NEWS

Monday, December 24, 2012

Mary’s Little Lamb | The Lion King


As a Child He came, a Lamb born in a manger,
Coming to His own, yet was treated like a stranger.
He grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man,
He was in a perfect disguise; God as Son of Man.
His passion was for sinners, to redeem all from the curse.
The ‘saints’ called Him a blasphemer and nailed Him to the cross.
They hung Him high, spread him wide, a crown of thorns He wore.
The Father had to turn His face because man’s sin He bore.
The pain was great because they hadn’t separated before,
The sky went black, then an earthquake, the temple’s veil also tore.

Being dead, He was buried and it seemed like a tragic end of His story.
But three days later, mankind witnessed the greatest event of history.
He was risen, death’s sting failed and the grave lost its victory.
A few were there to see the Son of God ascend into His glory.
While they watched Him ascend, two men in white suddenly appeared,
“This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven...” They said,
“...will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”.
His coming this time won’t be as silent as it was back then,
A trumpet blast will be the final call to rapture all His own.
Those that claim to know Him but don’t, He’ll surely disown.

He came as a Child; like a Lamb born in the manger,
But He’s returning as a Son; like a Lion roaring in anger.
The time is near, obviously, the last days are indeed here.
Look around you, it’s evident in the news that we hear.

Dear reader, I believe the message is clearly understood,
The Son of God became the Son of Man so sons of men could become Sons of God
He came as a Child; a Lamb not seeking the Saints but going for sinners,
He's coming as the Son; a Lion not seeking sinners but going with the Saints.

-'Bayor 
24.12.2012







Monday, December 10, 2012

TAKE OVER | GAME OVER

Debby (Bukola aka Precious1), my younger sister became a mother on Sat. 8th Dec to a handsome dude and we were still celebrating the breakthrough over delayed childbearing (more than a decade) in the lives of the women of the Martins family when the news came that Princess (Funmi), my immediate elder sister also became a mother to a fine gentleman in the early hours of Sun. 9th Dec 2012...(Most folks didn't even know she was pregnant...true to her name; Elizabeth)

Two boys - Valiant Men - delivered naturally in 2 of the 31 days in this miracle-filled "Double-Portion" December 2012.
The most interesting part is that God only starts what He has finished because He's the Alpha and Omega/Author and Finisher so the seeming delay in childbirth or marriage in the Martins family is a thing of the past.

We thank God because we are now more than sure that my chubby twin sister; Juliet Ade-Martins-Micheal Fanwo, is a Mother of Twins and we bless God also for one of the strongest African Women of Virtue & Faith I know, Martina Aderonke-Martins-Tunji Fatogun (Fruitful Vine), another Mother of Twins.


We thank God for those that prayed sincerely...God Bless You!
We thank God for those that prayed not so sincerely...God Bless You!
We thank God for those that spoke in care and true sincerity...God Bless You - you were sent to us after being on your knees before God!
We thank God for those that made snide remarks about the God we serve and the validity of His Call on the life of Daddy T. Ade Martins...God Bless You - you sent us to our knees before God!

To the eyes reading this message...

May God indeed do for you, what ONLY GOD can do BEFORE Jan 1, 2013!
May God's Christmas and New Year gift to you shock and make the world FEAR the GOD You serve!

May God do a Miracle for you that you'll not know HOW to Say "Thank You" to him again after saying it a million times over!

When God steps in, He doesn't take sides, He takes over and when He takes over, game over!


-'Bayor

Monday, December 3, 2012

To PGH with Love


Dear Papa,

Every new day, as announced by the never waning sun, I see myself thanking God for special people like you in my life that make remembering the days gone by worthwhile.
Your leadership, consummate in skill, has made it easier for me to approach life from a whole new perspective, allowing me to look into the horizon with the priceless feeling of knowing am a son.



Pictures of pleasant moments, like a continuously flowing stream of deja vu experiences, refresh my mind as they remind me of moments in time that you’ve literally held my hand in yours via counsel and instruction. These saw me moving from who I was to who I am and becoming.



When I saw myself as a kid, you called me a king. The child in me instantly became a champion when you showed up on the scene. Now, I see a tree in full bloom when I look in the mirror as against the twig I knew all too well.

