Honor is Given

“Honor is given and respect is earned” is a common quote used by most people but “Culture of Honor,” a book written by Danny Silk clearly illustrates what honor is. My highlight is about the two students from Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry who were in a relationship. The two students messed up during holidays and the lady conceived. It’s so amazing how Danny Silk responded when Banning, the second year pastor reported to him that the two students had had sex during summer and the girl was pregnant. He did not condemn them. He instead helped the students discover the root cause of the whole mess.  He treated them as free sons and daughters, not slaves. Probably, the students expected to be punished and chased out of the school which was not the case.

As leaders, our leadership has to be inspired by God and we need to have supernatural sensitivity to situations. For example; I have been once in a church where worship team members or church members become pregnant outside wedlock but the responses got from their leaders were never the best. They either became the topic of the day or would be ignored. Instead of helping members discover their identity, and helping them to clean up the mess, they were just condemned. As a result, they would stop coming to church and look for acceptance in other environments. In this book, Danny Silk searched for the glory, wisdom, and capability in the two students and received them in their God given identities. He assisted them own up the mistake and solve it. In one week, the students were able to contact their family members, church leaders, Pastor Bill Johnson and Kris Valloton and some other staff members. Danny Silk states that “Shame is removed through love.” Most times shame keeps people trapped in their mistakes by convincing them that there is nothing they can do but when we lovingly remove shame over friends, colleagues, etc. they become powerful.   Through love, the two students were able to clean up their mess.   They could not change the past, but they could go to those they loved and ask for forgiveness. Love cast out their fear and made them powerful again. When dealing with shameful situations, it is important to create a free environment and confrontation should be done in love. This way people are willing to; take responsibility for their decisions with truth and integrity, rather than blaming others or circumstances; refuse feelings of anxiety and hopelessness because they know they always have a choice, which gives them the power of self-control; affect their environments rather than being affected by them; set boundaries with those who do not value what they are doing; direct their own lives and visions, knowing they can manage themselves and also love and honor others.

According to Silk, much of what passes for restoration these days is nothing more than punishment; an attempt to control the offender and bring them back into a relationship with the rules. This is earthly wisdom which leads to shame which attacks our identity.

An old meaning of the word ‘restoration’ is to find someone with a royal bloodline who has been removed from the throne and then restore the person to that throne – to a position of honor. Silk recounts a number of stories of restoration based on the principles of honor and love. They are essentially testimonies of Christians being reminded that they were once darkness but are now light. Restoration is about helping people clean up their messes and live as children of light. The stories of restoration in this book are mind-blowing.

The heart of honor is to take the strength of my life and pour it into others. To be more specific, parents honor their children by giving them powerful choices. We honor our friends and spouses by helping them maximize their potential. We honor our leaders by supporting and strengthening them. Honor focuses on empowering the people around us, no matter who they are, or what their gender, age, status or role. Honor is led by love. And when we honor, we are protecting and nurturing our connections with each other. The goal should be to establish and maintain authentic relationship, rather than dominate another person. Honor communicates, ‘My relationship with you is more important than you doing what I want you to do. The result of a culture of honor is progress and momentum.

One of the most important question throughout “Culture of Honor” is, what is the problem? I have realized that until we isolate the real issue, the healing, transformation or change can’t start. So instead of using judgment or punishment to gain control out of chaos, it is vital to honor each other by restoring gently – Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” It is dishonoring to say or imply, “I have all the power… You have none.” Jesus doesn’t use His power to control us, nor does He desire to. When we confront others, it should be motivated by love and a desire for the success of the other person, not a need for control in the situation. Whenever we give people around us permission to be powerful and control themselves, there is the definite possibility that they will use the freedom to justify their selfish behavior. Consequently, the skills of confrontation are indispensable. For most people, the confrontation of sin can feel very threatening, and for some, may have ended disastrously in the past! When confrontation is ‘strategically applied pressure,’ it respectfully exposes areas needing strength and grace. In contrast, if you were to confront someone by accusing or intimidating them (eg. “Stop doing that, or else!”), then this would probably increase their anxiety, bring up their walls, and perhaps even provoke them to withdraw. However, when we confront someone with honor, we are letting the person know how our experience of their behavior is affecting us.

