Magnitude

A true leader is one who can stand in the face of a problem, know it's magnitude, and still trust in God to take control.

Sometimes the heavy weight of our lives is so big that everything else fades away. I've got into trouble more times than I can count and every time that I do get into trouble my problem seems like the biggest problem in the world, no matter how many people are starving to death, no matter how many people are being taken advantage of and no matter how many people are dying from the sickness, that is sin. I hate it when I'm so selfish to forget the magnitude of the responsibility that I have in my life.

We are just far too carried away in our own lives. It's like we are stuck in an illusion to ignore everything else, somehow this illusion has put all of us in the centre of the universe. In fact it is somehow human nature to believe that we are in the centre of the universe. That's just the way our minds think. Pride and vanity may not be the same thing, but are somehow very closely related, it corrupts the way our minds are working.

God is of immense magnitude, there is nothing that is bigger than him. How can you be covered by the magnifience of this God and worry about your own little problems? You can't man!

God the most supreme being, reached out to His people and He expects us to be the same. He showed us how to live through His Son. How he lived in humility, lived for others and understood the magnitude of things.

Your place in the world does make a big difference, so don't limit yourself to your problems to your struggles.

Realize that Magnitude of God is limitless.

Endure

Music is one of the many beautiful things that I have had the privilege to experience in this life. God has been gracious enough to bless us with the awesomeness of such a magnificent gift that stirs our very spirits.

For quite sometime I have wanted to write about hardship and struggle. However, very recently I felt led in the spirit to write about endurance. The reason I love to write is more than half the time I don't have any idea what I'm going to even end up with which makes it much more like a journey. Very similar to the journey that we are going through today, tomorrow and for the rest of the days that God wishes us to be here.

One of my new favorite songs has a line that keeps ringing in my head:

His love endures forever...

Usually one wouldn't even takes time to think about the meaning. Sometimes we take the liberty of just reading or listening and not going into the depth of the meaning. Endurance sometimes to me is like rubbing sandpaper on my skin and me not saying a word.

Every time we sin we hurt God more than we can imagine, I'm talking about even "little sins" but the word of God says:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

God has a loving, forgiving hear, t man. He is the most awesome guy I know. He loves so us so much that he sacrificed his son.

How can you not love this God. Why won't we stop complaining about our lives and see the blessings He has given us. Why can't man up (or woman up), and live to learn. Learn to endure and grow stronger, we believe in a God who is ready to endure, why do we complain when we have to endure to glorify the name of God and bring pain to our flesh.

May the God of ages reign in our lives.

The great odessey

Along this journey of life, we halt at the valleys and mountain tops.. We have moments that we least expect.. moments that we wish wouldn't occur for the fear of them being too lovely that we won't have the heart to resume our journey.. These are moments that gladden our hearts and bring liberty to our spirit. They are like vacation spots that take us away from the routines and allow us to just be.

Yet instead of keeping ourselves from receiving such timely moments we might as well embrace them for what their worth in a time we are in. Perhaps these moments give us hope & strength to pursue the rest of journey through. Maybe these moments make us feel the way we've only dreamed of. And perhaps these are gifts from above to put a smile on our face and bring a song to our soul..

Some stop overs can't be described..

And if these moments were to be our life without the long journey, I wonder if perhaps we would take them for granted..I guess these stop overs are much appreciated because they shine light in the void of our great odyssey. Taken by surprise, we let our hearts go to experience that which we held back n be enlightened enough to make it through.

So when you're on that stop over, you see what you've forgotten.. what you left behind at the back of your mind...

Sometimes we are afraid to embrace the good..the lovely not because they won't be good enough but just cause they might be too good to be true.

QUOTE

Our decisions and judgments can longer depend on the experience of the past but must totally be led by God even if our flesh thinks otherwise.

LEADER'S PERSPECTIVE

Rebuilding our church, means understanding the state of where those who serve with us are at through the power of the Spirit. It means digging deep into what our stewards truly think of their Church and know where we have fallen short to serve and nurture them. It may even mean surprising them with our passion to pursue them in spite of their doubts in our authority and love.

PSALM 20

Psalm 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

² May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.

³ May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
Selah

⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.

⁵ We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.

⁶ Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.

⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

⁸ They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

⁹ O LORD, ..
Answer us when we call!

