Understanding Your Destiny

This year I have had three people speak prophetically to me about my destiny. They each gave me a vision of what God was showing them regarding His purpose for my life. I never asked for these visions but God chose them to give them to me anyway.

All three of them told me they believe there is a greater calling on my life, and that it might sound scary but if I have faith then I have nothing to fear.

God’s desire is for me to trust Him to accomplish what He says will do through me.
Sharing this is not meant to intimidate or discourage anyone but it is to exhort others also to believe in the one who created the Heavens and Earth. If He can do something miraculous in my life, He can do it in yours too.

When God choses you for a great destiny, it means He is committed to see you through no matter what you do to displease Him. His righteousness is not dependent on us, it is our righteousness that is dependent on Him.

I know my struggle better, and I know we all struggle to be obedient to God all the time but sometimes we fall into sin because we are afraid to seek help.

When we feel weak and feel like our prayers are ineffective, we need to ask God to show us people we can turn to for prayers.

When I received my third prophetic vision of my destiny, the one prophesying over me said he could see a chain around my neck, in the spiritual realm. This chain was holding me back from finding peace in the destiny God has for me and it was only after I allowed that person to pray over me that the chain was released.

Another struggle of mine is commitment. Being single means you’re free to mingle, literally.
I can’t say I have always made the wisest choices in this regard, but now what I believe God is teaching me is I need to learn to be completely committed to Him first before I can commit to anyone else. It also means that I cannot commit myself to someone who is not completely committed to God first if I am to reap the full benefits of a Godly relationship.

Loneliness is a disease only love can cure.

To make this short, I need to be okay with being alone with God and making sure I don’t run to people to feel fulfilled if I don’t feel fulfilled in God in the first place.
There are many people who feel lonely because they want people and things to fill their emptiness. We all want to feel needed, but if we fail to accept our need for God then everything we do is in vain.

Your destiny is determined by your commitment God.

Your first commitment is to God.
Your relationship with God demands reciprocity.
Any relationship that has no real reciprocity will die.
God is not a slot machine. His promises are real and not by chance.
What He says, He will do.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV)

Your second commitment is to your family.
You have to believe in the “We” and the “Us” and not the “me” and the “you”. Commitment is not a feeling you switch on and off.

Your third commitment is to your church.
If you don’t learn to give like you get, you will find your spirit begin to lose hope, patience and perseverance.
It is not about your pastor, it is about you. Are you willing to give and serve in your church?
Anything that takes more than it gives will eventually cause destruction.

Are you expecting more from God, family, and church than you are willing to invest?
If there is any area of your life that you are expecting more than you are willing to invest, you will be perpetually disappointed.

If you suffer with me, you will reign with me. (2 Timothy 2:12)

Read the book of Psalms chapter 1.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1, 2 NIV)

Is Pain Necessary? What Is Your Calling (Part 2)?

Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.

It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. (Judges 3:1-2 ESV)

Driving around San Francisco is a real treat sometimes, especially after the sun sets. It’s when you’re at the top of the hill that you get a clear view of the city. It’s a beautiful sight.

Coming down is inevitable like going through life with the experience of pain.

I met this beautiful girl the other day and we began sharing stories about our day. She told me how she had to work on the weekend, and I told her that wasn’t so bad because she was still getting paid. When she asked me about my day I told her about my back accident, and she immediately felt sympathy for me.

We were just strangers until we shared intimate details about our lives.

Before we each shared our pain, we had been joking around and laughing because we both understood how life can be a paradox.

After our brief interaction, she said that I was the best part of her day.

Without pain my life wouldn’t be perfect.

I meet so many different kinds of people in San Francisco, yet I still find something in common with each of them.

From the space scientists to the tech engineers, their stories bear a similar thread. Being nice comes at a price.

They all thank me for taking them from point A to point B. The Israelites asked God to do the same for them. They cried out to God in Egypt so He could bring them out to the promised land, but God made sure they understood there was a price they had to pay.

They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. (Judges 3:4 ESV)

Where is your promised land?

