Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 08, Issue 05; Don’t Tell

A few Sundays ago, my pastor taught on a story of two women recorded in the 4th chapter of the book of second Kings that left my juices flowing. One of the women was a poor widow while the other was a woman of means. The poor widow had two sons whose freedom was under threat, while the woman of means was childless. They both needed a miracle and each of them exercised their faith to get it.

I studied and wrote an article on the woman of means some years back that has remained fresh in my mind ever since. I titled the article "it is well". I was utterly impressed by her manner in a time of tremendous trouble, and I have carried myself like her in my times of trouble ever since.

In this story retold by my pastor, the woman of means is portrayed as a woman who knows how to grab opportunities. She perceives Elisha as a man of God and asks her husband to build a room for him above their house. Prophet Elisha responds to her generosity by performing a miracle for her, without her asking. Within a year, she births forth a son. What she didn't realize is that the room she was building, she would later need for a miracle, the greatest miracle of her life.

One day, the boy fell ill while with his father, who had him sent home to his mother. He died on her lap shortly after.

You see, it was bad enough that she had no children, and she had gotten used to that pain and reproach. No wonder she didn’t bring it up when Elisha asked her what he could do for her. But to get the son she never had and then lose him, that's a different ball game all together.

The woman of means loses the love of her life, just like that, the son she had not asked for but was given because of her hospitality. Watch what she does from this point on. She takes the dead boy to the upper room and lays him on Elisha's bed.

Her son of promise dies. Because she is a woman of faith, she decides that she is not going to prepare a funeral service. She decides to go back to where it all started. Her manner from this point on is what impressed me much those years ago when I studied her. Her son has just died, but instead of bursting into wails, telling everyone what has happened, she decides “this is not how things are going to go down. This wasn’t part of the script”.

You see, sometimes life happens to us and we take it hands down. This woman of means wasn’t going to take life happening to her without a fight. What is outstanding is how she decides to go about it. She reckons no one has the power to fix it except the one who blessed her in the first place. She doesn’t even tell her husband that their son has died. She tells him all is well, but that she is on her way to find Elisha. She focuses her attention on finding the one who had blessed her, not the unthinkable that had just happened.

It is well, she says, when Elisha’s aide asks her if anything is the matter. Her child is lying dead on Elisha’s bed but she says it is well. I like how my pastor put it; as long as it is Jehazi who is asking, she says it is well.

Some of us are so quick to announce our problems to anyone and everyone. The story of this woman taught me that not just anyone gets to know my struggle, because they do not have the power to help me. I awaken the prayer warriors instead. It's not only that they can't fix it, telling them adds unnecessary noise to the situation and distracts my focus.

People of faith know who to talk to when they have a problem. Other people don’t need to know how bad things are. Tell them “it is well”, while you look for a solution. Sometimes the people you are confiding in cannot help you. Don't tell just anyone. Awaken prayer warriors to intercede with you. Go back to where it all started.

The faith of the woman of means gave her boldness. She told Elisha she wasn’t going to go back home unless he goes with her. Elisha sent his aide Jehazi ahead with his staff, but that wasn’t good enough for her. Don’t settle for alternatives, and don’t give up the fight. Push for the real deal.

Because she had honoured God, it was easy for Elisha to attend to her plea, to bring her child back to life. God honours those who honour him. Like the woman of means, look for opportunities to honour God, because as you honour Him, you position yourself for blessings.

I like something else my pastor brought out in this story. Elisha entered the house and found the boy stretched out on his bed dead. He prayed and lay on the boy, his body warmed up, but he was still dead. He went back and stretched himself upon the boy again. This time the boy sneezed and opened his eyes. Sometimes it’s not enough to pray once, go back to it again and again.

