Ola Afolabi

Adam tutored Eve in the affairs of the garden. She understood from God’s point of view what the limits are – including the dos and the don’ts. The serpent knows that it’s quite easy to engage a woman in conversation and took advantage of the situation – he paid Eve a visit. He used his advanced questioning technique with emphasis and asked Eve only one question: “..And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1 NKJV) Eve gave room for more conversation by telling the serpent four vital information: they may eat fruits from the trees in the garden, they are not allowed to eat from a particular tree, the location of the tree – in the middle of the garden and the consequences of touching the tree or eating from its fruit. Eve gave an honest answer to the serpent’s question, but she did not answer with wisdom – she has said too much. She did not bridle her tongue thereby giving the serpent the opportunity to continue tempting her. To bridle your tongue means to curb or restrain your tongue.  In other words, “Think before you speak”. “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words…]” (James 1:19 AMP) Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit when talking so you don’t say things that you did not intend to say, thus revealing secrets you should have kept between yourself and your spouse. Using your tongue rightly is knowing what to say, when to say it and when to keep quiet.

Happy New Year! I thank God for His amazing grace in your life and for seeing you through last year. I am confident that God will do a new thing in your life this Year 2018 to the glory of His name. In order for you to appropriate God’s blessings this year, obedience is key. The widow of Zarepath only had a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil to feed herself and her son when she met Elijah, the man of God whom God had instructed to go and live in the village of Zarephath.  So, the meet up between Elijah and the widow was divinely arranged by God to supernaturally provide for the  woman and her household in the midst of the famine. Elijah declared the word of God:  “For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” (I Kings 17: 14 NLT) God knows where the goodness is and He wants to give you instructions that will unlock treasures this year. I encourage you to commit your plans into God’s able hands and listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.  “…From now on I will announce new things to you, hidden things that you have not known. They have been created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today, so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them! ’” (Isaiah 48: 6-7 HCSB).

Ruth was a selfless woman who decided to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi to Bethlehem after the death of her husband in the land of Moab.  After they arrived at Bethlehem, Ruth offered to go into the fields to look for some food for both of them.  Unknown to her, a life-changing miracle awaits her. Ruth found herself in the portion of the land belonging to Boaz, a prominent man of noble character who was a relative of Naomi.  Boaz noticed how Ruth was gathering fallen grains behind the harvesters and he wanted to know more about her.  He decided to ask his servant. “Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?” (Ruth 2: 5 HCSB) The servant explained how Ruth came with Naomi from the land of Moab and how she had asked politely if she could gather fallen grain behind the harvesters.  The servant did not fail to add that Ruth had been gathering grains all day long and only rested a little.  This report was very good indeed and Ruth found favour with Boaz.  She left a very good first impression. Boaz told Ruth to make friends with his female servants and gather grain anytime she wants from his fields.  He also gave her the freedom to drink water from the jars and commanded the young men not to touch her.  When Ruth got home, she gave her mother-in-law food and when Naomi saw how much grain Ruth had gleaned, she could not help but pronounce a blessing. “Then her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you gather barley today, and where did you work? May the Lord bless the man who noticed you”. (Ruth 2: 19 HCSB) God blessed Boaz indeed and rewarded Ruth – they got married.  And it all started with Boaz noticing Ruth while she was being selfless – by putting her mother-in-law’s needs above hers.  Do you realise that people are watching you, including a potential suitor!  How you conduct your affairs matters – irrespective of where you are at any point in time. Even if you think nobody knows you, the truth is that ‘you never can tell’.  Serve God diligently and be a blessing to people around you – not because you want a man to find you, but because God commanded you to dress yourself with good works. “but with good works, as is proper for women who affirm that they worship God.” (I Timothy 2: 10 HCSB) I encourage you to cultivate a selfless attitude with a pure heart in all that you do and  I am confident that God will reward you bountifully!

It is natural for you to desire to love someone who can love you in return. How would you know if you are in love or infatuated with a member of the opposite sex? When you are infatuated with someone, you are completely carried away by an attraction. The love disappears as quickly as it comes. It cannot stand the test of time because it is not strong enough to handle the challenges of life.  It causes you to lose your sense of reasoning and you are completely blinded to the flaws of the other person – even when your loved ones can see some red signals.  The person you are infatuated with seems perfect in every sense and you are in an “emotionally high” state of mind, covered up with “goose pimples”. You are infatuated with a member of the opposite sex when he or she has become your idol. You feel as if you are in love, but the truth is that you are fantasizing.  Because you are so consumed with this person, you become distracted from your day to day duties and you start to neglect your responsibilities – including service to God, education and other future plans and goals.  When you are infatuated, you lack common sense because your romantic feelings have taken over. I do agree that romance is good! But it has to be within the boundaries of God’s timing and purpose. “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem (and brothers too), Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.” (Songs of Solomon 8:4 NKJV) Real Love is Agape – It’s not magic.  So, for you to understand what love is, you must have encountered God because the Bible says “God is Love”.  Real love is not the same as being physically attracted to someone – although there is an element of physical attraction associated with love.  You can be attracted to someone without loving the person.  That is why a marriage cannot be built on physical attraction alone. Agape love is a choice and it is summarized in I Corinthians Chapter 13: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV) Since you cannot become all that is written in the above scriptures overnight, then you cannot “fall” in love with someone overnight.  The root of love is friendship.  The reason is because you cannot love someone that you do not know – it takes time for you to get to know someone.  Unlike infatuation, agape love is not blind. It is selfless – this means that you can go the extra mile for the one you love.  It is commitment – if the person you love is experiencing one challenge or the other and your love is genuine, you wouldn’t quit because of that, rather you will persevere. Real love is choosing not to love someone who is not right for you – that is what I call “common sense”. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