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By:
Grace Ngugi | |||||||||
| Posted:
Jan,15-2018 13:49:49
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The long 2017 election season in Kenya is finally coming to an end. However, it will go down in history as one of the most interesting ever, not just for all the twists and turns, but also for the mental and spiritual exhaustion that it brought us. Over and over, we were reminded that our only hope was in God, as our prayers became more and more desperate. You all know what I'm talking about? What a roller-coaster!
As life resumes its normal routines, the end-of-year celebrations will soon transition us into 2018. Naturally, many of us, especially here in the Diaspora will write down our New Year's resolutions, set some SMART goals, recommit to our dreams, dust off shelved projects, and launch energetically into the New Year with high expectations. However, as the days and weeks pass, 'life' will happen, and unexpected situations, distractions, and procrastination will slowly push some of our goals off our priority lists. Gradually, our positive self-talk can give way to frustration. Frustration can lead us down a slippery slope, because it can trigger stress, which is linked to many serious health conditions such as insomnia, depression, hypertension, and heart disease. The point here is that if the shoe fits, we must wear it! We must accept that without a sustainable strategy on how to regain our focus, we lose direction and momentum in life. We may find ourselves circling around a particular challenge without results, much like the Israelites after they left Egypt. Eventually, as the years come and go, we may fail to fulfill some or all of our God-given assignments. Good News--God wants to lead us Surprising as it may sound, God makes it His responsibility to lead us. What? Yes! We are that important to God. Time after time, we see examples of this in the Old Testament. As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, sometimes God would give them specific directions to re-orient their long and painful journey. On one occasion, God spoke to them saying, "You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn Nortt..."(Deuteronomy 2:3). Elsewhere, God clearly tells us: "I will instruct you and teach you concerning the path you should walk; I will direct you with my eye"(Ps 32:8 ISV).God wants us to know who we are, why we are here, where we are going, and how to get there. God did not create us to wander around on our own, lost and overwhelmed. Neither does He want us to follow others blindly with the fanatical sensibilities of a sheep. Sheep can actually follow other sheep to the point of absurdity, as one story from Turkey illustrates. In 2005, a herd of sheep were grazing unattended while the shepherds stepped away to have breakfast. For no good reason, one sheep then decided to jump off a nearby cliff to its death. The shepherds were stunned and horrified, as more sheep dutifully followed the first one. Soon, 1,500 sheep had jumped off the cliff, resulting in 450 dead animals. Fortunately, a few sheep were saved, but only because they were cushioned by those that had jumped earlier, as the pile got higher(https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2005-07-08-sheep-suicide_x.htm). God's Guidance + Faith+ Patient Endurance = Victory As a New Year approaches, we have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to look forward to. We can expect that as we let God lead us and empower us by His Word and His Spirit, we shall see His supernatural power working on our behalf, like David did when he confronted and killed Goliath(Gal 5:22; Rom 10:17; 1 Sam 17:31-54). We must learn to be thankful children of God and faith-filled followers of Jesus by exercising patience and activating our faith all the time, if we want to inherit God's promises (Heb 6:12). However, we can expect that our successes, no matter how small, will trigger fierce opposition from the enemies of our progress. God's enemies will become our enemies, who are not flesh-and-blood enemies, but are literally, ‘evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world', 'mighty powers' and 'evil spirits' (Eph 6:12 NLT). Yet these forces are no match for our God, who is always fighting for us and with us (Exodus 14:13-14; Eph 6:10-20NLT). Altogether, three simple principles emerge :(a) God loves and wants to care for and guide his children. We need to fully embrace our identity in Him. (b) We need to deploy our faith boldly and consistently (c) We need to be patient and calm in every situation, and refuse to buckle under pressure. God is faithful, and His wisdom will not fail us. He is always ready to empower us, so that we can rise victoriously above all our problems, and in return, we shall give all the glory back to Him. Yours Faithfully, Grace Ngugi Charlotte, North Carolina | |||||||||
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Source:
AJABU AFRICA NEWS
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