When I watch the video and listen to the lyrics of the track by this popular Nigerian Band PSquare, I cannot help but agree with them that “ei no easy”. In other words, nothing good comes easy. I further analyse the rendition to mean there is no Rose without thorns. There was no Glory for Christ without the crown of thorns on His head. If Christ had given up on the way we would have been doomed for good. Our sentence would have been final with no alternatives for appeal.

There is no joy in the morning without sorrow and weeping in the night. No gain without some sort of pain. Even those who’ve had it “easy” all their lives also cry at night, hence the saying “pretty girls also cry at night”. They just might not cry in public nor are their tears exposed to the public eyes all the time. Sometimes we humans cry alone and then quickly dry our tears when it’s time to smile to the camera the very next minute or the next day. We seal our pains and tuck them in our hearts and consequently find ourselves sealing our testimonies in our briefcases. Not everyone can tuck in the emotions, no two persons are wired the same way. And that is why sometimes some of us cry to God in public allowing others to share our sorrows, relate to our emotions, keep track of our testimonies and then become strengthened in their own hidden struggles so as to see the source of our strength and the source of our salvation.

WHICH IS THE BEST WAY?

 No way is wrong. To me I’d say all ways are right if they were synchronised with the way of the Lord.  A sister and model of mine Laura Ngaba Tinzoh once inspired me with a message on our Shepherd’s Bag Christian forum. The message stated that we might never know our own strengths until we actually give our strengths a try. That was also in line with Late Whitney Houston’s track “I didn’t know my own strength”. We truly can never know our own strengths until we persevere with Christ and allow Him empower us to bring out our best, for the best.

How often do we do our best while expecting God to handle the rest? Are we chicken hearted quitters frightened by barking dogs like the devil and naysayers that can never bite?  Are we enticed by false prophets and extreme dooms day fanatics that send us back into our “onion shells” when the world was just waiting for us to mount the stage? (Read Parable of the Onion in, Phonecall In the Rain chapter 1).  Are we the unstable ones,  blown by the wind to all directions finding no gravity in any of the unsolicited directions, simply because we seek to please the world and displease our inner selves and even our God? Do we fear the powerlessness of the intimidating crowd against the powerfulness of the one who owns our lives, destinies and the entire world?

Who can be against us if Christ is for us? Are we ready to do our best for Jesus so He could in turn handle the mountains on our paths?  If He could do it for David then no Goliath can stop us from victory. No victory is unattainable when we do our humble best, against all odds, apply diligence and determination putting on the full armour of the Word on this intellectual and spiritual  battlefield. Success shall surely come. Fear not!  Tremble not! Keep going forward and do not look back!

Do not be confused or distracted when others tell you their way is the only way it can be done. It could’ve worked for them no doubt but let God provide you with your own road map to the treasure hunt for eternity. The scriptures make it clear that Christ is the only way the truth and the life (John 14:6). It’s no rocket science therefore to figure out that no one has ever done it better than Jesus. We all have unique destinies and God alone knows how, when and by what means they shall be attained. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit ministering to you personally and you shall be just fine because your relationship with the father, the son and the spirit is absolutely personal and your story is just your story. How the good the bad and the ugly in your life will become the good, the better and the best, all depends on how you follow your unique template to success. The formular of every algebraic expression determines the outcome of the calculations. Your best could also come out from your worst passing through your good, your better and then Bingo!

Listen to the right people and you shall be just OK. Don’t panic if those who started off with you leave you alone to finish the race on your own. It’s your story anyways. Jesus used some help with His cross but had to mount it alone when the time came. Mary could not help, Joseph couldn’t either. As the carpenter that he was, Joseph’s help was not even solicited in building a cross for his adopted son Jesus. God sometimes, would expect us to let go some people, some places, some practices and some ideas so we could focus on the Lord and attain the unattainable. Sometimes, others let us go, betray us, stab us in the back, send us into the storm, but all these too are necessary recipes for our destinies because all things always work together for our good when we trust in the Lord. (Romans 8:28). No need being bitter if you feel overwhelmed in the process of giving it your best, even if all you get is a negative result. Like PSquare suggests, “if you fall,  wake up again, again and again and again ‘cos no one said it was gonna be easy” . So my take is this, if you could just bring yourself to understanding how the life of a victorious Christian operates you will recognise the signs as soon as you encounter some of the challenges Jesus, Joseph, David, Moses, Hannah, Esther, Mandella, others have encountered before you. Remember how many times Peter the one time uninvited bouncer for Jesus shamefully dropped Jesus in public like hot iron? THREE TIMES before the rooster could even crow once! Judas, a disciple who betrayed Jesus with a KISS sold Him off too, at a very cheap price as if He was some garage sale item. Yet, Judas could not even enjoy the money and committed suicide when he realised what he had done. Too bad he didn’t wait a little longer to realise that Jesus was not gonna hold anything against him because He knew that it was all programmed by God. It was meant to be that way. The journey to the cross needed some agents to make it as memorable as it will always be.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR US?

Count it all joy therefore when you face persecutions because it could mean God has stamped your life for greatness. His got eyes on you, imagine, the feeling that you were the first item on God’s agenda and all He wants is to watch and see how far you could go alone before He brings in the perfect dessert! At least if you are still alive after facing persecutions this means it’s not yet time to be a martyr; it hasn’t come to that…yet! There is surely some big task awaiting you in the Kingdom of God and that starts right here on earth. He won’t let a great testimony go to waste. He needs one life before death, not after death. Dead people can’t praise God and trust me, God knows this better than you and I. Look ahead for the chance to praise God for He will put a song of praise on your lips  (Psalm 40:3). But before then, how much can you praise Him even when the road is still rocky? Granted you made it this far, is it worth it looking back to the rocks that were thrown at you, the rocks that broke your toe-nails or looking forward to the carpet spread over the rock that never fails? My advice? Don’t look back! (Isaiah 43: 18-19).

Listen to the WORD and you shall be just perfect because all you need is a little effort, a little faith like a mustard seed and PAPA GOD will handle the rest. It’s just a matter of time, it might not be easy at the beginning, but God will surely handle the rest of the story.

You don’t need a flock of believers, you just need to be a believer yourself, set the pace for others to follow at the right time. There are innovators, early adopters, slow adopters and laggards as we learn in Lazarsfeld’s “Diffusion of Innovations” Model in Mass Communication theory. Same applies to any venture especially a sensitive venture like Christianity. It might take an actual experience of hell for people to believe that the rantings about God’s promises as well as His expectations from humankind go beyond an empty political campaign speech. It might take a personal encounter with the spirit or even a physical  Saul-to-Paul encounter to fall off our horses and realise who owns the world but truly it doesn’t have to come to that if we could just believe our best, however little our faith could be. If you are at the other side where you must tell others what it’s all about never stop trying to tell them what you believe is right. Don’t just tell them, verify with the word and share with them, practise the word and testify with your own life. There must be a testimony or two of what the Lord has done for you and what He can do for others. Someone might just be waiting to hear your voice to change their story.  Don’t give up giving it your best. But above all, tell yourself what is right and be sure to believe and do the right. Even without an atmosphere of competition, believe you can still beat your record in the race of life!

Now buddy, Do you believe? That’s the million dollar question.

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