUES: Everything rises and falls on Values, if you place other things first in your home rather than God, they will do the same. As a family, have a value system.

TEACH THEM THE WAY TO GO: Teach them about God, life, finances, good and bad, relationships, academics… so that they can make sound decisions for themselvsses whenever they have to.

DO NOT LET THEM LACK : Provide for their basic needs,
KNOW THEM: Be vigilant and observant, know your teenagers. D

on’t allow one brother to attract them to himself with mundane things.

KNOW THEIR TEMPERAMENTS

BE THEIR FRIEND: Know their friends. Have listening ears

HELP THEM: with assignments, be there for them, celebrate them!

NEVER EVER COMPARE: them to their other siblings or other people.
Support their dreams. I love people who believe in me.

LOVE THEM THE WAY CHRIST HAS LOVED YOU!

Prayer points:
I am a caretaker, give me grace to perform my responsibilities as a parent.
Father, help me to teach and raise my children according to your standard.
Father, do not let me fail at anything, including parenting.
Help me to fulfill to purpose fulfill, help me to live a life worthy of emulation
Holy Spirit, help my children to fulfill destiny, protect and guide them each new days