The Audacity of God's Power

TheAudacityof God’sPower

The Audacity of God’s Power

Femi Folorunsho

The Audacity ofGod’s Power

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Author, Femi Folorunsho


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Visit Femi Folorunsho’s exciting web site at: www.femifolorunsho.com

Scriptures quotations, unless otherwise

indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New

King James Version®. Copyright © 1982.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book

may be used without written permission of the

publisher, with the exception of brief

excerpts for magazine articles, movies,

radios, reviews, etc.

This book is pre-registered at the United

States Library of Congress under ID #[1-

163304271]. United States Copyright Office

ISBN: 978-1-4276-4043-7

Printed in the United States of America

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http://www.femiifolorunsho.com/


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I would like to thank God Almighty because without Him I am nothing. I give Him all the glory for making my dream come true once again.

Mother, I know you’re looking down from heaven somewhere, I just want to say thank you for loving me unconditionally.I really appreciate all the prayers and sacrifices you made for me, my brother, Ade and my sister Folasade when you werehere with us.

To my beautiful, compassionate wife, Kutina Folorunsho, I sincerely thank youfor putting up with me over the years. Your faith in God and the trust you havein our relationship is appreciated!

To Dr. Stacy L. Spencer (Senior Pastor) of the New Direction Christian Church ofMemphis, Tennessee. Thank you for all your time in spreading the word of God,

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your down to earth spiritual teachings are one of the things that held me and my wife’s marriage together.

Lastly, to the people of America and theWorld, your love for Jesus Christ is thegreatest loves of them all, let’s keep that love alive forever. God bless!

- Femi Folorunsho

CONTENTS PAGES

INTRODUCTION 6

CHAPTER 1My Doubts 18

CHAPTER 2Marriage and Facing Divorce

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CHAPTER 3Jobless & Promotion 35

CHAPTER 4

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When You Give-up 101 47

CHAPTER 5God’s 80/20 Rule 58

CHAPTER 61-800-HELP! 67

CHAPTER 7God is My ATM 77

CHAPTER 8Prescription for Success

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CHAPTER 9Count Down with God 96

CHAPTER 10At Last I am Free!

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INTRODUCTION

In the beginning of 2007, my wife and I

had been praying and believing for a child

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but every step we took through medical and

spiritual assistance seemed to be an exercise

in futility. Our frustration grew after many

false starts and a miscarriage that happened

just when we thought we’d made it past the

critical stage. The ordeal reminded me of

when I was in High School and a member of the

school’s elite 100 meter running team. During

training our coach always got so frustrated

after we’d had several false starts, and he

was not able to establish a meaningful

training strategy. The coach was frustrated

but we had another opportunity to return the

next day for practice. There were many times

that he’d just send us home or abandoned the

training for different reasons; the good part

was that we could always come back and do it

all over again.

Eventually, my wife and I decided to seek

professional help. A family friend made a

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couple of reasonable suggestions to us

relative to medical remedies - and how they

were able to overcome similar challenges in

the past. At the end of all our professional

and personal consultations, Kutina and I

concluded that we needed to leave everything

to God so He could have His ways.

Unlike my High School Coach’s line of

attack, though, my wife and I didn’t have the

leisure of coming back the next day, and day

after to do it all over again. This was not

some High School marathon race or sports

event - people’s lives are involved and it’s

not a game.

As faithful and hopeful as I was at the

time I sometimes thought of abandoning the

idea of having another child, but rather just

focus solely on my marriage, because my hope

began to seem doomed by a series of false

starts. Thus, just when I thought it was time

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to forget the idea of the baby issue - that’s

when we discovered God had a different plan

regarding our request -- and He was about to

make our dreams come true.

We met with another doctor and he gave us

his medical opinion and suggested a few

things we could do to hasten the process.

When we left the meeting we both felt like we

were back to square one. His suggestions

seemed vague and offered no real solution

regarding our problem.

A few days after our consultation with

the last doctor, I decided to do some soul

searching and to also think about our next

strategy, if any at all. While I was doing

that, mother’s words of advice echoed in my

mind. Whenever I’d call her and ask for her

advice when in a crisis she would always say:

“God’s time is the best. Just pray and let

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God gives you the grace, patience and the

courage to wait on Him.”

Now, while it may sound easy to just wait

for God’s response to our prayer, human

nature and the weaknesses embedded in our

various DNA hold an opposing view. The fact

that I was in urgent need of a solution, and

confronted with enormous pressure to move

past the current crisis - my mother’s words

of wisdom were somewhat taken into

consideration but not fully implemented in my

deeds.

One morning around 6:20 a.m. as I was

still enjoying the last of my sleep before

waking up to get ready for work, I suddenly

heard the bathroom door open and the water

was running. I looked up to see what was

going on and it was my wife brushing her

teeth and it appeared she was getting ready

to go somewhere. I asked her what was going

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on but she said, “Nothing really,” and that

she had this dream and could not go back to

sleep after that. I asked what the dream was

about, and she said, “It’s probably nothing

but it’s kind of weird.” She said that she

had a dream where she was having a

conversation with a person, but she was not

able to see their face clearly, and that all

she heard was “Take care of my child.”

I said, “Wow! I wonder what that means,”

so we both prayed and left the dream

discussion alone – since I was about to get

ready for work as well.

At that time, we had two daughters who

lived with us, so I was saying to myself, is

God trying to tell us something or is it just one of those kind

of dreams that you really don’t need to analyze further? On

the other hand, I thought of the meaning or

at least the interpretation for a day or two,

but finally gave up my quest for answers.

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Although the idea of God’s working a

miracle concerning our issue did not cross my

mind, now we know God already completed His

work and later revealed it to my wife through

her dream.

Honestly, I already discarded the

emotional anxiety that once was associated

with the pregnancy problem, because of

repeated false starts that we encountered

earlier – so at this particular time I had

literally closed the book on the notion of

pregnancy or baby issues.

After going back and forth in my head and

trying to figure out what my wife’s dream

meant, I decided it was too vague and I

needed to move on and not worry about it

anymore. I have always been the curious type,

I like to figure things out so they are not a

mystery anymore. I decided to close the book

on the hope of Kutina getting pregnant. I

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forgot to mention she once had a complicated

pregnancy thirteen years back that led to a

certain medical impairment. With all of this

in mind I sure was not anticipating any

supernatural intervention. Don’t blame me,

but understand that in the Western world’s

civilization, medical doctors are like the

“Oracle”, which means whatever they say

becomes the law. And the doctors had already

told her that the possibility of having a

child in the future would almost require a

miracle!

Thus, looking back at that morning, I was

not even thinking about the “the audacity of

God’s power,” the ability to do and undo

without any hassles. The power to make ways

where everyone thought there was no way out.

The ability to create opportunity at a place

where others have deemed it a lost cause or

impossible – I must admit, I was not thinking

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beyond my own imagination but rather through

my educational and life experience

limitations. I was too busy accepting what

the doctor told us and what our friends and

acquaintances suggested as the possible

remedy. However, a while later God showed up

with His unconventional and unexpected way of

injecting himself into a situation that had

been labeled a closed case or a no way out

scenario.

I am guilty of this and I am sure some of

you out there are probably culpable as well.

I perceive that we human beings sometimes get

too wrapped up in our imagination and so

called friends’ and family advisors’

opinions, our worldly scientific research and

medically proven findings. In my opinion we

neglect to take into account, the audacious

power of God, the ability to decree something

and that thing must come to pass. Or the

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unlimited power to do as He wishes without

anyone to act as a “review board” or a checks

and balances entity like the United States

Congress. In our case, we knew it was a

supernatural intervention that knocked both

me and my wife off our feet. It was a mind

boggling blessing that superseded natural or

human understanding. Indeed, it is true that

having a degree more than a thermometer does

not equate understanding of God’s power, and

the audacity of what He can do when we

believe and have faith in Him.

You see, the rhetoric of the thermometer

comparison is to say, the more degrees or

educational qualifications that one possesses

would normally translate to extensive

educational training. And in most cases a

wealth of knowledge, which in turn will

constitute quality in the area of better

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judgment and smart decision making skills. As

you already know, that’s not always the case.

Generally speaking, anytime we human

beings face critical or unprecedented hard

times we tend to forget how big our God is.

We spend unnecessary time worrying about how

big our problem is at the time. It is true

that over and over again we forget to invite

God, the author of life, into our

circumstances and allow Him to take control

of the problem. Matthew, Chapter 7: v. 7-8

reads as follows: “Ask and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will

be opened.” What is so interesting about this

text is that, God made a promise to us and

challenged us to “ask” and that it will be

given to us. It took me a while to really

grasp the significance and the magnitude of

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God’s power, especially as described in the

Bible in relation to us.

As time went on, my wife and I began

asking for whatever we wanted in a serious

way from God. We even ignored the fact that

we could not see Him face to face or hear his

voice through a speakerphone. The only thing

we went by was to believe and have faith that

He has answered our requests and we are just

waiting to receive our blessings. At one

point, my wife even changed the display

message on her cell phone to read: “Let go

and let God.”

While we were so worried about having a

baby, little did we know that God had a

different timeframe as to when our miracle

would manifest. We wanted what we wanted at a

particular time but He had a different

schedule for His work. For instance, a few

weeks passed after the early morning

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conversation regarding the dream she had

about how she had heard a voice telling her

to “take care of my child,” and how we both

prayed about it. I thought the entire issue

had been put to rest but I was wrong.

In the wee hours of morning, it might

have been between 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. while I

was sound asleep, I heard my wife getting up

and getting ready to go somewhere. First, I

thought I overslept and missed the alarm, so

I turned and looked at the clock and it was

very early in the morning. I said, “Honey,

are you okay, what’s going on?”

She said, “I have to make a quick run to

the pharmacy and I will be right back.”

I said, “Would you like for me to go with

you or how about you stay at home and let me

get whatever you want.”

She insisted and said that she would be

back shortly. I was both anxious and confused

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by what was going on at this strange hour.

Anyway, she headed out to the pharmacy around

the corner. I waited patiently for her to

come back and tell me what prompted her to

get up at 4:00 a.m. and head out to the

store. When Tina returned she went straight

to the bathroom and when she came out, she

said, “You know what?”

I said “What?”

With joy she replied, “I am pregnant!”

Now very much wide awake and choked up, I

whispered, “For real?”

She gave me a teary-eyed smile and said,

“For real.”

We went to the doctor in order to find

out how mature the pregnancy was and when the

baby was conceived. Surprisingly enough, it

was around the same time she had that dream;

the surreal reverie with the voice that said

to take care of my child. As a believer, I

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strongly believe that God had delivered His

miracle at the appointed time, but from other

people’s perspective they might argue that it

was just a coincidence and that God does not

communicate directly to human beings.

The real excitement came when we went to

the Methodist Hospital for the ultrasound in

order to check the baby’s welfare, and also

determine the sex of the baby. When we got

there, the nurse was very kind and she

advised us that sometimes it’s hard to

determine the baby’s gender in one ultrasound

because some babies like to hide around in

their mother’s womb. I remember taking some

time off work that day in order to go with my

wife. For a while, the nurse was using the

wand to probe my wife’s stomach, and finally

she said, “It’s a boy!” My wife and I looked

at each other eye to eye and we started

smiling and thanking God for His mercy.

