Mom & Dad

So, today... on my heart is Honor for Mom and Dad.

Our parents sacrifice a lot to give us a comfortable life, they do all they can to raise us well and teach us how to live. They are, in my opinion, such huge blessings. They way we treat them shows whether we appreciate them and what they've done for us... and this is also true in terms of God our Heavenly Father.

We need to ask forgiveness when we go wrong and hurt (disrespect) them, and also learn to say thank you as often as we can. They are who God has given us and we must obey His word that says we should honor them. It also shows appreciation to Him for Him having given them to us. Ephesians 6:1 — 3, KJV - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

My mom often says; "Don't wait till I'm gone before you try to be nice or say nice things to me... it would be too late! Say and do whatever you want to do for us (my mom and dad) now.” Funny thing is, this even applies to our siblings and friends. No one knows tomorrow but God and thus it's prudent to be nice now rather than wait for an uncertain future. We all have our ways of showing love and honor to our parents but i always say fundamental things like (and i know many will say it's not our culture but i PERSONALLY disagree!) telling mom and dad (same for single parents or foster parents) that you love them and hugging them warmly is NOT rocket science and it is NOT limited to person or culture... it is limited to the MIND! The first time i walked home arms open wide and gave mom a hug after work, she had a look on her face and asked; "What do you want??". I laughed but guess what?? She did too and she liked it! She smiled for long before i went to bed. The last time i told my mom "i love you" she replied "i love you more than toffee!".

Our parents ARE NOT are not customs... they are people. Customs were made by humans and CAN be changed for the better. If not too much for you, this morning call or your parents and just thank them and tell them you love them or appreciate them or anything you want. They will appreciate it and smile.... trust me and they will have a good day! You will make them smile and THIS IS MORE PRICELESS to any parent no matter who they are! Even if your parents haven't been good to you... God will note your actions and either bless or curse you for it. I dunno if there's a verse in the bible that says this but i think we can infer from the Ephesians scripture that it will NOT be well with you if you do not honor your parents.

I think enough has been said so I'll end here. Just bear in mind that what we do to our parents... how we treat them... is the same way it will be meted out to us when we are parents. You have to give honor to get it. What you sow... the same shall you reap!

 ~ yoyo

~ inspiredw0rdz

~ August 28, 2015 ; 8:09 am

Gratitude / In-Gratitude

So, this morning... i had a funny convo with mummy. I watched her walk into the kitchen from the compound and then i started smiling. 

Mom goes like; "Why are you smiling?"

I respond; "...'cause i have a mother."

She says; "Mmmm... it's good you know."

I laughed.

She says again; "I don't have a mother."

I respond; "You have 4 kids and a husband!"

She says; "That's true. Okay, you're right."

After a little over, say, 2 minutes passes she says; "Actually... i have more than 4 children..."

I respond; "You know what i mean."

She says; "Yeah..."

Meanwhile, I'm thinking; "GOODNESS ME!!!!!!!!!!! I'm literally sharing my mom with everyone!!!"

So, what's the point of sharing this with y'all?? Simple. Be grateful for what God has blessed you with. Many of us just say "hi!" to mom and dad and leave for school or work. Some don't even bother and just rush out. I used to do same, but then i realised how bad that is. We can't even bother to know how they're doing and if they need something or just need a smile from us, yet... when we have need of something we go in a straight line to them and ask for it. Guess what? They don't turn us away; they provide the need. Funny enough, many Christians treat God the same exact way. They wake up in the morning and all they do is; "God... give me this... give me that... give me those... give me these... give me!!!!!!" They even have the nerve to get upset when there's a delay! This Is Sad!!!

It is a rather unfortunate occurrence because it is both out of complete and feigned ignorance aimed at achieving one's selfish ambitions. Guess what? God's Word says; "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)" and this can be found in Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 1 and 2 in the King James Version. It also says; "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." also found in Colossians 3:20, KJV. I found this scripture as well in my search for parental respect; "But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God." - 1 Timothy 5:4, KJV. If these are not enough to get you to love God and your very own parents right, then maybe, this will; "...That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." found in Ephesians 6:3, KJV. This scripture is a two-fold indicator (warning); either honor your parent(s) and be blessed or do the vice versa and be cursed!

For quite a while now, I've realised just how much i love my mom. To put it bluntly (as many i know will understand this terminology); I love her ruff ruff!!! I got home one night and when i saw her i was so happy i had a huge smile and ended up walking to her and hugging her in her seat. She obviously was confused and thought i was buttering her up to get something out of her. It was quite a funny sight 'cause my big sister who was standing by had the same confused look and suspected me as well. They had that reaction because it was not normal for me to do that. I only recently started kissing mom on her head or cheek and hugging her nice and tight, thus, she probably wonders "What is wrong with him?", but as long as mom smiles and laughs... those thoughts and wonderings are fine by me.