The other powerful insight from Culture of Honor was the fivefold ministries. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that God has anointed some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers. In the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. According to Danny Silk, this order is significant. Apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20). Why? Because their anointing is focused on perceiving what is going on in Heaven and bringing that to earth. Absent apostles and prophets and you will get a church that is built on a dysfunctional earth-to-heaven model. For example, a church built on a teacher will tend to focus on what God has done in the past and miss what He is doing now. In a church built on a pastoral anointing the people and their needs will be the main priority. In the Biblical model the priorities are apostles (heaven), prophets (spirit world), teachers (articulating the kingdom) and workers of miracles (the supernatural activity of the believers). Heaven’s design for leadership is based on a team of diverse anointing that work together in a culture of honor to release heaven on earth.

In conclusion, in the quest of helping people clean up their mess, there is need to create a platform for them to realize the root cause. This should be done through love and kindness. Since we are all still a work in progress, there is no need to cast blame.

Diffusion of the Too Good to be True News

Addison lays out five keys to spreading the Gospel. The book outlines what Addison sees as the five key elements present in movements that possess the capacity to spread the Gospel. A movement has been defined as the group of people pursuing a common cause and are characterized by discontent, vision, and action. For good or for evil, movements change the world. The five elements identified in the book are White-Hot Faith, Commitment to a Cause, Contagious Relationships, Rapid Mobilization, and Adaptive Methods. Before expanding upon each of the five elements, Addison opens the book by telling the story of St. Patrick and the missionary movement he started among the Irish Celts.

I like the fact that from the start of the book Addison makes it clear that any movement is going to be driven by God powerfully working in his peoples’ heart. Dynamic missionary movements cannot exist apart from the power of the Spirit.  This is what Addison describes as “White-Hot Faith.” Addison further explains this Spirit led dependence by what he calls, “Crisis” and “Process.” Crisis moments are explained as God’s initiative to “call a person to his service.” It is in these moments of crisis that “we renounce dependence on anything but the presence and power of God.” Process is defined as “all activities that deepen our relationship with God.” Addison gives several historical examples of movements that had Spiritual disciplines integrated into the rhythms of their members lives. For example, The Jesuits’ Spiritual Exercises of Loyola, Methodist and Moravian classes and bands which were accountability groups that met for prayer and confession of sin. The overall message was that no movement can be sustained on the initial crisis experience alone, there must be Spiritual disciplines to prepare the way for, and support, life changing experiences.

The great movements of the Christian faith are released through the presence and power of God in the midst of his people who are faithful to his Word, led by his Spirit, and engaged in his mission. Jesus brought his followers into the same ardent relationship he had with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He sent them to the ends of the earth with nothing but the message of salvation and the reality of Gods power.

“Committed people make history by living in alignment with their deeply held beliefs.”

In chapter 2, Addison points out obvious elements of a movement in the book. Addison once again utilizes a nice mix of scripture, history, and modern examples to make his case.  This particular quote stuck with me and I found it to be a valuable take away from the chapter: “Living organisms are constantly seeking self-renewal by referring back to their essential identity and adapting to their environment.” There is a necessity of commitment to a core identity, but also an element of adaptability that must be present in a movement for it to be sustainable.  Addison gives historical evidence for movements that declined due to losing their essential identity, as well as those who held their identity but failed to adapt. From my observation, people who change the world live in alignment with their deeply held beliefs. They build environments that sustain and reinforce commitment to their cause. Their agenda for change brings them into tension with the world around them, but they are also deeply connected with their world. It’s the combination of connection and distinction that enables movements to be catalysts for transformation.

Under contagious relationships, to quote Addison;

“It does not take vast amounts of money to fill a nation with the knowledge of the gospel. What it takes is ordinary people, on fire with the love of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who are willing to tell their families, friends and casual acquaintances what God has done for them.”

Chapter 3 was a great reminder of the existing relational networks that God has put us in that we often overlook. It reminds us of the importance of relationships and how historically movements have spread along these network lines.

