KNOCKED OUT IN LIFE!

“It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up”....Vince Lombardi 

 There are so many situations that may knock us down in one way or the other. Most of the times, some of these knock outs could be so severe and terrible to the extent that it could spell the doom of our future. Many people find it difficult to get up and bounce back after being knocked out in life due to accidents, sickness, terrible situations and many breathtaking untold ugly spectacles.

Life is full of so many twists and turns. The most important thing is to get up after we are knocked down. If you don’t get up and bounce back, you will remain in the same ugly situation. Unfortunately, some people have a scarred memory due to what they went through and sworn not to do any good again but the good news is that, others have bounced back after the knock out and the fall. Read their confessions and imagine where they have reached now.

v  I was raped at the age of 9 - Oprah Winfrey

v  I was imprisoned for 27 years - Nelson Mandela

v  I didn’t even complete my University education - Bill gates

v  I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training-Lionel Messi

v  I grew up in the largest slam in Brazil - Ronaldo Delima

v  I struggled for 15 years to make it in comedy - Kevin Hart

v  I was a security guard before I joined music - D’banj.

Today, the stories of these people have changed. They managed to turn their

 v  Scars to become a star.

 v  Shame into fame.

 v  Disgrace into grace.

 v  ‘Grass life’ into great life.

 v  Mess into a message of hope to the next generation.

 v  Disappointments into generational appointments to   benefit the world.

We are all human and never different from them. Yes, we can also do same. Get up from where you were knocked down. Get up from where you have fallen and stir up the greatness in you!

WHEN PROPHECIES BECOME MEANINGLESS

Prophecies and Divine Revelations in the year 2014 will become meaningless without the right choices of action and prayer. I believe in prophecies but there are procedures to carefully follow for the prophecies to be fulfilled. Many a time, some people fast and pray and received prophetic messages and divine revelations about a spectacular event yet to happen in the future. Many get carried away by the wonderful contents of the prophetic messages. 

There is more to merely receiving a prophetic message. Any time there was a prophetic message or revelation in the Bible, there would always be a direction for its fulfillment. Without clear-cut directions for action, mistakes and unfulfilled prophecies become frustration. Here are a few questions to ask to assist you to see your prophecies become realized.

1.     Is it a command, information, warning or a promised?

2.     What are the roles specified for me in the prophecy?

3.     What other things can I do for this to be fulfilled? 

4.     What are the things that I should avoid?

5.     What are the consequences if the prophecy is not fulfilled?

As you ponder on many and more of these questions, pray and then take actions, you will be getting closer to your fulfillment. Man, you've got to do something as the sun shines and you have the strength to do so... 

YOUR CHOICE OF LOVE

BOYS marry for sex and passion but MEN marry for purpose and companionship. Your Purpose should determine the kind of person you fall in love with but not shape and looks. Love is not a feeling you feel when you feel that you are feeling a feeling you have never felt before; it is rather a choice you make. Anyone you make the choice to love and live with has the lifting factor or a great limiting factor upon your life. In the year 2014, open your eyes well before you accept that proposal and you guys, not all ladies are meant for a proposal, some of them are disposables who will not take you anywhere. Open your eyes.

FINISHING THE RACE FROM THE BEGINNING

Champions do not become champions when they

win the event, but rather in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.-- T. Alan Armstrong. 

It is of no use to start any race knowing very well that you will not finish it on a good note. It saddens my heart to see people faint and fall by the roadside in life when others are still moving forward. Most of the time, winners of any race knew that they will surely win because they knew the amount of relentless efforts that have gone into their preparatory stages.  Battles and races are won at home and declared at the battle field. He who goes to the battle field to train is a defeated fellow because all your energies will dissipate. Strategy is what is needed. Here are a few things to do to achieve your vision in this year.

1.      Prayer: You should be able to evoke the presence of God in order to download His will for a definite direction. You cannot start a new year without prayer and be expecting signs and wonders to follow you in all that you do.  

2.      Planning: This is one of the non-negotiable elements of success in life. Man, you’ve got to sit down and plan your life after praying to receive divine wisdom, understanding and direction. Many people spend so many years planning their weddings, birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate it in grand style but hardly sit down to plan their own lives.no wonder so many people are living unfulfilled lives.  

You Have to Finish the Race in the Year 2014
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3.      Preparations: Success is easily clocked when preparations meet opportunities. Without preparations, you will be taken unaware and you will have yourself to blame for failing to achieve your goals. You can’t get it if you are not prepared for it!