From the moment you were conceived, probably even before that (if most parents are like me in thought), mom and dad started planning a beautiful future for you; the places they'd take you, the clothes you'd wear, the school you'd attend, the parties to celebrate you... and all that. When you cried, they picked you up; when you fell and hurt yourself, they nursed you and made a joke of themselves just to make you laugh again; when you were hungry, they fed you; as you grew they clothed you; they made sure that regardless of the difficulties they faced in life, they got you an education and a bed to sleep in when you got home tired from playing and studying with friends; they cleaned you up nice and tidy when you got all dirty; they protected you when you were scared at night; they comforted you when you cried; they rejoiced with you when you were successful (graduations... anniversaries...); they attended your wedding and were the proudest parents on that day; they attended your baby's naming ceremony and were proud grandparents (though they'd give you a good beating for referring to them as grand or old)... the list goes on. Here's the best part... God does all these and more!!! He actually enables your parents to do these so in effect He is actually the one doing it. He does both the physical and the spiritual. Spiritually, He protects us always from the evil one lurking, plotting and attacking us, while providing all that we need! How do i know? Well, it’s right there in His Word; "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ..." (Ephesians 1:3, KJV). Yet, as my mom would say; "We treat God like a garden boy!" We call on Him only when we need Him to do our "bidding" and not to show Him any gratitude. We can be a very ungrateful bunch!

 

We need to learn to honor both God and our parents. We need to learn to love them and show them that love in deed and not just by mouth. We need to make them feel nice, warm and fuzzy on their insides, and then the blessings will flow like a dam that has its walls broken down.

Show some love to mom and dad today... give them hugs, kisses and gifts. Don't wait till it is too late to say all the nice things you want to, to them. You'd just end up saying those things to their left behind memories... there'd be no point! It'd just be a complete waste!!!

 ~ yoyo

~ inspiredw0rdz

~ August 12, 2015 ; 8:45 am

WATCHMEN

Sometimes, i just really want to cry. It is sad to see so much evil going on unchecked. The watchmen are fast asleep and thus evil prances around as a victorious king! This is intensely sad. Our cities have been broken into and yet we lie asleep in ignorant comfort.

Over the last few weeks, all i have heard is bad news after bad news, and just when i think it has died down... i hear another. On the 10th of August this year, i almost cried when a friend told me what she had been going through. She had tried to shield me from it so as not to scare me, but she could keep it from me no more because i kept pushing to find out. Recounting all the bad I'd heard over the weeks, this particular one just seemed to overcome me causing my eyes to water. Weirdly enough, she was the same who comforted me. I believe that we, the watchmen, have slept long enough and must now arise to make up for lost time. The guard that keep the wall do not slumber neither do they sleep, for if they do, it could lead to the castle being overrun by enemies and overtaken! The same is true of Christians and the Christiandom. If we sleep, the evil one will come to steal, to kill and to destroy! {John 10:10} Matthew Chapter 26 Verse 41 says; "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

We all, as human as we are, get tired and fall asleep to rest, but when the sound of the trumpet goes forth announcing a war to be fought and won, there is no sleep! The trumpet has been sounded and we are under attack! With his full force, the devil is attacking us, Christians, from each and every single possible angle available to him. The angles become available to him for attack when we fall asleep, because at that very moment where we decide to rest for just a teeny tiny little bit, we let down our guard and thus become prone to be overcome. Jesus gave us a rather very short one-line piece of advice which holds true now more than ever - "Watch and Pray!" I learnt something at church only two weeks back, and it is that, if anything goes wrong in my life or with my family or my career or my nation, it is no fault of anyone but myself because i fell asleep when i should have been watching and praying. The watchman who sleeps leaves his house in great danger! A chain-link is only as strong as its weakest link, and this is true of the Christiandom. The watchman who falls asleep threatens the very existence of those he is supposed to be watching over.

Oh, and lest i forget, in-family fighting is a very sad and disgraceful occurrence! If we, the light of the world, are hating and fighting amongst ourselves rather than our common enemy, how then are we to overcome that enemy and even go a step further to win others over from his camp?!! Gossiping, fighting, back-bitting, unforgiveness, pride, disrespect and disregard for each other is a plague that is ripping the church apart! via the groups in the church. I have personally always wondered how in the world the very ones who are supposed to lead people of all walks of life to God are going to make that happen when they themselves are the very ones at each other's throats! Pride is destroying us! "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:12, KJV. Many feel they "know" and thus disregard their speech (choice of words and actions) towards others. Very Wrong! Constant humility in all regard is what you, as a Christian, should strive for. You may sing best, play all or one of the instruments with great skill, preach or teach to large crowds, pray the "most powerful" prayers, or even serve people best, but when you let pride set in and take over your intents for doing what you're doing, at that very point, you have failed! I wonder... what is the point of knowing (or doing) it all only to end up in hell jus' 'cause you're full of it?!!! If this is your current disposition with your talents (or life as a whole), you are an overflowing well of pride! REPENT!!! *Enough said.*

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, we can proceed. A friend said his wife often says to him; "If the one pursuing you has not stopped his pursuit.. you definitely cannot stop running!" This means that regardless of how tired you may be from running this race you cannot stop running! Your focus should remain on Jesus, The Author and Finisher of Your Faith, as you run your best according to the grace He has made available for you. The best part about this rather very challenging race is, though He stands at the finish line waiting to congratulate us, He is also running the race with us hand-in-hand.

Many are being struck down by the enemy, not because they are sinful or less righteous, but simply because they are children of God. Anyone for God is against the devil and he will strike down as many as he can with what little time he has available to him. John Chapter 10 verse 10 says; "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." There is also this warning; "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..." (1 Peter 5:8, KJV). A watchman is the means of preventing casualties to those being watched over. He must be constantly alert and ready to fight to defend those on the inside from the enemy without. Ezekiel Chapter 33 Verse 7 cautions this; "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me."

We are watchmen, everyone of us, thus... let us be vigilant in keeping watch.

 ~ yoyo

~ inspiredw0rdz

~ August 11, 2015 ; 12 : 34 pm