“Movements appear to grow spontaneously and randomly, but on closer inspection they are spreading within and across networks of relationships.”

Addison helpfully clarifies that these relational networks must maintain some level of tightness, but remain open enough that others can come into the network. Much of what I gleamed from the chapter was immediately transferable and applicable to my own endeavor of my missional community growth.  I walked away with a renewed vigor to prayerfully and strategically think through the existing relational networks in my own life, identifying what Addison describes as “connectors,” and utilizing those people to help us expand our relational network. All of this so that we might deepen relationships and tell others of what God has done for us in Jesus. The most important factor in a person’s decision to adopt a new faith is a close and positive relationship with a committed believer. Missionary movements grow exponentially when the gospel spreads through networks of preexisting relationships. For continued growth, a movement must maintain open relationships with outsiders, and it must reach out into new, adjacent social networks. I plan to challenge ourselves as “As He Is” missional community members to always come with a new members and be intentional about growing the relationships.

I am Courageous

As He Is, the missional community (MC) I lead made a year on 19^th July 2018. This is a milestone achieved but leading it has been full of ups and downs. Recently, I felt like putting it on hold because of a number of reasons. First, I felt like the members attended at any time of their wish, whenever it felt convenient for them and also communication was a problem.  I had talked about communication and transparency but nothing seemed to change. Generally, I had reached the threshold. My heart was so sad, bitter and also broken. I could not imagine why people weren’t getting the idea of this whole missional community thing. In the midst of thoughts with so many questions running in my mind, that’s when I started reading Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels thinking I will have the next move on the situation at hand. In this book, Bill Hybels emphasizes the point that the local church is the hope of the world.

“Ten days after the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers, I stood at Ground Zero and tried to take in the aftermath of one horrific day. The thoughts of that made me cry out to God, No way! There’s just no way evil can be that deep and that dark! But strangely, while the ashes smoldered around me, and the grief of it overwhelmed me, a profound hope rose in my heart – the local church is the hope of the world. There were many people and organizations helping out after the disaster. “But a work of a deeper kind was happening behind the scenes in downtown Manhattan. The most important work of all was being done by pastors and church members, volunteers of churches, ordinary Christ followers. They were in the middle of all the misery, addressing the concerns of the soul. It was happening 24 hours a day. That was the untold media story. So many other organizations met the external needs of people, but it was the church that reached out to care for the inner needs of their fellow human beings. The church became the physicians for the souls of people.”

It hit me once again and realized that “As He Is” MC is the hope of the world. I did not have to give up that early. I instead let go of trying to make things work in my efforts and let God take over. Bill Hybels talks about the church in Acts offered believers a vision of life that was so beautiful that it took their breath away. He continues to say that it was so bold, so creative, so dynamic that they could not resist it. The end result was that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. The above excerpt opened up my mind. Our situation as “As He Is” was attributed to vision clarity. The members may be had neither got the vision clearly nor understood how MCs operate. As a leader, I need to deploy the spiritual gift of leadership, prayerfully provide the vision, the strategy and the inspiration that will enable my entire team to bear fruit abundantly. In addition to that, as a person gifted supernaturally by God, there is need for me to yield fully to God so that I am able to cast powerful, biblical, God honoring visions and build effective, loving, clearly focused team. I cannot say this is going to be easy but it takes God, obedience and intentionality. According to John 4:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Standing on the above scripture, I believe I can do greater works. I can strongly say “I am Courageous.”

Bill Hybels in his book states that the most potent weapon for world change is vision. He says that vision is at the very core of leadership. This means that without vision, there is no focus, no direction and no destination. Everyone is free to take any direction they wish. Moving forward, it is important for me to revise the vision of the missional community, develop a strategy and share it with the members at least once every month. The vision is not food unless the leader helps others to see it. They can only see it if the leader communicates the vision, embodies it, personifies it and also lives it out. Besides talking about it, action has to happen. Accomplishing a vision requires a lot more than just pep talks, slogans etc. the strategy has to be clear, goals have to be set, champions on the team and also share responsibilities amongst the team members. This will help in creating a spirit of ownership, provide focus and increase energy.