4.      Proceed in Action: It is not enough to pray, but after that plan, prepare and take action. Actions will release your dreams and visions from the abstract state into realities. Without proper actions, your dreams will forever be on paper and in your minds.

5.      Progress Monitoring: A life lived without evaluation is not worth living. You must continually monitor your progress to check whether you are on track. This will assist you to correct deviations and measure your performance against standards.

Your destiny is in your own hands. You have the right to succeed or fail. If only you can finish the race, then it depends on the true elements forming the basis and foundations of your dream. 

THE WORST OR GREATEST LIMITATIONS

"Our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds", says Napoleon Hill.  

There are indeed obstacles in life but the worst obstacle that is very difficult to deal with is the one we firmly ground in our minds and in our hearts. There is no limitation in life that cannot be surmounted. 

As we begin a new year, you may have wonderful dreams or visions; some of which are visions that will shoot you into the limelight of fame. Each year, there are tons of dreams and visions conceived in the minds and hearts of almost everyone but only a few are birthed by the end of the year. The rest become still births or aborted ideas at its embryonic stage. 

The pathetic thing is that we at times become our own enemies placing limitations on ourselves. If only you can think of it, take action and remain focus in life, then money will surely find you to propel your dreams and visions into action even if you do not have money. 

What must we do? Clearly define your vision and simplify it. There is nothing more frustrating than a vision that is haphazardly outlined without definite actions and milestones.If you cannot get the picture clearly, how then can you explain it to someone and your bankers for financial support. A clearly defined vision creates a better picture and attracts support. 

Do not place any limitation on your dreams or visions! Do not abort your ideas that will liberate your generation and the world from a particular problem. Best wishes in your endeavours!

The Best Movies of the Year.

How do you feel when you watch the classic movies that nearly stole your breath and heart away? Most of the times, we tend to get angry when the movie that glued us to our seats seem to end so soon. And most often, we would love to watch those movies over and over again. The worst happens when we are disappointed in the way a script is poorly written and badly acted. The obvious result would be perhaps, rain insults and criticisms on the writer, actors and the producers.  

It is not only a good story that makes the best movies but the individual efforts from the writer, director, actors and all those involved in the production process.  

The best movies are yet to be released. And of course, you are the writer, director, producer, the main brain behind the scene and everything. That movie is your life. Yes, your life! You are the writer and director of your own life in this year. Every choice you make will be the starting point of another chapter in your life. Whether the story will be full of horror, romance or the best ever all depends on you.  

The next time you criticise and insult any movie writer, producer or actor, remember that your life is also like a movie. People are watching you right from the scratch. If the insults and criticisms start from the scratch, then you may have to reverse the movie, correct some scenes and actions for a better result. 

Be the best movie writer, director and producer of your own life in this year for the award at the end of the year! 

DOING THE WRONG THING AND EXPECTING THE RIGHT RESULTS

Stephen rushed home one evening and turned on his TV set but all efforts proved futile. He was getting impatient because he has managed to convince his co-workers to watch his favourite football team thrash out their arch-enemy in the final league match. 

The cheerful smiles on his face rolled away and vanished in a jiffy causing him much frustration and anxiety. He was wondering what could be wrong with his TV set. Stephen could not contain the embarrassing moment as all eyes popped out of their sockets and fixed on him. 

"I don't really know what the hell is happening in my house!" he exclaimed. "This has not happened to me before. These machines are always working but I can't simply figure out the problem". 

 

In his frustration, he called his wife from the kitchen and wanted to accuse her for messing up the set up in his room. 

"Stephen!", his wife, Lovelyn, called with an infectious smile as she walked towards them after watching her confused husband for a while. "I did not mess up the set up. Everything is always in order in our home", she said as she still smiled. 

The smiles on the face of his wife crippled Stephen's thoughts. He could not simply understand why his wife should be smiling happily in the mists of his frustration and embarrassment before his co-workers. She came closer, threw her hands on his shoulders and said, "You were using the wrong TV remote control". 

Lovelyn picked the right TV Remote Control and turned on the TV set. Stephen heaved a deep sigh of relieve as his friends continuously teased him. 

                                         7 QUICK LESSONS

1. You cannot live your life with another manual and control system and expecting results. 

2. You are unique like each brand of TV set; identify your unique manual for your life. 

3. You cannot expect much success in the year 2014 with the same old principles, manuals and control systems that hardly worked in the year 2013. 

