One of my many miracles of 2016

I cannot believe that today is the last day of 2016. This year had been good. If I thought I knew the extent of God’s love, mercy and faithfulness, 2016 taught me that I have not yet known even the beginning of His love. As a family, we cannot thank God enough for His faithfulness. The testimonies are plenty but I want to share one that has opened my eyes to the perfect timing of God.

It all started in October 2014. I was on one of my business trips so I thought to visit a doctor in the US whom I was familiar with to complain about a lack of menses. After her detailed tests, she said my ovaries had shrunk and from my hormone profile I was premenopausal (entering menopause before the right age for menopause). She said if my husband and I were interested in having another child, it will be very difficult for me to get pregnant naturally but she will give me some drugs to help. If after 3 months I did not get pregnant, she advised that we should consider more advanced fertility treatments.

I think I was more devastated to hear that I was premenopausal. When I discussed it with Mr. Rita, he brushed it off and said God has the final say. So I told him, “You are a seasoned engineer. If you make a diagnosis and give a recommendation, don’t you expect people to take your word and act on it? How much more a seasoned doctor?” He did not respond, but that was what I held on to.

At about the same period, my older daughter (3 going on 4) started talking about a baby brother. This baby brother was so real to her that she named him Kelechi. She talked about him every day that it became bothersome to me. I was working on my 2^nd novel (Morning Does Come) and every morning she would come to my study to talk about this baby brother, and even draw pictures about him. I called my mother one day and told her I was being “traumatized” by this baby brother, when the doctor had pronounced me premenopausal. My mother said next time my daughter mentioned it, instead of trying to explain why it may not happen, I should agree with her.

In March 2015 when the drugs had not worked, I went in search for an OBGYN in Pau, France where we were residing. I was told that the earliest appointment I could get was in July. I was leaving Pau in July so I could not take the appointment.

In April 2015, I had a dream. One lady visited me and gave me a word about my children. I told her “how can it be when all through my marriage I have struggled to have children?” and her response was “The Lord will do it. As a sign, He will give you a son and his name will be called Jude”. I woke up that morning thinking I would be pregnant, only to see a period a few days later. I was so disappointed and lost hope.

We got back to Nigeria in July and I quickly went to see my doctor who knew my history. When he did a scan, he said he was not seeing one ovary (from shrinking to disappearance???) and that we would have to schedule a HSG to understand what had happened to my organ. This was too scary to imagine. I told the doctor that once I return from one of my business trips, I would schedule the HSG.

I returned from my trip, and I was supposed to resume work in Nigeria immediately. On the day I went to the office in Nigeria, I was told the position was not available and hence I would have to go on a one-year leave of absence. The drop in oil price had impacted a lot of things. I was very very disappointed but I had no choice. I told myself that once I clear my desk, I would go and schedule the HSG. Maybe it was God giving me time to do the advanced fertility treatment if it called for it.

September 9, after I submitted my signed letter accepting the Leave of Absence, I went to the clinic to schedule the HSG. As part of routine practice, they performed a pregnancy test since I was 2 weeks late in my period. To my greatest surprise, it came out positive. I was in shock.

Please take a moment to pause here and feel the shock with me. 

I told the doctor he did not know what he was saying. It seemed he did not understand that I had been struggling with infertility all through my marriage so getting pregnant out of the blues was close to impossible. The doctor said since he trusts the results of the lab test, he will treat me as a pregnant woman.

That was how God gave me a surprise during my one-year leave of absence. Many people thought I planned it but did not know it came as a surprise to me. During the one year, I enjoyed my pregnancy – no work pressures at all and I had enough time for my other kids. Then when my baby was 6 months old, I was called back to office, for a similar role as I was to take before the leave of absence.

And before I forget, the baby is called Kelechi Jude, named by his sister and in fulfillment of the dream I was given in April 2015 (exactly 1 year before he was born).

Wishing you a miracle-filled 2017.

God Let Me Show You How To Fulfill Your Promise

When I had the dream that implied Mr. Rita will be my husband, I could not wait to see that dream come to pass. I did not ask the Giver of the dream to show me how it will be or how I could prepare for the promise ahead. When 6 months into the relationship Mr. Rita he had not said anything, I decided to show God how to fulfill His promise by introducing sex into the relationship.

Many ladies feel that sex is the way to a get a man. If you want a damn good man, passionate about God, I tell you, sex is not the way. It will only make him see you as cheap, and with time you will become “see finish”. You lose the essence of courtship and your judgment will be clouded.

What is now a source of bonding in our marriage was the same thing that made us grow apart in our relationship. He was not happy that all his "efforts" to be a godly man had suddenly shattered. He was no longer growing spiritually. Each time after we had been together, we both felt guilty. I felt frustrated that after giving myself to him, he was not discussing anything about marriage. Infact, he began to have more females flocking around him who seemed they could help him in his situation. All our efforts to stop was not working – maybe for a day or two, and we were back to square one. In such a situation, you will feel so guilty to even pray or go to church. We have many Christians today, including those holding positions in church, who are sinking deep in sin and cannot do anything about it.

Lots of things happened that led us to get help from our Pastor. Restoring sexual purity is not something you do by your power and might – you need the grace of God and you need someone you can be accountable to. I remember her words, “God is more interested in your soul than your service”. She wanted me to understand the price Jesus Christ had paid for my salvation, and not take the grace of God for granted. She told me to stay away from Mr. Rita if I was serious about regaining sexual purity. I disobeyed and did not tell Mr. Rita. When she found out, she sent for him and told him not to ever communicate with me again – no texts, phone calls, emails, flash, visit, etc. Being a man who was serious about his salvation, from the church office he called me and told me the news and said goodbye. And that was it. No more Mr. Rita.

I cried. I was heart-broken and everything around me suffered. I doubted God. I resisted being a Christian for a while. Then I stumbled upon the scripture, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame…” [Hebrews 12:2]. As I meditated on it, I realized that Jesus Christ endured betrayal, brutality, pain, and shame just for me. What then was fixing my eyes on Him and learning how to close my legs before marriage compared to what He went through on the cross (even if it was only me on earth, He would still have gone to the cross)? Then I began my journey of getting to know Him (February 2007 – 1 yr plus after the dream).

Six months of not seeing Mr. Rita and focusing on God, His word, and Church, helped me to grow as a Christian and help in shaping me into who I am today. When finally I saw Mr. Rita, and he had not married someone else, we started courting. This time doing it the right way. I learnt how to have fun with a man without involving sex. It is beautiful. I developed the best relationship ever with the opposite sex. I saw the innate beauty and handsomeness in this child of God whom I call my king. Six months later, Mr. Rita had indicated interest in spending the rest of his life with me. If a man is able to keep himself sexually pure during courtship, endure waiting for the evolution of a woman, that man will be easy to trust and will think twice before defiling his bed.

When I reflect, I laugh. 2 years went by because I wanted to show God how to fulfill His promise. When God has promised something, it will come to pass. But He does not need our “help”. Trying to help God only leads to disappointments, delays, pain, and sometimes, losing the dream. God is self-sufficient – He is God all by Himself and does not need our “help” to realize what He has promised. He needs us to simply obey His instructions and follow His leading. If you are at a point where you are waiting and it seems nothing is happening, ask Him what you should do and be ready to obey.

And the greatest shocker for me was when Mr. Rita told me that the sex was not his reason for marrying me. He said sex can be got from any woman and anywhere. He was looking for more and if he did not find what he wanted in a wife in me, he would not have married me. My unmarried sisters, please take note. Don’t give yourself for free.

Don’t try to show God how to fulfill His promise for you. He that promised is able and faithful.

Mama’s Blessing & Mom’s “curse”

I am sure many of you have received blessings from parents and grandparents. You know they are powerful? Don't joke with them J. Let me share one of my experiences here.

When I got the first money of my scholarship in Uni, I bought Small Stout for Mama (grandmother). She blessed me saying, "You will be rich. You will marry a good husband. You will have plenty children. You will carry your grandchildren. You will be successful in all you do…" I also remember the day Mom said I should make soup for the house. I had a date. I abandoned the meal and went on my date. When I came back in the night, Mom was furious. She said, "You left me hungry and worried today. If you don't stop behaving like this, your children will treat you exactly like this…"

I remember vividly the night I thought was my last on earth. I woke up by 2 a.m. and my feet were frozen and numb. Inside my bones were biting me. Slowly I felt the cold and numbness creep up my limbs, and also move down from my skull. At a point the only part functioning was my lips and the heart. I felt once the numbness gets to my heart, it will be my end. There was no "NEPA" (light). Rain was falling heavily. There was no car to take me to hospital. No phones to call for help. After Mom prayed for hours and nothing changed, I gave her my so called last wish.

