Gbenga OwotokiGbenga Owotoki

Personal Development – Metamorphosis

admin — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:50:34 +0000

Life is a process; it’s not lived in an instant. Don’t be in a hurry to grab everything all at once because you may end up being sorry for your actions later. The Caterpillars must go through four stages before their metamorphosis is complete. They begin as eggs, next they hatch as caterpillars, then they go through a stage where they eat, and eat, and eat some more. Eventually, they become a chrysalis before the transformation is complete and they can finally emerge as a beautiful butterfly. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Often, we want to walk straight into the calling God has for us. We want to do and be everything God wants us to be and not only that, but we want to skip the journey that takes us there and do it NOW! We want to go from being caterpillar eggs to butterflies! However, we all know that there are risks to anything being born prematurely. In order for anything to be birthed, whether it is a vision or a calling, we who are to fulfill it must go on a journey.

We must go through stages and seasons of preparation. Sometimes our lives can reach a point where they seem routine and mundane. Like the caterpillars, we are walking up and down, up and down. We may feel bored with where we are, like God has forgotten us, or as though we are not accomplishing much with our lives. We go through the day wondering. Is this the day? If we find it’s not, our response should be like the caterpillars. It’s not the day, but God has promised it, so I’m going to prepare for it nonetheless! We should eat, and eat, and eat from the Word of God. We should spend daily time in prayer and worship. We should be building, preparing, and strengthening our spirit man to accomplish the things which God has stamped on our souls to do. I’m convinced that like the caterpillar, God wants to take us on a journey. I’m convinced there is a process. Job said “For He knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Sometimes there is pain in the process.

Sometimes the journey is difficult, but God knows and sees exactly where you are. When others look and see an ugly cocoon, He looks inside and sees the beautiful creature that is being transformed. Before David became king of Israel, he was first a shepherd boy. Some of his brothers were more handsome than him and greater in stature, but God did not choose them. Don’t despise the cocoon. God may simply be waiting for your character to catch up with your calling. It is in the difficult process of breaking out of the chrysalis that the butterfly becomes strong. However, if the caterpillar breaks its way out of the cocoon prematurely, he will never survive. His wings will not be developed enough to allow him to properly fly. God does not want us to simply arrive at our calling, He desires for us to be successful in it. You may be a caterpillar with the word ‘butterfly’ stamped on your forehead wondering “When is it going to happen?” Consider this thought. is it possible that you have yet to visit the cocoon? If you’re having trouble waiting for the moment that you break out into your calling, just remember. “He has made everything beautiful in HIS time.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 11)

God Refinery – Touch Me Lord

admin — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:39:02 +0000

God’s touch is never destructive, it is ever constructive. He may let you pass through the fire but you will not burnout. He has the picture of your future taken even before you set out. He takes you through the bends and the sharp curves so you can grow to be a master rider yourself. He allows you to go through the plow-room so you can be a befitting specimen for His Show-room. If only you know the ‘fire’ you are in is God’s agent to take you to your promise land then you will cry out ‘More of it Lord!’ My prayer for you is that, at the end of the day, you will be what He had in mind when He first began with you. You will finish strong. You may start out weak but you the Lord will accelerate your speed and cause you to go the last mile all the way. I love this hymn:

More love to thee O Christ.

More love to thee, …

Hear now the prayers I Make on Bended knees

This is my earnest plea

More Love O Christ to Thee

More Love to thee.

What will matter at the end is if you ‘tough-through’ that unfavorable situation to stay true to the Lord. Go the last mile and you will smile at the other side of life. God Bless you BIG.

God’s Refinery – The Siamese Twins

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:29:36 +0000

An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one oar the word “Faith” and on the other oar the word “Works.” Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of these oars. The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad for the opportunity to testify said, “I will show you.” Then he dropped one oar and plied the other called Works, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called Faith, and the little boat just went around in circles again – this time the other way around, but still in a circle. … After this demonstration the old man picked up Faith and Works, and plying both oars together, sped swiftly over the water.

Some people work as if their life depends on it. They take out the faith factor and count on their ability alone to seek out the change they so desire. The fact is, work is not enough; it will continue to take you round in circles. On the other hand, you have faith that can move mountains and all you do is sleep from 7pm to 12noon the following day and you wake up and keep claiming it by faith, all you have only achieved is to build your abode next to poverty. Faith and work are like two Siamese twins that cannot be separated. When you are armed with both, you can withstand any situation. Beloved, Faith is awesome but it’s not enough, work is good but it’s not enough to get you what you need in life but when you combine both, then you will make tangible progress in life. It is the same way with the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead also, it will get you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing. God bless you big.