When trouble strikes, go back to where it all began. Whatever you obtain on your knees, in the presence of God, you maintain in the presence of God. Take your trouble to the one able to fix it. When overwhelmed, awaken the prayer warriors in your life to shake the heavens with you. Don’t tell just anyone. It is well.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 08, Issue 04; Board Your Bus

I have heard someone lament “Why isn’t God blessing what I am doing? Why can’t God give me even just one breakthrough? I love God, and my intentions are right. Why isn’t He helping me?” As much as their frustration left my heart breaking for them, what came to mind as I reflected on those questions is that God has no obligation to bless what He has not asked you or equipped you to do.

I believe God is always doing different things with different people every time. Our visions are not all similar, but there’s something for everyone. What is God rallying you behind this year? What vision has He put before you? Are you embracing that vision or running away from it? If God wants to do something, He will do it, with or without you, because you are not his only child. There are many of us, and He will work with whosoever will.

I have written about catching your vision for the year and running with it. I imagined I was on that route but it turned out I hadn’t caught my vision for 2018 yet. The start of last year was awesome for me. God released a great vision for me through my assembly and I caught on real quick. It didn’t take long before I penned down in great detail what that vision meant for, what my tents were, what I wanted God to enlarge, what stakes I wanted strengthened, and what cords I needed lengthened. I diligently rallied behind what God was doing around that vision all year long and got a lot out of it.

Come this year, I expected another grand vision. When my new pastor announced our theme for the new year, which turned out to be the theme for the entire ministry, I thought he failed us. I wanted a specific theme for our assembly like we had last year and the years before, that rode upon the overall theme for the entire ministry. But this new pastor didn’t have it, or so I thought.

I presumed the theme was broad and general, not specific for our assembly. I thought it had nothing for us to connect with and make returns on individually. Boy was I wrong. This morning in my quiet time, I learnt that the main reason I was hesitant to catch this vision was that I didn’t want to lose out on the grand work God did last year. I wanted to hang onto that, or move on to something similar.

Now I see that I was wrong. I can't imagine I almost missed the bus, missed my bus! I almost missed out on what God wants to do in my life this year, on account of wanting to hang on to what He did last year. The truth I learnt this morning is that I have nothing to lose out on what God did last year. Since I tuned in, those gains are mine for the rest of my life, and the balloon can only get bigger, not smaller. Those gains can never be reversed as I continue in communion with the Lord.

I now see that God had a plan for me and my fellow congregants this year by starting with last year’s plan. He enlarged our tents for a purpose. He enlarged us to position us for impact. Now I know that His enlargement agenda wasn’t just for last year. He intends to keep it that way. Armed with this revelation, I am now ready to move on with Him to His agenda for me for this year, positioned for impact.

God wants to position my fellow assembly congregants and I for impact, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and I am not going to miss out on that. And to think that I almost missed that! Unbelievable. My eyes are opened. I have bought my ticket and boarded my bus. I don't have it all figured out yet but the game is on.

God is always doing something. Sometimes when the year passes by and we have nothing to show for it, it’s not because God passed us by, but rather we didn’t plug in to what He was doing. We had our own agenda that God had no obligation to bless. Just because everyone is investing in real estate for instance doesn’t mean that is God’s agenda for you. Find out what God has lined up for you and plug in to it. There are several buses being boarded at the start of this year. Only one of them is yours. Don’t miss your bus.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 08, Issue 03; It’s Not Business As Usual

Keep your mind turning on the things you want to do this year. Nothing remains the same. The pages have turned. Every new year is an opportunity to take things to a higher level. If God doesn’t settle for one big achievement, neither should we. We have an opportunity to write a new chapter of our lives.

My mind has been on this since the year started. I wrote down the things I want to do better, boundaries I want to burst, heights I want to scale in 2018. It doesn’t cost anything to dream. If you can picture it, you can align yourself to attain it. You may not hit the mark, but without a target you stand no chance to do anything great.

I always remember something my former boss told me about 12 years ago. A lesson on procrastination from an old American man who had served in the army in his younger years. He told me that the year would come to an end whether you do something or you don’t. It may be hard to pick yourself up and go back to school, or have the baby you have been postponing having. But whether you do it or not, the year will come to an end. When it does, you will have something to show for it or nothing to be proud of.

