There are opportunities all around!

There are opportunities all around you, there are opportunities all around us.
The question is, do you see them, do you notice them?
At times, opportunities may not appear as opportunities, they may come in the form of some set back or disadvantage, but it is an opportunity never the less.
The ability to see an opportunity for what it is, having the ability to foresee or being discerning is key!

It is a wonderful quality to be able to recognize opportunities.
I like the way Henry Ford put it. "Opportunities sometimes come disguised in the form of hard work"

"There is no substitute for hard work in the school of success"

I have heard it said before, that 'success is not about working hard but working smart'. 

 I have come to realize that even in the process of 'working smart' you will find yourself 'working hard'. 

There is no escaping working hard before succeeding, let's face it.

One man's disadvantage can be your opportunity. 

That may be your opportunity to show love, care, compassion or kindness to the disadvantaged individual.
Another man's poverty may be your opportunity to give.
Your riches may be your opportunity to assist a less fortunate person or better other people's lives.
There are opportunities all around us to serve, give, love, communicate and  fight for what is right.

Each day is a gift and opportunity from God to do right, think right, live right, forgive or serve people. 

Do you see each day of your life for what it really is?
Today is your opportunity to succeed, move in the right direction, take steps towards your success, your destiny and be who you should be.

King David in Bible times woke up one day a shepherd boy, but recognized a God given opportunity to serve his nation by fighting. 

He seized the opportunity courageously and it launched him into prominence and history!
Do you recognize the opportunities in each day of your life?
What do you want to do with your life? 

Today can be that day you start moving in the direction of becoming what the desire is.

 The opportunity is there. 

Time is an opportunity that has been given to every man. 

How do you spend your time?
Do you realize our opportunities are hidden in our moments?
For those who are destiny conscious, for those who have a dream and a vision, there is always something to do.
Change your perspective and your will see your opportunities.
Peace be!