Another highlight is commitment; commitment starts with the leader him/herself. As a leader, it is a requirement to commit to fully develop my leadership potential. All leaders need to strive continually to lift their leadership capacity to the next level regardless of how difficult it is. There is need to move out of the comfort zones, to learn new skills and disciplines, and even to submit to a process of retraining. Personally, in the quest to grow, I have signed up for an online course called Principles of Microeconomics on coursera which is going to run for eight weeks. I have also subscribed for Carey Nieuwhof’s blogs on leadership. What I have so realized is that there is nothing new on planet earth. Whatever I am going through someone else has already gone through it. What will matter are the lessons I draw from each experience and plan to move forward.

As leaders, it’s vital to put ourselves on intense growth tracks, to read and reflect, to travel and seek training, to look for mentors and begin a non-stop search for the best leadership models we can find. I am so grateful for Harvest Institute because it’s one of the training I sought for. And so far a lot has changed and my view about leadership is unexplainable. All in all, building performance starts with the leader: Each team needs a top quality leader who will:

• Keep the team focused on the mission
• Make sure the right people with the right gifts and right talents are in the right positions,
• Maximize every team member’s contribution
• Evenly distribute the load so that morale stays high and burnout stays low
• Facilitate communication so that all team members remain in the information loop
• Assess and raise the level of community within the team

Bill seems to be another example of a man of God who is willing to learn practical wisdom from whatever source he can find. It is possible for us to know all our biblical theology but end up building nothing that is of substance or will last with our lives. That isn’t to say of course that biblical principles are not helpful to us in leadership, but just that the practical wisdom that a man like Bill Hybels obviously gathers from both Christian and Non-Christian sources is also essential. Therefore, my conviction is that we need to listen more to men like Bill Hybells, who clearly has been granted a measure of success in his leadership.

All men are not the same

“All men are the same”, a statement I have grown to disagree with. Having been brought up by a single mother, I am one of the people who strongly believed “men are the same”. Seeing all what my mum went through to make sure we become good citizens that is, providing all the basic needs, educating us etc, I did not like men (being polite).  I remember, one time I told my mum; I will never get married, And guess what her response was, ‘Nze singa sakuzaala’ (Translated; What if I hadn’t given birth to you). A statement I still think about.

I start university doing a four year course. This is time when every one encourages you to focus only on studies. I started making friends and to my surprise, most were already in relationships. However, I was not moved. I reach third year, pressure for marriage begun to rise from every corner. I would receive statements ” if you complete university with no boyfriend, do not expect to get a man.” Nevertheless, these statements never made any sense to me; I had decided, it’s me and me alone. I successfully completed University. After University, I decided to try dating with no clue, I just did because everyone did.  This went on for a period of one year, after which it failed. I remember swearing not to date again. This was attributed to experience.

My attitude towards men started to slowly change after my first one year of fellowshipping at Worship Harvest. Its the place where I encountered many couples (happy, lively, committed etc) “from my observation”. I started admiring marriage and actually believed that there are good men out there. In addition to that, the Word about “Forgiveness” being facilitated by Bee3. She made a statement that transformed my life: here is the statement that God’s love for us gives us the ability to forgive any wrong however terrible. That very day I decided to forgive men (dad inclusive).

Overtime, I have learnt that a failed relationship, does not mean that you got a wrong partner but it’s because we do not know what  we are looking for.  We miss not because the opportunity was not there but because we did not have a clue what it looked like when it arrived. Men and women do not take time to figure out what they are looking for. As we look for lifelong partners do not choose based on what they say, they can do, or based on what they did once. Choose based on their regular behavior. That’s what tells what their values are. The fact that we are all humans, it is ok to give a person a benefit of doubt. However, there is also need to have a picture of what we’re shooting for.

I love my mother

On a bitterly hot October evening in 1999, my father died. Being a child, it held no shock.  Life moved on swiftly like nothing had happened. Of course the journey with my mother (Ms. Justine Nakibuuka) started. This has been a journey worthy celebrating.

She has been a mother, a mentor, a father, friend and counselor. Above all, i thank God for a gift of a mother. Everything I am is because of my mum. There is nothing she didn’t do all in the name of her children to live a better and enjoyable life.