1. Bury me in purple
   
2. Do not make a ceremony out of it so you don't have to spend money
   
3. Please call a man of God to pray for me - I want to give my life to Christ so I can go to heaven.
   

Suddenly I remembered Mama's blessing and Mom's "curse". I told myself "If they must come to pass, I cannot die even before graduating from Uni. They must come to pass." With that confidence, I could listen to the silent voice in my heart that said, "Drink water". I was afraid because I knew that before most people die, they ask for water. But since that was the only option left and morning was not approaching fast, I muttered, "Water". They quickly brought bottles of water for me. After 30 minutes of drinking, I felt the urge to urinate. They carried me to the toilet. I urinated. The whole house started smelling of Ampliclox. Then I recalled that 2 days before, I had taken self-medication of Ampiclox for boil. I asked for the pack of the Ampiclox. Guess what I saw? It had been expired over a year ago and I had taken overdose. I started drinking more water. By dawn, the numbness had left my body and I was normal.

Mama's blessing and Mom's "curse" are good. They were sufficient for the days when I was not a Christian. But now I know there is a far more superior blessing. It is The Blessing of the Lord, which makes rich and adds no sorrow with it [Proverbs 10:22].

There is The Blessing out there waiting for you to tap into. It covers every area of your life, even areas you never imagined. It is backed up by the power of God.

You can find some of God's great and precious promises specifically for you HERE. Should you find yourself in any trying situation, remember The Blessing. Remember His word and promises. Do not forget that they must come to pass.

For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and do not return there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the hungry,

So shall His promises be that goes forth out of His mouth: it shall not return to Him void without producing any effect, but it shall accomplish that which He pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing for which He sent it [Isaiah 55:10-11 AMP Paraphrased].

Believe.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Pictures by Photobucket.

Looking Ahead

Looking Ahead

I set your promises
Before my eyes
And every day you give me
Is a step towards these things;

I shall not turn back
I shall not relent
I shall not be deterred
By the time and space
Between now and tomorrow;

So I thank you for today
The proof that makes me know
I have left a day behind
And I am a day towards your promise;

Yes I thank you for today
That I can hope and dream
And be assured that with you
Tomorrow will come.

So I run with your word.

Some thoughts for the season...

Beloved,

A New Year lies ahead of you. Enjoy this festive season, thanking God for how far He has taken you. Maybe you hoped to achieve much more this year. Maybe you thought most of your dreams will be realized this year. Maybe He exceeded your expectations this year. Whatever the case may be, do not forget that The Blessing upon your life is forever. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Also remember that His ways are not your ways , He is not time bound and He makes everything beautiful in its time.

Please keep His promises in your heart. Meditate on them (not worry about them). And if you have a word from God, Run With It (Please click the link to read about running with His word).

Please take out time to read the message “Three Thoughts for The Season”.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Favour-filled New Year.

Bible References: James 1:17, Isaiah 55:8 and Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow
Where will you be?

Who will remember
Your broke-ness or brokenness
Your toiling and sweat
Or the doors shut at your face?

Who will imagine
Your silent tears in secret
Moments you almost lost hope
Or when your fears grew with each day?

Who will know
Of your seeds sown
Seeds of time, energy and resources
And resilience despite disappointments?

Like a flower about to blossom
And a seed waiting to sprout
In just a little while
Your breakthrough will come:

Tomorrow
Where will you be?

Begin to confess and visualize
All that you want for yourself
And back it with My Word
For I am watching over My Word
To perform it.

Do not envy him/her who seems to be there, for you do not know what he/she passed through to get there.

You need not know a man

You are all I want

I was searching for a place to call home
Hopelessly, Aimlessly
I ignored your beckon and your call
Yet you were still waiting for me;
When darkness came
You shone your light
With open arms you took me in
And gave me more than I could have dreamed;
You are
More than what I wanted
You are
All anyone could ever need
You are
Perfection and Completeness:
And I feel blessed
Knowing you want me more than I want you.

The Inspiration

A life without God is empty. A life with God is complete. There is no in between. Killing the conscience is never the solution. HE is the only one that can make us whole and complete. HE is all we need.

Many a times we look to men to solve our problems, to fulfill us (that is a hard task), to provide for us, to sustain us, and to call “our personal person”. Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God [1 Corinthians 10:31]. If man is our source of sustenance, our provision, our healer, our all, to whom would we be giving the glory to? God is a jealous God [Joshua 24:19] and does not want to share HIS glory with any man or anything. Whatever God gives to us is good and perfect [James 1:17] and shall be for ever [Ecclesiastics 3:14].

I remember a friend of mine who had gone job hunting in a company where her uncle was in top position. That was the assurance she had taken with her to look for the job since her grades were not too good. When she told her uncle of her mission he warned her before hand, “I am not giving you a job in this company, no uncle found work for me. Go and meet whoever you know that does things crookedly to help you find a job. Besides, we don’t employ people with your kind of grade here!” Sometime later, the company put out an advert in the papers. My friend joined the crowd to apply for the job, following the prompting of God. Out of the 3000 people that applied, she was among the 1000 called for aptitude test. No matter what her grades were, I know my friend is very good with numbers and I give it to her. Okay, before I digress too much. She passed the test but during the interview stage, she was told that she did not have the right qualifications for the job openings and so they would have to let her go. Once again she was back to job hunting contacting all relatives and friends she knew. But she thanked God for how far she went. I cannot imagine her worrying, stress and expenses during that period. 8 months later, this company called her saying that they had a position for an auditor and asked if she would like to come in for an interview. What would a scientist with a low grade be looking for in the auditing sector? Of course when you are desperate for a job you will take anything. She went for the interview. This is my favourite part. She was the only person in the midst of the 4 candidates who had no working experience, who was not an auditor, who did not study any course related to auditing, who did not have excellent grades and who did not have an insider backing her. But she has GOD. The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: HE turneth it whithersoever HE wills [Proverbs 21:1]. God was all she needed. HE is sufficient. To cut the long story short, she got the job and I have tasted from her salary. Praise and Glory be to our all sufficient God.

I simply want to remind you that you do not need to know anybody to get your blessings. All you need is God. Let us take the words of Mary just as the words are, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”[Luke 1:34 KJV]. Mary did not need to know a man before the Word of God spoken to her would be fulfilled. If something, which has been established as cannot occur except a man and woman come together, occurred by the Word of God alone and without Mary having to know a man, what then do you need to know a man for? HE has given you all that you need for life and godliness [2 Peter 1:3]. Are you trusting God for a job, promotion, spouse, education, child, healing, restoration, anything at all, and somewhere at the back of your mind you feel it will not happen except one man you know helps you? God is all you need. In the message in PlugIN (http://www.okoroafor.com/blog/John_blog.html), we were asked “Who do you trust?” The answers all summarized to be “Trust in the LORD, with all your heart”.

God definitely uses men to accomplish HIS will for us. But that is after we have trusted HIM to do it HIS way [Isaiah 55:8] and at HIS time [Ecclesiastics 3:11]. Whatever HE has promised you concerning your situation (and if you do not know, please check HIS Word) HE will surely fulfill. I can vouch for my GOD for HE is not a man that HE should lie [Numbers 23:19]. God’s Word shall not return to HIM void but shall accomplish what HE pleases, and it shall PROSPER in the thing which HE sent it [Isaiah 55:11].

Have a blessed day ahead knowing that HE is all you need.

Your Miracle is Here - Lyrics for the Song

It is here

If you’ve been waiting on God
For your miracle
It is here;
If you’ve been trusting the Lord
For what you can’t see
It is here;
If you believe in HIM
And all that HE is
If you hold on to HIM
And all HE’s promised
If you delight in HIM
And desire HIS Will
Time will Tell

Chorus
For all you seek
Is awaiting your pick
Perfect gifts
Beyond what you dream
HE’s given you life
HE long paid the price
HE’s given you peace
Passing understanding
HE’s given you health
In the pack of wealth
HE’s given you One
To fulfill HIS Word
HE’s given you kids
For greater glory
HE’s given you hope
And a future to hold
No condemnation
For new creations:
It is here

So if you’re waiting on God
For your miracle
It is here;
Just reach out for it
In faith and believe
It is here;
Do praise Him for things
Your eyes can’t yet see
It is here;
The Fruit of HIS love
And Grace for the world
Is how here;

Chorus

Sing Chorus till fade

The Inspiration
It started out as a dream. 3 friends of mine and myself were thanking God for the miracles HE had done in our lives and in the life of one of us in particular. Then one of my friends started singing this song “Time Will Tell” and we all joined in, accepting that we would soon see the manifestation of what HE has promised.

I woke up singing the song but by the time I came to reality, all I remembered was the tune and the words “Time Will Tell”. I decided to write it down while I was in the “White House” and the song above came into being. However the places where you see “It is here” was “Time will tell”.

I know something about my God. First of all, HE has given me everything that pertains to life and godliness [2 Peter1:3]. I also know that God is not a man, that HE should lie; or the son of man, that HE should change HIS mind; That which HE has spoken HE will do and that which HE has promised HE will fulfill [Numbers 23:19]. Knowing these things, among others, made me receive HIS promises and blessings in faith, and so I said I am not waiting for time to tell me anything. I know I already have them. It is here.

Beloved, I do not know what you are believing God for. I just want to tell you it is here as long as it is HIS will for you. Simply receive it in faith and await its manifestation. When it manifests be like the one out of the ten lepers who glorified God. Remember to give HIM thanks.

Have a blessed day and welcome to a new month.