4. Hard work with the wrong vision and manual with not always lead to targeted results but frustration. 

5. Don't just start something because you are familiar with it; you can easily miss it (the wrong TV remote control). 
6. You cannot do the wrong thing and be expecting the right results. 
7. If you don't like outcome of your actions, then pause and check the inputs. Garbage in, Garbage out!

YOU ARE NOT TOO OLD TO KNOW GOD

Enoch knew God at the age of 65 and walked with Him for 600 years (Gen. 5:21-22). It therefore presupposed that 65 of the years that Enoch spent on earth was wasted without God. 

Today, many of us have led our lives in so many ways and wasted the precious moments of our lives. The Bible said we should remember our creator in our youthful days. Currently, 65 years is a retiring age in almost every part of the world. 

The good news is that, it is not too late to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour at your old age. Wasted years could be turned into watered years in the presence of God. 

Nobody is too young to serve God and neither is another too old to know God. There is hope for anyone today, tomorrow and forever if only we carry our hopeless lives to Jesus for transformation. 

3 FACTS ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS IN THE YEAR 2014

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success” Henry Ford.

Everybody needs somebody in life for a particular purpose. Without family and friends, life would be as boring as the worst thing ever. No one could live sufficiently and independently without needing the assistance of another person. No matter how great your ideas are to transform the whole world, you cannot do it alone. It all begins with a friendship, gradual progress and working towards success.  

God has blessed us with family members, friends and neighbours. More often than not, these people play vital roles in our lives. The people we move with, connect and share ideas are very critical and have a parallel relationship to our destinations in life. Anybody at all in your life be it a family member or a friend plays one out of these three roles in your life. I will briefly discuss 3 major facts about the effects of associating with the people around us.

1.      Progress: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” Prov. 27:17. Your association with your friends and some strategic people must yield progress in developing your talents, potentials and the very best things in you. You have to reconsider the roles of your friends if you are still marking time in life.

2.      Standstill: A life lived without progress is like the prisoner’s life. You hover around the same place all the time without any exponential growth. You can be working in the best environment but without progress for a considerable time period, your actual value begins to depreciate.  

3.      Retrogress: This is one of the worst stages in life. If you see yourself running down the slopping side of life and losing everything in life because of friends and some people in your life then you will have to reconsider your friendship and networks critically.

What to do

A life lived without evaluation is not worth living. It is therefore expedient to critically examine the roles of the people in your life because they can make you or mar your life.

1.      Evaluate your friends and associates

2.      Reposition them carefully if they no longer benefit to you.

3.      Make new friends who will inspire you in relations to your dreams

4.      Loyalty and commitment are the engines true and dedicated friendship

Don’t wait until you slip down the drain and waste your life. Do something about it now. 

GOD DOESN'T NEED YOUR PASSPORT OR PICTURE

I heard one pastor saying on radio this morning: "Please come with a passport picture to fill our forms before consultation". 

That is to man, but God said "Before i formed you in your mother's womb, i knew you", Jer 1:5. God knows you more than you can ever imagine. He doesn't even need your DNA because he knows you beyond human understanding. 

We need passport pictures for identification, registration and for so many legal reasons. Imagine that your passport is missing in a foreign land. Imagine the frustrations one will go through but God doesn't need these. He knows wherever you at any time. He is omnipresence. 

Take note, God knows only His Children though we are all created by Him. Be a child of God now.....  

CONFIDENCE IS A WIN ATTITUDE

As I was walked confidently to the reception, I was approached by a stunningly dressed beautiful young lady on whose face was a broad welcoming smile.

“You’re welcome, Sir!” she said amidst an infectious smile. “Please this way. Follow me to the CEO’s Office”, she directed and led me to the CEO’s office though many people were seated in a long queue to see the CEO.  

I was surprised at the special attention given me though I always wanted a special treatment in my life. I had the best deal in my life and wondered whether a special favor has been bestowed on me. As the CEO walked me to the gate to see me off, another handsome gentleman clad in an expensive dress walked into the premises. 

I bade them goodbye and drove off. Later events in life made me to understand that the company was expecting the son of the Finance and Economic Planning Minister of State to sign a good deal with the company. Unfortunately for the company, they did not know him in person. I was given the deal instead of him.