Permit me to say, with all sense of appreciation and deep seated gratitude, these common words to an uncommon father…

“Thank you"












Love you loads! 

I celebrate you Pastor GoodHeart O. C. Ekwueme


-'Bayor

Friday, November 30, 2012

Time Factor | God Factor

There’s no space for an extra hour between 11:59pm of a Tuesday and 12:00am of a Wednesday in the same week...
There’s no space for an extra month between December 2012 and January 2013...
But...
It’s good to know that God does not work with manmade wristwatches, clocks or calendars.
If He said He’ll do a thing, it’s not because He wants to do it; it’s because He’s done it already and wants you to enter into it.
If He promised it will happen in 2012, then 2013 would have to wait because His word MUST be fulfilled.
If a man can “gain” extra hours by flying across time zones, how much more will the Maker of Time who resides outside of time, step into time to do in time what He spoke of afore time?
May the grace to brace yourself for the deluge of blessings of December 2012, be yours bountifully.
May it indeed be 31 days of Miracles, Signs and Wonders!
Cheers Great One!

-‘Bayor
21.11.12


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Good Day to be Alive


Great One,

I’ve got a confession to make. 
I’ve been thinking of something funny to say to you to perhaps put a smile on your face and make your day a lil’bit more interesting but could come up with none yet. 
So, I felt there’s no point prolonging this anymore. I’ll just ask that you assume I said something funny and then smile about it...did that work? No? Ok, why not assume for a moment (work with me on this 'abeg') that I actually did say something very hilarious and you’re no more giggling but now laughing (not the “tush/VIP-ish” kind of laugh but the kind that you laugh when you’re really having a good time and perhaps alone)...still didn’t work? Well, at least I tried... (who send me comedy sef...) J

Anyway, if you’re still reading, then you are one of the many people that I really want to thank today. 
You see, I’m a year older (birthday was on Friday, 21st September 2012) and I have many things to thank God and you for. 
In no particular order, I’ll list them and keep increasing it as the time goes by...

To those who started sending me birthday wishes since on Sunday, 16th September 2012...Thank you!

To those that called/sent the wishes and said/added their name (because I may have changed the phone I was using)...Thank you for making me not need to wonder whose line it was!

To those who have been receiving my monthly/periodic texts and even sent numbers of their loved ones...I say Thank you!

To those who send in testimonies and lovely messages in response to the texts...I say Thank you!

To those who want to start receiving the texts and will send their numbers to me on Facebook/bayormartins...
I say Thank you!

To those who receive the monthly text messages more than once and understand that I ONLY SEND IT ONCE but the networks keep sending it over and over... Thank you for not taking offence at this and for deleting the copies without allowing the message to lose its meaning or become a nuisance!

To those who forward/rebroadcast the monthly messages and use their name as the author...Thank you for letting your readers know the true owner henceforth!

To those who try to reply to the customized sender name (’Bayor) and see that it doesn’t work...Thank you for sending the reply to my number on your phone instead!

To those who do not have my number (or even know who this “Bayor” character is that keeps sending them texts)...Thank you for visiting my website (bayormartins.com) or Facebook just to get in touch and be apprised.


To those who have read my book and have been telling others (especially Aunty Stella Damasus: http://stella-damasus.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-new-me.html)...Thank you for spreading the word!

To those who have been paying money into my account anonymously (especially the Great One that uses "GreatOne Bayor" as the depositor...Thank you...!

To those who listened to my CDs and gave their friends...Thank you for sharing and even buying the tracks on itunes (itunes.com/bayormartins) or Amazon!

To those who tried to comment here and could not...Thank you for posting on my Facebook wall or sending it as a mail to bayormartins@facebook.com or bayormartins@yahoo.com!

To those who used my picture as their DPs on BB...May you never lose face...Thank you!

