January 5, 2023 · 11:26 am

FLYING THROUGH THE CLOUDS

One of the most beautiful and peaceful sights I can never stop enjoying is what you see when you look out of an aircraft window as you fly above the clouds. No matter how many times I catch this view, I will always be enthralled the next time.  It’s so breathtaking. It just appears perfectly at ease, void of any disorder or chaos. The thicker the clouds, the prettier the appearance because nothing from beneath the clouds can peek through.

In spite of the magnificence of this view, the essence of flying is to move from place to place and not just to take in the view. So, at some point, the aircraft has to leave this view behind to descend through the clouds in order to land at the designated airport. Going through the clouds can be quite uncomfortable and bumpy. Sometimes it feels like a free fall through the skies and could be quite scary. In complete contrast with the view, the thicker the clouds, the bumpier the ride. When it starts, all you just want is for it to be all over. I had a nasty and embarrassing experience with this that I would rather forget.

The pilot cannot decide not to land the aircraft because the passengers love the view up there so much or if he does not want the passengers to feel the temporary discomfort of descending through the clouds. Some of the passengers may be distraught but his objective will always be to get the passengers to their destination.  

Life will throw different things at us. Sometimes, our experiences will feel as if we are gliding peacefully above the clouds and at other times, it appears as if we are stuck in the thick clouds. Life gets as bumpy as bumpy could be. In all things, God sees and God is in perfect control like a great pilot. We have his promises to reassure us that He will be with us, no matter the kind of clouds we find ourselves in.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am GOD, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Saviour. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! Isaiah 43: 2- 3 (MSG)

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart when the mountains crumble into the centre of the sea, when its waters roar and rage when the mountains shake because of its surging waves. Psalm 46: 1 – 5 (CEB)

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Because we have these promises, we cannot turn around or yield to adversity. Like the pilot who keeps the end in mind, we can look through the issues with the filter of God’s limitless abilities and know that the Lord that keeps us neither sleeps nor slumbers. Even when you can’t see it or feel it, He never stops working.

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December 24, 2022 · 8:50 pm

REMAIN SEATED

“Remain seated until the seat belt sign is turned off”

                                                                                  Every pilot

I have been travelling quite a lot recently and each time the aircraft lands, the pilot or the cabin crew lead always makes this announcement: “Remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the aircraft comes to a complete stop and the seat belt sign is turned off”. 9 times out of 10, people just ignore the instruction and jump out of their seats as if the instructions were to the birds of the air. I have observed this with different nationalities, so it’s not the specialty of any particular set of people.

When you don’t get up like everyone else, there is a strong pull to conform and do the wrong thing with the crowd because everyone is doing it and everyone seems to accept it. This is worse if you are in an aisle seat and the passengers you have blocked in are giving you that quizzical look. The force of the stare could almost lift you off your seat. It takes a deliberate decision not to join the crowd on those occasions.

As we navigate our multifaceted courses in life, we will come face to face with opportunities to follow the crowd in the wrong direction. The decision may be seemingly innocuous or in some cases, quite significant. At those times, “The end justifies the means” appears to be a wise counsel. When we find ourselves at those points, our focus should be the internal satisfaction that comes from a good conscience and not external satisfaction.

The Bible is filled with examples of those that tilted to either side of the balance in following the crowd and we can learn from all of them:

Aaron buckled under the pressure of the crowd and made the golden calf as a god for the people of Israel. 10 out of 12 spies chose to see themselves as grasshoppers, while Joshua and Caleb saw things differently. Noah endured the mocking of the crowd for a very long time to build the ark. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to stand alone and not flow with the crowd, even when faced with the lion’s den and the fiery furnace. We know how the story ended for each group.

In these days when many people are under so much pressure from the strains of the global economy, the temptation to make little compromises for gain may appear so strong. When we can’t see any way out of the pit we find ourselves in, joining the crowd may appear logical, especially if the compromise seems insignificant. Wrong is wrong and the number of people doing wrong does not make the definition of wrong to change. We can find encouragement and direction from the following scriptures and more:

You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Exodus 23:2

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! Proverbs 1:10

Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Mathew 7: 13 – 14

God knows, God sees and His grace is sufficient. Stay the course and don’t join the crowd. God is able to do it, but even if He doesn’t do it the way expect or when you expect it. He is still faithful.

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December 4, 2022 · 3:39 pm

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Growing up, one thing that I kept trying to do each year was to retain money in my home-made piggy bank, hoping that I would accumulate enough money at the end of the year to buy something that I really wanted to have. All through those years, one thing that remained constant was that I never did it. I either did not start or when I started, I broke the bank mid-way into the year. The fact that I was not able to pull this off in the previous year did not make me stop trying.