In my sober reflections, I deduced some lessons in life.

 a. Always dressed as a prospect wherever you go and not a suspect.

       b. The way you dress is the way people will address you.
      c. If you don’t like the reception people give you then improve on your dressing. If it persists, then check your character.
      d. At times, your appearance is the best marketing tool to pave a way for you.  

My Reflections!

YOU MUST DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS

"If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business", says B.C. Forbes. You must put in more strategies to drive your business but not only energies. Energy dissipates but strategy differentiates. Many businesses closed down in the year 2013; they have no option than to blame others and the economy.

A lot of people still remain jobless because they are depending on their energy but not strategy to get a job and survive. At all cost, be seen driving forward... 

SHE SPENT ALL HER TIME FACEBOOKING

She spent most of her time facebooking, making friends, commenting and liking photos and posting. Her total number of friends and followers alone can make a populous city. She became very popular and assuming the role of a very important personality. 

She updates her facebook photo almost every three days at important and classic venues. Guys are the first to like her photos and comment. When people are seriously doing real business on facebook, connecting to the unconnected important people and building a better 'u', she was doing the opposite.

Now she desperately needs a job and feels shy to tell anyone because she always pretended to be a business tycoon on facebook. Anyway, she has made facebook popular and the owner got richer and she, the poorer.

Those who do real business in life spent their time adding more values to their lives and creating opportunities but not those who are always the first to post, comment, like photos and always live on facebook. 

MY LADY IS COMING!

It was a wonderful Friday. Dave walked to the office in high spirit with a broad and an infectious smile that signalled good news and lingered long on his face. His colleagues noticed the sharp change in his attitude and started poking their noses into his life to pester him to let out the secret of his happiness. 

"My Pretty Empress has finally accepted my proposal", he revealed. "She is coming to visit me tomorrow and I can't wait to receive her. Tomorrow seems like a whole month for me", Dave added as his friends cheered him up and wished him well in love.

“My lady is coming! I have to leave now and pass by the mall to do some shopping”, he said to his friends as he started the ignition of his car and drove off the scene. The D-day finally came and it was a somewhat story. Her visit was without much happiness and a bit boring.

“So is that all?” the lady asked Dave. “You called several times wanting to see me but nothing was discussed, little laughter and a little achieved”, she said as she was leaving. The smile on Dave’s face disappeared at once.

In his sober reflections, he realized that he did not plan and prepare enough to make the visit a memorable one. 

Today, we are all like Dave and the beautiful lady is the YEAR 2014. We are all expecting the year 2014 with much happiness and expectation. It is not enough to meet it. Those who plan now can make the most out of it with testimonies and achievements. If you do some lazy thinking and planning like Dave, you will be disappointed. The lady (YEAR 2014) will leave you and the little smiles on your face will disappear at once.

Good Morning! 

Thanks for reading this article from www.yesuba.blogspot.com. Please feel free to share with your friends and love ones or share your ideas with us…

AFTER THE CELEBRATIONS, FIND A GOOD JOB

Christmas is a wonderful time that leaves much fond memories. It brings a lot of people together as we remember the birth of Christ to save mankind and making it possible for us to socialize in the Christendom as one body. 

One Cannot simply fathom the gargantuan celebrations going on elsewhere where there are more than necessary to eat and drink. At the same time, many are also still looking up to God for a miracle before getting a meal. 

To all those still searching for good jobs, this is the best time to connect yourself to the CEO's at the mouth-watering parties. Remember, your old conditions and poverty will stare you in the face when the music fades and the bottles of wine are empty. 

Don't forget that at times, the best jobs are not advertised but reserved for those who are known by top management. After the celebrations, find a good job but start connecting yourself now. 

Visit www.job4africa.com for your latest jobs near you. 

7 Simple Things to Releasing Your Blessings in the Year 2014

Some of the great blessings that God has promised us are pinned to simple obedience to His word. Others come through righteousness, your works and by virtue of simply being a child of God. It is not only serious fasting and prayers that releases some blessings, mere knowledge of the some of the promises of God can release you into your blessings. 

Fasting and prayers are very good but that alone cannot release the blessings of God in the year 2014. There is power in the under listed ways to release the blessings of God in your life. As we go through the year 2014, let's strive to observe these for  breakthroughs:

1. Obedience

2. Righteous living

3. Work for God

4. Be a true Child of God

5. Seek knowledge; it is non negotiable

6. Assist someone and God will assist you

7. Educate yourself.