Is it in advancing in your career? Is it in marriage? Is it in raising a Godly family?

My promised land is here, sharing my pain with strangers, so maybe one of them will see God can become the best part of their day.

As long as I continue to allow myself to be like the clay in the potter’s hands, I know God’s word will change me and shape me in the way that seems best to Him.
Will you allow yourself to be like clay in His hands?

It will be painful, but the pain is only there to test you for the war ahead.

DJ Pastor Ephany!
Catch Me If You Can – Tedashii

What is Your Calling?

What Is Your Calling?

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve,..
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV)

This verse took me back to the days when I was growing up in my parent’s three-bedroom mansion in Nairobi, for my dad had bought this wooden plaque with this verse inscribed on it.

I remember most homes I walked into back then had the same plaque hanging in their living room wall.

Today, I’m sitting in this two bedroom apartment in Silicon Valley conflicted by thoughts of loneliness and a deep desire to please God. Which makes no sense until I realize how much it truly means to me to understand what my calling is, that I have been willing to give up sensual pleasures, ‘friends’, and family. Being alone, and isolated from any kind of community is the closest I think one can be to living an unfulfilled life. Yet it is the life I am called or forced to thrive in at this time. This is not the first time I have been or felt isolated from others but it is the first time in many years that it has felt like a test. I find myself at a cross-roads and I need to choose today whom I will serve.

Jesus often isolated himself from others to pray. In fact before the beginning of his ministry he was led into the wilderness alone for forty days by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing. Yet the devil could not get him to fall into temptation.

There are times I feel we are called to be alone with God in order to find strength, hope, patience, faith, love, and assurance of lasting community with the Father, son and Holy Spirit. It is in these times we can truly identify with Christ’s suffering. Being affirmed is important to me, so when I’m alone and I choose to read the word of God my heart becomes overwhelmed with love.

I call it love because I don’t know how else to describe it. It is this feeling of wanting to be vulnerable with others in order to share in what God is doing or wants to do.

It’s like a blessing and a curse at the same time, for vulnerability depicts weakness.

Most people would rather not show anyone their weaknesses. They would rather let fear control who they are.

God’s love trumps fear.

Heaven is for real. I sound like I’m preaching but the truth is, this is not something everyone is willing to admit. Sometimes it takes us to be isolated from what is around us for our eyes, ears and hearts to be opened to what we have been called to. Sharing God’s word with others is only the beginning to what our true calling really is.

What is your calling?

 

About Me: An Untamed Desire To Win.

Rappers like to talk about themselves, preachers like to talk about God and themselves. Different type of hustlers. The best rappers are committed to spitting their best rhymes, whilst the best preachers must be committed to re-examining their lives as compared to the best (Jesus) and be committed to repenting of their shortcomings daily. To be the best rapper you need to be liked the most. To be the best preacher you need to be hated the most.

God can see how people don’t like you and bless you because of it.

Rappers have enemies, just like preachers. The more enemies you have the better you become. The world loves rappers who insult their haters with their rhymes, but God blesses you because of those who hate you. Most rappers have low self-esteem, so they compensate for it by chasing after fame. Preachers are just the same, except they understand their self worth is not wrapped around fame, money or women. They find their worth in the blood of Jesus who paid to compensate for all our sins.

You are only a reflection of who you look up to.

To be the best you have to beat the best, and that’s what Biggie and Tupac tried to do. They were ready to die for unprecedented acclaim. Paul attempted to kill all Christians so his Jewish faith could be the only one proclaimed, but instead he converted to become one of them in order to lay claim to being a follower of Christ and gave his life in obscurity without precedented acclaim.

Faith is the bridge between winners and losers.

The best rapper is ambitious and so is the best preacher, we both like to win. The measuring standard isn’t money, cars and fame. It’s the souls they win over for the cause they’re fighting for. You’ll never know if you pack the best punch until you get in the ring. I’m like Rocky, if you knock me down I’ll just keep coming back up until you can’t win.

