By Funmi Komolafe

Happy Sunday! Joyful   Homes   is here again   to lift    our faith and remind us that whatever   the challenge we are going   through has  expiry date.

Whether it is visible or not,   the reality is that nearly all human beings have one challenge or the other.   I mean there is something that we are worried about. Something that   an individual does not   have the capacity to resolve.

A friend once told me that she had an appointment for 4 a.m. to   meet with the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire Ministries, Pastor D.K. Olukoya. While waiting, she sighted a prominent businessman   ( name withheld) who   had also come to see the G.O.     She said she didn’t know that a man of such calibre could have a challenge   that would warrant losing his sleep to   keep an appointment with   a man of God.

This, however, is not our focus.       Ours   is to remind ourselves about the awesome power of God and his goodness to human beings.

Generally, I   try to refrain from speaking about medical science achievements in the area of child bearing but some   cannot be ignored.   However, the   experience of some couples have shown that   whereas   medical science   failed  severally, God did not fail.

But then, let’s thank God for medical science.   Have you asked yourself, could such inventions have been made without the hand of God?     Definitely not. Those inventions were made because God meant them for some people.

For instance, a certain woman, who had been waiting on the Lord for years,   got pregnant .   She actually missed her period and naturally was happy. The following day, she had a dream in which she saw two persons   ( identities veiled) who   told her,  “You are pregnant, we’ll see how you will deliver”. But immediately,   another voice   said to her, “They are liars”.

It is clear that the first voice was that of the enemy, those who, for whatever reasons, didn’t want her to have children.   The other was the voice of the Holy Spirit. How do I know ? The second voice spoke in agreement   with   the word of God in   Genesis 1 vs 28:  “And God blessed them and God said unto them,    `Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of   the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing   that moveth upon the earth’”.

To shorten this story, this woman saw the best of doctors in Nigeria and overseas but none could see the baby.   One of them told her that since she was feeling the movement of the baby at the back, no scan will ever see it.

In England’,   where she had a comprehensive scan, no one saw the baby . However, shortly before that scan, she felt as if the baby had been taken out of her.

Meanwhile, she remained steadfast in prayer and, finally, the God of perfection moved     and she delivered   a baby boy.   Her doctor in England sent her a mail, “ This is a miracle. The last time I saw this kind was 25 years ago”. This is a true-life story   but     which some may find difficult to believe . Miracles are not commonplace stories.   In many   instances, they are controversial .   Why ? Because they defy logic.

The God of Perfection

When we talk about perfection in our lives,   we are usually coming from a background that something is imperfect and needs to be perfected.

What does the Holy Bible say? Psalm 138 verse 8 states: “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever; forsake not the work of thine own hands”.   Here, the Psalmist appreciates that he is the creation of   Jehovah Elyon   ( the God of Creation )   just like you and I .   Therefore, we have a duty to remind God to     perfect   his work in our lives,   but because we know that we may have taken steps that have worked against what we desire or some people somewhere might have vowed that our joy will not be full, we need to ask for   the mercy of the Lord just like the Psalmist.

To overcome that challenge, there is the need to ask.     This, we do by creating time to pray and study the word of God.

Our assurance of an answer is found in   Numbers 14 verse 28: “Say unto them,   `As truly as I live, saith   the Lord, as ye have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you’”. So, you must speak before God takes action.

May I share with you the   sermon of Pastor J.T. Kalejaye   of RCCG on  a  similar topic.

He said, we should bear in mind that“ any problem that leads to a miracle is a good one”.

We are also reminded that God’s ways are   different from our own.   Many are times, what we call a delay is   waiting for God’s time.   We should always bear in mind that   a miracle is different from magic.   God is a miracle worker and not a magician.   Isaiah 55 verse 8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither   are your ways my ways , saith the Lord”.

While praying, we should seek his mercy and favour even when we get tired of waiting.     When we get tired, it is not the time to question God.   Neither is it the time to murmur.

A friend once had a challenge of getting married. She had a fiancé who was known to everybody.   Their   relationship wasn’t a secret but the man’s mother vehemently opposed the marriage on the grounds that the lady was older than the guy and had a love child.     Eventually, the pressure was too much for the guy and he married someone else.   They guy felt so guilty that he continued to meet all her material needs.

On a particular day, I visited my   friend and   told her to be patient,   suggesting   that she could get a better life partner.   She retorted: “If God would do it , why hasn’t that God done it?’.   She didn’t stop at that , she stopped attending any church service.   Till today,   her status has remained the same.

When we turn God off our lives, do we turn to the devil for solution?   Definitely no solution will come from the devil . If it ever comes, there is always a huge price to pay.

Coping with challenges

While   coping with challenges, our faith should remind us that only God can reverse the irreversible.

Our authority is found in   Jeremiah 32 verse 27: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?”

In our prayer, we should learn to remind God of his word on the particular focus of our prayer. The knowledge of the word is hardly obtainable if we do not create time to study the word. We just must find time to study   the word.

We are also reminded of the word of God as stated in I John 3 verse 8.   The latter part of it states,   “For this purpose the   Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil “.

Let’s look unto Jesus; our best friend, the one who never sleeps nor slumber.

Instead of shedding sorrowful tears and wearing mournful looks because of a challenge, let’s cry unto Jesus. Shed those tears   while praying and the Lord who has seen you in secret will surely reward you openly.

Stay focused.

Don’t get tired of worshipping God; your testimony will arrive when you least expect.

I wish you a fruitful week   in Jesus name.

Happy May Day!