JESUS, IN THIS 21ST CENTURY CONTEMPORARY TIMES

The Lord Jesus Christ is without doubt the most important man in human history. My reasons for coming to such a bold conclusion is numerous, for one there is no one who worked as many miracles as Jesus. The subject of miracles have been and will always be fascinating. The sacrifice of Jesus is unparalleled and not human, He is also the only spiritual leader who rose from the dead, knew His position in the after life and offered His followers a hope of what He has prepared for them beyond this world. It is also debatable and I stand to be corrected that there is no spiritual leader whose leadership, inspiration and wisdom has lasted as long as Jesus's has and will last as long.
 Jesus is a very interesting individual and I try to imagine how he would live in these contemporary times, I wonder how he would apply His God inspired wisdom in this information age, how his understanding which baffled the teachers of the law at the age of twelve would play out in the educational sector, and how he would teach about the Kingdom of God in these technological times, which illustrations and terms would He use for His parables in our time?
How will the wisdom of Jesus measure up and His personality and nature of His being shine through in this this modern, competitive, fast paced, business and commerce dispensation?
In Bible times, agriculture was one of the key illustration used to marshal the points of Jesus for the parables of Jesus because it was an agricultural age and dispensation.Our age is a technological and information age, an 'internet' age. How would Jesus use the internet to spread the gospel of the Kingdom? He would most likely use the tools at His disposal to advance the Kingdom of God. He would definitely use microphones to amplify his voice so that as many people as possible can hear Him whenever multitudes gathered to him to hear God's teachings and wisdom from His lips. How will Jesus dress in our times? He was a young man, I can imagine Him in a pair of jeans and ankle boots, I can imagine Him in t-shirts, sandals in summer, shorts when its hot, caps, hats and long sleeved shirts.Would he go for jewelry, perhaps. I can imagine a wedding band on his finger if he chose to get married. What kind of girl will he marry? Definitely a virtuous woman, or a woman or a lady who has been under his watch and His influence for sometime. Jesus was merciful and forgiving, He might marry a lady who doesn't have the most decent past but who is now reformed.
 I don't know if he would necessarily go for designers clothes or labels (He might) but I know He will exercise moderation and decency when it comes to dressing up. I can't imagine Jesus Christ wearing His pair of jeans trousers pulled down just slightly above his bum so that his inner pants can show. I wonder if He would wear perfumes, He probably will but He might be careful which brands He would go for. He will probably support other ministries financially and perhaps by endorsements and He might use their platforms to spread insights on the Kingdom of God as a guest minister in those churches.
If I was a Pastor, I will invite Jesus to my church to preach. That is one man I will gladly share my pulpit with.
 What would he teach if He is on earth today? He will probably be consistent with His message of the Kingdom of God and He would reveal to us the need to repent of our sins and turn from our wicked or wrong ways but I don't and can't see Him being unnecessarily controversial or critical. His ministry would very likely pay taxes as we see Him do, even miraculously in the new testament. What would His voice sound like? I can imagine His voice being very clear and His communication style very easy to understand. I can imagine Him teaching passionately and with authority.What kind of temptation would Jesus face? Every kind of temptation we face today is the kind of temptation He will face because 'he was tempted on all points as we are tempted' He would not be exempted from the temptation of anger, impatience, and fear but we know He would not fall victim to any temptation. He might have to battle with pornography and sexual temptation as every young man do today, after all 'he was tempted in all points as we are tempted' but unlike most young men in today's world He would not fall victim to those sins. As a young man myself, I would want Jesus to be my friend, it would be a privilege to have a friend that wise, that influential and so sacrificial.
Of course, Jesus would regularly make the headline news and will probably be a favourite of soft sell papers, journals, and the dailies.You can imagine Jesus would be popular!
I can imagine the likes of Hello and OK magazines interviewing Him a number of times. Ellen Degeneres might want to interview Him. His impact will be undeniable although He may not always want to be seen. I can imagine a very introverted side of Jesus, a private man who probably treasures His private times and moments, after all He has the characteristics of a lamb, He is the gentle lamb of God. I can also imagine a part of Jesus that is extroverted when it comes to the gospel and preaching, I can imagine Him speaking out when it comes to hypocrites on the pulpit, after all He does have some characteristics of a lion, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
