Category: Lifestyle

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2019 – 25 Scriptures to Help Guide Your Goal Setting

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Failing to acknowledge and involve God as you plan for next year, is pride.

Yes, I said it.

This is the time of the year when everyone is writing and talking about “goal setting” and how to do it rightly. Everyone seems to know the best way and everything.

Brethren, setting smashing goals is important but hearing from God is “importanter”.

Amen?

And let the church say…

Amen!

Proverbs 16:9 NIV:In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

The reasons you should involve God in your goal setting are numerous.

I say all the time that “some things do not take time, they take God“.

Some of the things you wrote down, won’t happen even in your wildest dreams unless God is involved.

Also, I think it’s very important to set your goals alongside scriptures and prayers because it aligns you and makes you know what God wants.

Prov 16:3 AMP:Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Seeking God’s face as you set your goals gives you clarity and saves you from many unnecessary mistakes, it helps you know what goals to even set.

Seeking God’s face gives you strength and reminds you that you’re not alone.

I even recommend that you write these scriptures and everything God says to you, alongside your goals so that you’re constantly reminded of them when you go back to read your goals.

Please pray and study these scriptures as you set goals for the coming year.

1. Psalm 127:1KJV: Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2. Habakkuk 2:2AMP: And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.

3. Proverbs 29:18AMP: Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.

4. Habakkuk 2:3AMP: For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.

5. Luke 14:28AMP: For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?

6. Romans 12:2NIV: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will

7. 2 Chronicles 15:7AMP: Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.

8. Hebrews 10:35-36NIV: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded NIV:You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised

9. Proverbs 21:5ESV: The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

10. Philippians 3:14NIV: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

11. Philippians 4:13AMP: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

12. Psalm 37:4-5KJV: Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.KJV:Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

13. Psalm 37:7KJV: Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

14. Proverbs 15:22NIV: Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

15. Isaiah 32:8ESV: But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.

16. Isaiah 40:28ESV: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

17. Isaiah 40:29ESV: He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

18. Isaiah 40:30-31ESV: Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;ESV:but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

19. Isaiah 55:8-9ESV: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.ESV:For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

20. Isaiah 55:10-11ESV: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, :so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

21. Matthew 17:20ESV For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

22. Matthew 19:26ESV: But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

23. Ephesians 3:20NIV: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

24. Hebrews 12:1-2

NIV: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,NIV:fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

25. 2 Timothy 2:15AMP: Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

Finally, I pray that God sends you help from Zion. May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed and may 2019 be a productive and fulfilling year.- Psalm 20:4

God bless you.

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My Cheating Husband 2 – The Story of an Unusual Christian Wife

Tap here to read the First part (Part One)

Through valleys I will trust
Your spirit is enough, to keep me walking
You guide my every step
Speak life to me again
Lord I need You
Oh I need You

As I muttered those words from Hillsong’s “In Control”, I let the tears freely flow.

I flipped through the pages of my Bible, trying to concentrate on the words.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid

After I caught my husband in his office kissing Kate, a lady who lived not to far from our house, I left my matrimonial home for Mummy D’s.
That obviously wasn’t the worst my husband had done but that was the first time I had to go through the torture of seeing it with my eyes.
Femi had run after me, begging on his knees but I didn’t listen. I mean who would have?

******

“Fade, have you been praying for your husband?” Mummy D asked one evening after we said our prayers and were about to go to bed.

“No ma”

“Fade, why?”

“I’ve prayed mummy. I prayed tirelessly. I desperately hoped God would change Femi and how did that go for me? God is not listening, there’s no point. I’ve done nothing but love God all my life. I’ve served him. Now, barely a year into my marriage, it’s already a mess. Do I deserve this?”

“Unanswered prayers do not mean that God has turned his back on you. God gives the toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. You have done well so far, don’t give up Fade”

********

“I’ve been struggling with sexual sin since I was a teenager but I did my best to hide it when I met my wife because I didn’t want to loose her. I successfully hid it from her for 8 years”.

I watched in bewilderment as my husband explained his predicament to us.Mummy D had set a meeting with my husband and our Pastor in her house. 

“Why didn’t you just overcome it completely instead of hiding and trying to suppress it?” Pastor Felix asked, trying to hide the pity in his eyes as he looked at my husband.