I feel invisible today because I prayed.

There is a power in me, the enemy can’t even play with.

These are the assertions of a desperate man with an untamed desire to win. If 50 cent thinks he’s winning, then my God is a liar. Mayweather knows what it feels like to be undefeated, I know what it feels like to have a father whose roar scares others to concede defeat. His record is undisputed and His power is a destructive force to those who find reason to doubt. If winning is an addiction, God is who you need to keep running back to.

NISHIKE

You can be a Christian and still be a sinner. It’s like being a Republican who favors the death penalty. We are unwilling to forgive each other yet we claim to be saved by grace.

Worship is not the mark of a Christian. Idols are worshiped on man made altars to be applauded and adored. When mocking Jesus is considered funny in some cultures, then what is really revered? If they chopped off John’s head maybe my faith isn’t worth as much.

How can I live to die?

I need Jesus to be my curse word, because I want the world to know I am cursed in sin but when I utter his name he reminds me of his grace.
Hating Christians won’t solve the world’s problems, seeking after the eternal truth will.

God’s invisible qualities are clear for all to see.

Atheists deny the existence of God but they can’t deny the existence of time and science. Yet all these things point us in the direction of a creator. If two human beings can create a passionate being, able to feel. How is it that we are not able to let ourselves feel for a greater being who passionately loves us?

I am passionately loved.

There are millions of women who would fall for a man who is worth millions. I wonder if there is a woman who would fall for a man who is not worth a dime? A man who gives everything he has for the sake of love is not just a Hollywood script, it is the most rare thing to find.

I want God to hold me when I’m alone, for I’m alone often.

I Am Rocky!

There is a war going on and we must stand up and be counted in the face of terror. The enemy’s greatest weapon is fear, and to defeat this enemy we have to understand that he is just a bully. It is a known fact bullies are just cowards who try to intimidate others with their size, but just like Ivan Dragon in Rocky IV his best punch can never knock the bravest of hearts.

You can feel the tension when you’re being prepared for the fight of your life.

#Bring Back Our Girls
#End Terrorism in Kenya and the world.

No pain, no pain, no pain.

In Rocky IV
Rocky makes it to the last round and the crowd is chanting his name, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky…
The same crowd that hated him in the beginning is now in his corner not because of who he is but because of what he represents.

The question in this round then is who wants to win this fight the most.

Will you let fear reign, or will you fight till the end?

Every fighter has a past.

Your past is all the ammunition the enemy uses to load up his weapon, but here is a fun fact; “your past has been erased by the blood of the lamb.”

In Rocky 1
The night before the big fight, Apollo is supremely self-confident, convinced that the whole thing will be over in a few rounds.

Rocky, on the other hand, has become more introspective and realizes that he probably can’t defeat the champ. However, if he can just go the full fifteen rounds with Creed- something that’s never been done before- he’ll know in his heart that he really is somebody.

Fast-forward to the end and Creed is given the final victory and retains the Championship title.
Yet, Rocky Balboa is crowned the true champion in the eyes of the world that night, because he managed to go the full fifteen rounds and never once gave up.

Defeat is not failure.

Losing the fight doesn’t mean you’ve lost the war. In fact, you are closer to your victory than you’ve ever been before.
Once you become wiser to the enemies tricks it is much harder for you to fall into the same trap again.
The enemy is aware of this so he is more afraid of you, but he is also determined to put everything on the line.

For you to win you have to adopt the mind of Christ. The battle is not yours, but God’s.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 ESV)

It brings me joy and comfort to live my life knowing all the struggles of this life are only a foreshadow of the victory I will have when I endure it all with Christ.

To seek justice is to seek peace. To seek peace you have to fight fear with courage till the end.

I am putting everything on the line for the sake of Christ, to see cowards defeated. Will you do the same?

Going Bananas

God has given me a vision and it’s time for me to act on it. If I don’t I have everything to lose.

This might sound like gibberish to you but that’s what they said two thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost.