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Suddenly, we realized our patience, and

our prayers to God were worth the wait,

considering how He had blessed us with a

child. This whole experience made us realize

some things about waiting for God to answer

one’s prayers. We now know for sure He has

reasons for everything and He does not act

unless He’s completely satisfied with the end

results. As we all know, His ways are not

ours and the timeline He chooses might be a

bit too late or too fast for us, but He

always delivers at the appointed time.

Family members of mine always pray with

these words, the book of Numbers 23: 19: “God

is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, which He

should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He

spoken, and will He not make it good?” It all unfolds

and begins to make sense in retrospect to

Tina having that dream, where she had an

encounter with God and Him saying, “Take care

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of my child.” At the time, she wasn’t even

aware of the fact that she had conceived a

child.

One thing about this God is when He says

or decrees something for you and I, He will

always deliver no matter what anybody thinks

or how long it takes nor the circumstances

surrounding your problem or supplications.

I remember reading Abraham’s story, how

he was one hundred years old without a child,

and how God visited him, and promised him and

his wife, Sarah who I may add was ninety

years old at the time, but both still

believed in God for a child. The book of

Genesis Chapter 17: 17 dictates: Genesis

17:17 “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and

said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a

hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old,

bear?” I am not sure any of us can imagine

waiting this long to receive blessing from

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God. Abraham was one hundred years old, and

God still delivered on His promise to him,

even though Abraham doubted the possibility

of being able to have a child at that age.

God’s promise changeth not, we human being

sometimes promise to do something for one

another, and renege on our promises. One

thing is certain about God, He always

delivers on his promises to us. Mark 13: 31,

read as follows: “Heaven and earth shall pass away:

but my words shall not pass away.”

- And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she has also

conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth

month with her, who was called barren for with God

nothing shall be impossible.

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Luke 1: 36 & 37

"And Jesus said unto them ... , "If ye have faith as a

grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,

Remove hence to younder place; and it shall remove;

and nothing shall be impossible to you."

Romans

1:17

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Chapter 1

MY DOUBTS!

As a young man who grew up in a non-Christian

home, I was made to believe that Christianity

is some kind of stigma and a waste of time.

In fact, my father at one point hired a

private Islamic teacher for me and my

siblings, so that we could be more dedicated

in learning how to read, write and

communicate in Arabic. The Bible says, "God is

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able to do far more than anything we would ever dare to ask

or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers,

desires, thoughts or hopes"

(Ephesians 3:20, Living Bible).

The plans and aspirations my father had

for me were totally different in terms of

what God and whose God I should put my trust

in. Like many kids growing up at home with

their parents, in most cases they end up

following their parents’ foot-steps,

especially when it comes to religion and

beliefs. Thus, it is safe to say my

experience was not of the norm.

One day, I somehow fell asleep in my

father’s small office downstairs and that is

when I had a revelation. In my first

encounter with God, I saw a very tall man. I

could not, however, see his face. The man was

dressed in a long white silky robe. This

angelic person reached down and took me by

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the hands and said, “I am with you and

everything will be alright.” He continued by

quoting a verse from the book of Jeremiah

15:21: “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the

wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the

terrible.”

I was really taken back by this dream

because I had never had such an encounter

before in my life. The other strange thing

was that I didn’t own a Bible at the time. So

when I woke up, it was around 4:00 a.m.

Everything was so quiet and I took a note pad

and wrote down the exact quote in order to

share it with my older sister. In the

morning, I went to my sister and shared my

dream. She said that she was going to take

the information I shared with her to school

and ask one of the Bible school teachers to

see if such a quote exists or at least shed

some light on the dream for us. When she came

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home from school that afternoon, she told me

that it was from the book of Jeremiah 15:12.

At the time, my sister was very supportive

and was also curious to know what the dream

meant. She was a few years older than I, but

she’s really smart and always wanted to lend

a helping hand.

When she came home and confirmed that

such words do exist in the Bible, also

knowing that I couldn’t have made it up

because I could hardly read at the time, it

started making my sister really anxious. I

didn’t own a Bible; my father already imposed

very strict rules towards my siblings and me

when it came to which religion to practice.

In short, with a culmination of all these

factors she believed me emphatically.

Now the hard part. I say this because we

were just a bunch of kids living with our

parents and very loyal and respectful to them

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and whatever rules and regulations put before

us. The thought of going to church or even

attempting to worship or pray to Jesus Christ

would probably get us kicked out of the

house, because we would be considered

rebellious or disobeying our parents’ wishes,

in this case to stay as a Muslim rather than

switch religion.

As time went on, my sister designed a

plan for the two of us to visit a local

church one Sunday, in 1983. This was my first

time being in church and it was very exciting

and relaxing. We were there for only half an

hour, because our parents might be looking

for us since we only had an excuse to be out

for one hour in order to visit a family

member who just relocated to our area.

When we left the church that day, we were

very quiet and kind of went into deep

thinking, not because we didn’t like the

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message or the whole experience, but it just

felt like we finally reached our destination

after a very long and complicated journey.

Ever since that day, there are very few

Sunday’s that we have not attended service to

worship and glory God.

A few years later, we were able to

convince our mother to join us and she was

“doubtful” in the beginning, but she

reluctantly agreed to join us. She said, “I

am ready to try it.” Our mother became a

good devoted Christian like us. She kept her

new found faith to herself, just like my

sister and I when we were living with both of

our parents. A few years had passed since I

moved out as a teenager in order to further

my education in Paris, France.

One Saturday evening I had called home in

order to say hello to my parents and see how

they were both doing. During my phone

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conversation with my mother, we decided to

say a short prayer before I asked her to

invite my father into the conversation so I

could say hello to him as well. In the middle

of our prayer and invoking the name of Jesus

Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we thought we

heard someone pick up the other telephone

extension in the house. Of course it was my

father, he was listening to our prayers and

how we were praying to God in the name of

Jesus Christ. This was the first time that my

father knew about the transition we had made,

and this was the first time that he knew

about my mother’s new faith.

At first my mother was so afraid that her

husband, my dad, would be upset with her. To

the surprise of us both, he did not even say

anything negative about it nor did he ask us

to stop the prayer. This is how we knew the

devil and the spirit of fear had been

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defeated in our lives without any drama. I

must admit my father is a work in progress in

the Lord and the pursuit of salvation. My

mother, on the other hand, became a strong

devoted member of the body of Christ and

passed on in November 20, 2005, while I was

living in Orlando, Florida.

As a Christian and a believer in the word

of God, I am always at peace whenever I read

the book, Number 23:19 “God is not man, that he

should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will

he not fulfill it?” I don’t know about you, but

these words are profound, and very re-

assuring to me.

One thing that I know about this God from

everything He has done in my life and in the

lives of people from the past and the

present: when He says yes to something there

is no one who can overturn what God has

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granted. Sometimes, we may have doubts and

question the mathematical or scientific

possibilities of how God will fix it. I will

advise you to leave God alone to work it out

for you; He’s the God of David, the one who

gave David victory over Goliath. In the book

of Luke 18:27 Jesus said, “"The things that are

impossible for people are possible for God."

I have been through different obstacles

in life, but one thing that has always kept

me going is my faith and the fact that God

has always delivered for me. He might not do

it at my own time but at the appointed time

of God’s own choosing. Please allow me to

share one of my personal stories with you

today; how an impossibility was made possible

for me. How a possible no way, became an

express-road for me and God delivered me from

the impossible.

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I remember a time when I was in New York

and I was praying for my residential papers

to be approved. Most people who are

foreigners or students waiting for a response

from Immigration can appreciate this story.

Anyway, I had been praying, reading the Bible

and giving thanks to God for granting my

residential papers, even though I had not

received it in my hand at the time. I refused

to allow negative people who were around me

at the time to influence my positive

connectivity with God. A few days earlier I

had gone before the Immigration officials.

Some people came back crying and really were

very negative, saying things like: “They are

not going to approve anyone anymore; they

said there are no more immigration benefits

for that type of case,” etc.

However, a few days before I was

scheduled to appear at the Immigration office

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concerning my application, I overheard one of

the Immigration officials telling another

officer that a certain immigration

Adjudicator would be off for a few days. He

said that a visiting Adjudicator would be the

one deciding the cases until this one

supposed challenging Adjudicator came back.

Now, some of you might say, well it’s not

God, that was just a simple case of

coincidence. I know you probably have your

doubts, but remember that God will not come

down from Heaven to help you in terms of

need, He always sends someone through someone

else to help you and provide whatever need

you have requested from Him. Exodus 7:16,

“And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews

hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they

may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou

wouldest not hear.

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I think we can agree that God has the

power to do whatever He wants with Pharaoh,

but instead He sent Moses to Him as the one

to carry-out His heart’s desire for the

Israelites, who at the time according to the

Bible were held captive in Egypt.

The same God who sent Moses to Pharaoh is

still alive today; in fact, God once said to

Moses in Exodus 3:14, "I am who I am. This is what

you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.”

This is very interesting in the sense that,

in those days, Pharaoh was considered a very

powerful ruler and a strong king. As powerful

and fearful as Pharaoh was to the people of

Egypt and the Israelites at the time, the

Bible recalled that the Almighty God was not

afraid of him and his mighty armies. My

message for you today is, if God is not

afraid of the most powerful man at that time

when His people were held captive by Pharaoh,

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do you really think God is afraid to put an

end to the problems in your life today?

The same God who freed the Israelites

from Egypt parted the Red Sea and conquered

many enemies of his people. This same God is

still alive today and will always be forever.

He once said, “I changeth not.” I don’t know

about you, but not too many people in the

world can say they “changeth not.” I know

sometimes when we go through things in our

life, it’s seems like the problem will never

end. Let’s not forget that, even people

including great men of God went through their

own life challenges and obstacles. The most

important thing to always remember when these

moments come to our lives and there appears

to be no ending in sight, praise God and

continue to thank Him for all His love and

mercy. We must not give up, as the scriptures

tells us that we will overcome!

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"I have told you these things, so that in

me you may have peace. In this world you

will have trouble. But take heart! I have

overcome the world."

John 16:33

Chapter 2

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MARRIED AND FACING DIVORCE

First I would like anyone reading this book

to know that I am not a marriage expert,

because I have had my share of marital

problems in the past. I have been married

several times, but all my efforts to stay

married until “death do us part” were an

exercise in futility back then.

CONFESSION

In my first marriage, I was a bit young

and naïve. It was all about me and what I

want and was not as caring as I should have

been at the time. My first wife was kind,

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nice and really full of positive aspirations

for our family. Some of the things that some

of us have ignored in married life are a lack

of consideration for your partner, honesty,

100% truthfulness, unselfishness to one’s

partner, lack of emotion, stubbornness,

sloppy health and spiritual habits, and a

lack of communication.

Genesis 2: 24 says, “Therefore a man shall

leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and

they shall become one flesh. Some people, in my

view, don’t understand what the scriptures

are saying about marriage in this case or

inadvertently miss the message due to no

fault of their own. The important thing about

this word is for us to hold on to our loved

one and refuse to allow anyone to come

between us in our marriage. Leaving home in

order to unite with our spouse is one of the

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steps required in a marriage. In some cases,

we allow external forces to interfere with

our marriage rather than communicating our

differences with one another in an open,

honest dialogue. We might have left home to

unite with our loved one literally, but our

minds are still looking back to when we used

to have everyone tell us what to do and how

to do it regarding crisis management.