...etc

-'Bayor

Saturday, August 11, 2012

The Cook

When Mummy's taking her time in the kitchen, it's most likely because she's adding the finishing touches to that meal.
When she's through, we are sure to sup up a dish that's much more than just a meal...it's an experience...you know, the sort that makes the eater ask "more please".
The Fully Breasted One, The One who fed His children with bread that was "outta dis world & fresh from heaven's bakery", is cooking up your story.
He's adding the needed ingredients to make your life a blessing to the world...
A dash of salt: so you are preserved as much as you are meant to be a preservative; keeping your generation from moral decadence...
Few slices of onions: so He can use the experiences that brought you to tears as a means of helping others...
A sprinkle of pepper: so you are too hot for the enemy to handle...
Few measures of water: so you know the things that seem tasteless in your life sometimes hold other things together...
A little oil: so there's not much friction in your life...
A sprinkle of mixed spices: so you learn to go past your idea of what people should look like and see God's idea of variety in them...
...
So, when your manifestation shines forth, the world will surely run to The Cook saying "More of such sons and daughters of yours on earth".
Your expectation will surely not be cut off. Please keep at it and in the words of Pastor GoodHeart, "Keep Living, Keep Winning, Don't Stop, there's Victory Ahead".
Cheers Great One!
-'Bayor

Friday, June 1, 2012

Favour Flight

Going through the security check and on getting to the pay cashier, a guy, brawling and broad chested, approaches us and has no regard for my being there. He wants to jump the queue whilst giving courtesy to only my friends ahead of me partly because they were expatriates. Perhaps because I was quite a “summarized” bloke, I could easily be tucked away from his sight.

He asked me “are you with them?” I answered “yes” and he immediately stepped in front of me. I was surprised and wondered if I just spoke in Spanish or if the rules of English had been changed without my notice whereby ‘yes’ means ‘no’. I then said politely (I think), "but I also need to write my name” and his countenance changed and the courtesy reserved for only my friends suddenly flowed in my direction! He was out of my way in no time and while I was writing my number (because my friends had written my name) for the cashier to fill out our tickets, I was sure the virtual movement on my clothes was his eyes scanning me toe to head and back again to place what exactly I was doing with these guys. Then, one counter after the other, I kept getting the question, “are you with them?” and the ‘scanning’ would then follow. You could almost think I was a document in a fax machine with all the ‘scanning’.

We got cleared to check-in and at the security post, one of the guards said he knew me being that I had travelled with the airline before. He had been with his colleague who on finding out I was a musician, asked for my CD which I autographed and gave to her. So, he was asking for his and after writing out his name, ‘Philip’, I gave him a copy. The fact that my friends were introducing me as a gospel musician after calling me by my office sobriquet “Bayor the rock star” seemed to give me an instant preference.

Now, the fun part was getting to wait in the VIP lounge and getting the double take from people coming in every time (you know, that “who is he” kind of look). We were asked if we wanted coffee or tea and I went for healthy tea, no sugar and cream milk. It may not have tasted delicious but I want to be around long enough to still be able to say if something is delicious or not. So, I watch my diet…and my height you might add.

Well, it’s easy to get carried away with the drift of fame on earth without consideration of what our name means in heaven. I am glad that am not overly qualified for this job but God has favored me. As I have seen often, when He blesses you, He ensures He’s your only qualification. 

The VIP lounge is cozy and comfortable; a contrast from the lobby where you get to sit on steel cast park seats that remind you; via pressure from the other end, that you are supposed to be leaving in a hurry so quit getting comfortable. The people that come here are all quiet, courteous and busy people. It also reminds me that the top isn’t crowded. People from other nations strut in one after the other. When seated, they're either reading a book, a newspaper or buying books that are brought to them (unlike the lobby where you have to go get it yourself). Also, they’re mainly working on their laptops, listening to the news, receiving calls or planning the schedule for when they arrive at their destination. You are told when the flight is leaving and also helped with your luggage.

For the eyes reading this, very soon, the blessed will call you blessed. You won’t be broke and yet you won’t be able to afford poverty. Like the moon aligned to reflect the sun, a tree moving in sync with the wind or perhaps a “tall” Nigerian in the company of foreign expatriates, may you begin to experience favor you obviously don’t qualify for. Enjoy the flight to the top. Success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey.

‘Bayor
9th April 2009

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

How Do You See Yourself? by Joyce Meyer


Do you like yourself? After years of trying to help people emotionally, mentally, spiritually and socially, it was a major breakthrough when I discovered that most people really don’t like themselves. Some of them know it, while others don’t even have a clue that this is probably the root of so many other problems in their lives.