On that day it is recorded how the descent of the Holy Ghost came upon the first Christians shortly after the ascension of Christ and they began “Speaking with tongues.”

“Every now and then we hear that in some revivalist meeting one or more of those present has burst into a torrent of what appears to be gibberish. The thing does not seem to be edifying, and all non-Christian opinion would regard it as a kind of hysteria, an involuntary discharge of nervous excitement.”(p 92 ‘The Weight Of Glory – C.S. Lewis)

Yet this event is built into the very fabric of the birth story of the church.

People speaking gibberish or in some cases ‘going bananas’.

The problem I find here on earth and many of you might agree, is trying to represent a three-dimensional world on a flat sheet of paper.

“The solution is perspective, and perspective means that we must give more than one value to a two-dimensional shape.” (p 100 ‘The Weight Of Glory – C.S. Lewis)

What keeps you up late at night?

When I can’t sleep and my mind wanders off into space I feel like my heart is on fire and there is a voice speaking to me.

Revealing to me his mysteries.

The world tells me because I’m black I’m a monkey.

The world tells me because I’m black I have nothing to offer except play sports or be an entertainer.

How can the world turn it’s back on me.

I bleed the color red.

I bleed for those who are killed everyday.

I hide my tears because you laugh at my pain.

How long will I be a slave to your pursuit of wealth.

You can’t define who I am because just like a flower you will eventually fade.

Loving to hate is the same as living to die.

We were created for more.

Breathing isn’t easy but if we can find a way to love others not just for the color of their skin but for what they represent beyond a two-dimensional shape, then maybe we might be able to edify each other and what I say will no longer be gibberish.

My goal this week is to begin writing a newsletter with a view to inform the world of a “greater three-dimensional worldview” by reflecting on current issues with a biblical perspective.

Going bananas for a vision.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; ….(Isaiah 61:1 ESV)

G.O.A.T.

The greatest men in history were all culpable of human error.

Yet their reputation preceded their character.

One minute you’re standing on solid ground, the next minute- you’re not.

The mistakes they made never defined their legacy, it is their will to succeed and influence others for good that made them great.

Nothing makes me more determined to succeed in this life than the hope of finding redemption when I fail.

It feels like sometimes living in this world is a death sentence but just because death is inevitable doesn’t mean we can’t live this life trying to be great.

Your life will be determined by the prize or mission you live to attain.

This is why I think what you believe in and give your allegiance to is imperative.

You Will Never Walk Alone.

When I was younger I used to believe one day I would grow up to be the greatest soccer player that ever lived.
My favorite soccer player was Diego Armando Maradona and I loved watching his games on TV because to me he was the best player ever.

When I played on the street in Kenya with my friends I tried dribbling just like him, and even though I was right footed at first I trained hard to be just as good with my left foot.

I still remember my last official game in high school. I played as a left sided winger and scored the first goal of the game after dribbling past my marker and scoring by putting the ball past the keepers legs, because he wasn’t sure which foot I was going to shoot with.

We were two games away from playing in the championship game and even though we lost the game in the end, the thought of quitting soccer never crossed my mind nor the thought of being great one day.

Only a few men succeed where others have failed.

The argument could be made for who is the greatest man of all time. On my list these are my top five;

1. Jesus
2. Muhammad
3. William Shakespeare
4. Aristotle
5. Abraham Lincoln

The battlefield begins in the mind.

As a man thinketh in his heart so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

As you think about who you are and give it the right amount of attention, you will eventually believe it.

The greatest men were revolutionaries.

Who do you believe yourself to be?

I believe I am called to motivate and inspire others to play on God’s team, doing all I can through Christ who strengthens me.

For I was born to claim victory in Jesus’ name that’s why I’m alive today and worship him.

It’s spiritual warfare, ya’ll!

Giving the world something tangible is what I hope to achieve as I continue to receive the tangible love of God who gave his only son to die for my sins.

Thoughts that aren’t worded don’t have meaning, therefore can’t exist in our lives.

We are a thought in God’s mind.