What kind of music would He listen to? Will Jays Z, John Legend, R. Kelly,or Michael Jackson's kind of music appeal to Him, I really don't know I know but I do know He would definitely like gospel music, worship music for sure. I can imagine Him having CD and DVD collections of hymns and spiritual songs. He might be an Aled Jones fan. Perhaps he might like animation, cartoons and comic books. He might appreciate the creativity that has gone into such and the extent of  human talent and potential.
I can imagine channels like ITV and the BBC interviewing Him and asking loads of questions, I can imagine Him on talk shows and late night shows. I visualize him going Oprah Winfrey's talk show and Oprah being baffled by His wisdom.
He might look into publishing a book or books. Books that become best sellers in the country where they are published.
I wonder what career path Jesus would follow if He was on earth in our generation. I can't imagine Jesus being a lawyer, though I can imagine many intelligent lawyers trying to debate Him. I can imagine Jesus taking to a vocation or profession that involves direct contact with people, I can visualize Him taking to the medical profession where He would have time and access to healing people and caring for them. Jesus would probably be anything from a support worker, a carer, a medical doctor or a nurse. He could also be a teacher so as to impact on the leaders of tomorrow and impart godly wisdom to young children in either secondary schools or primary schools. I can also 'see' Jesus working as a staff in a nursery where He can carry babies, heal them, show affection to them and be a blessing to the parents and guardians of the children. He would probably be a nurse over being the doctor of a hospital simply because he would be more directly involved with patients than doctors are. Irrespective of whatever vocation or career path Jesus chooses, that would be secondary to His primary assignment of saving souls and preaching about the Kingdom.
I can imagine Jesus in our time being a very well informed young man who can persuade and debate on about any issue of life, what a pleasant person He will be to talk to. Because of His knowledge of agriculture who knows if he would want to be a farmer? I doubt it. But it's easy to assume He would go round visiting farmers and being a blessing to them and probably blessing their land and farm crops.
What hobbies would Jesus have in today's 21st century modern age? He would definitely like fishing as a relaxation sport or hobby, I can imagine a JESUS who wold join a fishing club where HE goes fishing with friends and has some of the most miraculous catch of fish either in size or quantity. I see Him using such sessions to teach and lecture about the Kingdom.
He will very likely have a good appetite! He will like all sorts of nice food and probably drink non alcoholic wine, He will very likely be adventurous with food and he will enjoy being invited by partners and friends for lunch or dinner. He will enjoy being visited or visiting others.
How would He transport/move around today? He would probably own a very nice car. Perhaps just one good, nice car, which can be debated that the virgin donkey He rode on into Jerusalem represents. I don't know if Jesus would own an array of cars today, but as a young man He might have a interest in cars. I don't think He will own a fleet of cars. He could ride in taxis, take the train and tube if need be and even walk when He has to. After all walking was the major way He moved around in Bible times.
As a single young man, there will be many ladies who desire to marry Him, especially in the christian circles. Who wouldn't want a competent and miracle working husband? He will very likely have multitudinal followings on twitter that the likes of lady Gaga and Beyonce would envy, and His facebook page will attract many likes. I can imagine Him being a very friendly young man who gets on with children, he would probably serve in the children's church or the children's ministry of a church, he would be a blessings to the children, carrying them and blessing them. I would definitely want Jesus to carry my son and befriend him. Would He carry His Bible about in public? Probably not, because He was the Word in flesh, He was a living, walking, talking Bible. But I don't see Him  being ashamed of the gospel. He'll probably take one with Him when He is going to church on Sunday or have one handed to Him whenever He is in church like we see Him do in the temple according to the Bible.
 As one of the followers of Jesus and a young man myself, understanding how he would live and compose Himself in these times is necessary, not just to me but every one who is a sincere follower of my Lord so that we can do what He would want us to do and live how He will want us to live and conduct ourselves the way He will want us to conduct ourselves.