As for some of us in a relationship, we

are sometimes challenged when it comes to

expressing ourselves. In some cases, we would

rather “air out” all our marriage’s dirty

laundry to our best friends, parents, and

other family members. One thing to keep in

mind is, when you involve too many people

into your marital challenges, you tend to

invite too much advice and counter advice.

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One thing I strongly recommend is to pray

and commit all your marriage problems to God,

but don’t stop talking to your partner

regarding some of the things that would

enhance your relationship and help strengthen

your marriage. John 10:10 says, “The thief cometh

not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come

that they might have life, and that they might have it more

abundantly.” Knowing these things, we need to

protect our personal belongs, which in this

case is our marriage. Let’s not forget that

none of us are immune to the devil’s tricks

and potential attacks. We need to remember

that if the devil could attempt to trick

Jesus Christ, and took him to the top of the

mountain – how much more you and me. Luke

4:8, tell says, “And Jesus answered and said unto

him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt

worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

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I AM DONE!

This is a common way of how some of us

deal with our marital challenges. Instead of

looking for ways to fix the problems, we

sometimes just take the easy way out. Rather

than look for ways to put the devil to shame,

we simply just give up.

I remember a friend of mine who was

married to his high-school sweetheart. When

they were dating as boyfriend and girlfriend,

everything was workable in terms of any

challenges they were confronted with in their

relationship. However, a few years after they

were married and living together as husband

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and wife; they both developed a zero

tolerance level when it came to communicating

with one another. They wouldn’t even take

time to listen to the other person’s concern

or issue affecting the marriage. Thus, one

day they both decided to separate and work on

getting a divorce. The husband was the first

one to move out, he was eager to get back out

on the dating scene. The wife remained in the

same apartment and they both got two

different spokespersons to resolve their

marriage problems. When I say spokesperson I

mean a lawyer, because by this time they were

not on speaking terms but communicated only

through their lawyers. For some of us who

have used a divorce lawyer before, they can

be really expensive. Of course this also

depends on how bad you really wanted the

other party to know how ready you are to

fight them. To make a long story short, the

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Court and legal expenses had taken a toll on

their finances so they both decided to let

their lawyers go and decided to go pro se, in

other word represent themselves in the

proceedings.

One day I was curious to know how they

both got rid of their expensive lawyers since

they were not on speaking terms. I was

especially curious to know if they sent the

termination of service letter through to the

other side. My friend looked at me and said,

“I had to send my wife an email concerning

the financial burden associated with the

whole divorce.”

So I asked, “Did she reply to you?”

He said, “Yes, in fact she stated that

she was thinking of sending me the same

message about going pro se.”

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I said, “Wow! That is good.” So I asked

my friend to pray about his marriage one more

time and ask God to intervene for him. In

addition, I asked him to send her another

email inviting her for a nice meal in order

to talk about the next step in the marriage.

Surprisingly, she accepted his invitation and

they’ve remained happily married ever since.

Mark 10:6-9 says, “From the beginning of creation

God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man

leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they

shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one

flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man

put asunder.”

In the case of my friend all it took to

save his marriage was for him to reach out to

his wife and not be too proud to extend a

peace offering. Some of us will not bend or

compromise our principles and ideology. We

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would rather allow the marriage go down than

to be the bigger person and just work on

getting the relationship back on track. I

found out through my marital journey and my

experience with several failed marriages that

it is perfectly okay to say to your partner,

“Sweetie, I am sorry I lied to you or I

offended you. Please forgive me and let’s

pray for our marriage.” There is nothing

wrong with apologizing and putting the devil

to shame. One of our presidents here in the

United States of America once described his

wife as, “My rock.” I ask you today, who is

the rock in your marriage or relationship?

The book of Proverbs 31: 10-12 says, “An

excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than

jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will

have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all

the days of her life.” A friend of mine once told me

what marriage meant to him, he said:

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“Marriage is like management, the only

exception is there is no boss, everyone

involved is equal. You manage me and I manage

you, and we manage each other.” I thought,

that’s another interesting way to look at it.

As for me and my past problems in my

marriage, all it took was for me to work on

myself first and learn from experiences. I

remember when my first son Jordan was born; I

was still going out with my friends and

leaving my wife to do everything for the baby

on her own. I don’t even remember how many

times I woke up with the baby at night in

order to change him or simple thing like

making sure my wife got a good rest while I

took care of our son. I was good at taking

her out to eat and buying nice things for

her, but looking back now there were so many

simple but critical things I could have done

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for her in order to save my marriage and help

create a happy home for our family. I know I

can not reverse the past, but I have learned

to apply all my love and affection to my

current wife, Tina. I have since mastered

diaper change effectively since our new baby,

Denzel got here. I daily try to help by doing

things like, running her a bath while she is

on her way home from work, rubbing her back,

communicating with her without any secrecy or

half truths. My new outlook on life when it

comes to my marriage is my God and my wife

first. It is very easy to find fault in any

marriage, but let’s not look for fault, but

rather we should look for happiness.

“He that hath found a good wife, hath found a good

thing, and shall receive a pleasure from the Lord. He

that driveth away a good wife, driveth away a good

thing: but he that keepeth an adulteress, is foolish and

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wicked.” Proverb 18:22

(Douay-

Rheims Bible)

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Chapter 3

JOBLESS & PROMOTED

The book of Psalm 75:6 reads: “For promotion

cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from

the south.” In 1998 while I was working as an

Operation “sort-supervisor” for a major

Fortune 500 company in Chicago, I lost my job

because I opted to do the right thing rather

than follow one of my manager’s directions,

which in my view were unjust toward another

employee. After working with this manager for

a few months, it became an increasing

challenge due to the level of frustration

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that he fostered against other employees at

the company. One day he called me for a

meeting in his office and demanded that I

discipline one particular employee who

reported to me directly - because he had a

non work related disagreement with him and he

felt it was time to get rid of him.

As a Christian and someone who had a

heart, I could not see myself carrying out

such malice against another person because of

a personal disagreement that was not work

related or an insubordination related

incident on the employee’s part. Thus, I

apologized to him and I asked for permission

to offer my opinion on the issue. He agreed

but was very upset with the fact that I did

not carry out his demand to “fire” an

innocent man because of ideological

differences. To make a long story short, I

was terminated a few days later because I did

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not follow his directions. When I lost my job

I was really upset and I prayed to God for

justice and restoration. I remember leaving

the building and I told the manager who was

processing my final paperwork that, “I am

going to get my job back, because I have not

done anything wrong.” I went home and I

prayed again about my situation and I asked

God to take control of the situation.

While sitting in my small studio

apartment on the North Side of Chicago, I

heard a voice which instructed me to write a

letter to the decision makers at the top

level, so I did. A week went by after I faxed

the letter with no response. Another week

went by and still nothing. On the third week

I received a phone call from a manager who

introduced himself to me as the person tasked

to review my termination. This man invited me

to a meeting at which time he had set-up a

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review board made up of both managers and

supervisors. These people unanimously

concluded that the termination was not

justified; they also recommended retro pay

including recommendation for me to be

assigned to a different department and a new

manager as well.

I share this story with you because no

matter how difficult things might seem

sometimes, always hold your peace and believe

that God is always in control and He will

always fight our battle for us. Psalm 105:15

says: “Saying, Touch not my anointed, and do my

prophets no harm. This is an example of how God

can and will fight our battle for us; all we

need to do is pray and believe He has done

whatever you asked from Him.

My situation with the unexpected job loss

might have seemed impossible for me to be

invited back to work, but I refused to let

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the devil win. I kept praying and asking God

to help me and to restore my job with full

benefits. I knew what happened was an attack

of the enemy; I reminded God how I always pay

my tithe and most importantly, how I want Him

to take the Glory for the outcome of this job

loss situation. The Bible says in the book of

Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is formed against thee

shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee

in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the

servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith

the LORD.

The Lord God eventually put the manager

who attacked my job performance to shame. My

situation that appeared hopeless, with no end

in sight became a testimony for others in

similar circumstances. I was restored back to

a better job with an apology from the

company; the company also gave me my choice

of a different department. As for the manager

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who started the entire problem, he might have

planned evil for me but the Lord turned it

for my good, which ultimately led to more

glory for the Lord.

FAITH

Daniel 6:10 reads: “Now when Daniel knew that the

writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows

being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled

upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave

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thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” Daniel’s

faith is how he got delivered from the hands

of his enemy. The only thing Daniel was

guilty of was to pray to his God. He was

later “cast into the lions' den” for doing

the right thing. Sometimes the problem you

are facing might seem like a life and death

situation but you need to keep in mind that

there are no problems that God cannot solve.

Everyone was expecting the lion to attack

Daniel and destroy him, but the Lord God of

hosts did not allow the lions to touch

Daniel. It might have looked like Daniel was

not going to make it out alive, but God was

with him and he was victorious. The story

reinforced my faith in God. Whatever you are

going through, keep in mind that God is in

control and He will make every impossible,

possible; just have faith and ask Him to help

you.

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There are many people facing Daniel’s

type of circumstances right now; maybe it’s

your job, money problems, relationships, a

court case, etc. We need to believe God is

able to help us in times of need, all we need

to do is commit everything to Him and have

faith that it is done. When the enemy wants

to attack someone, sometimes this enemy will

become desperate, looking for anything and

every way to carry out their assignment.

Daniel 6: 12 says, “Then they came near, and spake

before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not

signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of

any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall

be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said,

The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and

Persians, which altereth not.” When God is involved in

your matter, no matter who made the decree,

God will use the same person or someone else

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above them to cancel, amend or nullify the

bad decree in your life.

POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD

Indeed, I believe in the “power of the

spoken word.” Most people miss their blessing

and end up saying negative things to their

friends, family members, and co-workers. They

are in despair about their current

circumstance and most importantly, their own

life as a whole. It may sound strange, but

whenever I call my sister and she talks about

money and her needs, she always says, “I am

between blessings.” She refuses to say

negative things about her life such as: “I am

broke, I have no money, the doctor said I

have 2-3 days to live, my children are good

for nothing, I hate him or her, I don’t like

my job,” etc.

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The following verses in the Bible attest to

the power of spoken words:

Proverbs 18:21:

“"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Psalm 34:13:

"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from

speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good;

seek peace, and pursue it."

Proverbs 12:18:

"There is one who speaks like the piercings of a

sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes

health. The truthful lip shall be established

forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment."