At the beginning of each year, the expectations are very high for the days ahead and the excitement is almost palpable. With this euphoria, many of us set goals and write down our lofty aspirations. At that point, nobody sets out not to achieve these goals. We write them down because we hope to see them materialize at the set time. We also write down things that we commit to pray for throughout the year, asking God in faith and believing that they will come to pass.

When the end of the year beckons, most people make out time to look at the year in retrospect. On many occasions, it would be that some of those things we planned to achieve at the beginning of the year are real only on paper or wherever we wrote them down. Also, some of the prayer points may not have materialized the way we expected. It could be disappointing and discouraging.

When this happens, it is easy to focus on those unachieved goals and unanswered prayers. It becomes even more debilitating when we compare ourselves with other people that seem to have everything working for them like clockwork and it appears as if there is something wrong with us or something we are not doing well. A pity party is born. Ingratitude sets in. We wonder why God did not answer our prayers and it goes on and on like that.

When we find ourselves going down this road, we need to make a conscious decision to count our blessings instead of counting the woes by focusing on the things that did not work as expected. What we focus on becomes magnified in our eyes and ultimately shapes our thoughts and lives. When we make a deliberate attempt to count our blessings, we would indeed be surprised like the old hymn says. We would realize that we have so much to be thankful to God for. One thing we will discover when we count is that we made some achievements that were part of our list and also others that came to us as a bonus. In all these things, we ought to remain thankful by default.

I find the words of the hymn Count your Blessings very instructive in this direction and I would like to encourage you to take some time out to sing and think deeply about those words as this year comes to an end.

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February 23, 2022 · 10:04 pm

STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

Recently, I had to go through a test that involved riding a bicycle for 6 minutes at different speeds to generate power. I started with an initial target of 60 Watts and ended at 145 Watts. It was very easy at the beginning as I had full energy and the required effort was not much. As it got harder, my energy waned, the required effort increased but I needed to complete the task. During the last 30 seconds, I almost gave up. The assessor had to count down for me. As he got closer to zero, I managed to pull together a burst of energy to make it to the end. When I almost quit, the countdown from the assessor and his reassurance somehow gave me the courage to persevere to the end. It didn’t matter that my legs were quaking at the end, what was important was that I didn’t give up. I made it!

The first chapter of Joshua has 18 verses and the phrase “Be strong and courageous” appears in 4 of those verses. 3 times God used this phrase to charge Joshua and the last time, it was the response of the people to his ‘commencement’ speech as they prepared to go into Canaan.

This same Joshua was one of the 12 secret agents that saw the giants in the land and had the temerity to bring back good news to the people, telling them that they could take over the land even though they were indeed minuscule when compared to the size of the giants. Even when 10 of them rationalized and buckled. Before then, Joshua had passed through intense mentoring and internship in the school of Moses. He had both theoretical and practical experience. Also, Moses had deposited a measure of the Spirit in him by laying hands on him. Yet, when it was time to lead the people into the land of their promise, God felt he needed this charge. Why?

Moses had put his hands on Joshua and appointed him to be the new leader. Then Joshua, son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom. So, the Israelites began to obey Joshua, and they did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Deuteronomy 34:9

Joshua had the commission to lead the people, the people had the promise that they would inherit the land. God’s promises are sure and steadfast, but it did not mean that there would be no obstacles and hurdles along the way. For God to repeat that phrase multiple times suggests that in spite of the anointing, Joshua’s work experience and the foundation of God’s infallible promise, some of those obstacles had the power to initiate the thoughts of quitting in his mind. If he gave enough thought to the obstacles instead of fixing his mind on the promise, nothing would have stopped him from giving up on the way. That would have made the people to miss the bounty that God promised them.

Joshua went, saw and conquered. The promise of God did not remove the giants that they had seen during their reconnaissance visit. They still had to fight and overcome them. He held on to God’s promise and the charge to be strong and courageous. He led the people to their inheritance. He has left the stage and we are on the scene now. As sure as the rising of the sun each day, we will face our own giants. Reasons to doubt the efficacy of God’s promise will abound. We will get to the brink. When those storms arise, we have the same charge and promise. Indeed, we have more than enough promises to keep us going in the Bible. If He did it for Joshua, He is able to do it for us as long as we remain strong and courageous, fixing our eyes on Him and His word.

Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (CEV)

Image credit: Blue Pea Pod

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March 7, 2021 · 5:09 pm

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I

The name John Bradford did not ring a bell to me the first time I heard it. I guess many people will be in the same shoes with me. I never heard of him until recently when I read of a striking statement that he made during his lifetime. He lived from 1510 to 1555. He lived as a preacher and died as a martyr.

Public execution of prisoners on the death row was a common practice in his days. History has it that on one of the occasions when prisoners were being led to the place of execution, he said, “There but for the grace of God goes John Bradford”. It indeed could have been him.

This is a realization that without the grace of God, our base instincts will rule us, and we would be capable of any vice out there. ALL OF US, no matter how long we have been Christians or the positions we occupy in church can do anything except we make what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 a daily practice:

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

While also bearing 1 Corinthians 10:12 in mind

Therefore, let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation]

Time and again, we hear of people we hold in high esteem being caught or accused of very grave iniquity. They are usually tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion, fuelled these days by the ubiquitous social media. While their acts may be very weighty and extremely condemnable, we need to remember that as Christians, we stand by grace. Our reaction should certainly be different from how just anybody would react. Apostle Paul gave some insight into how we should react.

If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Galatians 6:1 

As a matter of fact, Jesus our perfect example demonstrated this in the way he handled the case of the woman that was caught in adultery and brought to him by the teachers of the Law and Pharisees in John 8. He refused to take sides with the crowd. So should we. 

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January 24, 2021 · 6:28 pm

OFFENCE – THE MOSES WAY

48 That same day the Lord said to Moses,49 “Go to Moab, to the mountains east of the river, and climb Mount Nebo, which is across from Jericho. Look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel as their own special possession.50 Then you will die there on the mountain. You will join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and joined his ancestors. 51 For both of you betrayed me with the Israelites at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. You failed to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel there. 52 So you will see the land from a distance, but you may not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32: 48-52

This was the moment that Moses got his death sentence. I can only imagine the emotions that flooded his mind when the message sank in. After everything he had done, he was not going to step into Canaan. This was the land he longed for, worked for and looked forward to. 

The reason was simple! The people of Israel drove him to act in a way that displeased God. Up to this point, he had led them selflessly, interceded for them when God got angry with them and wanted to wipe out all of them. He had gone from an Egyptian royalty to a Midian exile because of them and this was what he got in return.

The people he did everything for cost him one thing he really looked forward to, but he never held it against them as we can see from the spectacular opening of Deuteronomy 33.

This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:

He did not just stop at not holding it against them, he went further to actually bless them before he died. This is definitely counterculture, this is not likely to be our first reaction but Moses was not alone in this. Stephen did something similar when he was being stoned to death.

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Acts 7: 59 – 60.

Now, it’s our turn and we are on the stage, acting life’s drama. Offence and hurt will come and people will make us feel like giving it back to them. People will get under our skin and hurt us where it hurts most. People will lie against us, manipulate and slander us. Sometimes, they will cause irreparable damage to our reputation and self esteem. The classes of offence that will come our way are limitless. These great men that have gone before us have given us a difficult template to follow but Jesus’s death and resurrection have made following the template easier. No matter the degree of offence, the counsel remains the same.

Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21

The words of Romans 12: 14 – 21 are indeed very instructive on this subject. Please take some time to read them. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

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January 1, 2021 · 9:19 pm

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

Some of the best memories that I have and the best friends that I have kept so far were made between 1990 and 1995 in a remote village in Niger State, Nigeria. Those were my secondary school years. Those days bring loads of smiles to my face and I still catch myself singing the anthem of my school often and of course I’m still in touch with most of my classmates and some teachers.

No matter how much I enjoyed those days, I had to move on in June 1995. I had to take my eyes off the rear-view mirror, move on to University and also move on from there when my days for that phase were completed.

Sometimes, what we see in the rear-view mirror may not be as pleasant as my secondary school experience. The road to where we are coming from may be awash with pain and losses, but we have to keep moving, as long as we are still living.

No matter how bitter or how sweet our past experiences may be, we cannot afford to chain ourselves to those experiences. Paul captured it perfectly in Philippians 3:12 – 14

I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfil and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however, I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

My fingers have been burnt multiple times in different aspects of life. I will not wrap my fingers in bandage and refuse to do anything because of fear of being burnt again. Instead, I will heal and learn from the experience and ensure I don’t get burnt in the same way again.

