damiOluwatoyinbo.com

God is good.

I promised to give you updates on my luggage.
Well, though the folks at AERO promised to send it on their subsequent flight, they forgot it again so I had to endure the pain of being without all the items I had put together for the trip.You can imagine how inconvenient that was.

However, I refused to let the devil take the glory.When it was time for me to preach, I put all that distraction aside and allowed God move the way He wanted to.It was out of this world.I knew the enemy wanted me to be distracted but He lost out.

The people were blessed.

I called the folks at AERO and told them not to bother sending it again.
I picked it up at the airport when I landed in Lagos.

Thankfully, it had not been tampered with in anyway.

Thank you for standing with me in prayer.Your care and prayers made a difference.

P.S:I’ve concluded that when I grow up I will own a private jet.I hope you have too.

I just came across this beautiful piece by Penny White and I believe we should all adapt it’s message…enjoy.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
Only I can change by choosing to do so.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first
making the most of today.

Beginning today I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time with and someone I would like to get to know better.

Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for growth and self-improvement.

Beginning today I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image,
my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope
for a brighter and better future.

Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy . . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music,
pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath . . .
pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.

Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

Beginning today. And every day.

Just a thought, but as I often think of you and realize how much God loves you, sometimes I think we need to also love ourselves through His eyes. God Bless.

Isn’t it amazing that we seem to enjoy waiting for everything to fall in place before we do what we know we ought to do?

We wait to feel better before we accept that we are healed.

We wait for goose pimples before we admit that we believe.

We  wait to feel better before we encourage others.

We wait to make more money before we give.

We wait to be appreciated before we celebrate others.

We wait to be motivated before we reach for our dreams.

We wait to have the contacts and connections before we start the business.

We wait to be fired before we release the enterpreneurs in us.

We wait for  financial crises before we take responsibility for our finances.

We wait for the doctor’s diagnosis before we take care of our health.

We wait for birthdays and christmas before we celebrate and celebrate with people.

We wait for the government to fix the Nation.

We wait for our spouses to provide what we should also contribute towards.

We wait for our kids to be better before we become better parents.

We wait for the pastor to preach until his nose bleeds before we obey God,

We wait for…

Ok.Seems I’ve been talking to much.Tell me.What are you waiting for?

On a serious note, I really want to know.

I was privileged to speak to a group of passionate youths yesterday and the day before.

It was a camp meeting and to say the atmosphere was supercharged would be an understatement.

I want to share a part of what I spoke about with you.

You can call them keys to transformation.I pitched my presentation against the backdrop of the inspiring story of David’s victory over Goliath and the Philistine army.

1. Tools

You need the right tools to fulfill your purpose in life.

A doctor has no need of screw drivers.

A capenter needs no stethoscopes.

A barber needs to syringes.

David understood that he needed stones and a sling to defeat goliath so he took a station break by the brook to pick up five smooth stones.

David knew he didn’t need Saul’s armour to defeat goliath.

He knew he had the right tools.

Your tool might be your voice, your imagination, your intelligence or passion.

Find it and begin to use it.

2.Training

No matter how good your tools are, if you don’t have the right training, you’d still be ineffective.

Imagine a tractor-driver in the cockpit of a boeing 737.

Imagine a chef trying to operate on a patient in a medical theatre.Even if he has the best tools, he’ll leave the patient in a worse state.

David had been trained in the backside of the desert.

You have to train in obscurity so that you can be effective when you get your opportunity.

Whenever God lays a demand on you, remember He is training you not draining you.

3.Test

Every test is an opportunity for you to become your best.

You can never be the best if you stay in your nest.If you will be the best, you have to pass the test.

David told Saul that he couldn’t use Saul’s armour because David hadn’t tested it.God tests you before He uses you.Every test reveals your strengths and weaknesses.David had defeated the lion and the bear before so when He faced Goliath, he had the confidence to speak against him and defeat him.

The next time you face a test, don’t run away, pass it.

4.Timing

If you want to be effective in life, you can’t just do anything at any time.Y ou must understand timing.David couldn’t have defeated Goliath if he had released the stone at just any time.He had to release it at the right time for it to hit the exact spot on Goliath’s forehead.

5.Teamwork

I can spend a whole day writing about teamwork and I will definitely put up several posts on teamwork on this blog as time goes on but let me put in a few words now.

John Maxwell says “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Great things are birthed through agreement.No matter how potent a man is, he can’t have a baby alone.He needs a woman to taem up with.David did not find any body to team up with, so he teamed up with God and got the victory.I know David didn’t win all by himself because when he released the stone into Goliath’s forehead, Goliath should have fallen on his back but he didn’t.He fell on his face.Someone must have pushed him from the back or what do you think?

If you are a real dreamer,you would have achieved some things this year.

If you are real dreamer, you would have also had a fair share of delays,disappointments and perhaps detours.

There were some things on your to-do list that you haven’t checked off yet.You have some pending projects, unfulfilled dreams.You know what I’m talking about.

You thought you would be married by now.

You thought you would have completed the building by now.

You thought you would have sealed that deal by now.

You thought you would be a graduate by now.

You thought you would have started that business  by now.

You thought your debtors would have paid you by now.

You thught you would have paid all your debt by now.

You thought your ministry would have grown by now.

But…

You were disappointed, delayed and you are about to conclude that you have been denied.

I know how you feel and I just want you to understand that it is not over yet.If God created the entire  universe in six days then He can empower you to accomplish your goals within the last seven days of this year.

A lot can still happen but you have to try again.

That old proverb comes in handy, “If at first you don’t succeeed, try again!”

Don’t get bitter, get better.See every disappointment as the initiation of another appointment.See every setback as a setup for a comeback.See delay as opportunity to refine yourself and perfect your craft.

Remember that life is in stages and men are in sizes.Make up your mind to grow bigger at every stage.Get better.Grow stronger.You remember that when you were a kid, you didn’t start walking the first day you tried.You learnt how to stand first.The you learn’t how to stand without holding on to anything or anyone.Then you tried to take your first step.You fell several times yet you tried again.Eventually, after several weeks or months you were walking by yourself, then you started to run.

if you didn’t give up[ as a child, then you cannot afford to give up now.

Try again.

Make friends again.

Make that call again.

Submit that proposal again.

Build that business again.

Go for it again.

If you don’t go, you’ll never know.So do it again and one day, you will have a lot to gain.