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THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol 2. No. 7, Monday, 13th February, 2017

(Rom.8:19, Jn.9:4, Is.6:1-8, Mat.11:1-12 compare Mat.11:2-3 with Jn.1:29)

KEEP THE FIRE OF YOUR VISION BRIGHTLY AGLOW AND BACKED UP BY RESOLUTE AND CONVINCING CONVICTION; IT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME NO MATTER WHAT

The Spirit of the Lord begins today’s edition  of this heaven-ordained magazine on a rather strong-worded note. Take note of these conclusions that:

(1) if any thing defines the true identity of a man, it is his vision. For one, a man’s vision is his mission in life and the purpose for his living.

(2) Three factors will however determine that man’s tomorrow:

(a) his possession of no vision at all,

(b) his failure to realize that he has one or;

(c) his zealous pursuit after his discovered vision.

(3) The moment the fountain of a man’s vision begins to recede and his springs of ideas starts to dry up. Such a man already has his mansion delicately affixed to the region of the dead. From that moment, he has become a foreigner to the places of the living. He is a living corpse awaiting his final burial.

(4) Anyone without a defined goal in life properly so-called vision has no destiny.

(5) He who fails to discover the reason for being alive is the most unthoughtful, the most foresightless and the greatest insult to His Maker.

(6) Any man whose decisions and steps are often determined by the opinions of others without a single mind of his own has no insight, no vision and no place awaiting him at the top.

Are you angry at these foregoing conclusions? Do you feel depressed, not challenged? Ah! if your answer is positive, then you are as good as one without vision or perhaps this edition is not meant for you because you are not interested in frankness.

But if you are really interested, then can you sincerely answer this question: what is your vision in life? Is your answer (if positive) truly genuine? Or sincerely speaking, is there no answer at all?

 Be sincere with yourself. These are destiny-determining questions. If there is no answer or you are not clear on what your vision truly is, then pray these prayers most fervently now.

Say:

(1) O God, with the power with which you are known to be God, break open every grave, grotto and hiding places of and by the wicked, and release to me an ocean flow of uncommon ideas and vision. (2) O God, unlock me from within and cause my glory and vision to materialize now.

(3) Awaken my sleeping destiny angel and vision.

(4) (Read Ps. 59 and say): O God my father, who is the man or woman enriching himself/herself with and through the use of my divine talents, let the thunder of God shatter them now in the name of Jesus.

(5) Every power, friend(s), church member, pastor, prophet, family member, summoning me out of the theatre room of divine deliverance and out of the factory of my vision, be frustrated by the power of the Almighty (stay out of anything food or water until mid-day).

My stay in the city of Aberdeen forever remains most memorable. Foremost of such memories lies in the fact that it was at the University of Aberdeen that I truly evolved from a mere student to a true scholar.

But does life often journey as one desires and plans it? Maybe for others. But it was not always the case with me in Aberdeen. Whilst my memory of Aberdeen remains a glittering one, and whilst I remain eternally grateful to all in Aberdeen for making it so, there were always dark times.

So, in reassuring myself that God will do everything in His power to make my vision see the light of reality in my very dark and painful moments in 2010-2011, I penned down this sonnet. A sonnet is any poem made up of 14 lines.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

How so dark and deep the night

Beyond the day’s most ebbing dusk.

Darkened skies, brassy heavens, thickening clouds

Lowering so low;

Ever in war

To keep the day’s dream impossible.

And yet so slow the night

Its feet may drag,

But soon breaks forth the dawn

From the night’s impossible grip.

And from its imprisoning bars

Rolls out the day with its alluring beauty.

Then the dark gloom of night fever

Away will fade for the day’s brightening lights.

The above sonnet indicates clearly the struggle of night against day to stop the day’s glorious vision of brightness from seeing the dawn of reality. It is the same struggle against you and I by forces seen and unseen.

But frankly speaking, no amount of struggle or battle of life can deter the vision of a man who knows purpose for existing. Somebody once opined, ‘no tyranny of circumstances can permanently imprison a determined will’. A great deal of good is done by a visionary man to himself when he realizes that:

(1) his vision is his life’s mission. It is the singular compass giving direction to his immediate and eternal destiny.

(2) Four core things a man must not fail to know and to do about his vision:

(a) realize that you are living for a purpose otherwise known as vision. That vision cannot be fulfilled by some one else but you. If one vision fails, many others will dastardly fail.

(b) Search out with all zeal what that purpose or vision of yours is.

(c) It is most necessary to: keep one’ vision in view, backed up with action and sustained by and with unshaken and resolute conviction. Hear what Joel A. Barker recommended as companions to any man’s vision.

Mr Barker noted: ‘Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world’.

(d) Every vision will require two key companions in the journey of fulfillment.

The first is experience, which can only be learnt in stages, not by accelerated means. The second is physical and spiritual attacks or contentions. Unfortunately, no one can succeed in life without the assistance of these two key companions.

Have you ever ended the first day of any three-day fasting with garri (the poorest and most malnourishing, edible African grain) and water? Did you also end the second day of any three-day fasting with salt and rice without even pepper (chillies) or oil? Did you give up or curse God for that reason?

Have you ever been openly rejected by your father and mother at any time? Did you insult them in return? Were you hopelessly dejected? Has your church and its leadership ever disgraced or disciplined you openly and innocently without any just cause? What was your reaction?

Did you decide to run away from the church because of their ill-treatment?Are you and have you been on the frontline of satan’s continuing attacks lately and in life? Did you doubt the power and reality of God thereby?

If your resulting answers to the corresponding traumatic questions are all in the affirmative, then I am deeply afraid for you. Why? It means you either do not have a vision or you are yet to realize that you have one.

The good news however is that there is a vision for everyone. Your vision is your God-given gold meant for you for the benefit of God and humanity. Sadly, If that gold is truly from God, it will be contested over and against by all sorts of forces.

Those forces are existing in order to keep you strong and constantly in motion. Since you have been created by God to be a winner; a winner you remain and will forever be. So, keep the fight on with your vision in view and at work.

In closing, please realize these facts:

(1) no man accomplishes any feat of success whilst in his comfort zone. Effort will always be required, be it inspirationally or perspirationally. So, keep striving.

(2) a man is not a man because he finds it convenient to so say. NO. His ability to laugh through life’s storms successfully rather makes him a man indeed and in deed.

Do not allow life’s circumstances to short-change, cause you to forgo or blurr your vision. Remember the markedly astute saying of DL Moody who painfully noted: ‘the best way to kill a man’s vision is by giving him another vision’.

I shall see you next week; God willing. Meanwhile, stay blessed. Remember and keep this in the depth of your hearts:

THE LOSS OF VISION IS THE TOTAL END OF ANY GREAT MISSION IN LIFE.

Hymn: Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour

Pray now:

1. O God, forgive me for missing my way and my vision.

2. In the name of Jesus, I will not lose the major thing in life.

3. O God, make year 2017 a most memorable year in my life so far.

4. O God, before the first quarter of this year expires, I ask again, give me three tangible testimonies.

5. I prophesy against the spirit of death in any family, ministry and people associated with Express Image Glory Ministries, be cut off in the name of Jesus.

6. (Read Ezek.47:1-2 and say): O my dead or caged vision, be revived and released in the name of Jesus.

 

Pastor Mike