“I tried but I couldn’t. I thought it’d leave when I got married”

“Why didn’t you seek help? Brother Femi, if you had taken the pain to get delivered of this habit, you would have been saving yourself innumerable challenges in future. Now look at the mess you have created”

“I’m ready to change Pastor. I’ll do all it takes, please. Help me”.

My husband went on his knees before me, tears pouring down his eyes.”Darling please. I’m sorry. Help me”.

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Could I forgive a man who cheated on me, not once, not twice, but multiple times?

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

“Darling please don’t give up on us. I love you and I won’t survive without you. Please don’t leave me. I’m ready to do everything I can to get rid of this habit. Baby, please”

Can one truly forgive a cheating spouse?

*******

It’s our fourth year anniversary.

My husband smiled as he held me with one hand and carried our 6 months old baby in the other and we walked into Church.

Forgiving Femi turned out to be a great decision as we have known peace and bliss ever since.

Through discipline, retreats, fasting and prayers, my husband was able to overcome his ungodly sexual appetite. He’s still a work in progress as he constantly renews his mind through God’s Word and strives towards complete victory.

It was hard at first, getting back the friendship and love we had lost, but we intentionally worked towards it and even though I’m still not quite there yet especially with trusting him, I believe I’ll get there with time.

     – THE END


I hope you enjoyed my story.

I am one person who is very skeptical about cheating generally more so in marriage but I’d love to know your opinion on such an issue. So what do you guys think, should a cheating partner be forgiven? Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Thank you ❀


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My Cheating Husband – The Story of an Unusual Christian Wife


“I don’t know why you still put up with this man Fade, isn’t it obvious he isn’t going to change?” 

I kept cutting the vegetables, pretending not to have heard my sister hit me hard with the truth.

“I mean who would have thought Femi would become such a beast with no human feelings whatsoever” She continued.

“Don’t call my husband that ever again!” I replied firmly, defending my husband as usual as I fought back hot tears that threatened to run down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry about that Sis, you know I’d never disrespect you, it’s just that I know how much pain you go through even though you hide it from everyone. And every time, it just makes me want to kill your husband. Why does he have to make you go through so much pain?” Funke said, as she cleaned the last dish and kept it in the rack.

“Thank you for helping me with those dishes Funke, I’ll make the vegetables now so you can eat before you leave” I said, walking to the sink to rinse the vegetables.

My sister kept quiet. She was tired of me, I knew. I kept making her and everyone trying to help me look like they were disturbing me. She was trying to help me but I kept defending my bad husband, Femi.

Femi.

The thought of what he could be doing right now, sent daggers through my heart.

Lord, make him stop please

My name is Fadekemi Williams and I’m a Lawyer and an author. I am married to Oluwafemi Williams, an accountant and the love of my life.

Femi wasn’t always a cheat. He had always been loving and faithful since our university days when we met. We did everything together then, read, attended fellowship, prayed and so on.
He was never a womanizer, He loved God and was committed to making me happy. Femi would never do anything to hurt me. It continued that way until 3 months after our fairytale wedding when things suddenly changed.

Three months after our wedding, my husband cheated on me with his secretary.

I knew.

I knew because I saw lipstick on his shirt that night after work.

I knew because he couldn’t look me in the eye.

I knew because the Holy Spirit told me and the Holy Spirit has never lied to me.

My husband had no explanation for his misbehaviour, yet I didn’t shout or insult him. Little did I know that, that was the beginning of my misery.

Femi became a perpetual cheat. He slept with different women and the fact that he cheated didn’t hurt me like the fact that ever day he did, I knew.

I cried every night. I tried to talk to my husband but he didn’t have any reasonable explanation.
Each time I spoke to him, he apologised and promised never to do it again. But he only stopped for few days after which he went out with a new woman.

I prayed. I told God to change him but it seemed like God had turned His back on me. I soon stopped praying for Femi to change, I would just go into my room and cry to God. I did that every night, crying my eyes out after pretending all day to everyone at work.
I was usually alone because my husband had a reason to come back late every day.
One day, I got tired of crying silently to God and shouted; “Since You have refused to change my husband or at least say something to me, then I think it’s time to do something by myself. FYI, I’m leaving Femi! Yes, You heard me. I am getting a divorce”.