Jeremiah 29:11

God created you to solve the problems in the world, not to fall in them.

Are you the greatest of all time?

Will you let your destiny be dictated by failure or will failure be the key to unlocking your destiny?

Steven Gerrard is still the #G.O.A.T.

Learn to be thankful no matter what you’re going through.

If you believe in the greatest man who ever lived then you are called to be great.

I am a revolutionary!

At the sound of our praise,
The heavens will shake
And the earth will move.

Prayer:
Release us Oh Lord from a spirit of inferiority to others.
Release us from a spirit of poverty and replace it with the spirit of giving.
Help us not to conform to the patterns of this world but instead be transformed by the renewal our thinking.
And may we truly believe we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Amen.

To be continued….

Did God Create His Own Nemeses

Has good and evil always co-existed since the beginning of man, just like super heroes have super villains as their nemeses? And if man knows what is good or bad, is man then like god? Hebrew scriptures give us a succinct picture of a moral God who defines the limits of man’s existence. This God first gives man the keys to his kingdom and then dangles a ‘carrot’ in his face and says to him, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Clearly, the temptation was just too good to pass up. Living like a king was never going to be enough if you can be your own ultimate ruler. The story gets even better as there was a serpent more craftier than any of the other wild animals, meaning there were other crafty wild animals living with man. This serpent was able to convince the woman to eat of the forbidden tree, which begs the question who created this crafty serpent?

If you skip to the end you find man is banished from the garden of Eden and is never allowed to eat from the tree of life because he has now become like God. So, can we be like God? And can man be blamed for his own downfall, if he never had a fighting chance? I’m talking about going against a supreme being who has the power to orchestrate the existence of an entire universe. He is like a father who left the keys to his Ferrari on the table and told his teenage son he can only drive the ‘beat up’ Honda civic. Forgetting his teenage son has a ‘hot’ girlfriend who wants to be impressed. Throw in a jealous ‘ex’ boyfriend and tell me what else do you expect. The father comes back to find his son has crushed his precious Ferrari and instead of checking to see if his son is okay, he kicks him out of the house with only the Honda civic to drive the rest of his life. 

This is not the whole story though. 

There is a lesson to be learned. Whoever owns the keys to your heart ultimately reigns over you.

I am just like any man, I give my heart to what is more compelling at a particular time. Without having any illusions to what is real or not, I think we owe it to ourselves to ask questions pertaining to our existence. There is a world out there we have not yet explored that isn’t dictated by time and if we live our lives now like there is no time left, we will find the pursuit of all things good much more life giving than sacrificing each day for what ultimately leads to death. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Organic

Being is the present moment. It is in the body – in the heart. It is inner stillness, peace. Being is your true nature.

 

Organic is natural. It is balanced, authentic, grounded. It is open and compassionate. It is strong, flexible and whole. 

 

I invite you to nurture yourself and spend some time being organic. Release the doing – just for now. Listen to your heart and simply be you. 

 

By simply being me

I realize it is okay to not fit in.

It is okay to feel alienated and alone.

It is okay to not have friends, just acquaintances.

It takes time and effort to establish meaningful relationships and you will slowly drift away from those whom you both can’t make time or have the energy for. And that’s okay! Look for quality not quantity.

It is okay to fall. As long you ask God for strength to rise up again. And learn from your mistakes.

It is okay to laugh at the past.

It is okay to open up and take risks even when those around you are not willing to do the same with you. For when you allow others to see your heart your wounds are exposed to God’s healing touch.

 

I know now I am created for more

More joy

More peace

More hope

More love

More whole ness

More purpose

More power

More faith

More of God and less of me

That’s ministry.

 

Ministry is about “Being Organic” and one with God. It is being present with God. 

 

I am taking the time to be one with God so I can learn to be authentic in ministry. My time alone is an opportunity for me to be rooted in my identity in God as a minister as I allow Him to minister to me.

 

I have a friend in Jesus. He knows my name and He hears me when I call. So even though my mom doesn’t know who my friends are, Jesus does.