During some of the low ‘valley moments’ that we experience, we may not be able to see beyond the boundaries of where we are. In such times, I believe the best counsel is for us to put our hands in God’s hands and let him lead us, one step at a time. Most times, we may not be aware of the end game, just like Joseph was not aware that he was going to eventually rub shoulders with royalty when he was sold by his brothers. He lived his life glorifying God, one day at a time, bearing no grudges as he moved along. Reaching new heights as a servant and a prisoner before he eventually got to the palace. He never let the bad moments drive him to despair, laziness or mediocrity. He always showed up.

We also have a few examples of people that were too attached to their rear-view mirrors and they didn’t go too far that way. Lot’s wife is one example. Another example is the group of Israelites that left Egypt for the Promised Land. Over 600,000 men with their families left Egypt. Sadly, only 2 of those men made it to the Promised Land. Many times, they got offended at God because they compared their experiences on the trail to the ‘luxury’ they had in Egypt 

We are at the beginning of a new year – 2021. No matter the cards we were dealt by 2020, we have to move on. We will not make any progress if our vision of the future is constrained by the lens of 2020 stuck to our eyes. The year may have been great. The year may have been ‘ungreat’. It is time to take our eyes off the rear-view mirror and steady ourselves on the forward journey. We have to show up every day, pray, have faith and put our best feet forward in whatever our hands find to do. The same way the Lord was with Joseph as well as the 3 Hebrew boys, He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Go through each day with this assurance in mind. God will go with you.

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December 26, 2020 · 5:09 pm

OVERWHELMED

2020 has been a special year by almost every standard. Different people have used different adjectives to describe the year that is coming to an end. Many of the adjectives have not been anything close to positive. OVERWHELMING is one of those adjectives. Many people are genuinely overwhelmed by everything that has happened and the things that are still happening this year. The list of adjectives could go on and on. 

One man that knew how it truly felt to be overwhelmed was King David. He experienced this from his days as King Saul’s therapist to his days as the King of Israel. King Saul attempted to eliminate him multiple times. He ended up being on the run till the King died in battle. In one of those episodes, his men even turned against him when they got back to their base and realized they had lost everything they had. When he eventually became the King, his son Absalom planned a coup and deposed him from the throne after some years. He went on the run again until Absalom’s death.

During one of the episodes when he was overwhelmed by everything that was happening around him, he cried out to God:

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety” Psalms 61: 1-2

We can find comfort and reassurance in the fact that God always strengthened and encouraged him at all those times. There are many more examples in the Bible about people that cried out to the Lord when they were neck-deep in trouble and God always answered them in His own way. In our contemporary times, God has not stopped answering prayers. He is our Father and He truly cares. He has always cared and He will never stop caring.

At the beginning of this year – 2020, nobody could have imagined that we would be where we are today. The year may have thrown many things at us, and indeed some of those things might have felt too heavy for us to carry sometimes. The losses may have come in different scales, just like the gains too. We may have many unanswered questions. But like David and all the other examples in the Bible, we can always go to God when we are under the weight of whatever is thrown at us. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. This is not a promise that all the troubles of 2020 are going to be rolled away by midnight on December 31. It is an assurance from God’s word in Isaiah 43:2 that 

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

The experience of going through the fire or being pushed along by river currents is definitely not a pleasant one. I will borrow the words of John Piper and say “…that the same sovereignty that could stop the coronavirus, yet doesn’t, is the very sovereignty that sustains the soul in it”. Whatever it is that has come your way this year, God is able to sustain you through it. God is able to make you overcome it. God is able to make you better at the end of it all. God will still be God at the other side of those challenges.

As the year draws to a close, my prayer is that we will firmly plant our hope in God because He is the source of our peace. Because…He will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him! Isaiah 26:3

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July 4, 2020 · 11:16 am

THE DEATH OF KING UZZIAH

Growing up, I recall many people in the generation of my grandparents telling stories and using the year of the influenza epidemic as a reference point to indicate the period of certain events. Many of them were not literate enough at that time to keep dates, the best way they could give an indication of when certain events occurred was to use the year of the influenza epidemic as a benchmark. So, it was usual to hear: “2 years before the influenza…” or “4 years after the influenza…”. In more recent history in Nigeria, we still have some people from the older generations who built another benchmark around the Nigerian Civil War.

As a matter of fact, in different cultures, many of such benchmarks exist. Most of the common benchmarks found in the Bible are built around different kings of Israel and Judah. Many stories in the Bible, especially in the books of 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles start with such benchmarks to help Bible historians set dates of different events. One of such key benchmarks was captured in Isaiah 6:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple (NIV)

In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. (NASB)

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. (NLT)

With this benchmark, it was possible for historians to trace the year of this event to 740 B.C.