I have a relative abroad who shies away from coming back home on account that he has nothing to show for the many years he has been away. That’s how we are built. We want our days to count something. We want to make a difference for ourselves and for others. Each new year gives us an opportunity to do that. We keep trying by taking things a notch higher each year.

What do you want to do differently this year? You had a way of doing things last year that gave you lots of success or a little success. Consider what didn’t work that well that you would like to do differently this year. It’s true that you can’t expect to get different results if you keep doing things the same way. Two years ago, I stopped going to a local gym and started to work out at a home gym. Two years down the line I realized I am not that good at pushing myself when it comes to exercise, and decided to go back to the local gym. I am enjoying the challenge. What do you want to do differently this year for better results?

What do you want to continue doing this year? What is it that worked so well for you last year that you want to continue doing this year? I started walking about 5 miles a day in the morning early last year and I like how it makes me feel. This is definitely one of the things I want to continue doing. What are yours? List them down and keep yourself accountable.

What do you want to start doing this year? What have you learnt by yourself or from others that you like and think would be good for you to start doing? I decided to introduce pies in my cooking – Yummly is my new friend. My household in having a ball. Another fun thing I decided to do is have home parties to celebrate special occasions – enough with making reservations. I think sometimes we limit ourselves too much. We think we are too busy and too tired, and miss out on simple things that bring fun and enjoyment to ourselves and others.

What do you want to stop doing this year? What were you doing before that did you no good? Are there ties you need to break, people you need to stop listening to? Are there places you need to stop going to? The other Sunday my pastor said something in his sermon that I thought was quite powerful. He said, sometimes we are blessed but because of the company we keep, we are robbed of the blessings.

This is the best time to set things in motion to position yourself for higher success in 2018. Never start a new season with a business as usual mentality. It is not business as usual. It’s a new year, an opportunity to do better, to get it right. Position yourself to get it right at the home front. Think of the things you can do better for your spouse and children, your parents and siblings. List those things down and put them where you will see them regularly and do them. Don’t take your family and friends for granted. Think of what you can do differently or better at work to achieve better results. Are there better ways to handle your finances this year? Your nutrition and fitness, your entertainment, your spirituality, your intellectual development, your appearance, your environment, how you spend your time?

There’s always room for improvement even when you have done extremely well. I want to show up for every engagement a few minutes before time. I haven’t had much success with this yet, but I am not giving up. I want to eliminate rushing in my life. I want to stop expecting my children to behave like me, or do things the way I did them when I was their age. What do you want to do better? You never stop learning and improving.

Set the bar higher for yourself. Don’t pray as you prayed last year. Keep it up but go deeper. Allow God to expand your prayer strategies. Go further in your studying. Expand your generosity – do things for people more than you did last year. Do the things you love to do more this year. Get it right with your work-life balance; don’t overwork yourself all the time. Arrive on time. Treat people better, especially those closest to you. Give people a break, and don’t be too hard on yourself.

What do you want to do differently? What do you want to continue doing? What do you want to start doing? What do you want to stop doing? Make your list and go for it. You have the capacity to go further. Don’t limit yourself to last year’s standards.

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 08, Issue 02; It is Him, Not You

Earlier this month before going back to work, I took some time to think about the year ahead, plan and strategize for success. I found myself rather anxious about delivering great results at work. Coming from a year with such great achievements, I feared that I may not have what it takes to match and exceed that.

It wasn’t until I remembered that I did not attain those results by my own prowess that my anxiety gave way to faith. It was by God’s enablement that I recorded great results. We miss it when we think we are the ones who make it happen. We achieve great things by God strengthening and empowering us as we yield to Him.