God wants us to have great relationships, but self-rejection and even self-hatred are the roots of many relationship problems. In fact, I’ve found the Bible to be a book about relationships, providing valuable advice about my relationship with God, other people and even myself.

How are the relationships with other people in your life? What about your relationship with God…and even with yourself?

Did it ever occur to you that you have a relationship with yourself? While I’ve never given it much thought, I spend more time with myself than with anyone, and it’s vital to get along well with me. Remember, you are the one person you never get away from.

We all know how agonizing it is to work day after day with someone we don’t get along with, but at least that person doesn’t come home with us at night. We can’t get away from ourselves, not even for one second, so it’s of the utmost importance that we have peace with ourselves.

Many of us fall prey to self-rejection because we feel that nobody really loves us or accepts us. We figure that if nobody else loves us, then why should we love ourselves? Because we think others don’t love us, we feel that we must not be worth loving. But that’s a LIE we’ve believed for way too long!

We should love ourselves—not in a selfish, self-centered way that produces a lifestyle of self-indulgence, but in a balanced, godly way that affirms God’s creation as essentially good and right. We may be flawed by unfortunate experiences we’ve gone through, but that doesn’t mean we’re worthless and good-for-nothing.

We must have the kind of love for ourselves that says, “I know God loves me, so I can love what God chooses to love. I don’t love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me.” We must develop the kind of mature love that says, “I know I need to change, and I want to change. In fact, I believe God is changing me daily, but during this process, I will not reject what God accepts. I’ll accept myself as I am right now, knowing that I will not always remain this way.”

Many times people who reject themselves do so because they can’t see themselves as good, proper, or right. They fail to see themselves the way God sees them—as precious children He dearly loves.

As you begin to see yourself through God’s eyes—someone who’s loved and cherished—your view of yourself will begin to change. You’ll begin to see yourself not as rejected, but as loved and accepted…unique and beautiful in His sight.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Excellence in the Corporate world


·         Manage your time – think like a business owner and not an employee. This makes you prioritize and delegate properly.
·         Take care, initiative – surprise your boss with extras but be sure you get the most important one done first.
  • Politics: understand it and make it work for you.  – it’s simply humans doing what they’ve known to do since being cavemen…working together. Work on building a network of supporters. A broader base of supporters will give you more power to enact your great ideas in the future.
  • Make your boss look good: when he does, so do you! Think ahead of your boss. Stay above the fray and strive to associate with top producing colleagues.
  • Don’t gossip: try nor to speak ill of others, it does you no good…neither does it do to anyone for that matter! If you need to vent, do so with your family at home. Gossip is a waste of time.
  • Be a good leader: You can be a thought leader as well as being an action leader
-          Follower: Be a follower…even if your title says you’re the designated leader, be open to ideas from people below you in rank and never fear their success, embrace their success and you win too. Trying to squash their ideas and success out of fear only makes you weak and lose respect.
-          Team player: A good team player facilitates the involvement of others on the team according to their strengths.
  • Take smart risks: Forge a new path.
  • Pick your battles carefully: Don’t fight for every idea. Make sure it will benefit the company.
  • Details: find the right balance – don’t forget the details of your job and don’t drown in them either.
  • Work hard, work smart: hard work makes play so pleasurable.
  • Be positive and enthusiastic: don’t think you have to be serious all the time. people want to be around positive happy people. See good, speak positive, encourage everyone and watch it come back to you.
  • Seek out mentors: if you admire someone successful, contact them and offer to help them in some way. You’ll hopefully be able to build a relationship with that person and learn from them over time.
  • Manage your career: don’t wait for your boss to send you on training: set your quarterly objectives, write your reviews or give yourself a career coaching because these things don’t happen sometimes. Take the bull by the horn. Make it easy for your boss to review you by handing him or her all your accomplishments. Seek out coaching all the time from lots of different people.
  • Understand the big picture: make it happen on your own and make do with what is available. Try to understand where the company is headed in the long term and how your team fits into the overall picture.
  • Learn how to motivate people to take action: thus being able to implement your ideas to improve the company and make a difference for clients. This grows your career. Act with integrity and fulfill your promises to build trust.
  • Always be learning: seek out training and education, read business books and magazines, learn from mentors, heroes, enemies and from your mistakes. Make a habit of reflecting on the things you learn each day. Be creative in what you learn. It may be unrelated but is a parallel that fosters a new idea for business growth.
  • Self promotion: let people know the good things you are accomplishing. You won’t always be noticed by just working hard.
  • Focus on excellence: do all you do well – dress well, be on time, deliver on your promises, produce high quality work. Your career will manifest in accordance with your focus on excellence.
  • Recognize moments of truth: everyday you have moments of truth. When you consistently do the right thing at many moments of truth, they will add up to a massive positive impact on your career.
  • Make others feel good: it’s the Golden rule. Celebrate other people’s success. Be sincere and demonstrate that by being specific in what you say.