To see Your Face

God in you is my delight.. You are my friend, my hidden treasure, my anchor in storms. And you are my shield, my pride, my glory. It is You who lifts my head up high..

In peace you let me lie down n sleep for you alone, make me dwell in refuge. In the morning you hear my voice, you answer my call. You have surrounded me with your favor and you never forsake me when I seek you. You have counseled me, instructed me and in the day of my disaster you were my support. You were the light through my darkness who kept my lamp burning and your help has made me great. You hide me in the shadow of your wings.

So, I will always keep my eyes on you for with you at my right hand I will not be shaken.. My desire is that I may see your face. And when I awake I shall surely be satisfied with seeing Your likeness.

The words of David in a true record of my own.

PASSION TO LIVE

Based on a question I've been asked more than once.

Unknown to what tomorrow brings I'm asked what keeps my spirit alive. What is my fire. I have no great answer or goal except this that I may help another become what God created them to be. My passion is not limited, neither can it be put in a box for truly I can't tell you one specific thing that allures me except for this, that I may use artistry to inspire.

I could be a lotta things but I doubt any of it could satisfy me as it does to make a difference & bring hope to a soul. I guess I could write you a letter, buy you a gift, prophesy or pray, encourage you or serve you. I could make a film or write a song.. I could call u up or send you a text.. I could publish a book..cook you a meal.. Take you to dinner.. Love you.. be a friend.. help you out.. listen.. counsel.. I could paint you a picture..teach you, lead you.. I could do more..all for the love of lifting you to greatness..

..allow me to serve you crazy creatively and as you do that you'll give me a passion to live.

TRUTH

Darkness can never hide the light just as a lie can never overshadow the truth. Just as the moon comes up for a while so must it go down that the sun may rise in it's power and might. Darkness has its moment.. but only for a while until the truth has been set free.. Truth can only be hidden for a while until it exposes what's real. One cannot hide from the light forever, for darkness is not all that dark at all in the measure of light.

But only for a moment does darkness dwell, unable to hide what is true. Truth reveals herself, is restored and shines bright like a city on hill that cannot be hidden.

Thus why should truth hide and sacrifice her presence? Why should she cry or be afraid to declare herself if darkness can only veil her for just a while..

N.B No matter how or when, the truth will always prevail. (It's all just a matter of time)

Holy Spirit

If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, you'd understand beyond what you can see and know beyond what someone says. The spirit is able to discern true joy, sadness or deceit. It exposes the source, revealing the truth beyond what you'd think for yourself.

The spirit is sensitive to others, allowing you to see through the eyes of God for who people really are and for what's really going on in their hearts & in their lives. And that same Spirit enables you to respond to them in wisdom, where you speak the truth at the right time with perfect accuracy. The Spirit shares knowledge through you that brings joy to others and enables you to be a friend to the broken, the misunderstood and labeled. The Spirit is inoffensive.

The Spirit reveals secrets and mysteries that are hidden, partners with you through decisions & is the peace-maker of all time. It helps you operate in justice, even though experience lingers on and brings peace even though you've moved in faith.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Selah

Patience

I can't stand to wait at the traffic signal, it so gets on my nerves. Even though I don't drive yet (yes, I will get my license soon in faith), I still can't wait. Most people are very impatient individuals, we as people want everything to be at our immediate disposal, everybody today wants to get rich overnight, wants to get famous overnight, wants success overnight. Then we wonder why God doesn't give us these things that we desire for, we wait one day and on the second day we're already tired of waiting. Sometimes we think that we've reached a point where we are faithful to God and believe that we deserve to get those things we desire, but, we're not quite there. When I woke up today God put a beautiful revelation into my heart: our God is the most sensitive and tasteful artist. He wants us, his creation to be perfect. If you observe a true artist, they won't care how much time it takes to perfect their work, they will make sure that they keep struggling to perfect it with all they have, are willing to go above their limits to perfect their art.

Our God is willing to take His time to make sure we become the perfect example of creation. God is so proud to have created us. A quote that spoke to my heart is Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind."

Our God is the God of love, He is patient.

God took time to make sure that David was worthy to become king when he did, David went through all sorts of hardships to become king, even though he had a heart for God, he had faith in God when he was younger, but God made sure that David would be a worthy king when he did, so David had to wait. Joseph had to spend years as a slave and then in prison before he was put in his position of authority. Moses had to spend sixty years in Midian before God sent Him to lead His people out of Egypt. When I was younger I wished to grow very fast, but now my heart has learnt patience and now I savor the journey with God.

Be like love. Be Patient.

Identity

Our identity should never be based on what we do but on who we are. When all is said and done & our time is up I never want to be known for my works & skill but rather for the person I was in Christ. I want to be known for my obedience to Him rather than a fulfiller of my dreams. Being titled a creative ingenious is nothing compared to being called a true Christ-lover. My identity is not what I do or how much I've accomplished. My identity is simply in Him who lives in me.

FREEDOM

Every passing moment is a gift to us from God..If only we could see things from the eye of the future & look back, we'd believe. We crave for more & what we think we need, when actually where we are at and who we know now are a gift from God already. When we rush into that which is meant for later, we loose out on the beauty and power of NOW. The joy of experiencing timely blessing looses essence & our desires become the entrapment. God offers us freedom. Yet, we choose other wise. We have been taught to follow our hearts but I'd rather follow God's for He knows the plans He has for me; plans to give me a hope and a future.

Know that we are not bound by anything and that the future is ours Know that if we choose the wrong door, there may be no turning back.. no chance to pursue our dreams..maybe no chance to even dream. Even more, know that some decisions cost us everything and that experience doesn't necessarily have to always be our teacher. Learn from the Truth that comes your way through the story of friends who just pass you by..whether through a book, a song, or reality.

However..

it does not mean that we have to live by the norms of man made standards 'cause if we do that, we are setting goals based on others' expectations, not God's. In fact, we find ourselves chasing after someone else's aspirations. After all, there is a God-time for everything and that time line is different for each individual.

Living in the freedom of God means that we are not bound by a time span set by man or culture over our lives. With God it's never too late nor too early. With God's it's perfect and perfectly done. Beautifully put, in the Bible, notice that no two stories or lives are the same. Everyone's life was unique. God limited no one in His perfect will.

If we give in to God's freedom & we'll never find ourselves disappointed. When we walk in His will time nor age binds us. Our story is different.

* There is never a set way as to how & when one has to accomplish things in life except to live in the God-time even if it goes against the norms. There's nothing wrong with standing out as long as you are where God wants you to be.

Our future is limitless when we walk in His will for us today.

- Mary was Betrothed to Joseph at a young age
- The oldest person in the bible was Methuselah. He died at the age of 969 years .
- Sarah was ninety years old when God promised that she would have her first child.
- David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
- Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years.
- When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah
- Paul never married.

Burning Guitar

Passion in my heart that I can't burn out,

Love so deep it runs into the ground,

Love so real I can find no impurity in this sound,

Playing the chords that bring my spirit closer to You,

Singing the songs of Your majesty,

Somehow these words of mine seem to be too few,

Singing these songs as my love to You I renew,

As I play and get lost in these patterns feeling a strange awe,

The sensations of Your presence seems to cover every flaw,

The melodies that play somewhere in my heart,

Playing in simple strums, rivers of grace flow through every part,

Calling out to Your name until these worlds falls apart,

Singing these songs in a fulfilling desire,

As this guitar is burning in Your fire...

Everyday Warfare

So here's the deal.. Experience changes us.. They transform us into people that we hardly recognize or like. It's like a car accident.. You hurt, you heal, you recover but they never tell you about the repercussions until you get into your car one day and realize you can't turn the key cause your hands are shaking. They never warn you bout the long terms affects that occur within.. the ones that you can't physically see. Experience of various kinds, shapes and sizes confront us bringing pain of different sorts and depth. Yet they teach us, mould us and make us more than we ever were before but more than that, they change us & affect us in a way that we ourselves are not aware of until some day. But don't be ashamed of change even though you find that your unfamiliar with yourself.. for now you are the soldier who has come back home from war, whose face shows strength & courage that speaks of every battle you've fought.

Don't be ashamed of the quiet spirit and hard countenance or the fact that you are now a man of few words. Just know that these are qualities that you can't behold had you never been through warfare.

grace

so check this out...I bought a few packets of tiny balls that were purple, transparent, grey and blue from India. So here's what you do with them - you put them into a bowl for at least an hour, immersed in water. And after a particular period of time is over, they absorb the water and hence they become the size of marbles. So I was so happy that they worked out fine and everything was going good. But after a few days, I noticed that they were reducing again and not surprisingly, the reason was the water had gone dry. They had nothing to draw moisture, or in much more literal terms, they didn't get the 'food' they needed. I left a few out and they shrank back to their original size - slowly but it happened. And as long as I ensured that they got their water, they remained 'healthy and whole'. So all this got me thinking about spiritual food. And naturally, we can relate. Personally, there are days when I'm just too tired to even pick up my Bible and for a long time (a few months back)....I just didn't read it. The changes weren't sudden. It wasn't like I didn't wake up the next morning (obviously, I did). God didn't pelt me with thunder and heap burning coals upon my head. But eventually, my spirit grew weaker - it had to grow so pathetically weak that I barely could make it past an hour (at the most) without life-threatening thoughts entering my head - for me to notice it (my ignorance is quite note-worthy). I realized I had turned into the insignificant person I was before I knew God. I hadn't died - but I wasn't doing anything to help me fulfill my God-given purpose. I was alive - but insignificantly so. And then began the fattening process (again) - it probably (probably - ha!) hasn't gotten very far but I'm on the road. Somewhere along this road I realized that I could've chosen to stay 'just alive'. I could've existed. I could've given up hope; convinced myself that my spirit was a goner; that God had better things to do. The thing with those ball-y thingies was that even when it returned to its original state - when put in water, it could be restored! It would still take an hour or so to return to its previous splendour but it could. That's when I figured that all the time, we are the one's who give up on grace. We shut the door and believe its gone. God's always there. He's the fountain that never runs dry. The person who puts the ball thingies in the water is our will. The ball thingies is our spirit. Let's not give up. Even if its for the silliest thing possible. Just let God give you His grace. He wants to, you know.

unfolds

Am i standing
or am i taking a stand?
am i living
or is my living a lie?
i tell myself there's meaning
a reason to want for tomorrow
that the next sun will set
when the day's made some sense
and if it hasn't
it's better to wait till its done
till the stars are gone
are my excuses
nothing more than
a wanting to live?
or do i really believe
in the 'something' greater?
am i stronger
or is my weakness my strength?
am i drowning
or am i learning to breathe?
can i see clearer
or is everything getting closer?
i let myself get lost
in colours, the wondrous lights
i marvel at the flickering images
like paintings on the ocean bed
have i lost my mind
or am i finding it now?
this new sensation
was it meant to be an alien?
am i moving upstream
or is my vision tilted upside down?
it gets harder to make sense
of life anymore
maybe i wasn't meant to;
in this confusion, the running about
i see that the meaning i chased after
was by me, was in me
the 'something' greater unfolded
as my wisdom burnt to ashes

Indescribable

Like wind brushinng across my face,
I feel in my soul your heavenly grace,
I hear in my ears your sweet harmony,
Playing the notes of my salvation,
My spirit is touched by your love so pure,
Consumed by your spirit, my being lusts for more,
I feel more than a body, more than me when you are near,
Away from this misty world, my world becomes clear,
Your words so complete, more elegant than poetry,
Like an artist showing me colors I never did see,
Painting patterns that leave me in awe,
My existence incomplete, until between my lines did you draw...
-Aneel Samuel

Unshakable

Like a crazy composer who gets a melody in the middle of the night and wakes up from bed to write it down, in the same way I've just gotten up to write this down, on the verge of falling asleep.

I'm not sure if I even write this properly, but I know where this is coming from.

In many ways I feel that I'm like Moses. Moses wasn't a good speaker and stammered, I was the same way, not confident about anything, sometimes I still feel lacking in areas of life. People who develop the habit of stuttering are usually not confident that's why they can't speak properly. Imagine a person who wasn't confident enough to speak up, had enough faith in my Dad that oceans parted.

The transformation that God did in him, from the time he saw the burning bush, when he didn't have enough confidence to go back even when He was told by God, to the time when He had thousands of thousands of people standing behind him and his only place to turn to was God... that must've been indescribable.

Faith enough that oceans may part.

FRIENDSHIP QUOTE

When it comes to friendship, never be diplomatic ..Be brave, speak ur heart & express the truth.. True friends protect..true friends fortify.