The word of God confirms that He created

us in His own image and likeness, so that

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means we have power to decree and un-do

things in our life and the lives of others

around us. I remember a time when I was

looking for a new job that pays more and was

a better opportunity, so I sent my resume to

this telecommunications company and was asked

to come for an interview. After the interview

I felt really good, because it went very well

and I believed I got the job. In fact, the

interview did not give me any indication that

I was not under consideration for the

position. After waiting for a couple of days

and when I did not hear anything back from

the hiring manager, part of me was trying to

feel that maybe the interview was not as good

as I had thought. I quickly rejected those

thoughts and I prayed and re-claimed the job

each time I felt that way. When I came home

from working out in the afternoon, I had

received a letter from the company and not a

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phone call, which usually indicates some kind

of follow-up

The letter read something like, thank you

for interviewing with our company, but at

this time we have pursued another candidate

that meets our needs. After reading the

letter I laughed and did something

unprecedented, I held the letter in my hand

and I said: “Devil, I know you are behind

this letter, but you cannot take something

that belongs to me. This job is mine and I

have already claimed it.” This is where faith

comes into play, because a few hours after I

received this letter I booked a flight to

Miami for a mini-vacation to see a family

member. When I was getting ready to leave the

house, I threw that letter into a “Garbage

box” in my apartment and I said: “Devil, you

cannot take anything that belongs to me; I am

getting ready to go on vacation. By the time

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I come back, I expect to start this job and

there is nothing you can do about it.” Anyone

who had heard me at the time or walked into

my apartment would think, this man is going

through something because he’s talking to

himself.

I remember I was not the only one who had

done this in the past; the Bible tells us a

story of a woman called, “Hannah”. This woman

was not able to have a child so she prayed to

God; her prayer went like this: “Dear God, if you

would only look and see how sad I am and remember me,

please give me a son. If you would do that for me I will

dedicate my son to you for his whole life." While she was

praying and moving her lips, a man of God,

Eli, who was sitting nearby thought she was

intoxicated and asked her how long she had

been drinking? The Bible recalled, Eli later

knew Hannah was simply praying to God and

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that she was being honest. The man of God was

moved and he said to Hannah, “Go in peace and

may God answer your prayer." Samuel 1:13,14 & 15.

As unrealistic as it may sound to some

people who do not understand the glory and

the audacity of the power of God, I knew in

my heart of hearts that God had granted me

that job. And I was not going to allow or

entertain a form of failure to attack my

blessing. Sometimes, the only thing you have

is your faith and nothing else; because the

situation you are dealing with is out of your

control. As a Christian and one who believes

in the power of God, I dealt with the

rejection letter I just received at the time

with positive feelings by praying and

scheduling a vacation to enjoy myself. Have

you ever been in a situation where some

people expect you to fail and cried to them

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because something unpleasant just happened?

But then you turned it around and just

smiled, remained positive and switched to

“Thanksgiving mode” (T.G.M.)? As strange as

it sounds, a few days after I arrived in

Miami I called my landline in order to check

my voice mail. Guess what? The same company

that had just sent me a “rejection letter” a

few days ago called me and left a message

with these words: “Hello Femi, this is Ms.

Johnson from the HR Department. I just want

to let you know that your drug test is

scheduled for Wednesday in the morning, so

feel free to call me regarding the job

offer.”

This is a testimony that God promoted me

into the new job, even when I had received a

rejection letter previously. The experience

made my faith even stronger in the pursuit of

God’s endeavor, He’s an awesome father and He

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always looks out for us even when we don’t

know which direction to go. I remember when I

hung up the phone from listening to the good

news on my voicemail – I was like, “This

God.” I began to praise Him and worship Him

with songs and praised so loudly that I

really did not care who was listening to me

or what they thought I was doing at the time.

I did manage to speak directly to the devil

with the following words: “Devil, I told you,

you can never have anything God has given to

me and my family.” Not only was I was hired

for that job, subsequently the company

promoted me to call center manager and later

to Human Resources Benefit Administrator in

charge of 200 plus employees. As for the

rejection letter, I kept it for a souvenir

and anytime I am confronted with similar

challenging situations, I remind the devil

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how he will lose the battle if he ever tries

to attack the child of God.

ROMANS 8: 31 says, What, then, shall we say in

response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The question for you now is, do you still

think God is not able to help you and your

family out of whatever is holding you down?

The job that you been seeking and no

response, the house you are trying to buy and

you’re challenged with less than good credit.

You would like to see your children grow up

to make you proud. My response to you is:

“GOD IS ABLE”, but you need to believe in

your heart that God has done it.

The Bible describes faith as follows:

Hebrews 11:1,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.”

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Chapter 4

WHEN YOU GIVE-UP 101

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During my phone conversation with my sister

few years ago, she was experiencing some

challenges in her life when she was living in

Belgium. She had applied for various

government benefits and was about to be

approved, but was later denied. The anxiety

of the waiting she had experienced along with

the denial of “Carte de Séjour” (Residency

card) took a toll on her and during our phone

conversation she began to question if God is

actually in heaven. She said something to the

effect of, does God really answer prayers

anymore? I knew it was not my beloved sister

talking like that but rather the situation in

which she found herself. Thus, she began to

slowly give-up on some of her core beliefs

relative to faith in God, on how to remain

strong in the Lord and not waver, even when

the going gets tough.

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As I listened to her on the phone I knew

I had to pray for her because she would have

done the same for me. Thus, I began to thank

God for His mercy on her life and all that

she’s experiencing. I remember when Moses

took the children of God out of Egypt and

they were confronted with the Red Sea and no

where else to go. Thus, they were not too

happy with Moses and his God - they

complained and some of them began to give-up

on God’s ability to deliver them to safety.

In Proverb 3: 5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your

heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your

ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

During my sister’s ordeal in Belgium, I

learned something new about God’s power. I

learned that, sometimes God would allow

confusion in the camp of the enemy; He would

harden their hearts and set the enemy up for

total destruction. I further learned that

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there is nobody, not even a government of a

country that can stand in the way of the Lord

God. I also learned that it is true when He

declared that He honored His word more than

His name.

Isaiah 55:11 reads:

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:

it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish

that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing

whereto I sent it.”

The politicians can make many promises

during their election campaigns; they

sometimes will make so many promises that

they themselves don’t even remember them all.

When God promises you and I something, you

can put 100% faith that He will deliver on

whatever He had spoken into your life. When

we give-up on God, it is like saying to Him

that you have an option and that you can

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figure things out on your own without God,

the Creator of heaven and Earth.

NEVER STOP!

One of the things we humans find

difficult to do is to continue to thank and

praise God, even when the road to victory

seems doubtful. Would you still uphold the

promise of God in your life and continue to

have faith in Him? Would you rather give-up

and declare the battle to be over? Are you

someone who does not like to go through a few

of life’s challenges, in order to achieve

your dream? Can you volunteer for God to use

the current challenges in your life as

pathways to salvation for non-believers? What

do you think the devil does once he notices

you are without God’s power and protection?

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Do you really think it’s a prudent decision

for you to separate yourself from the Holy

Spirit’s guidance?

I have gone through so much in life. My life

has included failed marriages, separation

from children for decades, and incarceration.

I’ve lost my house, lost my job, slept on the

train in New York one winter, and moved to a

homeless house on Walts Island in New-York

with $1.00 in my pocket. I was divorced and

penniless. There have been lots of challenges

in my life, as recently as 2005 with the

death of my mother, someone I considered a

very good person and a close spiritual

adviser. Yes, it was tough -- but I AM STILL

HERE in good spirits by the grace of God.

It’s very tempting to take the easy way out

when you are confronted with challenges that

seem impossible to overcome, but always

remember that no condition is permanent.

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Here are some of my spiritual heroes in

the Bible, the people who remind me of the

Audacity of God’s Power. They were an

embodiment of faith with an unwavering

relationship with God the Almighty. The Bible

describes their special grace as follows:

Moses. We read in the Bible of the

incredible, miraculous things that he did,

while we was tasked to liberate the

Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh; the

King of Egypt. The people of God were in

captivity for many years, but God used one

man to deliver them out of bondage and then

destroyed their army when Pharaoh decided to

go after them again.

Noah, a man of God according to the

Bible, received a message from God for His

people to worship Him, but the people

refused. Noah went back to God frustrated

because some of the people God sent him to

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even used vulgar language with Noah and were

unresponsive to his call for repentance.

Thus, God decided to send tons of rain down

from heaven that would ultimately destroy the

earth. However, Noah and all his household

was spared because God had instructed Noah to

build an “Ark” in order to put all his family

and a male and a female of every kind of

animal in it to protect them from the flood.

Noah and his family were the only survivors

of the great flood sent by God, due to the

people’s failure to listen to their Creator

when He sent Noah to them.

Joseph was another hero in my opinion; he

was sold into slavery, jailed through false

allegation, and subsequently landed in prison

for a crime he never committed. Through the

grace of God, Joseph was freed from prison

and went basically from prison to President.

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God in His mercy restored Joseph, “All that

the canker worms destroyed in his life.”

Mordecai was described as a man who

helped save the Jews from Haman, a man who

despised Mordecai so much that he

orchestrated the killing of all the Jews in

the land. The book of Esther chapter 3:1-15

described how Haman became the sworn enemy of

the Jews and vowed to massacre both Mordecai

and the entire Jewish race living in the

land. Esther 3: 5, read: “When Haman saw that

Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was

enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were,

he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman

looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews,

throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.”

This story is very touching to me because

it not only revealed the awesomeness of our

God; it also showed us that God has the heart

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of both the good person and their plans

toward you and me. Chapter 6:6-11 says:

“When Haman entered, the king asked him, "What should be

done for the man the king delights to honor?" Now Haman

thought to himself, "Who is there that the king would rather

honor than me?" So he answered the king, "For the man the

king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the

king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a

royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse

be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let

them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him

on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before

him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to

honor!' "Go at once," the king commanded Haman. "Get the

robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for

Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Do not neglect

anything you have recommended." So Haman got the robe

and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on

horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him,

"This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!"

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Haman, who had made this master plan to

exterminate all the Jews including Mordecai,

was ordered hanged by the same King who had

granted him the order to kill all the Jews.

The most miraculous part of this story is

that Haman was hanged in “a gallows that

stood seventy-five feet high by Haman’s

house” – the same gallows he had made for

Mordecai. The King ordered Haman hanged from

it. (Esther 7:8).

Esther in concert with Mordecai was used

by God to save the lives of Jews in the land

of Persia. The bravery of Esther was one of

the key instruments that helped nullify

Haman’s evil plan to massacre all the Jews

because of his hatred of them. The heroic

aspect of this storyline was showed when

Esther knew she was risking her own life to

save others by meeting with the King even

though she was not invited by the King. The

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Bible tells us that the penalty of seeing the

King of Persia without being invited was

death. However, Queen Esther in her heroic

act of bravery still went to see the King

uninvited in order to save the Jews. The Jews

were saved and Haman was hanged for all his

evil plans against God’s people.

Gideon. The story of this ordinary man

became something of tremendous significance

for me personally. In the book of Judges 6-8,

Gideon was described as someone who tested

God in his own ways before he finally agreed

that God’s is with him indeed. Another thing

God did was to assure Gideon by saying, ”The

Lord is with you, mighty warrior," even

though Gideon was initially afraid of the

mission God asked him to embark on. This

story is fascinating because the enemies of

Israel in this case were, “Midianites.” The

Bible describes the “Midianites” as a group

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of people who were harming the Israelites’

crops, and threatening their life and their

welfare. Gideon, however, was used as God’s

instrument to fight the “Midianites”. They

had a million man army compared to that of

Gideon’s soldiers who were only three hundred

men, and still they defeated the enemy of

Israel and the battle. This was yet another

confirmation that one with God is a majority.