I was shouting at the top of my voice in the empty house. If God couldn’t hear my stifled cries and whispered prayers, then perhaps He would hear my shout. And He did, because He replied.

Love Femi, just as I have loved you
What?
Love him, just as I have loved you

I couldn’t believe my ears. The first time God was saying anything about my cheating husband and all He could say was “Love him”?
He didn’t even offer to change Femi or at least approve of my request to report him to our pastor.

 “Fade!” My sister screamed, rudely bringing out of my chain of thoughts.

“I’m so sorry Funke, I got lost in thought”

“Clearly” Funke said, with an irritated look on her face.   


*************

That night, as I sat down in my well-furnished sitting room, waiting for my husband to come back home, my mind ran back to everything my sister said before she left my house. She had asked me to divorce my husband or at least report him to our pastor if I didn’t want a divorce.
If only she knew how much I wanted to tell everyone, about my husband’s infidelity. But the Holy Spirit would not let me. At least, not yet.
It hurt. It hurt very bad but I had grown to trust and obey God even when I didn’t understand.
The doorbell rang.
I stood up to open the door for my husband.

“Welcome” I said flatly, giving him a peck and collecting his brief case. I was beginning to look like a big fool, playing the whole Proverbs 31-woman role to a man who didn’t deserve it one bit. But what could I do? That was the instruction God gave me and I couldn’t disobey him. if I perish, I perish.

“Thank you, Fade” It had gotten that bad, my husband now called me by my name.


*******

After he had dinner, my husband came to the bedroom and held my hands “Fade, I’m sorry. I’ll change, don’t stop praying for me”
He left my hands and hugged me tightly. I could smell a woman’s cologne on him and once again, I knew my husband had cheated.

Lord why? This isn’t my husband, my Femi. The man I vowed to love for the rest of my life. The man I have been so crazily in love with since my first year in the university.

Tears splashed on my cheeks as I let him hug me and whisper lies into my ears. 


********


He had fallen asleep.
I gently removed his arms that were wrapped around me, stepped out of bed and tiptoed to the guest room.


At the guest room, I picked up the Bible that was on the table. We kept it there permanently for any guest that would visit us. We wanted everyone under our roof to be carried along in our spiritual lives.

Yes. My husband and I were that conscious of God. Everyone loved us, they thought we were the perfect couple.

Only few people knew about my husband’s infidelity; my sister and my best friend and they only knew because they had seen him with strange women by themselves so I couldn’t lie to them.

Every Sunday, we went to church and acted like everything was fine. I smiled bitterly, flipping through the Bible.

My phone buzzed.
I picked it up without looking at it to know who was calling.

“Fade darling”I immediately snapped to full consciousness. It was “Mummy D”, the closest mentor to my husband and I.

“Mummy D” I said, smiling. I didn’t realize how much I had missed her.

“How are you my darling?”

“I’m fine mummy”

“No, you’re not. Talk to me. How is your husband?”

“I’m fine mummy. Femi and I are doing well”

Tell her

What? Why was God be treating me this way? I thought we agreed that I shouldn’t tell anyone, why should He all of a sudden just ask me to tell mummy D?

“Fade, I was already sleeping. I had a bad dream about you and your husband and the Holy Spirit asked me to call you”

I burst into tears and poured it all out to my beloved mentor.

*******


The next day, I left my office around 12:00 noon, I intended taking lunch to my husband’s office. I drove through the estate, looking for a nice restaurant where I could get decent food.
It was hard because my husband and I rarely ate out. I was only buying food because I couldn’t go home to cook because of time.

I finally found a place that looked good. I stopped and got my husband’s favorite. I had to make use of their disposables because I hadn’t taken a food flask from home.
I didn’t know I’d take lunch to him at the office. I rarely did that. I was going to surprise him today. 

As I stepped into the reception before my husband’s personal office upstairs, I saw the shock on his new secretary’s face.

“Good morn
 afternoon ma” she stammered.

“Thank you. Is my husband in?” I said, wondering why the girl was fidgeting.

“No. Yes. No. He’s around ma”

“Alright, I’ll go in, thank you”I climbed the stairs leading to my husband’s office.

When I got to his door, I didn’t knock, I opened the door and walked in.

And immediately, I wished hadn’t 


********


Next episode on Friday.