Source: Woman to Woman Magazine, 10th Anniversary Edition. 

Saturday, March 31, 2012

THE RIGHT CIRCLE

“…they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered round him, he rose up and went into the city…”

Acts 14:19 -20 (NKJV)

An adage in one of the languages in Nigeria when transliterated says “when the sun is hot and the flies are thick, use the horse’s sense”. That maxim describes the way in which horses pair, side by side, head to tail when the flies become too much for the tail of either horse to handle. By pairing, they help each other by warding off flies from the face of one another.

The story of Stephen as recorded in the book of Acts 7 ends with the account that the witnesses to the stoning laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. No one came to his rescue or help and he was said to fall asleep. In the case of Paul the apostle in the anchor passage, the Bible says he was surrounded after the stoning then he rose. The people that surround you determine the things you can survive. Examples abound in the scriptures where associations have led to positive outcomes. Naaman was guided to his healing by a slave girl; Joseph was directed to his brothers and consequently his destiny by a certain man in the wilderness. David had both Nathan and Gad as Prophetic voices over him. We all need the right associations.

We are called to compliment and lift each other up. Not to bring each other down via competition against one another. There is a commanded blessing on associations of unity and like passion. (Ps. 1:1; 133:3). John and James were killed but prayers went up to God for Peter and he was miraculously released from prison. The quality of a man’s destiny can be predicted by the quality of the associations he keeps. The person we look down on today might just be the solution to our most pressing need. It behooves us to find, keep and service our relationships. Like Elisha, we need to input a conscious effort to maintaining a close contact with those people we see are significant to our life in as many facets as there are. Jesus our perfect example had to work with not just one or two but twelve men. This gave him the honor of a king. The lack of people could lead to the downfall of a person.  (Prov. 14:28). It is said that one of the former presidents of Nigeria spends at least one hour daily making “power” calls. He goes as far as asking about each child by name. It’s no surprise therefore that despite his misgivings while he was on the throne, we still have quite a number of influential people vouching for him. We need to examine our circle of friends if indeed they are God’s right circle for us.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER TEN
A VISION FOR THE FINISH LINE

Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible – Frank Gaines

So what’s the big deal about vision? Some people have it, some don’t. 

The big deal about vision is this:
IT TAKES VISION TO FINISH STRONG

What do you want your life to look like in ten or twenty years? What about the life of your children in ten years?

The quality of life that your children enjoy ten or twenty years from now will, to a great degree, depend upon the choices you will make in that ten-twenty year period of time.

The wonderful provision that so few men offer their children is the example of a strong finish.
Tragically, many Christian fathers leave their families because they have no vision.  Your kids deserve better than that. Your Lord deserves better than that. You must be a man of vision. Not just for this month or year but for the next forty or fifty years out.

We’re not finishing strong by luck or by taking life as it comes. We must have vision to finish strong. Vision is what is really important, vision for what our kids really need, and the vision to steel ourselves against the strategies of the enemy to destroy everything near and dear to our hearts. It’s that kind of vision that helps us to make choices with our heads and not our sex organs thus enabling us to leave a legacy to our children that most kids only dream about.

To finish strong means that you will come to the end of your life with a strong and close relationship to Christ. it means that, unless God has taken your wife ahead of you, you’ll be married to the same woman that you are today. It means that you are a man who is in the Scriptures and living the Scriptures. It means that you are a man who has fought some battles for the kingdom and has the scars to prove it. To finish strong means that you are leaving your children and grandchildren the priceless heritage of a godly life. Few men, especially those in their twenties of thirties, have the vision at that age to look forty years into the future and think about how they want to finish. It takes vision to see that the majority of men who start strong don’t finish strong. It takes vision early to be the one guy out of ten who does.

