Odedeyi Emmanuel

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own yet; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3: 13 (AMP)

Meditating on the experience of Isaac in Genesis 26, where Isaac was sent away from his place as a result of envy and on getting to a new place he decided to dig a well but the people of the land fought him over the land and took it up from him, he named the first well- Argument. But his men dug another well which they fought over again and he named that one- Opposition until he moved on to the one which he named Room enough and no one fought over that one.

Similarly, Peter the experienced fisherman having been frustrated throughout the night without catching a single fish but when Jesus told him to still let down the net for a catch, it was as if all hope was lost but Peter said, “nevertheless I will try because you say so”. And that one more single trial gave him a boat-sinking, net-breaking experience.

How often do we give up after a couple of attempts!

Someone once said, “Your result is the only proof that you have done your best”. The only thing that shows me that you are truly giving life all it takes is the fact that you have results to show for your efforts. This may sound mean but it is meant to propel you to work at your life till you get results.

Apostle Paul was an outstanding man of God who gave his divine calling everything till the point of death and would do anything for the gospel to be preached and so the prison, beatings, hazards, persecutions and afflictions didn’t really matter to him.

Friends, what is your purpose, pursuit, vision and passion for living?
How much time, energy, study and perseverance have you given your life?
What are you contemplating of giving up on?
What aspect of your life do you need to give just an extra attempt?
What well are you trying to dig?
How long have you been toiling without a catch?

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. -Thomas Carlyle

God’s word for you today is to give your life an extra push by refusing to give up easily after a few attempts because until you have results to show, your attempts are not yet enough.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Take time out of your busy schedule to give the necessary attention to your very life and ask the sincere question, Why am I not getting the desired result?

Among others, the reasons why people give up are;

• Lack of a definite purpose for living. Before you can do more than what you are doing now, you must be sure that you have set out a definite purpose for your life which must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound (SMART). Psalms 37: 5

• Lack of divine direction. For me, divine direction is key. Don’t just jump at opportunities because others are doing it, let God lead you. You can only lead a stress-free life by allowing God to lead you through His Word. And one of the acid test for divine direction is PEACE and PROGRESS. Anything you do and you lose your peace is not of God. Be wise! Psalms 32: 8

• Lack of inner strength. See what Proverbs 24: 10 says, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great”. Many just get fed up and tired easily. It is because of lack of strength within. God has what it takes to give us strength from within. No wonder Paul prayed that, “..from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5: 17

Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure. - Benjamin Disraeli


I penned down these words on the airplane enroute Lagos to Dubai last week and I know it will bless you;
Do more than being a jobseeker, start creating jobs
Do more than praying, fast
Do more than receiving, give and be a distribution centre
Do more than complaining, be a problem-solver
Do more than meeting your deadline, be purpose-driven
Do more than walking, run with a vision for living
Do more than loving, be committed
Do more than believing, trust God
Do more than passing through school, let the school pass through you
Do more than saying, I’ve tried my best better to say I can still try more
Do more than being global or local, be GLOCAL!


Shall we pray;
Lord, I receive grace not to give up at the very edge of my breakthrough. Amen

If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare and service I will wait, till my change and release shall come. Job 14:14 (AMP)

Before you read any further, let me put it straight to you from the very start; Have you ever felt as if God is slow? Have you ever waited on Him to the point where it seems He may never show up again? Have you ever wondered why it really takes time before God answers your prayers? Have you ever felt lonely, rejected or depressed? If you have answered an unqualified YES to any of these, then this note is for you.

There are times in our lives when all we want is just an answer as simple as YES or NO or even HOLD ON. But what happens when neither of these responses come and shame stares us in the face because people are eagerly expecting us to say something. Let me break it down to you;

Imagine a young man who after 5 – 10 years of completing high school keeps sitting for University entrance examinations without an admission.

If this same guy eventually gets admission and escapes ASUU axe after turning a 4-year course to 7years, he graduates and then goes through the one year “forced labour” of NYSC only to find out that he still needs to struggle for (x) no of years before he gets a meagre-paying job that can only pay his bills, if it can sustain him at all.

On the other side of the coin, imagine a lady who is really good looking and has a nice job to match, but wouldn’t just find the right guy after many years of prayers and waiting. And age is not helping too.

To push a little further, if this lady eventually gets married and then needs to still wait for a few years to have a child..

A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Peter 3: 8(NLT)

The scenarios above may look far-fetched but I tell you that it describes what someone somewhere has or is presently going through. But if indeed a year is like a thousand with God, then what we may claim to have been waiting to get for 10 years (our time) literarily has only been delayed for about 24minutes (His time). So how long have you been waiting on Him? Have you waited for an hour? Jesus told His disciples, Can’t you even watch with me for at least an hour?

Truth about God’s “seeming” Silence;

1. Our Sins
Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem—your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Isaiah 59:1- 2(NLT)
One of the major reasons why God may not respond to our call is our sinful nature. Even when Christ was on the cross He cried, My father, why hast thou forsaken me? This was because at this time Jesus was bearing our sins and God’s eyes are too pure to look at sin. So, when He refuses to speak, it may be as a result of our sins. And as you may know that sin includes all forms of disobedience. Or shall we continue in sin and ask that grace would continue? God forbid!

God will not give you a new instruction until you have obeyed the last one!

2. Our Impatience
Many are too busy talking. God does not talk when you are busy murmuring and complaining about everything. Even when we are not living in sin, we may be too desperate at times that we tend to brand God as slow. But read this, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake..” 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

God is not slow but He is actually exercising patience because of you. Why? He knows that if He gives you that thing now, you may not be able to properly manage it as much as you think you can. So, he gives more time to watch you mature. Personally, there are issues I thought I could handle so well about 5 years ago, but now with more insight I know I would have fumbled if I had ventured into them with my pre-mature knowledge 5 years earlier.

God is too responsible to mismanage your lives.

3. Our Ingratitude
We quickly forget past victories and deliverances He has wrought. One of the best things to do after checking through of the first two above and have cleared ourselves is to give thanks. Thanksgiving and praises makes God does fearful things.
Waiting on God is not the same as Wasting away.

Is yours admission, thank him that you even have a good result that can be considered for admission in the first place. I wrote my WAEC exams thrice because I couldn’t just pass Maths at my first two attempts but today I’m a Chartered Accountant and a lecturer at that.

Are you a jobseeker, thank God for seeing you through school in the first place because many didn’t survive what you went through, some dropped out, others fell off.

Are you a guy or a lady who is not yet married and you’ve wondering if God still answers prayers, thank God first that you are “marriageable”. Many are deformed or are in such state of ill-health that their only prayer is to be healthy first. Thank God for not being insane!

I can go on and on but I will rather let you THINK so that you can THANK.

When next it seems to you as if God is silent, be assured that He is right at work to give you your heart desires because if He neither slumbers nor sleep, then He must be busy working things out for you.
Smile!

Shall we pray;

Lord, give me a heart of gratitude to trust you even when it seems you are silent. Amen.