She is a wonderful mother to four of us (Annet, Hellen, Henriettah and Heather), who has raised us to be valiant, strong and hard working women. Most people on this earth have a mother who they love no matter what but I am blessed to have a mother who I truly love, respect, and admire more and more every day. She is an inspiration to not only her daughters but to everyone who meets her. Her smile is contagious and her passion is infectious.

We don’t always agree on everything, I will not paint an impossible picture, but we do not fight, we discuss and agree. She has never pulled the “I am your mother and you will obey me” card ever, she respects this partnership as much if not more than I do, and continues to push us to greatness with her excitement and AMAZING ideas.

My mum toughed it out for 19 years on her own, raising us. No matter how bad things got, she handled every challenge without ever once feeling sorry for herself. It’s who she’s always been: the beating heart of our family, woefully outclassed in any conceivable naval encounter. No one else could have raised me like she did.

I love her with all my heart, being and soul and I count my blessings every day, the biggest one of all is having her as a mother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom! Wisdom!

Wisdom is the principal thing: Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you. Proverbs 4:7-9

Principal means; the most important thing or the main thing. When I read the above scripture, what came to my mind first is the state of our nation. Looking at everything happening around us, the so many world theories cropping up. Did we really get wisdom? Or if we have wisdom, do we exalt her?. Exalting means speak very highly of something or raise to a higher rank or position. Those are all questions to think about.

In Proverbs 4:7, Solomon tells us that Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. There are many educated and intelligent people that fall victim to the physical, social and economic maladies of today. Knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, but wisdom is the ability to see people, events, and situations as God sees them. In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon reveals the mind of God in common, ordinary, everyday situations, too.  The Matthew Henry Bible Commentary says this about wisdom as used in this Scripture: “It is that which recommends us to God, which beautifies the soul, which enables us to answer the end of our creation, to live to some good purpose in the world, and to get to heaven at last; and therefore it is the principal thing.”

Many of us would have expected God to say that power is the principal thing, not wisdom. Yet the Scripture above gives us the tantalizing statement that “wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” It also does not say that riches or fame are the principal thing in life. The reason we tend to think otherwise is because our thoughts are not God’s thoughts and our ways are not His ways.

We typically live a crisis or problem-oriented life. We value the things that will solve the crisis we are in right now or what will meet our immediate or physical needs. Our vision is often blurred by our present or earthly needs. The Lord, however, sees the entire picture, including the future here on earth and in eternity and tells us what really matters in life. He says wisdom, divine wisdom, or the knowledge of God’s ways, is the principal thing in life.

The preeminence of wisdom lies in the fact that it has or will produce every other treasure in life including long life, riches, honor, and power! (Prov. 3:16, 8:14)

Wisdom comes from God, and is found in His Word, “For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous” (Prov. 2:6-7 KJV). Seek wisdom today in God’s Word and have the edge in every aspect of life!

In this life there are a lot of things that people deem to be important enough that they spend much of their life trying to attain or acquire them. Some people spend their whole life trying to gain riches. Others spend their life in search of power or pleasure. However, the most important thing we should make great efforts to get is wisdom and understanding.

Seizing the Opportunity

An opportunity can be regarded as a chance or opened door to propagation. One writer wrote that “an opportunity is like a crying baby, it needs to be carried away immediately.”Some people are good at seizing opportunities while others are not. This could be due to poor sight, poor positioning, greed and inability to recognize the opportunity among others.

One morning, I get to the taxi stage ready to go to town. No sooner had reached the stage than the taxi got full and ready to set off. Nearby was another empty taxi waiting. So while we are ready to get in, the conductor hiked transport from 1500 to 2000. I think he noticed that we were on a hurry to go town. We (me and my neighbor) decided not to get on to the taxi. He wanted to take advantage of us. Its not that we were so many on the stage, we were only 2 people. So the numbers started increasing. And he persistently said, those going to Kampala its 2000/=. Surprisingly, no person entered the empty taxi. It was so unfair. So while waiting for another taxi, another random person in his private car arrives and he notices that there were many people at the stage. He stopped, dropped his side mirror and says, those going to Kampala its 1500/=. Alas, all the people jumped on the van and we set off. The conductor stayed at the stage. I don’t know what happened, whether he continued with the 2000 or not.