The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life

for our sins; He died so we can have eternal

life in Him. He died and rose on the third

day and ascended to heaven. Mark 16:19b says,

“The Lord Jesus was taken up into Heaven and

was enthroned at the right hand of God.” The

name and power associated with our Lord Jesus

Christ is so powerful and incomparable. The

book of Philippians 2:10 says, “At the name of

Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of

those on earth, and of those under the earth.” The word

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of God tells us that God has highly exalted

Jesus Christ’s name by giving him the name

that is above every name. Thus, in the name

of Jesus everything that troubles you and I

shall bow in the name of Jesus.

Now you have read each of these life’s

divine intervention stories and various

miracles they did with God’s help. I have

reached out to Him in many ways throughout my

life, and He has always delivered, even when

it looks and sounds impossible. This is when

He gets excited and eager to help, knowing

you trusted Him with the job. Genesis Chapter

41, described the life and the struggles of a

young man by the name of Joseph, but in the

end God still used him and made him a ruler

in the land of Egypt.

First, Joseph was conspired against and

sold into slavery by his brothers. What an

unfortunate situation of hatred and jealousy,

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as if that is not enough in itself. While he

was in Egypt working for a man named Potiphar

he was wrongfully accused by his wife and was

sent to prison for a crime he never

committed. He was in prison without anyone to

call for help except the Lord God of hosts.

One day, Joseph translated a dream for two of

the men he was in prison with, and one of

these men was later released and he returned

to work for Pharaoh, the King of Egypt.

Joseph was invited by Pharaoh to come and

translate his dream for him since no one in

Egypt was able to translate Pharaoh’s dream.

One of the men Joseph was in prison with had

two years earlier remembered Joseph’s ability

to understand the meaning of dreams and he

told the King of Joseph’s gift.

The story of Joseph started with no

ending in sight when it comes to the

adversity he faced, but at the end of the day

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God helped him overcome all his problems. In

fact, his brothers who were older than him

and who conspired against him later came to

bow down before him. He was reunited with his

family and he gained everything and even more

than he had lost.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love Him, who have been called according

to His purposes”

Romans 8:28,

(New International Version).

Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support

you, so take courage and do it."

Ezra 10:4

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God

my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for

they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my

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youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love

remember me, for you are good, O LORD."

Psalm 25:4-7

Chapter 5

GOD’S 80/20 Rule

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When most people think of “80/20 Rule” the

first thing that comes to mind is Dr. Joseph

M. Juran, who in the late 1940s inaccurately

attributed the 80/20 Rule to an economist

named Pareto. Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian

economist who in 1906 created a mathematical

formula in order to describe the unequal

distribution of wealth in Italy at the time.

In his discoveries, he found, “twenty percent

of the people owned eighty percent of the

wealth.”

I am here to discuss our awesome God, who

owned 100% percentage of the wealth and

everything else that we need to make our life

comfortable, but only requested that we do

our part which if broken down into a

mathematical format is about 20% of the

responsibility. When I was in school the

teachers only required very few things from

me and the rest of the students; they were:

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“come to class and be there on time, pay

attention during lectures and contribute to

the class, do your assignments and

communicate any concerns to the teacher.” In

looking at this basic request from the

teacher, I don’t see any problem maintaining

these basic requirements in order for me to

learn, get knowledge, obtain a certificate or

degree at the end of my studies; and go on to

be a successful person in society. Teachers

have much to do daily in order to teach

students. They have to create lesson plans,

grade tests and or exams, maintain a

classroom with a positive and vibrant

atmosphere, be responsible for the

development of every student in their class

and deal with occasional parents and teachers

conference. They also have to discuss complex

issues affecting either the teacher or the

student.

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The reason I made reference to the daily

complexity associated with a student’s life

is to show everyone how our God only required

us to do as little as 20% so He can reward us

with His part, which is 80%. In the book of

Genesis, Chapter 1: 29 it reads: “And God said,

"Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is

upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its

fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of

the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that

creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I

have given every green plant for food.” When I read

this part I thought, how nice. God created

heaven and earth; He also created everything

else that we might need in order to be happy

and comfortable and live a serene life in

this beautiful garden that he created for

Adam and Eve. If you look at the amount of

love and compassion God invested in making

sure we have everything we need in this

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garden, I say it’s more than what any

government, state or Federal, or any family

will give any one of us without asking for a

substantial return back. All God asked us not

to do was described in Genesis 2: 16-17. “And

the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely

eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the

knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day

that you eat of it you shall die”

I don’t know about your take on this, but

the request from God to Adam and Eve does not

equate to anything more than 20%

responsibility in my opinion. So if Adam and

Eve would have listened to God’s command and

not disobeyed Him they would probably be

living in peace and harmony till today. I

don’t think God the Almighty would kick them

out of the Garden of Eden without any

disobedience. I often think about how God

provided this beautiful Garden, with food and

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other pleasures, and placed man in-charge of

everything He had created. I sometimes ask

myself if God is still able to do the same

thing today for me and everybody else – maybe

not the Garden of Eden, but some other things

that I needed or wanted in my life. I mean

such things as: a good job, good health,

peace of mind, a good marriage or positive

relationships with my loved ones. The only

condition is for me to do 20% of God’s

command, because He’s going to allow me 80%

grace.

I can relate to the 80/20 concept as

something I have tried at various times in my

life, especially when I want something from

God and I take time to remind Him during my

prayer of how I have complied with His

command. I remember when I was working as

Manager for a telecommunication company out

of Georgia; I experienced various problems

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dealing with a jealous, unnecessary and petty

complaint that was leveled against me by this

other manager. This manager went to the

Director who was her friend and complained

about me. She said that an employee who had

reported a problem involving another employee

came to her and complained that after she

left my office, that I did not take her

complaint seriously. Instead, she alleged, I

told the person everything she had told me

about him. The strangest part is, this female

manager, who was my colleague at the time,

did not come to me with this employee’s

allegation but she went and told the Director

who was our overall manager. The Director,

without any formal investigation, turned

around and sent a demotion email to me. I was

stripped of my Managerial duties and of

course my office was assigned to someone

else.

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The same lady came to me after I read my

demotion email and said, “I was told to let

you know that you should vacate your office

and move all your things to the 2nd floor

ASAP.” Most people would probably say

something really crazy or out of line to her,

but I remembered the following words of God:

Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to

be still.”

1 Samuel 17:47, “It is not by sword or spear that the Lord

saves;”

Ecclesiastes 9:18, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war”

Romans 12:17, “Return no one evil for evil...live at peace with

everyone”

I held my peace and I simply said, “Oh

yes, I got the email and I am just clearing

things out, thanks for the heads-up.” Anyway,

I was a bit sad that day but I didn’t give

the devil any satisfaction nor did I show it

but rather I prayed to God and challenged God

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with my 20% responsibility that I had been

doing through paying my tithe to church on

every pay period. I reminded God of times

that I was so busy but still found time to go

to church and worship Him. I even reminded

God of little things like, a couple of people

who I helped get hired into this company.

Finally, I said, “God, I committed this

situation into Your hand and I trust and have

faith in You that You are the God who answers

prayer. I ask You to please make this entire

problem go away, Lord. It said in Your book,

1 Peter 2:23, ‘...He (Jesus) did not retaliate...He made

no threats.’ I do not have any power of my own

and I want You to take the entire Glory,

Father God.”

A few months went by after I had been

demoted through email and ordered removed

from my office for something I did not do; I

gave the whole thing to God to sort out. One

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day I was on my way home after work and I

pushed the elevator so I could go to the

underground parking. When I stepped into the

elevator, I was surprised to see the

Director, who was also going to the parking

area. I said, “Hello, how are you doing, how

is your family?” She told me that her

daughter was sick and that she has not been

herself for the past few weeks. I said, “I am

so sorry to hear that” and that I would be

praying for her.

Before both of us stepped out of the

elevator, she turned to me and said, “By the

way, Femi, I had wanted to come and talk to

you about a very important matter, but I just

don’t know where to start.”

I said, “Is everything OK? Do you want to

talk now?” She said no but come and see me in

my office tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. I told her

no problem.

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When I got home, I called my sister and

we prayed and talked about the conversation I

had with the Director and my meeting with

her. To make a long story short, when I got

to her office she first apologized to me for

my demotion and confessed “off record” as she

described it. She said the other manger that

brought the “phony” employee’s supposed

complaint about how I handled her complaint

was made-up in order for her to get me fired.

She said she was manipulated by people she

trusted and that she was really disappointed

and that the employee whom I suppose had

revealed her complaint came to her and

confessed that she never told that manager

that Femi did that. At the end of the

meeting, I was re-promoted with better job

duties and a bigger office with my own

personal assistant. I was elevated to share

the same office space with the company’s

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Human Resources Manager, who became my good

friend. The lady who started the entire

problem abruptly left on Short Time

Disability. The department that oversees the

administration of Short Time Disability was

part of my new job assignment, which also

meant that any employee on short time

disability would report directly to me until

they come back to work or are released by

their physician. The word of God said, “Sit at

my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, 2 Corinthians 10:4

says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of

the world.” God is able all day anytime and any

place, even though my situation at the time

seemed hopeless and it appeared there was no

way out. I reminded God of His promises, his

80% responsibility and I also made Him aware

of my 20% and how I was faithful and obedient

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to Him. One thing I have learnt over the

years when it comes to dealing with God,

first you say whatever you want and ask for

specific things from him, second you need to

be patient, third, shower Him with thank yous

and praises. Remember, He said we should

trust Him, He also said He created us in His

own image, and He said also that whatever He

says He will surely do it. Just reading some

of the stories in the Bible, I am amazed to

see how many people God has destroyed because

of His people, Israel. We all knew how He

dealt with Pharaoh; even Moses felt some of

God’s anger when he disobeyed Him. Acts 10:34

says: “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I

perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” It is very

interesting to read about the awesomeness of

God, the same Father God who called Israel,

“Chosen People” never hesitated to allow

their enemy to deal with them, if and when

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the so called, “Chosen people” disobeyed His

command or refused to worship.

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CHAPTER 6

1-800-HELP!

On the 29th day of August, 2005, the people

of Louisiana experienced a “Category 5

storm.” CNN reported the following on their

website, “New Orleans braced for a

catastrophic blow from Hurricane Katrina

overnight, as forecasters predicted the

Category 5 storm could drive a wall of water

over the city's levees. The huge storm,

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packing 160 mph winds, was expected to hit

the northern Gulf Coast in the next nine

hours and make landfall as a Category 4 or 5

hurricanes Monday morning.” The media further

reported New Orleans’ Mayor Ray Nagin saying,

“This is a threat that we've never faced

before. If we galvanize and gather around

each other, I'm sure we will get through

this."

When I read the story on my way to work

that day, I said to myself, only God can save

the people of New Orleans from this monstrous

hurricane. Public records shows limited or no

“help” was rendered to the citizens of

Louisiana who were trapped and were not able

to escape before the levees broke and flooded

their communities.. The reason why I brought

this story up is to explore humans’

dependency on other people’s ability to save

us in critical need, rather than seeking the

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most high to help us overcome our adversity.

Our communities may rise up to help, the

people; we share bread and water and might go

the extra mile. The family who shared our

last name but was not directly related may

pledge financial and all other needed

support. It is God the Almighty who

represents a never busy “toll-free helpline”

24/7 which a unique number, 1-800-HELP. Psalm

46 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present

help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth

give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake

with their surging." The Louisiana hurricane

disaster was a wake-up call to so many people

around the globe. Some people, as you might

expect, have built years of credibility with

others when it comes to dependency; but the

only guarantee who never fails is God. My

question to you today is, do you know the

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number to call for help? Do you know what to

say once your call is answered?

“Wi-Fi connectivity”

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in

horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our

God.” I was talking to a friend of mine a few

days ago while I was writing this book; he

had wanted me to join him for lunch in order

to discuss his job search strategies. He’s

been looking for work for the past few weeks

and he was getting frustrated and wanted to

talk to somebody. I asked him when was the

last time he had a conversation with God. He

said he was just in church two days ago and

prayed for all types of things that he wanted

God to do for him. I asked him another

question. I said how are you communicating to

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God. Are you using “Wi-Fi” or a “Dial up”

connection? He paused and asked what a “Wi-

Fi” was and what a “Dial-up” connection was.

My friend and I kind of laughed about my

comparison, but on a serious note, I

explained to him the best way I could. For

most us that are not technology savvy, a “Wi-

Fi” is also known as, “Wireless fidelity”, this

wireless networking technology is used

wirelessly to connect to a “router” which is

connected to the Internet by way of a “DSL

modem.” The significance of a “Wi-Fi” is that

it allows anyone with such capability to

connect to the Internet from anywhere in the

house, restaurant, church, airport, school,

library, court house, prison, conference

room, etc. This can be done without having

to be stationary or glued to a specific desk

or table. However, a “Dial-up” is the total

opposite; it requires the user to be

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stationary. In addition, you can only connect

to the Internet through a “telephone line.”

Most people who use this technology will tell

you it is slow and sometimes will drop

connectivity in the middle of your

conversation or transaction.

I know you’re wondering what all this has

got to do with my friend’s request for

guidance and fellowship. I began by letting

my friend know that he doesn’t have to wait

until Sunday before he can pray and talk to

God. The notion that God is stationary only

in churches is not something that I shared.

Yes, I go to church to fellowship, and to

serve Him. At the same time, I can connect

anywhere in my house, office, school,

library, bank, etc. to Him without waiting

for a specific location and or a particular

time to connect to the Holy Spirit. John 4:24

says, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must

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worship him in spirit and in truth.” We really don’t

have to wait for our Pastor, a Reverend,

Ministers or a certain Prophet before we pray

to God and request whatever we want Him to do

for us. The scripture in Matthew 18:20 say,

“For where two or three come together in my name, there

am I with them.”

One good re-assuring thing about God is,

He doesn’t want our money, cars, beautiful

houses, nice designer cloths, but rather a

relationship with Him; and His desire is that

we put Him first. Matthew 6:33 read, “But seek

ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all

these things shall be added unto you.” When I look at

this scripture I sometimes wonder how many of

us actually take advantage of this word,

seriously, God just instructed us what we

need to do to be blessed beyond our wildest

dream. For instance, if you work for a

company and the owner came to you one day and

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said, I know you are looking for a promotion,

more financial benefits and to move up in the

company. However, there are a few things I

need you to do in order for me to grant all

that. First, you must show 100% dedication by

not missing work for twelve months straight.

After you prove to me that you are dependable

and ready for the leadership spot, I will

approve all the corporate benefits you have

requested. The moral of this example is

basically to draw inferences on what it would

take to receive from God without having to go

through a stressful and endless waiting

period.

A year ago today, my wife was bed-ridden

unable to move because her water had broken

earlier than expected. The baby was trying to

come in six months. This was a difficult time

for both of us, I was worried, dismayed and

confused. Whenever I went to the hospital to

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see her, she always maintained her cool and

very strong spirit. We continued to pray day

after day, but as time went on I began to

gain spiritual strength by speaking to our

situation; also talking to God about my wife

and our unborn baby. One afternoon when I

went to see Tina in the hospital, she asked

me whatever happened with the house I was

trying to get for our family. You see, before

she went into premature labor, we had just

given our landlord a notice that we would not

renew our contract but were rather looking

for our own house. Here I am with my wife in

the hospital in a critical situation. She had

to take an unexpected medical leave from her

job. My job is stable but I am really absent

a lot because of this crisis. A date is

approaching for us to move out of the rented

house because we were not renewing our lease.

The last thing I wanted to discuss with my

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wife, who was lying in bed, was the

possibility of no house for her to come back

to once she leaves the hospital. Thus, I told

her God is working on it and that we will

move to the new house that we’ve been looking

at before her hospital ordeal was over.

However, the real estate agent working on the

property for us continued to run into snags.

The builder had not returned their calls and

by this time they could not give me a

definite answer as to the closing dates, so I

had to take the matter into my own hands!

When I left the hospital that day, I went

to the real estate agency office and asked to

see the lady in-charge of our file. She came

and said, “Mr. Folorunsho, I am sorry but we

are still waiting for a response from the

owner and there is no approval yet.”

I said, that’s fine but I would like her

to give me the builder’s email address. She

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gave me the email address and I went home and

sent the builder a nice email; I expressed

why I needed a response because of my family

situation. I was honest, candid and very

realistic. The email was sent later that day

and by the time I was getting ready to go to

bed, he had responded with an approval. The

next day, I called the real estate agent and

I told them that I had received an approval

from the builder/owner; they were so

surprised and asked that I forward them a

copy of the email. The real-estate agency,

after receiving the email, called me and set-

up the date to do the remaining paperwork. A

few weeks later we moved into the new house

and we gave all the glory to God. Benjamin

Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1757

said, “God helps those who help themselves.” In this

case, I had to do my part and prayed that God

showed me favor when the builder received my

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email. I could have just left everything to

the real estate agency to work on it for me,

but God decided to work it out and we gave

Him all the glory. My wife was happy with the

house because by the time she had the baby at

seven months, the house was ready for our new

baby. Denzel had his own room and we have

enough space for all the medical equipment

needed for a premature baby.

“Valley of Elah”

The “Valley of Elah” story according to 1

Samuel Chapter 17 was where David and Goliath

fought. This was where God gave David an

uncommon victory over the enemy of Israel.

The Bible described David as being the

youngest of eight brothers, his primary

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occupation at the time was Shepherd – someone

who took care of sheep. One day David’s

father sent him to his brother in order to

give them food on the battlefield. When David

got there he heard Goliath making all kinds

of noise and boastful gestures. 1 Samuel: 26

read:

“David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done

for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this

disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine

that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David

in my view did not wait around after seeing

his brothers and the rest of the army scared

and afraid to fight Goliath. He took control

of the situation and confronted the

challenge, which led to the defeat of

Goliath; which in turn gave way for David to

receive his blessing from God and he was

later crowned King.

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Sometimes, we need to take control of

whatever is holding us back from getting to

that next level. If you don’t try, how would

you know if you are going to succeed? I

personally believe trying to confront

something or a situation in your life is an

act of courage. To be victorious or

successful at that particular thing or

situation requires prayers, perseverance,

determination and God’s grace. One day I was

watching an interview conducted with an

American icon, Ted Turner. I was moved by the

risk, visionary, determination and the

passion invested by this great American when

he launched CNN. This man was so determined

and had a strong conviction and deep

compassion for his project. When everyone was

telling him it was a waste of time, and that

people will not watch the news on TV 24/7. It

is an under statement to say, Mr. Robert

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Edward Turner’s “Cable News Network”

revolutionized the world of news media in

general. Can you imagine if Ted would have

just listened to the critics and then quit or

refused to go on with his vision.

A man of God was preaching one day and he

said, you are praying for God to help you

with this and for Him to bless you. But you

are not doing anything to either look for a

job or try to move forward by going back to

school. Or in your personal life to repair a

relationship that was ruined because you were

at fault but too proud to say so. In

conclusion he said, please tell me, what is

God going to bless? You need to make the

first step and allow Him to take you to the

next level.

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of

man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak

and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

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Numbers 23.19

Jesus Christ once said, “What is impossible for

people is possible with God.”

Luke 18:27

CHAPTER 7

God is my ATM

When my ex-wife moved out of the house, she

took everything with her. My first few weeks,

I was sleeping on the floor of the master

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bedroom. To make an already challenging

situation even worse, my employer of a few

years decided to move their operation to

Kansas City. Thus, I was without a job and

the unemployment benefits were so small that

I was not able to make my car payment and the

mortgage together.

While I was going through these

challenges, I was still very appreciative

because I knew where I was coming from. I

remember my first few nights in America. I

was on the train in New York City. I also

thanked God, because when I moved out of the

train subway station I moved right into the

“Homeless House” in Walts Island, New York. I

continued to tell myself, Femi, it’s not that bad.

After looking for a job all over the place, I

finally got a Retail Sales job with an

electronics company. The book of Philip. 2:14

says, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning.”

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This new job paid very little or nothing

compared to what I was used to making at my

last job. In addition, I already committed

myself to paying child support to my ex-wife,

because it was the right thing to do.

After about a month at this new job, one

day an old friend of mine came to the store

to buy something and she saw me working so

she asked me how everything was going. I told

her that I was making it and praying for God

to bless me. Later that day, I called her and

we were able to have a conversation regarding

my problems of possible divorce and

foreclosure. She was really sympathetic and

it felt good just to talk to somebody at that

moment. I knew it was going to be a

challenging period because I had no job for

months, which in turn led to mountains of

unpaid bills. This angel sent friend was very

helpful; she helped me pay half of my

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mortgage every month until I caught up. In

addition, she replaced a complete bedroom set

so I could stop sleeping on the floor.

Psalm 46:1-3:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help

in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

Though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.”

I especially like this verse because it’s

re-assuring and powerful. While I was

troubled with my upcoming divorce proceedings

and the possibility of losing my house, God

in His Kingdom was working on the back end,

making sure all my needs were met. Even

though I had no money to pay my bills at the

time that I needed money the most, God sent

me someone who helped me pay most of my most

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pressing bills and I could not thank Him

enough. As time went on, I got another job

and I went to buy an investment property

within a short period.

Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you

and help you; I will uphold you will my righteous right

hand.”

There are some things that happen in our

life that we cannot explain, or even know

where and whom to turn to. We all go through

certain things that are hard to discuss with

family members, close friends and / or our

spiritual advisers because they are either

too embarrassing or we just don’t even know

how and where to start. Psalm 56:3-4 says,

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God, whose

word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be

afraid. What can mere man do to me?” This is the

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time we need to be close to God and seek His

help, it also helps when we try and stop

making excuses for the reasons why we are

disconnected from God. Sometimes it’s ok to

admit our own opportunities and just pray

that God gives us the courage and the grace

to reach-out to the people God has put in our

lives to help us. For example, (Exodus. 7:9,

19; 8:5, 16) God asked Moses to seek the help

of Aaron when he was getting ready to meet

Pharaoh. Moses was described in (Exodus 4:14)

as someone who did not have the necessary

oratory gift, but Aaron was the opposite;

he’s described as being talented and a fluent

speaker. When I read the story of Moses and

Aaron, I noticed how God used Aaron’s oratory

skills to help Moses carry out his mission in

Egypt when they both went to see Pharaoh.