THE BOKO HARAM MENACE

As a Nigerian I am concerned about the situation of things in my country Nigeria. I should be, and every responsible Nigerian should be concerned. The situation of things in Nigeria calls for concern.
Unemployment is massively high at the moment, the education sector is a shadow of what it used to be, we have not made the most of our tourism potential, we don't have stable power supply yet, the level of poverty is still huge, opportunities for the Nigerian youth is limited in many ways and worst of all security is not in place.
The level of insecurity in the country is high and my reasons for typing this is not far fetched.
Anyone who has been reading the papers and listening to the news will know Nigeria has not been a stranger in the last few years when it comes to disturbing world events.
Sometimes I don't know if I should weep for Nigeria, get angry on her behalf or just give up hope that things will be get better for my country. I can only hope against hope that things will get better for her as I have no other country I can call my own and I have family in Nigeria.
It's sad and unfortunate that the President of my country has not shown real leadership since the abduction of 273 girls in Borno State Nigeria by Islamic extremists (Boko Haram) but has been more concerned about a forthcoming election that is not even sure to hold. The world has eyes on Nigeria over this matter. 
It's about time President Goodluck Jonathan shows more remorse and true leadership over this matter. This is not the time to play politics, use lame diplomacy, or give excuses about the situation of things in the country. This is the time our commander in chief should rise up, demonstrate firm and true leadership, get our girls back, comfort Nigerians as a true political father should and rekindle the faith of Nigerians in the country which is at an all time low at the moment. He should paint a picture in our minds of the great potential the country and it's future has.
Boko Haram has become a menace and a disgrace to Nigeria and Nigerians! That diabolical and satanically motivated sect has become a plague and a blight on the country. The nation has the power, the resources and the military to get rid of them. That's why it baffles me that the President has not used the military might and intelligence he has around him to get rid of these cowards who are picking on innocent, vulnerable Nigerians, more recently innocent young girls who were going about their business trying to get an education.
How can some so called extremists be so depraved and archaic in this modern day and age?The kidnap of these young girls has become a global issue. This is not the type of rubbish Nigeria should be in the news for. Nigeria is a beautiful country that has enormous potential, man power, natural resources, lots of brilliant citizens, world class brains, and great weather and land for agriculture.
Nigeria has successful individuals world wide who have made an impact in various fields of life. But with this Boko Haram plague and menace troubling the country, all those qualities will hardly be considered or seen by the international community.
The leader of Boko Haram even had the audacity to send a video defying the nation, threatening and belittling the nation and scaring us by telling us that they will marry and sell of our daughters. What kind of distorted mindset do these charlatans have?
There is nothing that inspires like true leadership! Nigerians need true leadership!
This is the time for our President to swing into action, let him inspire us by his action, let his care for the nation revive our hopes. This is one of the many things Nigerians want to see and thirst for.
The Boko Haram threat reminds me of the Biblical Goliath and the nation of Israel. All the men of war in Israel had been rendered powerless on the battle front by fear as a result of Goliath's threat, Goliath's size and Goliath's battle history. In the same manner Boko Haram is using the fear strategy to hold a nation captive, they have maimed and destroyed lives, brought tears to many families, they have the bombs and the machine guns and they have been using them without mercy, they have probably become the Presidents greatest nightmare, just like Goliath became a forty day nightmare to King Saul. But hope came in the form of the shepherd boy for the nation of Israel, David the shepherd boy was the answer to Israel's prayers.
David being the answer to ridding the nation of Israel of their threat is symbolic of the most unlikely person or methods being the answer to national issues.
Boko Haram boasted that they have more sophisticated weaponry than the whole of Nigeria. Just the same way Goliath trusted in his armour and weapons. 
"Some trust in chariots, others in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord"
Perhaps the answer to the Boko Haram menace Nigeria is facing is not in our President or government, who knows? After all God's ways is different from ours.Whatever, whoever and wherever the answer may be, I hope it manifests soon. I hope our 'shepherd boy' will come with the solution we need. I hope our anointed one or anointed ones will come with the solution we need and rid Nigeria of this shame!
May God answer the prayer of Nigerians. Peace be upon Nigeria

THE NEXT BIG THING!

Imagine what it would be like if you had the power to see into the future,if you had the power to foresee events, if you had the power to predict the future. Wouldn't that be great?
You would know what to do to avoid costly mistakes, because you would see those mistakes before they happen. People would seek you out for your gift and ability and even be willing to pay you huge sums of money for the 'service' and help you can render them.
Of course, with such an ability you would be rich! You will know the winning ticket to buy for the lottery, the winning numbers to pick for that money giving quiz show and the government and other external agencies and bodies will seek your guidance in finding out how to solve future problems and how to avoid them.
Fortune 500 companies will seek you out to receive clarity about the future, so as to position themselves for relevance in the ever competitive business and financial world.
There is something about the human race that feels a need to know the future. Perhaps it's because of the fear of the future many people feel, or the insecurity that comes about as a result of our limitations as a people. Many people feel uncertain about the future, some fear facing the future, and many feel powerless when it comes to the issue of the future.
Perhaps this is part of the reason mediums and psychics make a fortune out of many.This is the reason many who claim to be 'prophets' and seers also make a good living. I believe there are true prophets or seers who have an ability to see into the future of a nation or an individual, depending on the revelations by God's Spirit given to them. I also believe such true prophets are perhaps in the minority in numbers.
With an ability to see the future, a technology company, a business investor and innovators would know what to do next to be above their competition and what the next big thing will be.
Hmmnn, the next big thing.
I believe proper positioning is one of the keys to success. There are people who are not the smartest of people, the shrewdest of business men or the most educated individuals but by some good fortune of being positioned at the right place at the right time they have found themselves at the top.Such positioning is what we christians call divine direction or divine guidance.
If only man could see into the future.
There was a time young men who pursued a career in football were not taken seriously, it was young men who were school drop outs, young men who were seen as less bright and not having a future that were relegated to football careers.But today all that has changed, football is one of the highest money generating sports in the world! If only some parents had foresight back then, perhaps their talented boys would have benefit from football being the next big thing if  their parents supported them when they showed an interest in it back then or had the privilege of being signed up by club sides.
Who knew microsoft would be the next big thing in the area of software and computing when it was starting off in a garage by a relatively unknown boy who was seen as a geek?
Who knew the impact and influence google would make as a company to the information age we are in when two young men came together to start it or the reach and success facebook would attain when Mark Zuckerberg started it as a social means of keeping in touch with his peers from University?
Who knows what the next big thing will be or who the next big 'thing' will be so we can invest in it, in him or her now before the world knows it.
I guess we never know.
That's why we are human, we have our limitations and our vision is limited when it comes to these matters.
Only God knows what and who the next big thing will be. And we need His strategies and direction
The best we can do is to be nice to one another, be sensitive and observant.
Like we say in Nigeria, "shine your eye"