God’s Refinery – You Deserve The Best

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:39:44 +0000

You will never know how great you are until you discover your true identity. Learn from the story I am about to share. An eagle’s egg was placed in the nest of a pampas chicken. The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a pampas chicken. The eagle did what the pampas chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is wh…at the pampas chickens did. One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky. He asked the pampas chickens: “What is that beautiful bird?” The chickens replied, “That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a pampas chicken.” So the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and died a pampas chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision. What a waste! He was born to win, but was conditioned to lose.
Some of us are like this eagle; we live without realizing our identity in Christ. We are born champions but the environment and the people around us have conditioned us for failure. Some lay the blame of their present fiasco on their family they or the country/environment in which they were raised. But the truth remains; success is not the exclusive right of a privileged few. God created you for a purpose. You are a success story even right from the very day you were born. Heaven rejoiced because a champion had arrived. God has empowered us like the eagle- the king among the birds- don’t see yourself as a chicken. Champions recognize who they are in the Lord, they don’t just talk the talk; they also walk the walk. They have been toughened by the challenges of life. They smile at the storm because they see the silver lining beneath the cloud. They invade uncharted territories leaving their footprints in the sand of time. That is whom God has made you; living less is a waste of God’s resources upon your life. Step out in faith. Run that race. The honors roll is not filled yet; there is still a place for you. You will conquer what has not been conquered. Failure will not be your credo. You will never capitulate; weakness will not be in your heart. Heaven will not deny you; the devil – though he tries – will and cannot defy you because you are connected to the same endless Power that framed the world. That power has moved continents and nations; It will take you through that battle unscathed. Don’t give up! You are only a few inches away from ‘breasting the tape.’ You will be celebrated. God bless you BIG.

God’s Refinery – The True Reference Point

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:28:30 +0000

Who is your standard? When you make God your standard consistently, one day you will become a standard to the world. Nuclear submarines consist of some of the most amazing technology on the planet. These incredible military vessels can stay underwater for ninety days, but every ninety days the submarine must resurface to maintain proper alignment with the North Star. While underwater, the submarine’s navigational system is affected by the earth’s magnetic forces. Because the submarines carry missiles of mass destruction, they must pay close attention to keeping the navigational equipment aligned to the true reference point of the North Star There is a lesson to learn here. We cannot perform at our highest level or complete our mission without maintaining proper alignment with our God. The day you become self sufficient marks the beginning of your decline. Don’t be carried away by the fact that you are winning every race. Take out time to withdraw and refuel. Your life does not consist of the abundance of treasures you have acquired but rather how you can remain relevant in God’s agenda. Your heart is the navigational equipment that keeps you on track with God. Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Your name may ring from shore to shore on earth but you should be concerned whether it is known in heaven because that is our ultimate destination. Whatever we do, let’s do it with heaven in view. Think about it! God bless you big

God’s Refinery – Crumpled But Priceless

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:00:41 +0000

A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it…?” Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. … “My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you should never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to the Lord and those who do love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and how we relate to what happens around us. You are special-Don’t ever forget that. Count your blessings and not your problems. There is always something to be thankful about. God bless you big.

God’s Refinery – Why Me Lord?

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:21:13 +0000

Tennis superstar Arthur Ashe died of AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. More than a great athlete, Ashe was a gentleman who inspired and encouraged many with his exemplary behavior on and off the court. Ashe could have become embittered and self-pitying in the face of his disease, but he maintained a grateful attitude. He explained, “If I asked, ‘Why me?’ about my troubles, I would have to ask, ‘Why me?’ about my blessings. Why my winning Wimbledon? Why my marrying a beautiful, gifted woman and having a wonderful child?”

Ashe’s attitude rebukes those of us who often grumble, “Why me Lord? Why is God allowing this to happen?” Even if we’re suffering acutely, we must not forget the mercies God pours into our lives-such things as food, shelter, and friends–blessings that many are deprived of. … And what about spiritual blessings? We can hold the very Word of God in our hands and read it. We have the knowledge of His saving grace, the comfort of His Spirit, and the joyful assurance of life everlasting with Jesus. Particularly during this period as we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let the question be: Why Me Lord? Why did He love me so much and died for me in particular on the cross. Can you Imagine what hope will remain of believers if Jesus had died and not resurrected; but Praise God, He broke the power of death and the grave could not hold Him captive. What an awesome feeling to be connected to Him through this great sacrifice on the cross. Beloved, think about God’s blessings and Jesus’ death and resurrection and ask, “Why me Lord?” Then your grumbling will give way to praise. Let your praise ring out by posting a comment showing how much you love Him for all He’s done for you. God bless you big.