Some things holding us back from moving

forward are not all financially related. For

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some it’s good health, for others, past

mistakes, negative attitude, insecurity, lack

of transportation, unable to have a child or

it just seems all doors are closed whenever

we try to move ahead with our various

endeavors.

Supernatural Wedding Plan

When I was getting ready to re-marry and

finally decided to take myself off the “eBay

of dating” or “dating flea market”, my

excuses at the time were I have no money. I

kept looking for ways to convince myself that

I needed to wait, as in the words of a friend

of mine, “my money is funny” which is a more

funny positive way of saying, I am broke. I

had this notion that I needed thousands and

thousands of dollars before I could propose

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to my then girlfriend. Anyway, I decided to

talk to her about my financial concerns. I

told her I was thinking about marrying her

but financially, I could not afford it. I

thought she was going to say why are you

teasing me or take a loan or something out of

the norm, but she said, “Let’s pray about

it.” So we prayed about it and asked God to

bless our plans, make ways where there was no

way. After our prayer we both decided to set-

up a wedding date even though we didn’t have

any money but we prayed for a Supernatural

favor.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about

anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with

thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

A few days after my girlfriend and I

prayed concerning the marriage proposal I was

thinking about, but didn’t have any money to

buy a ring or even think of a full wedding

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plan. One Friday as I left work something

kept telling me to go and check my mailbox

because when we first moved to Memphis, we

were staying in a one bedroom hotel and I was

not comfortable receiving my mail at the

hotel; so we forwarded all our mail to a

mailbox. When I opened the mailbox I found a

check had been sitting in there for a couple

of days from my homeowner’s insurance. They

had refunded my escrow over-payment to me

after the house was sold. The check was over

two thousand dollars. Then another company

that owed me money also called and paid me

the entire amount that I had been waiting

for, for over a year. Thus, I took off work

early one day and called straight to the

jewelry store, I went ahead and paid for the

ring; but kept the whole thing to myself. A

few days later, I was still thinking of a

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special place that I would use to propose to

her since I had the ring already.

One night around 5:00 p.m. she asked me

to come with her to a church graduation

ceremony. One of her friends was graduating

and a church had loaned them their multi-

purpose room for the ceremony. When we got to

the parking lot of the church, I got out of

the car quickly and I went ahead and waited

for her at the front entrance of the church.

As soon as I saw her approaching towards the

door, I went on my knee and I asked her to

marry me. She was so surprised because a few

days ago we were both window shopping for

rings at the mall, and a few weeks before

that we were both praying for a financial

breakthrough. We not only had a beautiful

large sized wedding full of all that we had

prayed for, we also had enough money to go

for a honeymoon to Las Vegas. A famous

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American writer, actor, producer, and

director. Tyler Perry a.k.a. “Madea”, once

said, “I lost a job, but I gained a career, I lost an

apartment but I owned a house now.” We all go

through things in our lives, but never stop

praying, hoping, believing for a miracle;

because God is not giving up on us. We might

be thinking, how is this going to happen?

When is it going to happen? Let’s not forget,

our God is a supernatural provider, the book

of Job 12:10 says, “In his hand is the life of every

living thing and the breath of all mankind.” If you ask

me, I will say - that is a lot of power!

“The Lord is near to all who call upon

Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He

will fulfill the desire of those who fear

him; he also will hear their cry and save

them.”

Psalm 145.18-19

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Chapter 8

Prescription for Success

Isaiah 48:17 is a profound word of God. It

says,” Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of

Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit,

which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”

Most CEO’s and corporate executives would

probably disagree with the notion of God

having something to do with their business

successes or failures. I think most of them

would probably attribute their successes to

good business plans and excellent products

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that meet their customers’ demands. On the

other hand, the company’s executives who

failed in their businesses would probably say

the market is bad, customers are more

challenging in terms of wants, they do not

have a competitive edge to compete with other

global companies that produces same or

similar products, etc.

As a Christian I believe in hard-work,

dedication, loyalty and also praying to God

for help for my professional life to be

successful, as well as my family life. I

remember when I was a sales manager for a

company out of Memphis, Tennessee. Our job at

the time involved good customer service in

order to drive revenue so our store and the

entire staff could earn their fair share of

commission.

We took care of customers’ need and in

the process we were able to generate

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significant revenue for our branch, and the

region in general. One thing I did was to

make sure I paid my tithe as soon I got paid

from the company. My family and I attended

church services on a regular basis and we

participated in special church activities

that involve “Altar call” for prayers

relative to people with special needs. To

make a long story short, my store won over

twenty awards. We were named the best store

almost every month. The blessing we received

was so noticeable that I was invited to other

stores to train their managers and employees

on how to perform at a high level. As funny

as it sounds, I attributed everything to God

and how He was able to give us divine and

incomparably successful business operational

skills that my team and I used to become a

great operator. I sincerely believe God is

the author and the driver of success in each

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of our various endeavors. Psalm according

Psalm 75:6 say. “For promotion cometh neither from

the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.”

No matter how intelligent we are as a

person or President or CEO of a company, we

should always maintain a good prayerful

relationship with God if we intend to do

extraordinary things in our various

businesses. About eleven years ago I took a

job as an account executive for a major

package shipping company out of Chicago,

Illinois. My job at the time involved the

selling of our brand name features and

benefits against other competitors. As part

of my job duties I was given a budget of two

hundred thousand in new business generation

that I needed to bring to the company in a

very short time.

This was my first real job or at least in

a sales environment, therefore I was really

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excited about the opportunity. During the

interview, they asked me if I had a

reasonable mode of transportation, which I

took for subways and buses that I used to

commute. I said yes I do. It was after I rode

with one of the veteran sales representatives

that I learned I needed my own car because

the job involved making countless business

“door to door cold calls” in search of new

business opportunities for the company.

On Friday when I was told I got the job,

I went to a car dealership on the North Side

of Chicago in order to buy a car for my sales

representative job. Although I knew I had no

credit history I was determined to get the

car anyway. I also put everything in God’s

hands. A few days before that, I had received

a five hundred dollar secure credit card from

Capital One bank after I sent then five

hundred dollars which would allow me to start

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building credit. This was my only alternative

to show the car dealership that I have a

credit card and that I would be depositing

five hundred dollars towards the purchase of

the car. The car salesperson ran my credit

and came back with the following statements,

“Well, Mr. Folorunsho, I see you only have

one credit card on your credit history. How

much will you be putting down on this car?”

I said, “Five hundred dollars.

He said, “I am not sure we can work this

but you realize this is a brand new car, a

Toyota Corolla.”

I said, “I know, but let’s work it out.”

He said, “I will be back,” and he went to

talk to this other person for some kind of

approval. When he came back he said, “Do you

have your own insurance?”

I said, “No, but I can get it right now

over the phone.”

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He said, “You might want to because

you’re going to be driving home in this car

tonight.” I am telling you this story because

it was only God who allowed me to receive

favor for the sales job, the new car with no

significant deposit whatsoever. The other

thing was, when I started the sales job, I

was so blessed that I made five times my

projected budget that the company promoted me

three times in one year.

I have learned to understand that

anyone’s success in life depends on God the

Creator. He has created everyone with

different blessings and exciting

opportunities as long as we work with Him and

worship Him with all our heart. I remembered

that this company that hired me for the full

time sales representative job had a freeze on

fulltime opportunities before I joined them.

When God is on your side and He wants you to

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have something, regardless of the “double

freeze” on what He wants you to have, you

will still get it. I also learned God likes

praises and appreciates a thanksgiving

spirit. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the

thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of

peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

God is not a man who lies and whatever He

says will happen will surely come to pass.

The Lord’s thoughts towards us are “of peace and

not of evil.” God is such a perfect architect

when it comes to so many things about this

world, including the planning of our life.

His plan towards our life encompasses

specific plans for our future, and how He

will deliver those plans in conjunction with

His glory.

I have been through some really critical

situations in my life and I have always

trusted in God for a positive outcome. There

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have been times that it became stressful

while I was waiting for God to do His work.

In those cases, I have no choice but to

continue to pray and hope for Him. I also

gave myself a lot of pep talks during the

waiting period. I made up my mind that I was

not going to quit, so I keep my faith to 100%

so when I got through the wave I was still

able to maintain a very high percentage with

my faith level. I also meditate upon the word

of God, and read positive stories from the

Bible concerning great men of God who waited

for God in need and He delivered or provided

their need for them. Finally, I also take

time to look back at my life as a whole,

things that I had been through that I thought

were very challenging in the past, but now

have become a thing of the past.

Also, I like to pray with my wife and

mediate with her; a common phrase of our is,

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“let’s go and let God.” She figures if I

continue to harbor negative energy of

doubting my faith while I am waiting for God,

such an attitude would only create more

stress and be a waste of energy. That’s

because the Lord God will do whatever He has

promised us, regardless of how many people

tried to prevent it from happening. I know

from experience dealing with God. He might

come or deliver whatever we asked in our own

time, or in His own appointed time. I think

it is reasonable to say, sometimes we want

certain things at a particular time, but God

who sees front and back, decides to make the

right decision for us regarding whatever He’s

about to give us; He would not create a

headache for us. I know of a lady that I used

to work with. She always prays for a nice big

house and often complains about why God has

not answered her prayers.

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Thus, one day she came to work with a

picture of the new house she just bought and

wanted everyone to see how beautiful the

house was. Shortly after she bought this five

bedroom house, the company went out of

business and laid everybody off. I felt

sympathetic for her, but I also thought about

how God had delayed her prayer because He

knew what was about to happen with the lady’s

job. It’s unclear but that was one thing that

I thought of when the lady’s job loss

occurred, etc. This made it difficult for her

to pay her bills and the new house mortgage.

Sometimes, it’s okay to stay in an apartment

building until you receive the blessing of a

new house from God. If He gives the house or

the new car to you; He will help you pay the

bill by providing you with resources to meet

your need.

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Jeremiah 12:5 says, "If you have raced against

others on foot, and they have tired you out, how can you

compete with horses? If you stumble in open country, how

can you live in the jungle along the Jordan River?” The

only way I can compete is with the help of

God Almighty. There are situations in our

lives that we are in no position to fix. Part

of it could mean because the situation or the

problem is out of our hands; this is one of

those times that you and I need to pray and

trust God for the outcome. Remember there are

certain prayers or requests that you wanted

so bad but God who sees the future decided to

declined your request, Psalm 32:8 says, “I will

instruct you and teach you in the way should go; I will guide

you with My eye.”

This is very nice of God to look out for

us and make sure we are not heading down the

wrong path. Take the U.S. Military for

example. When they send a combat team into

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the war zone to fight the enemy, the combat

team will be equipped with various military

equipment including 3-way radios or GPS

(Global Positioning Satellite) for monitoring

their movements in the field. There are

certain things the combat crews are not able

to see from their own vantage point, which

could potentially be a danger to them.