No one is without a divinely appointed task and the divine means of getting it done – John Ruskin

You are doing something significant and He sees it. No wonder you are going to finish strong.


Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar


Monday, February 6, 2012

SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER NINE
156 BUCK-NAKED MILES TO BIGHORN

Another ambush

In football, you suit up, in running, you strip down. The average footballer player wears pounds of equipment. Runners wear ounces.

The great question which in all ages, has disturbed mankind and brought them the greatest part of those mischiefs which have ruined cities, depopulated countries, and disordered the peace of the world, has been, not whether there be power in the world…but who should have it.

Are you worried that you don’t have much of a network? Joseph didn’t either. But he had a Friend in High Places. And if you have surrendered your life to Christ, so do you. It’s all the network you’ll ever need.

John Colter was stripped of his clothes but not his courage, his weapons but not his will, his provisions but not his purpose and his comforts but not his composure. Joseph’s case was similar: he was stripped of his coat but not his character, his family but not his future, his position but not his purity and his accomplishments but not his attitude.

Joseph, like Jesus, was rejected by his bothers, loved by his father, victorious over temptation, taken into custody because of a false witness, suffered for doing right and promoted from the prison (of death) to rule the nation(s).

You don’t have to be God to finish strong. You just have to depend on God.

It’s hard to look up to a leader who keeps his ear to the ground – James Boren

 The stripping down process is in two parts: Things that God strips from us (things God will take away) and things that we strip from ourselves (things which we must put away).

Joseph put away the thought of trading his purity for his position and turning his betrayal into bitterness. Joseph was a unique man and that is why he was so greatly used. He had been tested. And he passed those tests with flying colors because of his willingness to put some things away. In responding to Potiphar’s wife, he said, “How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” that’s the difference between finishing strong and finishing so-so. Joseph was not willing to participate with her sexually because it was a great evil. Yet to her, it was great fun. The man who finishes so-so has kept back one or two areas of his life from the Lord. His theme song is “I Surrender Ninety-Five Percent.”  In his heart, he knows what he is doing is a great evil, but he’s not willing to give up his great fun. The man who finishes strong keeps back nothing from the Lord. He is brutal in dealing with sin in his own life because he does not want to dishonor God’s name and holiness. So when it comes to sin, or “great evil,” as Joseph called it, he doesn’t coddle it, he doesn’t favor it, and he doesn’t hold on to it. He gets rid of it. His theme song is “I Surrender All.” That’s it. That’s the secret – I surrender all.

It’s tragic how many Christian men don’t stop to count the cost before the opportunity presents itself. For sin will always cost you more than you wanted to pay. Sin will always cost you, but sometimes purity can cost you, too. But that’s a price that strong finishers are always willing to pay.

Before a man falls sexually, he first falls emotionally. Guys change jobs all the time. Some will change for promotion. Some will change for power. Few have the guts to change for purity. But those are the guys who make it all the way to Bighorn.

So what made Joseph great? Why does God devote more space in Genesis to his story than to any other individual’s? Because of Joseph’s attitude, how he responded to difficult circumstances. That was the most remarkable thing about him.

The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure (contemptuous treatment) without resentment. – Elbert Hubbard

Bitterness, like a burning match only burns the one who holds onto it. – Steve Farrar

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power – Abraham Lincoln

If you are focusing on some person or what he did to you, you will not finish strong. You’ll never make it. You are being conned and you are being set up. You can only finish strong if you fix your eyes on Jesus.

As you grapple with the hurt and humiliation and fight off the desire to become a hardened, bitter person, you are actually building spiritual muscle tone that it takes to finish strong.

Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar



Wednesday, February 1, 2012

SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER EIGHT
FAILURE THAT EQUIPS YOU TO FINISH

He who has never failed cannot be great. Failure is the true test of greatness - Herman Melville

Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). The first 40 years of his life, he was an unqualified success. The middle 40 years, he was an undisputed failure. The last 40 years, he was finally fit for the Master’s use. Around the age of 40, Moses knew he had been chosen by God to be the deliverer of Israel. He was dead right about the task but dead wrong about the timing. There is a type of self-esteem that is healthy and good. But there is an excessive self-confidence that is very harmful to one’s spiritual health. How do you tell the difference between the two? Easy. A wrong self-confidence is usually characterized by prayerlessness. Jesus said “…apart from me you can do nothing” the person with excessive self-confidence really doesn’t believe that.