HOW TO HANDLE ADVERSITY.

I once heard the story of a donkey a certain group of people didn't like.

 These people did everything in their power to get rid of this donkey, including digging up a big pit and pushing the donkey into it.

Similar to what that donkey experienced, not everyone will like you. that 
We are in such times today. 

We are in perilous times because there are perilous men out there. 

The Bible talks about perilous times in the latter days, and I believe these are the times we are in.

As we journey through life, its not everyone who will like us.
If you are on the path to your success and your dream not everyone will support you, in fact that is when adversity will arise most.

 Adversity might occur due to jealousy and envy or ignorant people misunderstanding you.

Liken yourself to that donkey I mentioned. 

The story goes on that those who pushed the donkey into the pit were upset the donkey didn't die after it was pushed into the pit. So they decided to bury it alive.
They started dishing dirt on the donkey, hoping to fill up the pit with the donkey buried in it.
You can liken the dishing of dirt on the donkey as criticisms, verbal attacks, sarcasm, being lied about and perhaps spiritual and physical attacks all with the intention of making you give up, its intended to drown and distract you.

The donkey handled the earth and dirt being shoveled at him the right way.
Each time the donkeys 'enemies' threw dirt and mud into the pit, the donkey shook it off, trampled them under his feet, and he kept doing that until he was rising higher. 

The mud and earth served as platforms for the donkey to rise higher.
This is how we should handle criticism and adversity. 

Use every effort of the enemy as a platform to rise higher by rejecting their efforts, trampling it under your feet and ignoring them.

The 'enemies' of this donkey eventually wore themselves out filling up the entire pit, by the time the pit was filled up, the donkey emerged on top of all the earth and mud which was enough to bring him to the ground surface and he walk away, going his way peacefully as his enemies watched him walk off. 

They were too tired to try and run after him because they had spent all their strength trying to bury him.
Right before their eyes the donkey walked off!

If you handle adversity with wisdom, just like that donkey, your enemies will watch you walk off freely and they will be powerless to do anything because they had spent all their strength trying to bring you down.

The Dreamers Journey To The Dream!

'The dreamers Journey To The Dream' is the newest work of the author Olutosin Ogunkolade.
Published through feedaread, it is an interesting small volume that can be easily carried around in today's busy and hectic world.
The book is  inspiring and encouraging, intended to awake the dream and the dreamer in every one who purchases a copy.
Written in words that are easy to understand, it cuts across every age group, and can encourage anyone at any level and stage of life.
Written by an author who has life experience, an author who has journeyed and is still journeying on that road to the dream, an author who has seen many of his own dreams become tangible manifestations. It is a book that will enlighten, inspire, educate and motivate the reader through insights, wisdom and knowledge gathered from study and applied practically in life.
GET YOUR COPIES TODAY!

http://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Dreamers-Journey-To-The-Dream-9781784073466.aspx

Of Christmas and Pagan Roots.

