GUSH, It’s Monday Again!

YES, it was a ‘LoNg weekend’ but I did not feel like waking up to go to work this morning. Who looks forward to Monday, anyway? I doubt if anyone does; certainly not if you work in my kind of office with my kind of supervisor and colleagues. Seriously, they freak me out all the time and make me hate work, really hate work. To think that I earn way less than my friends who work at “myrichfriends.com” just across the Province does not help matters. I sometimes wonder if my work or work in general is punishment. Why do we have to work anyway? If only I do not have to pay my bills. It’s only 8:30am on Monday morning and I am already looking forward to Friday at 4.

Are you like the ‘me’ I described above? Do you cringe at the thought of resuming unpleasant work with your coworkers after each weekend? Do you see work as punishment or necessary evil? Are you one of those who sing TGIF - Thank God It’s Friday and tempted to call in sick most Monday mornings? Great if you are not one of them but truth is many of us didn’t want the just passed ‘long weekend’ to be over so soon. After all, who does not like a little extra rest on a weekend? But if you happen to be in this group of what I would respectfully call ‘work-slaves’, I encourage you set yourself free and become a better you, starting this week. This may be a tough nut for you to crack but there is a way and you are better off starting to find it now. 

In reality I have been through some of those Monday moments described above and looking back from where I am now, I know it’s not fun and I feel compelled to write a note of encouragement to those who might still be suffering from the Monday fever. 

Here is how I got my freedom from work stress: I found my place and occupied it. Certainly, I have not arrived but I am not where I used to be. Looking back from where I am today, my perspective of work has changed and the feeling is different. Work is now fun and working long hours is norm. I can tell you from experience that you are healthier, happier and stronger if you enjoy your work. It’s about 1:30 in the morning as I write this article after a busy Sunday and I am not tasked. My call is to add value to people by inspiring them to overcome life’s dysfunctions and be the best God created them to be. When you are in your place, work is not something you dread or run away from but something you look towards. You do not keep your eyes on the clock or look forward to long weekends and statutory holidays just as reliefs from work. Instead, work will become pleasure and everything and everyone you love will be part of what you do and your creative ability will come to light.

Yes, work can be a pain if you are just working to pay bills. What punishment could be greater than doing everyday what you hate to do at all? There are many work-slaves in the labour market today, don’t be one of them. So, here are a few suggestions that you might find helpful:

Discover what you were created to do and start doing it

Everyone is created to complete a unique assignment in life and work is fun only when you know what that assignment is and you are doing it. The acid test for discovering your calling is God’s Word. No one knows more about the purpose of a product than the creator of that product. Study the Word and ask God in prayer to guide you to your assignment. Usually it would be an area where you get the most inspiration from God. God-ordained assignments are the easiest and most pleasurable to carry out. After identifying something that looks like what you want to spend your life on, and connecting with like-minds, ask yourself this fundamental question: “if money was not an issue, will I be doing this type of work? If your answer is no, you are probably doing the wrong thing.

The moment you know what your assignment is, start by connecting with people who are doing similar things. You will save time and stress by standing on their shoulders to see further. There is no need to re-invent the will; smart people improve on the work of previous generations. However, be careful not to hop into the first bus that looks like your interests. Interests are not the same as callings. For example, I am interested in dancing but I am not called to dance. If I join a dancing group today as a profession, it will be an unpleasant work for me. Stay where you find inspiration.

Start your own business and partner with like-minds

In some cases you may not find existing business that is a good match for your calling but you can start your own business -depending of course on your personality, skill set and nature of business. You may experience teething challenges at the beginning but once your business is up and running, you will be having so much fun that you won’t know how time flies. Where starting your own business is impractical for whatever reason, consider partnering with others. Even if you can do everything on your own it usually helps to partner with people of like-minds. Some business types operate even better when managed by a team of complementary individuals rather than a sole expert. Do not think of the capital to start with, think of the results your work will bring to your world and the smiles you would put on faces just by saying yes to your calling. The energy and peace that come from such approach will force the capital you need to come your way. Don’t we have enough evidence to show that people like to support noble courses?

Trust God to take care of you and avoid competition

     Did you know that it takes a lifetime to earn a living but a moment to receive favour from God? While toil when you can trust God? Learn to trust God to take care of you. You don’t have to earn your living to enjoy life; you just need to be at the right place doing the right thing. Your faithful God will ensure your needs are met. The wealthiest people are among those who do what they are ‘called to do’ rather than those who do what they ‘have to do’. When you start doing what God created you to do, he will take care of you but realize that you are on a mission and not in a competition. Even among those who have found their calling are some who have turned themselves into copy cats and competitors. Forget about trying to beat others, instead, focus on fulfilling your mission. Whatever God has assigned to you is unique to you. Even if many other people are doing similar things, they cannot do the same thing unless you give up your calling and abandon your post.
     
      Find your place, take your position, team up with like minds, trust God and you will be able to confidently say goodbye to “Gush, It’s Monday, Again” or TGIF –Thank God it’s Friday as a relief.  You will be able to say: TGIM- Thank God it’s Monday, TGIT –Thank God Its Tuesday, TGIW –Thank God It’s Wednesday, TGIT –Thank God It’s Thursdays, TGIF –Thank God It’s Friday, TGIS –Thank God It’s Saturday and TGIS- Thank God It’s Sunday!

      Enjoy your week! Enjoy your work! Become a better you!

¹¹He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and is without understanding.

Proverbs 12:11.

For comments or questions, please contact me at pokaka@solidrockchurchcanada.com

Protect Yourself Against Brain Bugs

You’ve heard of bed bugs but have you heard of brain bugs? A brain bug is any virtual parasite that resides in your mind, disturbs your sleep, interferes with your productive thinking, keeps you from doing what you want to do and pushes you to do what you don't want to do.

Brain bugs come in form of nagging thoughts, deadly desires, poison pleasures, insatiable appetites, knowledge and experiences from relationships and life events. Most adults have suffered from brain bugs at one time or another. Brain bugs can survive as parasites in people's minds for up to ten years or more. They gradually suck life and vitality out of their victims and keep them from reaching their potential. Brain bugs are generally resistant to psychotherapies and natural medicines. Beacuse these parasites can kill, we all need to know how to protect ourselves against brain bugs.

Symptoms

Common symptoms includes:

Fear, anger, anxiety, guilt, passion, depression, complacence (sleepwalking through life) lack of direction, (lack of sound judgement), insensitivity, inactivity, irritation, confusion, idecision, aggression, bitterness, resentment, hate, restlessness, and lack of peace of mind. If you have any of these, you may be infested with a brain bug.

Causes and Treatment:

Brain bug infestation is commonly caused by 

1. Exposure to Lies. 

2. Unhealthy information and experiences at home, school, work, etc. 

3. Victimization 

4. Major disapointments. 

5. Consumption of unwholesome foods. 

6. Association with people infested with brain bugs. 

7. Spiritual attacks.

The most reliable treatment for brain bug infestation is the right dose of TRUTH. Truth is found only in God's word spoken through the bible, his messengers of peace and visible creation. If you find yourself infested with any of the brain bugs described above, you need to get rid of the lies around you by listening to the TRUTH. Stop building your life on what the media, friends or movie stars tell you. Start building your life on the truth of God's word. Take a drink of the water of the word daily. It flushes the dirt’s, thoughts, ideas, lies that we pick up in our daily activities. The more water of life you drink, the more protected you are. God’s word keeps you clean.

As with all ailments, prevention is better than cure. The most reliable protection again brain bugs is brain hygiene. Don't wait until those bugs start to run around in your brain; guard your mind with diligence. Refuse to let anyone walk through your mind with their dirty feet. Avoid exposure to negative words, acts or people. You are not what your friends, employer, doctor, associates, partners, or even enemies say you are; you are who God says you are. Stay clean by feeding your mind with the TRUTH. It's clean, noble, praise worthy and healthy.

You will succeed!

@ SolidrockWe feed on the TRUTH

" 'Like Me' or I Die"

Facebook has called attention to an appeal that, until now, most of us made rather shyly. I am talking about the "LIKE ME" persuasion. We all want to be liked, don't we? I am yet to meet anyone who doesn't. Individuals and organizations alike crave to be liked and that is perfectly normal.
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Why? If no one likes us, we may feel lonely or rejected. If no one likes our business we would be out of business in no time. If friends and colleagues no longer like us, we lose motivation. If family members don't 'like us', we break up and go separate ways. In most cases our desire to be liked is legitimate; at least in this age of persuasion.
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However, the case is much deeper than "like me" on facebook. For many people, the "like me" appeal is really a critical "love me" cry of the heart. Why else would emotions run so wild for some as to seek the life of another person just because those people refuse to like them? Though it is not often said verbally, many children are crying out loud to their parents to love them. So are spouses to their partners, followers  to their leaders and even nations to their "big brother nations" The seriousness of this cry of the heart is seen in interpersonal conflicts in the workplace, bullying in schools, separation in homes, crises, oppression and rebellions in communities and nations and several cases of suicide. The degree to which people crave to be loved usually reflects the degree to which they are vulnerable and vulnerability makes victims of people. Don't we have victims of love starvation all around us? So, the universality of the "like me" appeal truly reveals the deep-seated need to be loved. Indeed, our world values LOVE and desperately need it NOW!
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The challenge, though, is this: Like most other essential commodities of life, giving and receiving love follows the laws of demand and supply. If the supply of a commodity (goods and services needed for daily sustenance) is low, demand for that commodity will be high and if supply is high demand will be low. It follows that the high demand for love in our world points to the scarcity of love in circulation. Why is this so? Because many people just do not have enough love for themselves and have very  little or none to share with others. Yes, everyone around you needs love. Some are desperately looking for love. From family members to school mates and from colleagues at work to friends at church, you may find love-starved individual sitting next to you. Are you one of these? There is a way:

You Must Sign the Deal to Enjoy the Benefits

If you are like me and many others, you don't like the word 'must'. Nonetheless, it is a word we see, hear and use every day. Aren't we all familiar with "you must enter your password to access the contents", "you must restart your computer to finish the installations" "you must stop at every stop sign before you proceed" and so on? Well, what we may not all be familiar with is "you must sign the deal to enjoy the FULL benefits of the blessing of God". 

We live at a time when many of us shy away from making commitments. Whether it is commitment to  marry, keep a job, build a relationship or the commitment to quit a bad habit, some of us find it difficult to take a stand. “I would love to but I just can’t make a commitment right now”, we would say. Or “I’ll try but can’t promise" or "give me some time to think about it". Usually, we say such things because we want to be free to change our minds whenever we want without losing 'anything'. However, we must remind ourselves that we cannot achieve 'anything' significant without making 'any' significant commitment. While we may be able to live without a commitment on little things, we cannot afford to overlook commitment on such big matters as living under the blessing or living under the curse. To enjoy the full benefits of God’s blessings we must sign a deal with God by accepting the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

The bible says “Can two walk together without agreement?” (Amos 3:3). The answer is no. You cannot serve two masters successfully. If you try you will displease both of them and lose out in the end. It’s either we are on God’s side or we are not. Anyone serious about enjoying the blessings of God must make up their mind to begin a father-child relationship with God and live by the terms of the blessing covenant that was handed to believers through Jesus Christ (Gal 3:13-14,29). We must make a choice. Think about this:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 30:15-19

Why did God have to tie the blessing to a covenant; you may ask. I believe it's because God wants to secure our commitment to live by the terms and avoid anything that would jeopardise the blessing like Adam did in the Garden. Without a contract or commitment, people tend to abuse privileges, run wild and often do great harm to themselves and others in the process. We must make a commitment to accept the love of Christ and live by God’s Word in our everyday affair if we want to enjoy the blessing.

Asking for a commitment to access the benefits of the blessing covenant is not a weird demand. Everyday life is designed to run on access codes. For example: You cannot get a loan from a bank without signing the loan contract, you cannot get a lawyer to represent you in the courts of law without signing a legal contract with him and you cannot get a driver’s licence without a signature. There are things we must do to experience other things and that includes signing the relationship deal with God to enjoy the full blessings of God.

Are you still sitting on the fence in matters of commitment to God? Today is a good opportunity for you to make up your mind who to follow, God or Satan. It cannot be both. Are you one of those blaming God for the evil in the world and the unfortunate circumstances in their lives?  Take a second look. God is a good God and wants you blessed. All you have to do is sign the blessing deal which is simple: Make up your mind and say yes to God and it's done. (Romans 10:8-10)

If fear of failure is your excuse, don't worry no one is perfect. God will give you grace so you won't have to do it all alone. Growth is a process and it happens by falling and rising. Weaknesses will remain weaknesses unless we make a commitment to overcome them. What's more, God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness. God is not looking for perfect people but honest people. David was not perfect. He committed adultery and murder (2 Sam 11). Yet God blessed David and said “I have found my servant David and with my holy oil have I anointed him” With whom my hand shall be established. Also my arm shall strengthen him.  Psalm 89:20-21. When we accept Jesus God gives us grace to stand.

Yes God’s blessing is available to ‘whoever’ but only those who append a HEART-SIGNATURE to the Blessing Covenant, will enjoy the full benefits. The blessing covenant requires a cooperation between humanity and divinity to operate. Make up your mind. Sign the deal! Accept the love of Christ and live by his Word everyday! If you do, you will become a better you.