This time last year, I shared 12 Lessons from my 2015/2016 Season . That day, I had a lot of questions in my heart. Today, as I look back, I have answers to some of those questions. I also have new questions. Lol. That’s how we roll. The last 12 months have been remarkable for me. Every day has God’s hands on it. Baba God, I am grateful. The 365 days have been filled with lessons and today, I’ll share some. I learnt:

  • …the benefit of focus. Seneca said, “To be everywhere is to be nowhere”. Another quote by Zig Ziglar drives home the point, “I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have. If you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you are never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.” This past few months, I have seen that increased productivity comes when I focus on few important things rather than try to do several important and unimportant things. I am hoping to improve on this in this new year.
  • …the benefit of planning. This is closely related to the first point. In fact, it precedes it because there can be no focus if there are no plans. Last year, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I wrote some things down in my journal that I wanted to accomplish. Few days ago, I looked through them and I could see that I made progress. I have not accomplished all, but I am striving on.
  • …to enjoy the little things, the big things and everything in between. In my letter to my younger self: LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF , one of the things I wrote about was my tendency to be so focused on tomorrow that I forget to enjoy today. Well, in the last few months, I have gotten better at enjoying where I am while still being focused on where I am going.
  • …that God is more concerned about my walk with Him than my work for Him. It is good to work for God, after all, one of the reasons Christ saved us is to bear fruits (John 15:8). However, I have learnt that my personal relationship with God is infinitely more important to God that the acts of service that I perform. To place service above devotion is to commit spiritual suicide. It might be slow, but the death is inevitable.
  • …to prioritize productivity over visibility. As I stated in the last point, God wants us to bear fruits. The desire to be seen, heard and read should not be our priority; fulfilling our God-given assignments should be.
  • …the importance of reflection. Life happens…really fast. Day turns to night over & over again, and before you know it’s a month. Still, the days keep going. There is so much for us to do and this makes it difficult for us to reflect on what has passed and gain valuable insights. It has not been easy, but I have tried to create time to reflect on my activities weekly or monthly. I am not yet good at it, but the little I have tried has been helpful. You could try and do the same.
  • …that difficult times reveal how much I trust God. Proverbs 24:10 says If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. It is easier to be strong when things are going well, but the test of faith comes when the storm is raging. The behavior of a material in the furnace shows whether it is gold or pseudo-gold. At times when things didn’t go the way I wanted, I had a choice to trust God and hold on, or to let go. To be sincere, I did not always hold on, but I am better at coping with tough times than I was last year
  • …closed doors are sometimes a sign of God’s mercy. The words I used last year are apt for this year. I might as well just copy and paste for next year. Lol. Well, here goes… Sometimes closed doors are God’s way of (re)directing us. There were times in the year when I felt that God had a certain path for me. On getting to the doors, I discovered that they were closed. At those times, I felt quite sad. However, looking back at some of those issues I am grateful that God closed those doors. Everything might not be clear yet, but then that’s what makes the journey interesting
  • …God is interested in The Equipping Christian Ministry (TECM). As a family, we are privileged to be stewards of a ministry that focuses on Leadership Development, Marriage Enrichment, Character Education, Discipleship Training and Resource Production. This last year, the Ministry made great progress. We organized our maiden Marriage Mentors training. Also, we produced valuable resources such as Becoming Soul Mates, Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, Spiritual Intimacy in Marriage and Men of Like Passions. I am encouraged that this is just the beginning of what God is set to do. (Visit equippersministry.com and https://web.facebook.com/the.equippers/ for more details)
  • … in a greater measure, the importance of family and friends. After God, the most important thing to me is family. This year, I have grown greatly through the influence of an excellent support system of family, friends and well-wishers. To you these amazing people, my gratitude knows no bounds
  • …that God is able to do more than I can ask or think. I stated earlier that I had some plans for this year, some of which I was able to accomplish. However, there were some things I did not plan for. At all. At least not in the immediate. Those wishes that I wonder if God even cares about. Those day-dreams. Well, this year, I learnt that God is able to blow my mind! He does this over and over again. I refuse to be ungrateful
  • …more about the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The benediction is an anthem for most believers and even some unbelievers. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen. This year, more than preceding years, I have deeply enjoyed the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. His tender, tough, timely counsel and guidance is unrivalled. To try and explain the fellowship of the Holy Spirit with words is an exercise in futility. You have to try it to know it.

As a new year begins, I am giddy with excitement as I consider the great things that God has in store! By God’s grace, this time next year, there will be testimonies aplenty. For me. For you. In Jesus name. Amen.

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