If you know that it is God who enabled you to succeed yesterday, then you don’t worry about not being good enough to pull it off again, because it is Him, and not you. God doesn’t change. If He helped you yesterday, He will help you today and tomorrow, as you continue to acknowledge and rely on Him. You also don’t have to be concerned about people plotting against you, because your success is God's doing, and not yours.

I once heard a teacher of the word of God say that many years ago she prayed that God would do something so great in her life and ministry that no one would doubt it was God and not her. God has tremendously surpassed her expectations, way beyond measure. Her life and ministry is impacting millions of people all over the world. We should dream big so that we are awed at what God gets to do in our lives.

God doesn’t promote the qualified, he qualifies the promoted. Never fret that you are not good enough. Do your best and trust God to take you places. Real promotion comes from God. If you play on God’s side, you don’t have to be concerned about dancing to the politics of the day or being a people pleaser to get ahead. As you diligently do your work, God will see to it that you are duly recognized and rewarded. When it doesn’t happen in line with your expectation, God gives you the grace to take it with a good attitude, and to be grateful for what you have.

Always present your case to God, for scripture says that if you ask, you shall receive. Note that it doesn’t say “wish”, it says “ask, and you shall receive”. Ask God to help you with every detail of your life. You will be amazed at the difference that makes. Ask God to help you with your work, so that you do it well. Ask God for wisdom, and to expand your understanding and comprehension of things. Ask God to promote you in life as you diligently serve Him. Ask God to set you apart for His glory. Ask, with the right motive, and you shall receive.

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 08, Issue 01: Expect More

2017 may have been great for you, but you ain’t seen nothing yet! You may have had a few things to celebrate: got a new job, a promotion, you graduated, won big favors, changed your neighborhood, address and maybe even status, got a new ride, signed great deals, soared high in business, tied the knot, enjoyed blissful relationships, brought forth a baby, got your weight back on track, made tons of money. Whatever it is that God made happen, gave you the grace to accomplish, you ain't seen nothing yet.

God never camps at one level. He keeps on doing great things. When I started paying attention a couple of years ago, by the end of every year since then, I thought each one was the best year ever, aspirations met, expectations surpassed. Don't get me wrong, none of these years were free of challenges or frustrations or disappointments or failures or tears. It's all about what you choose to focus on.

Taking stock of the past year in the last several days, like you I have noted that there were aspects of my life that were really great, in fact the best they had ever been. I couldn’t imagine wanting anything more. I was blown away and naturally content and didn’t have much of a request for anything else.

However, it didn’t take long before I was once again reminded that God doesn’t camp at one great happening or victory. He keeps on doing great things. God is always moving us from one level to another. His way is from glory to glory.

I thought I had not seen a year as great as 2017 on a personal level. God led me in a triumphant procession from battle to battle. Amazing things happened. I bet if you paid attention, you would say something similar or grander about your 2017. Then the new year started with some real shockers I almost bowed my head in despair. But it didn’t take long before I got my fight back on.

God showed up and turned things around. He set things on a level that leaves the greatness of 2017 pale in comparison to what is in store for the new year. I learnt, again, that sometimes trouble is a stepping stone for the next level of greatness.

I was happy with the awesome successes of 2017 but God had more in mind. He allowed the enemy to rock the boat to stir my appetite for more. Don’t be troubled by trouble because what the enemy means for your harm, God uses for your good. He turns things around and makes all things work together for your good.

I gleaned this from a quote I read somewhere. When faced with trouble, not only feel pain, accept it, learn from it, and fight through it. Turn your wounds into wisdom. Take a break to shed a tear but after you dust yourself off, get back and fight like you have never fought before. I think this says it all. Determine to rise above whatever trouble comes your way. Don't let it distract you from your journey.

Refuse to settle for the successes of 2017. Expect more in 2018. Don't mess up your opportunities for greater things in 2018 by reacting to situations or throwing in the towel. Get in agreement with God, get your fight on and respond to situations with a winner's attitude. God keeps on doing great things for sure. Don't miss out.

Lillian Chebosi