Many men experience some type of transition around the age of forty. Midlife is when men are forced to come to grips with the changes that have occurred in their lives. For Moses, it was the following:
A change of address: from the palace of Pharaoh to the pastures of Midian
A change of vocation: from leader of men to leader of sheep. Most men get their feeling of self worth from what they do.
A change of status: he was rejected by Pharaoh. It is always worse when rejection comes from inside our own camp. Depression stems from some type of loss…or chemical imbalance.

The masters of character acquisition
Unemployment 101: this challenging course will cause you to suffer but it’s the suffering that qualifies you for ministry. You may have no desire to be in full-time ministry, but if you know Jesus Christ, then you are in the ministry.

Advanced obscurity: in Exodus 2:16-22, the entire middle forty years of Moses’ life get six verses. Why? Because Moses was obscure. In those forty years of obscurity, solitude and quietness, God was rebuilding His man from the inside out. Some type of obscurity is required if you are going to earn your M.C.A. Obscurity is tough, especially if you are in a hurry to climb the corporate ladder. But climbing the corporate ladder will never fit you to finish strong. God wants you to climb the character ladder. John Luther wrote that “good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece – by thought, choice, courage and determination.” There is no better place to begin making those right choices than in the bleak, gray sands of obscurity.

Remedial waiting: God rarely uses Federal Express to build character into our lives. He doesn’t overnight or fax character to us. It takes time to build character. Lots of time. That’s why He’s taking so much time in your life. God isn’t in a hurry. God has a principle, and the principle is this: character development comes before ministry. You should know that you are right on schedule. Maybe not on your own schedule, but on His schedule. He knows precisely what He is doing in your life.  Every trial has a beginning, middle and an end. You cannot determine where you are in your trial, but He knows exactly where you are. And He is moving you along at just the right pace. Someone once said that everything is in walking distance, if you have enough time. Believe it or not, you’ve got time. You’ve got plenty of time, because you belong to Jesus Christ. And He literally has all the time in the world.

Intermediate loneliness: research has demonstrated that prolonged loneliness can even affect us physically. Most leaders like to be with people. They enjoy the company of their followers. But in the desert, Moses didn’t have any followers. Well, he had a few sheep. But the fact is, Moses wasn’t in the desert to lead; he was in the desert to be led. That’s why he had to be isolated. God had to get him off by himself so that He could have his undivided attention. Moses thought he was a leader, but a leader really isn’t a leader until he has learned to follow. God would not use Moses until he had learned to submit to God and to His timetable. So Moses was alone. Loneliness is never a pleasant experience. But God, in His wisdom, at times will separate us from our normal network of family and friends. Isolation is an opportunity to get to know Him better.

Many believers are simply frantic over the fact of failure in their lives, and they will go to any lengths in trying to hide it, ignore it, or rationalize about it. And all the time they are resisting the main instrument in the Father’s hand for conforming us to the image of His Son! – Miles Stanford

It is defeat that turns bone to flint, and gristle to muscle, and makes people invincible, and forms those heroic natures that are now in ascendancy in the world. Do not, then, be afraid of defeat. You are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause. – Henry Ward Beecher

Everyone fails but the true failure is the one who doesn’t learn from his setbacks. That’s why a teachable spirit is so important. When you are in the midst of a desert, the fastest way out of the desert is to ask God to let you learn everything that he has for you in that experience. Stay open, and stay teachable. God is not trying to ruin you. He is rebuilding you so that you can be used strategically. And the people God loves to use most are those who have learned to depend completely upon Him. For many self-sufficient types, that doesn’t come easily.

Abraham Lincoln entertained large thoughts about God and small thoughts about himself. Humility means that someone has a proper self-confidence, a proper self-esteem, and a proper kind of godly courage. That kind of character only comes from being in the furnace of affliction and hardship. No wonder it was said that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3)

There are not many undefeated people around – John Gardner

God uses our failure to equip us for future success.


Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar