S.M.E.

Most human beings desire change. Most of us want to have better lives, more money, better relationships; generally a better life. We all desire change and want our lives to be better. It’s simply human nature. However, the way life is structured, we don’t always get the things we wish. Life is not fair and does not give us what we deserve. Life simply gives us what we demand from it. So what does it take to change our lives?

I sincerely believe positive change has to be initiated. Positive change does not just happen. Furthermore change doesn’t take place from the outside. It’s from the inside out. If I can change myself on the inside, then my life will change on the outside. Jesus made this principle known when He spoke in Matthew 12:33

“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.”

This is a clear indication of what happens when you really want lasting change. If you want the fruit to change, you need to change the nature of the tree.

Our lives are an external edition of what is going on inside us. Our lives are like a printed version of what goes on in our lives. For example, if you put a usb flash drive or CD into a computer, it only gives you the physical version of what is already on the external device (the flash or CD). The paper version is just a physical version of what you could not touch (the soft copy). If you want to change the output, you only need to change the input. As humans, our soft copy is simply what goes on in our minds, our thoughts.

Our thoughts are the soft copy of what we see in our lives. Our lives will only produce what goes on in our thoughts. It’s simply garbage in garbage out (GIGO). By simply changing what my belief patterns and thought processes are, I can change my life. By just changing what I focus my thoughts on daily, I can change the outcome of my life.

I would like to propose a simple plan to change your life. It’s what I label S.M.E. (Saturate. Motivate. Elevate).

SATURATE: Identify which areas of your life you want to change e.g. you want to be a better marketer. Get books and materials that focus on what you want done. Just keep reading, listening to CDs, watching videos, and so on. Saturate your mind with every kind of information you can get about that thing you want to learn.

MOTIVATE: Once your mind has been filled with this information, take time out to think and pray on the things you have learnt intentionally focussing on practical steps to achieve what you want to do. Get a note book and write out all the things that cross your mind. Then prayerfully ask God to connect all the information for you. The Holy Spirit is the One who guides us into all the truth so He can help you connect, from the mass of information you have been exposed to, what is essential for you to accomplish what you want to do. At this point, you are motivated to action.

ELEVATE: It is as you work on the above that you begin to get opportunities for elevation.

It takes much more than wishing to get anything done in your life. It takes some work on your own part. Do something about the change you desire TODAY!

On living in a frustrating Nigeria.

After listening to a friend of mine preached in church a few Wednesdays ago, I was inspired to write this post. A serious concern has risen over the past two years or so, in the hearts of many nationals of Third world countries as regards nation building. Nigeria is not left out. In Nigeria for example, the educated are waking up to the reality that the destiny of the nation lies in the hand of the polity.

Without a doubt our nation has been rocked with so much in recent times with the absence of our “slow-motion” president for more than 60 days crowning it all up. It is interesting to note that God has provided a solution to this situation so many years before the problem even surfaced (isn’t He such a great God?!).

Jesus, the most influential person who ever lived and the model of true leadership, encountered similar circumstances in the geographical location of the nation Israel where He found Himself, while embarking on a world-changing campaign (Matthew 9:35-38). He looked over the people, men He had created and whose spiritual condition was so important to Him and He observed that they were frustrated, wearied and scattered as ones without any caring shepherd (observe any similarities with Nigerians?). He was moved to the heart at their condition. One cannot but feel the tension in the air on Nigerian streets, homes and offices. Have you ever wondered how some other Nigerians cope with the problems of fuel scarcity, power outages and so on that plague our country? Particularly those who are not privileged to enjoy the benefits most of us reading this post have?

However that is not my focus in this post and I sense that is not the focus of the above mentioned passage either. What use is there in identifying a problem but not providing a solution to it? This, I believe, is the focus of Jesus in this passage. Immediately Jesus saw the helpless, hopeless, hapless condition of the people, He turned to His disciples. This shows very plainly that the responsibility of dealing with the imbalances of society is that of His disciples, the body of Christ. So is it not a breach when the best we have been offering society are just huge conventions, all night programmes, prayer mountains and such like that do not even bring much lasting individual change, not to talk of societal change?

Are our churches just designed by God to gather large crowds and offerings? Bringing it home to the individual level, are we just meant to be bible-quoting, tongue talking individuals who are labelled pastor or “spiri” simply because we read our bibles on the way to work, distribute and read daily devotionals in our offices or pray just before the bus takes off from the bus park?

Jesus turned to His disciples and then informed them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the labourers are few.” The reality is that in the midst of the seeming hopelessness, there are great opportunities. To put what Jesus was saying in another way “The opportunities for impact and influence are numerous but only a few people are seeing them or even logging into them.” He then told His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more people into the harvest. It would interest you to know that in the original language in which this passage was written, the word “send” means to forcibly push out.

This is God’s strategy in liberating our nation (and I dare say every nation). He will use the frustrations and disappointments we experience to launch us into His divinely appointed purposes for our lives. Is it a wonder then that many people were laid off from banks in recent times? Is it a wonder that Christians were embarrassed by a Sanusi Lamido?

Most of us have forgotten those beautiful visions we had in our polytechnics and university days. Those great dreams that were dropped in our hearts while we served our fatherland during our NYSC and have embarked on a pursuit of comfort-what we will eat and drink, what cars we would drive, etc. All these at the expense of our life’s purposes. God is flushing us out so that the earth and indeed Nigeria can enter its prophetic destiny. You will observe that after Jesus revealed the true situation of things to His disciples and prompted them to take a prophetic (change-effecting) position, He then sent out His disciples as apostles so they could actually do the work (Matthew 10:1, 5).

This is our mandate. This is our call: first to take a spiritual position in response to the frustration around us, and then work to actualize our God given purpose. If Nigeria will enter into her prophetic destiny, of which this year is critical, we must begin to engage in our different life purposes.

“Everything God made is waiting with excitement for God to show His children’s glory completely.” Romans 8:19 (NCV).