What I learnt from this scenario, the guy of the van knew how to seize the opportunity. He noticed that we were crying babies who needed to be carried away as soon as possible. So many of us have got the opportunities but the problem is we want to gain more beyond what we deserve. Or to get more than what we have worked for. As a result we end up missing the opportunities and then pray to God to open more and more opportunities.

One of the biggest reasons people “miss their shots” in life is simply because they cannot clearly see the target.  A lack of vision can cripple your ability to capitalize on opportunities that may be right in front of you.  Inexperience or a deficiency in knowledge may be factors that lead to this lack of awareness.  Therefore, you must learn to train yourself to be sensitive and alert to opportunities that come along, and you can start by taking stock of your current situation, setting achievable goals for yourself in the present, and developing visionary long-term goals for your future.  Doing so should enhance your ability to evaluate potentially advantageous situations and make you more keenly aware of opportunities that may truly be right for you.  Additionally, while evaluating situations and circumstances on their merits is a prudent course of action, avoid the urge to be inflexible and closed-minded; opportunities can present themselves in completely unexpected ways.

ALL THINGS ARE MADE NEW

Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

In my secondary I used to over think about my late dad because of the state we were in at home. My mum was a primary teacher and raising the four of us was not easy. I would always make wishes like I wish my dad was around, maybe we wouldn’t be renting, we would be having our own home like other families, we would be dropped at school like other students, etc. I had clouded my mind with the past. I had removed my focus from the things God was doing in my life. The fact that we could go to school, we had what to eat, we had where to sleep, cloths to put on was enough to notice Gods goodness, although it wasn’t the case.

God is promising us that He will do a new thing. He promises that the old things have passed away, behold all things are made new. He will even make a road in the wilderness. There is power in the Word if you only believe and trust. The fact that you are still alive, He is still keeping you safe, you have what to eat, what to drink is enough to be grateful to God. He who provided even when my dad was not around, can still do it for you. His hand is not shortened that it can’t bless.  Stay strong in the faith and believe He is making all things new. There is nothing that is too hard for Him and His Word never returns to Him void.

I am grateful that we have all studied and apparently none of us lacks what to do. We serve a faithful God.

Pray this out loud

Father in Heaven, strengthen us in your Word. It is true, living and powerful. We refuse to yield to the pressures of the world. Thank you Jesus because we know you are making a way for us even in the wilderness Amen.

My Shield and Exceedingly Great Reward

Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

This is the first time Do not be afraid is recorded in the Bible. God’s answer to Abram’s fear is the promise to shield him and to reward him. God rewards him for his faith. On Wednesday 19^th July 2017, I started a missional community (MC). It was an exciting experience regardless of the fact that I had no idea where the MC members would come from.  The zeal to start an MC was birthed after attending Momentum, a gathering for missional leaders. A few days to 19^th July, I tried to sale my idea to friends. On day one, out of the eight people who had promised to join the team, six turned up. The joy that filled my heart could not be comprehended. Day two, the full team attended (8 people). Wow, the journey was interesting, enjoyable and smooth. One month down the road, the numbers dropped significantly, not until I was alone in the house for the MC meeting. Thinking to myself, how do I start, what do I do; had so many questions running in my head.

In the middle of thoughts, I started reading the book of Genesis 15 where Abram was complaining to God, asking God why He had not given him an offspring. God’s first statement was, “Do not be afraid” but instead Abram responded. I felt so strengthened, felt God telling me do not be afraid, He is my exceedingly great reward. He who started the MC, He is able to carry it on. I should not be worried of the small numbers.

Similarly, life sometimes pushes us to the wall and we begin to wonder, what do I do? or how do I get out of this mess?, why did I have to start this?. But God is saying to us do not be afraid. He is your exceedingly great reward.

Pray this out loud

Thank you Lord that you are our shield, we shall not be afraid of the uncertainties. We thank you for you are our great reward, nothing shall ever stop us from leaving our full potential. Thank you Jesus.