I was chatting with a young christian friend of mine about two days ago through my phones WhattsApp. As a kind gesture which is appropriate for the season I sent her a Christmas carol recording with some classic Christmas tunes. One of the songs, I believe it's by Bony M says "Mary's born child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day".
Being an intelligent, young, zealous christian lady, my teenage friend was ready to debate me with regards to the song.
'Jesus was not born on the 25th of December' she argued, and she doesn't believe in the Christmas celebration because Christmas has pagan roots. 'It was started by Pagans she claimed'
I understood her view, and I knew where she was coming from. I'm a 35 year old man, I have experienced quiet a number of Christmas celebrations in my young lifetime (I still consider myself a young man).
These are the typical discussions and debates that go on in the christian circles during this time of the year.
I tried to share and explain a few insights with her regarding this topic of discussion, and I tried to let her know I didn't want to bore her with details.
She asked me to go on, 'because I am the one who will educate you' she said.
Our discussion commenced.
At this point I must state that I celebrate Christmas, I appreciate the season and I love the motivation behind the giving of cards, gifts and spending time with family, loved ones and friends.
I tried to let my young friend understand that it is not only Christians God uses to establish things here on earth. That the Christmas date was 'picked' and started by people she sees purely as Pagans and not God's creation does not mean God may not have been the one orchestrating behind the scene. After all 'times and seasons are in His hands'
Many Christians make the mistake of thinking its only Christians God uses in this world, and if it is not made, created, put together, orchestrated or decided by a Christian it is wrong or evil in some way.
This is an erroneous way of thinking.
The Bible tells us 'God leads sinners in the way'. God can use a sinner, direct a sinner and bless a sinner as His ways are far different from ours. The Holy Scriptures and history is full of examples of people God used for great and specific purposes in the earth.
These are the things I was sharing with my friend as we exchanged texts back and forth.
I mentioned people like Nebuchadenezzer, King Cyrus as scriptural examples and I mentioned Julius Caesar as a historical figure as people who were not godly by Christian standards but God used them. They were Pagans and heathens in their time.
Nebuchadenezzer was the founder of the Babylonian empire, King Cyrus was the founder of the Persian empire and Julius Caesar is the man we have to thank for the calender structure we use in the world today.
The Bible informs us that God gave Nebuchadenezzer the glory he had and allowed him to build and establish Babylon, King Cyrus was specifically called a heathen, a wild 'crow' that God picked and anointed for a specific purpose. He released the Jews in captivity and supported the building of the temple in Jersualem, which was in line with prophecy.
The point I was trying to let my opinionated friend see is that the Christian celebration may have been started by Pagans but they may have been used by God to pick a date for the celebration of the birth of God's dear son.
'But Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible' she said.
Just the same way there are many words not used or mentioned in the Bible, I replied.
'If celebrating the birth of Jesus is that important, it should be mentioned at least once in the Bible' she said.
I went on to explain to her that that the Bible is clear about it- there was a celebration in heaven when Jesus Christ was born. The earth didn't celebrate it at that time because people have always been slow in catching up with God and spiritual realities.
'But it wasn't December the 25th Jesus was born' she said.
I replied giving an illustration that if she was to celebrate a son's birthday 3 months after his real birth month, does that mean the day she chose to celebrate her sons birthday should not be called her sons birthday? I wanted her to understand that it's the happiness of her son and the joy of the day that mattered and not whether that was the specific day and month.
She was beginning to understand my perspective but she still held on tenaciously to her views.
The spirit of love, unity, giving, and remembering the birth of Jesus is what is important. And this is what the Christmas season does. I don't know any other time of the year when people show so much love and demonstrate such kindness like Christmas. That is the essence of it. God gave His son, He demonstrated love.
The only issue I have about the season is that many people have lost the focus of what Christmas is about. The values from the season are good but the focus can be wrong. It's about Jesus!
The meals, the gathering, the good works and the music  is purposeless in my opinion without the focus of the day being about Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season!
Its about the Man, not so much the festivity.
So as we remember the birth of His son, we should give and demonstrate love like God has done.
Merry Christmas everyone!