This verse has often been misinterpreted to imply that King Uzziah had to die for Isaiah to see the Lord and by extension, it means that some people have to die for us to experience the level of blessing that God intends for us. If they don’t die, we remain limited and in bondage. Since we cannot attack these evil people and kill them by ourselves, we resort to praying and asking God to kill everyone that is acting as a ‘King Uzziah’ in our lives.

Uzziah

If indeed anybody has the powers to frustrate and manipulate the life of a Christian against the will and purpose of the ALMIGHTY God, then something is wrong somewhere. Jesus died, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, gave us the power to become children of God – the same ALMIGHTY God that created the world and everything in it. It is this same ALMIGHTY God that parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass on dry ground and gave them awesome victories along the way to the Promised Land. There is no power that is big enough to derail the purpose of this ALMIGHTY God. It is not just possible, it cannot happen.

We have several reassuring verses in the Bible that allude to this:

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe – Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!” Psalms 91: 1-2 (AMP)

“People will make weapons to fight against you, but their weapons will not defeat you. Some people will say things against you, but anyone who speaks against you will be proved wrong.” The Lord says, “That is what my servants get! They get the good things that come from me, their Lord – Isaiah 54:17 (ERV)

Let us be bold, then, and say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” – Hebrews 13:6 (GNB)

The servant of the man of God got up early and went out, and behold, there was an army with horses and chariots encircling the city. Elisha’s servant said to him, “Oh no, my master! What are we to do?”  Elisha answered, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, please, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha – 2 Kings 6: 15-17(AMP)

The word of God is ever true, forever constant and it doesn’t change with circumstances. It is not selective and it is not bound by geography. God does not need permission from anyone to do what He wants to do in our lives and no one is big enough to derail His purpose. He will keep preparing tables before us in spite of the people that may not like us. The only thing we have to do is to make sure we do not break the hedge and find ourselves outside the ‘Shadow of the Almighty’. Armed with this knowledge, you can lie down and sleep, and none will make you afraid. Stay connected to the vine.

I wrote a piece a while ago about the source of our unwavering boldness and confidence as Christians… INFORM YOUR FEARS

 

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May 4, 2020 · 7:20 am

I DON’T KNOW

Have you experienced that awkward moment when a question was thrown at you and you threw back an answer that you were convinced made zero meaning? In order not to appear ignorant, you just crafted a combination of words while exuding sterling confidence built on a foundation of thin air, knowing quite well that you were not making any sense. In most cases, the people asking the questions are nice enough and play along pretending to understand you so that you will not be embarrassed.

One of my friends was not that lucky in an encounter that he had with a senior executive at work. As part of the processes to get a required approval, he had to explain some details to the senior executive. When asked a question, he had no clue what the right answer was, but decided to ride his luck and just say something. He did not expect what he heard next. The boss told him: “If you don’t know, just say you don’t know”. You can only imagine the rush of blood to his face when those words hit his ears.

I dont know

At the root of this behaviour in most cases is the feeling of: “I should know this but I’m ashamed that I don’t know and I don’t want to be seen as someone who doesn’t know”. In Zechariah Chapter 4, Zerubbabel could have pretended that he understood what he was seeing. He was a reputable prophet and he should have known what the vision meant based on his long years of prophetic experience. The angel’s questions in verses 5 and 13 tend to suggest that he expected Zerubbabel to know and understand what he was seeing. Zerubbabel, however, did not know and he was not ashamed to say that he did not know. This admission gave him the opportunity to receive an accurate interpretation of the vision from the angel in those two instances. He chose the higher path of stooping low to learn and it paid off like it always does.

When we don’t have the answer and we pretend to know, we leave the person asking the question with an impression of us that might be difficult to change in the future. The shame we were trying to avoid may now come to us in multiples. No matter how long you’ve been in church, it’s okay not to know answers to some questions. You may even be a pastor. It is still okay. And then as a teacher, it is okay to tell your students that you don’t know but make a commitment to get back to them with the answer.

The chance to say “I don’t know” may not always be an opportunity to learn anything, it may just be an opportunity to simply say “I don’t know” and move on without shame. Humility. We are not omniscient and it’s okay not to know somethings. But this does not mean that we should bask in blissful ignorance and not seek to acquire the requisite knowledge and indeed more. It is also instructive not to plan to answer “I don’t know” to the same question more than once. The first one is enough cue for us to go and research the topic.

Keep learning!

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