Personal Development – Don’t Let It Linger

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:06:53 +0000

Two brothers were convicted of stealing sheep. For their crime they were each branded on the forehead with the letters “ST,” for “sheep thief.” One brother immediately ran away from the area and attempted to build a new life in another country. Even there, people asked him about the “ST” burned into his forehead. He continued his wanderings and finally, unable to bear the burden, he committed suicide. The other brother took a different approach. He said to himself, “I can’t run away from the fact that I stole sheep. But that’s the past. I can stay here and win back my self-respect and the respect of my neighbors.” The years passed and he built a reputation for integrity. One day a stranger saw the brother, now an old man, with the letters “ST” branded on his forehead. He asked a resident of the town what the letters stood for. The townsman replied, “It happened a long time ago. I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the …letters are an abbreviation for Saint.”

Don’t run away from your short comings, deal with them and the world will one day forget your failures and celebrate you. Don’t be in self illusion that when you keep going on the wrong path, you will end up at the court of honor. What you cover up now can come back to ruin your life later. It is bad that you erred but it becomes live wrecking when you do nothing to correct it. Take the path of honor, build back your integrity, it may be a rough and tortuous journey; people may mock and ostracize you from their group but at the end you will become the ‘the stone in which the builder has rejected has become the corner stone.’ The man you will become will override stigma associated with your live in the past. Think and take the step to take back your life. God bless you big

God’s Refinery – Is Your Heart On Fire?

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:56:46 +0000

Is your heart on fire for God or is it as cold as an iceberg? When you say you are a Christian, people look over your shoulder thinking you are talking about someone else. Gone are the days when people say they are Christians and you would not need to doubt them because their lives preached Christ. But today we fill our churches with people and yet the same sets of people are the reason for the moral decadence in our society. It wasn’t so in the days of Peter; when the Fire fell; Peter rose up and preached a message and three thousand souls were added to the Kingdom but today particularly on Sundays over three thousand messages are being preached but where are the souls? Today, we speak in tongues but it is all empty and a mere mumble jumble. The fire is gone; it’s all gimmicks and pulpit theatrics. Oh! How we need the fire again. How God sought for men that will dare the devil. Men that will fear less for their liv…es for His sake. He is looking for those who will be dead to self and alive in Him; those that will not put their personal interest before His. God is constantly seeking out those that He will use for this end time move. Enough of the lethargy. You have slumbered for too long. It is time for you to be quickened and set ablaze for God once again. It is only what is done for Christ that will last. Be stirred up in your inner man. Now is the time to seek the Lord until He pours forth His righteousness in our lives and nations.

You know you have been made for something better and not just what you have filled your life with. Vance Havner put it best when he wrote, “We need a heart warming…The early Christians did not need a shot in the arm every Sunday to keep them going. They knew Jesus and they upset the world and worried the devil and gave wicked rulers insomnia and started something the jails couldn’t lock up, fire couldn’t burn, water couldn’t drown, swords couldn’t kill.”

You may be-little experience and speak of the dangers of emotion, but we are suffering today from a species of Christianity as dry as dust, as cold as ice, as pale as a corpse, and as dead as Dead Sea. We are suffering, not from a lack of correct heads but of consumed hearts. I pray that God will set our hearts on fire again. Beloved, you can’t continue like this. We had hoped another John Knox, Billy Graham, John Wesley, Charles Finney, Katherine Kuhlman, Madame Guyon, Amy Mac Pierson etc were in the making when we saw your passion and fire on campus or as a youth but alas! It was all a smokescreen. You are now a shadow of your old self. The once upon-a-time enigma has now become like any other man. Back to the cross you must flee until your soul and heart becomes ignited afresh. For God seek you if only you will make yourself available. Will you join the number, He is waiting. God Bless you big.

God’s Refinery – Stop: There is Danger Ahead

admin — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:25:58 +0000

Please read the description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine: “There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were ‘playing around’ with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would ‘free wheel’ when they took the power off it. … “Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computer-driven alarm systems. “One by one the computers would come up and say, ‘Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!’ And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world, from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world.” This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned.

The instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril, and tragically, at the peril of others. Why soil your hands and allow your heart to be polluted by the devil? You have silenced the voice of the Lord as he daily calls your attention to these ‘unauthorized experiment’ you have involved yourself. You ignore His warnings and think it doesn’t matter. There is always a danger sign telling you to stop and not to go further. But because your conscience has been seared up, you turned deaf ears to these warnings. Why are you toiling with your life? “There is a way that seems right to man but the end of it is destruction,” says the preacher. Check your life today. Make a U-turn if need be and the Lord will help you. God Bless you big. Prepare to attend the Giant Conference coming up between April 11th to 14th 2013.