You Can Still Make A Turn Around Now!
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CLAM Pastor, WOLE OLADIYUN Explains
“Your destiny is decided not just by the will of God but by the choices you make”.
“Everything is a choice”.
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, … “ – Psalm 68:19.
Every day, God gives you two gifts: Choice and Chance. He gives you the choice of a good life and the chance to make the best of it. What you make of the daily benefits He entrusts your way is left to you.
Yes, the single greatest weight upon your shoulders can be that of making choices especially when the circumstance you face daily are less than ideal.
Now, let’s do this simple exercise.
Make a list of three decisions you have made that have not turned out well. Critically view the people you have in your circle, who in one way or the other influence the choices you make. Who are they? What are they to you?
Who do you listen to? Who are your friends? An American song writer, Nipsey Hussle wrote: “If you look at the people in your circle and you don’t get inspired, you don’t have a circle, you have a cage. “ This is true because the friends you keep will either make or mar you. No singular relationship will leave you as it meets you. It will either add to you or take away from you. With this knowledge, you must be deliberate about the kind of people you keep in your circle if you do not want to be caged.
So, evaluate your relationships. Who do you think you need to let go? Which friendship do you want to nurture?
Do you perceive such friendship as one going your way?
If not, why are you still hanging out with him? “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits. “” – 1 Corinthians 15:33. The relevance of worthy relationships can never be over emphasised. You will never be able to make the right choices if you are never a good judge of character. You must guard your heart and choose the right relationships because this generation is driven by ego, and fastidious standards and because of these, many souls are ruined daily. Keep your head above negative energy and be conscious of the type of friendships you connect with. Surround yourself with great minds and be mindful of who speaks over your life.
The friends you keep determine the several key moments of your life. They are the voices that constantly speak either courage or fear into you.
Now, if you ever get access to a genuine and beneficial friendship, nurture it to the best of your ability.
In this age, it is worrisome that many young people are allowing social media make choices for them. You see, the only constant thing in life is change and innovation. You do not have to join the bandwagon because you want to belong! Ask yourself: “Will these steps I am taking lead me to where I desire to be in the next twenty years? “ How much time do you dedicate to social media daily? Does the
time you spend on social media help or distract you? You must understand that social media life is not real. People will always push the narratives they want you to believe out there, and if you are unwise, you will take it all in hook, line and sinker. Then when you cannot get the results they claimed they have been getting, you may become depressed and discouraged. Many of these people you see on social media do not show you their real struggles; they do not show you the true way they amassed the supposed wealth they claim to have, they only show you the results they want you to see, knowing that the gullible ones will allow the lifestyles they portray to influence their choices.
Following their dictates or trying to copy their perceived lifestyles will only lead you into frustration. If you want a better life for yourself, you must make a detour now, and
begin to make the right choices for yourself. “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” – Frank Zappa
WHAT CAN I DO?
“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another”. – Napoleon Hill.
- Make a list of the things you will begin to do differently.
- Identify God honouring ways that can help you handle those specific situations you have identified, better.
- Think positively about your life in order to heal from past resentments and experiences, so that you can be at peace with yourself.
- You have criticised yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Begin to approve of yourself and the true efforts you make; then check out what will begin to happen to you.
- Love yourself genuinely; set boundaries for yourself.
- Let go of things you cannot control.
- Understand that your time and energy are precious so, choose how you use them.
- Teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and will not accept. When they realise that they can no longer influence you in the wrong ways, they will begin to dig up who you used to be, ignore them!
You are no longer who you used to be; you are now who you have chosen to be.
- What God knows about you is more important than what others think about you. God knows your heart!
- Come to the knowledge of who you are in Christ.
When you do, you will stop being pressured into wanting to ‘feel among’ even when you know it is detrimental.
- Nothing outward can defeat the internal conception and conviction if your inner dialogue is strong enough. So, speak the truth to yourself always!
- Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to make right choice. (James 1:5) God has given u the ability to make wise choice ; He gifted us the Holy Spirit as the “wise voice” to help and encourage us to make right choices.
- Remember that people will always give efforts to what is important to them. Ensure that what takes your effort is relevant to your future. Prioritize!
- Understand that you cannot achieve high standards without a high level of discipline; so, be deliberate about living a disciplined life.
- No matter what you are going through, never stop praying!
- Now, do not just make any choice, rather, you must begin to make the right choices.
THE SALVATION MESSAGE
“Nothing harms or destroys us but the wrong use of that liberty of choice which God has entrusted to us”.
– William Law
Choose life!
Why do I need to make this choice?
It is because, “There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death”. – Proverbs 14: 12
There is a better way that leads to life.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”.
– Matthew 7: 13-14 (NIV)
How do I find this better way?
By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
Will you humbly make this confession?
Dear Jesus, I (insert your name) humbly come before Your throne of mercy today as I acknowledge my sins. I repent and forsake them. I receive Your gift of eternal life and I reject Satan and his works. I confess that You, Jesus, are my LORD and Saviour from this day forward. Amen!