However, the Commanders at the base will

effectively radio them or send them a message

through their communication system to warn or

alert them of the danger ahead of them. The

combat team might be looking forward to

fighting the enemy at that particular time,

but the Commander at the base instructs them

to, “Stand down” because of the danger ahead

for the team. The commanders will only

authorize the combat team to go ahead with

their mission after they’ve verified that the

threat ahead is neutralized. It is my belief

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that God operates in similar fashion.

Proverbs 1:33 says, “But whoever listens to me will

dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”

I went to a job interview one day. After

my formal interview I found out that the man

interviewing me was a Christian. He related a

personal story of life that led him to his

current job. The gentleman told me about his

prior business situation, while he was living

in North Carolina. He said he once owned a

restaurant before he became an insurance

salesperson. He said that one day he applied

for a business loan, in order to start this

restaurant business which was his lifetime

dream and passion. However, a day before the

bank called him about the decision on his

loan, he had a vision and heard a voice that

told me not to do the restaurant business.

The man said he was satisfied at that point

that he had heard from God, since he had

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prayed about his new endeavor. In the morning

while he was getting ready to make a run, his

phone ran and it was the bank telling him the

following news: “Hello Larry, congratulations

your loan has been approved and you can come

by and pick-up the check.” To make a long

story short, Larry said when he heard that

news from the bank he automatically thought,

this is definitely some sort of a go ahead

confirmation. Thus, Larry continued with his

business plans. He started his restaurant

business and everything seemed perfect in the

beginning. One day, suddenly without any

warning, of some sort, a “nasty” storm came

and wiped-out the restaurant shortly after

the place was open. He said he was really

upset and of course lost all the money, time

and valuable resources he had invested in the

business. He told me further that, him and

his wife later sold the business at a loss.

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This story touched me because the

gentleman also said that, if he had to do it

again; he would have listened to God and

waited for His plans in his life rather than

trying to circumvent God and His plans. Larry

is currently a Senior Agency Manager for a

major benefit Health care insurance company.

A story like this speaks to the core of God’s

promises, and the fact that He will always

direct our path; however, it is up to us to

“let go and let God.”

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you

the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust

also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord,

and wait patiently for Him."

Psalm 37:4-7

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CHAPTER 9

Count down with God

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In 1997 when I was living with a friend in

Chicago, I was so desperate to find a job I

thought that if I sent out an average of

fifty resumes a week, somebody would hire me

eventually. I had just relocated to Chicago

at the time and I needed a change in my life.

Psalm 127.1 reads, “Unless the Lord builds the house,

they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the

city, the watchman stays awake in vain." I was busy

sending resumes all over the place without

any real progress, at one point I was even

faxing resumes at midnight. I subscribed to

local daily newspapers so that I could have

access to classified job advertisements. I

was very busy working hard without extending

an invitation to God so He could help, direct

and show me Divine favor.

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One Sunday morning when my friend was

getting ready to go to church I was busy

looking through the Sunday newspaper,

reviewing the “job classifieds.” She looked

at me and said, “Why don’t you just leave

that mess alone and let’s go talk to God.”

I said, “Oh no, this is very important. I

need to send all these resumes before noon

today.” This might sound funny, but she wrote

the following on one of my resume papers,

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all

these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

When she left for church that day I simply

felt I needed to turn everything over to God

to help me with everything I was going

through at the time. A few minutes later, I

left everything I was doing and decided to go

and worship God. After the service I waited

around to fellowship for a while and ended up

talking to a gentleman who wanted to know

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what I did for a living, and I told him I

just relocated to Chicago and that I was

looking for a job. First I thought it was a

joke because the guy gave me his business

card and asked me to come and see him on

Monday at 9:00 a.m. When I got to the place

they had me complete a job application and

few days later I was hired for the job. Some

people might read this testimony and feel

like it was just a coincidence, but I will

tell those people there is nothing like luck

or coincidence when God decides to bless you.

“And we know that all things work together for good to

them that love God, to them who are the called according

to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done

the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Heb 10:36

KJV

As I look back at that moment in 1997, I

was so worried and determined to use my own

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head-knowledge to solve my job search

problem, at one point I was so consumed with

the job search that I ignored the importance

of seeking God’s assistance. Yes, the road

was tough; I was without a place of my own,

and no money to pay my bills. I also remember

that my mode of transportation at the times

was the Chicago Metro subway train.

When I was reading the story of King

Solomon in 1King I was amazed to learn how

God blessed him with tremendous knowledge and

fame beyond imagination. Thus, I decided to

explore his relationship with God and to see

why he was so favored by God. The Bible

described King Solomon as someone who loved

God. In the beginning of his life he was

anointed as King by the Prophet Nathan over

his brother Adonijah. In fact, David, his

father handed his throne over to Solomon

while he was still alive; this to me

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constitutes an unusual favor. The book of 1

Kings 1 explains how Solomon loved the Lord

and how he made so many sacrifices to God as

a solidified love and commitment to Him. This

love relationship that he developed with God

really made the Lord happy. The Lord came to

Solomon one day in a dream and asked Solomon

to ask for anything he wanted from God. While

most of us would probably ask for new car,

big house, lots of money, a child, etc.,

Solomon however asked God to give him

“wisdom.” According to the Bible, the Lord

was so pleased with Solomon that He not only

gave him “wisdom” as he had requested, but He

also added riches and honor.

When we truly serve and honor God the

Creator with all our heart, there is nothing

He cannot do for us in return. Solomon

received an unusual request from God to ask

for whatever he wants; some people would

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probably challenge the story, by doubting the

possibility of this miraculous encounter with

God. Some will even suggest such a dream is

nothing but unrealistic fantasy. However, for

some of us who’ve had an encounter or two

with God, there is nothing phony or

unrealistic about the Lord of hosts; unless

He has not revealed Himself to you. When God

decided to make contact with Saul, it came in

the form of a question. Acts .9:4reads, “And

he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,

Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Sometimes when God

wants to get things done in our life, He

takes a drastic form, like showing up in our

dream or sending a stranger to advise us

about a certain positive or not so positive

agenda we might be considering at the time.

Numbers 22:26-31 is a situation where God

wanted to get a man named Balaam’s attention

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by sending an angel, which “stood in a narrow

place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or

the left.” However, “When the donkey saw the

angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam;

so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey

with his stick.” And of course the owner was

furious and “struck the donkey” because he

had not seen what the donkey saw and didn’t

understand why the animal “lay down.” Thus,

Balaam’s donkey said, "What have I done to

you, that you have struck me these three

times?" This is when the Lord opened Balaam’s

eyes and he saw what his donkey saw and

resisted going further. I Like the story

because it shows that God can and will use

anything and all things to get his message

across to us.

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends

of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his

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understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the

weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths

grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but

those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They

will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow

weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-

31.

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CHAPTER 10

At last I am free!

Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Femi

Folorunsho and I am not perfect. I have been

through so many ups and downs in my life as

you can see; the only thing that has kept me

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going throughout my life is my dedication and

unconditional love for God the Almighty. I am

never going to out source my relationship

with Him, nor would I refuse to pray and

glorify His name.

When I decided to write this book, I

simply wanted to share my lifetime experience

with God the Father because without Him, I am

lost. I will be the first to admit that I am

not perfect, every day when I wake-up; I am

very realistic about various life challenges.

I also know that, when you pray, have faith

and allow God to take control, that He will.

It might not be when you want Him to help,

but He will always do things at His own time.

A friend of mine once asked me if I think the

devil existed. I said of course he does.

However, I also believe God knows every move

the devil planned to exploit in our various

lives. The devil’s plan as we’ve learned

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throughout human history is being nothing but

an action to steal and destroy our good

intentions for our lives and the lives of our

children.

The Bible described how our Lord Jesus

Christ resisted the devil, in Matthew 4:5-7.

The devil was so crafty and manipulative that

he took Jesus to the “highest point of the

Temple” and said to him, “If you are the Son

of God, throw yourself down.” However,

knowing the devil was being manipulative,

Jesus Christ told him the following: "It is

also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God

to the test’.” I felt like I needed to

reference this example in order to expose the

systematic manipulation attempt that the

devil orchestrated against Jesus Christ in an

attempt to control him. The good news,

however was our Lord was a step ahead of him

by refusing to obey the devil and his crafty

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ploy. Thus, if the devil can try to pull a

fast one on Jesus Christ, can you imagine

what he would attempt to do with someone

without a relationship with God? It is only

by the grace of God that we children of God

continue to outmaneuver the devil and all his

destructive plans against our various lives.

20 Second Prayer

Jesus Christ said in, Matthew 18.18-19, "I

tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound

in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in

heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree

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about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my

Father in heaven."

Because of this proclamation by Jesus

Christ, hereby declare the following:

I am free from a generational problem

that tries to hold me back from going to

the next positive level in my life.

I am free from lack of opportunity to

excel and help my children achieve their

dreams.

I am free from sickness and diseases that

aim to seize and destroy my health and

strength to praise God every day.

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I am free from poverty that tries to

render me and all what God has installed

in me inadequate.

I am free from universal Man-made

financial pitfalls that seek to enslave

my finances.

I am free from fear, loneliness,

insecurity, double minded spirit, and low

self-esteem.

I am also free from the jealously and

hatred that makes it impossible for my

neighbor to see they are my keep and vice

versa.

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I am free from the attack of both the

enemy of progress and its commander in

chief, the devil himself.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the

opportunity to serve You, I am especially

grateful for Your loving kindness. Anytime I

think about Your support and the

unconditional love for me and my family; I

know I am blessed and highly favored by You!

Exodus 3:15 – “God also said to Moses,

"Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of

your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of

Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to

you.' This is my name forever, the name by

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which I am to be remembered from generation

to generation.”

“Have I not commanded you? Be

strong and courageous. Do not

be terrified, do not be

discouraged, for the Lord your

God will be with

you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1: 9

THE AUDACITY OF GOD’S POWER

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How much worse could it get for me? After several failed marriages, unemployment, and the threat of losing my house a few years ago, I had to turn to God for a 911 intervention. At that point in time, I just lost my job and my ex-wife had just moved outwith all her furniture, including the accessories and mattress. I thought I had reached my limit, but with God’s grace I bounced back and refused to be defeated. One of the greatest lessons learned then is to stay faithful to God, hold on to Him because He’s the only one that could help me throughout my days in the wilderness.

The Audacity of God’s power shows how toughness of a man or woman cannot be measured through their physical stature, but rather the ability to stay strong and reach-out to God for assistance. Challenges are inevitable, they are like the weather or a season, no matter how undesirable they appearat one point – a better one will surely replace the not too great ones. As for me, itwas my willingness to ask for God’s help thatultimately saved me and allowed Him to go theextra mile for me and my family.

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Mr. Femi Folorunsho is the founder of Folorunsho Community Development Outreach in Memphis, Tennessee. He became a Christian a few decades ago while he was living in Paris,France. Femi and his wife, Kutina are both active members of the New Direction Church, Memphis Tennessee. They recently welcomed a baby boy named, Denzel. Femi Folorunsho is also the author of a new upcoming book entitled: “Marriage Life, Don’t Drop the Ball!”

The Audacity ofGod’s Power

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The Audacity of God's Power

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