TEACH US TO PRAY, LORD!

It is very interesting how people refused knowledge and give some stupid excuses. The ones that most of the time made me mad are Christians especially Men of God. I find it very difficult to understand because the Bible tells me the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truths. The sad news is that, most Christians do not even know the operations of the Spirit let alone to let Him guide them.

Secondly, most believers do not know how to pray. For example, I counselled a woman recently concerning her marriage. The husband left her for another woman and she prayed on five different occasions when the man attempted to marry the other woman, that God should not allow it to happen. According to her, the marriage never happened. So I asked her, what do you want God to do in this situation. She told me she wants the husband back and I said but you never ask God for that. God is answering your prayers but you are praying the wrong prayers. I then ask her to first pray for God to guide her according to His will in this situation and we will take it from there.

Another woman operating restaurant always pray and bind the devil every morning before she starts to sell. And yet things are not going as she expected. Talking to her I told her yes you bind the devil but you didn't ask God to bless the business and bring customers. She was convinced by what I told her and she stopped binding the devil and prays for more customers. She told me recently that things have changed.

what am I saying, there are times you need to cast the devil and there are times you ask God for His blessings. He said ask and you shall be given. The truth is that, when you ask for stone I will give you stone and when you ask for bread I will give you. That is my perspective on prayer. Most people do not get answered prayer because we do not know how to pray. 

Then human beings we are spirit and physical beings. Sadly, most people run away from responsibility in the name of prayer. There is a part everybody needs to play in life without that your prayer is void.

But all boils down to knowledge of the Bible. Most of us refused to study the Bible. It is a fact that one can pray very effectively with good knowledge of the Bible and some of the mistakes we make can easily be avoided. There are churches I go and the Pastor will just come and shout, you are bless!, all the witches in your family will die! and on and on. At the end of the service he has not said anything. There is this one question always in me mind in such services, is it that the man of God himself does not know what is in the Bible?

‎"THE SECOND WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WELL USED" Luke 23: 41-43.

I think the two criminals crucified along side Jesus got the best opportunity ever, but unfortunately one of them didn't know. On the other hand, the second criminal recognized this opportunity and he made it to heaven. There is a great price to pay for being ignorant.

It was not only the second criminal that seized the opportunity, Jesus also made good use of the same opportunity to add one more soul to His father's Kingdom. The reason is that Jesus knew His purpose on earth and therefore make good use of every little opportunity He has. 

The question is what are you doing as an individual, an organization, a family or a nation this Easter? Do we sometimes or most times behave like the first (ignorant) criminal? 

11.11.11

I always look out for these special dates. Almost always something memorable happens to me. But  11.11.11 is something else to talk about. In fact, I have not been happy the whole day for no reason. So just as I was trying to do some work in the office, I remembered today is Rev. Tei-Mati's birthday. Actually, I thought it was the wife's birthday but latter learnt it was his. He is a good father, I tell you. Those days Asiwome and I used to give him lots of headaches. One particular one I'll never forget is the famous Danquah circle accident. Anyway...

I was so sad and missing home at a point I left the office. I prepared something ate and decided to take a little nap. Around 3:45pm, I went back to the office, then the first news I saw on the net was a bad one, my man Tiger Woods passed away. It was a difficult news to take.

I never liked golf, but I used to watch this man play. Please don't ask any questions because I can't answer. I just watch him do his thing, that is all. He is a man I admire so much. The richest sportsman of our time. I thought the world was unfair to him during his crisis days, but I was wrong. I was thinking he never begged the world to be a Role Model, a Mentor and even probably he never asked to be a world champion. He was simply doing what he love best then boom into fame. You know what? Once you become a public figure, you are a public asset, take it or leave it that is the reality. You are not your own anymore, so you live as such.

His death worsen my situation, but the Lord was so good. He got plans for me. Well, I decided to end the day in the presence of my God. So I went for a half night service only to be informed to lead a prayer session. Hmmm, massa, it was something different. I thank God for the grace. I was not prepared for any assignment of the sort, but I took the challenge and told God to have His way. I was suppose to lead a 30 minutes prayer session but God has His own plans for us.

I just asked the people to allow God to have His way. Then we started a worship and a prophecy came and people could not stand the release of power and the Spirit took control of the rest. Awesome! The 30 minutes prayer session turned into hours of good time with the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I started around 9:45 pm and finally closed my session at 11:45pm. I was so amazed at what happened. I never knew God could use me this way. I asked the people if they were angry at me for using all the time, clapping was their response. It is 12:45am now and I said to myself what a way to end this day 11.11.11

SOME THOUGHTS!

Be careful what you set your heart upon, for you will surely have it. Nothing can bring you peace, but yourself. There are many who are living far below their possibilities because they are continually handing over their individuality to others.

Do you want to be a power in the world? Then be yourself. Never loose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Then your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values and on on it goes. Keep away from your people who belittle your ambitions.

Some you called your friends always do that, but the really great and true  friends make you feel that you too can become great. Always remember that what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Most times we refused to leave our comfort zone for fear of the unknown. But one thing we always ignore or forget is that, we can achieve more and impact more when we take a step out of our comfort zone. God in His wisdom use situations to force some of us out of that deadly (comfort) zone. Sometimes people you least expected to hurt you do so. Sometimes certain things you never expected crossed your way. Please, take a second look because God might just be giving you signals. We become too full of ourselves and refused to see or hear what God was telling or showing us. Get connected once more.

A PASTOR WITH GUTS by Asiwome Tei-Mati

Thought you might enjoy this interesting 

prayer given in Kansas at 

the opening session of their Senate. It seems 

prayer still upsets some 

people.. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is

what they heard:  

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask 

your forgiveness and to seek your direction and 

guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those 

who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. 

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. 

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. 

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. 

We have killed our unborn and called it choice. 

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. 

We have neglected to discipline our 

children and called it building self esteem..... http://www.facebook.com/notes/nene-asi-ii/a-pastor-with-guts/280096722013018

WORKPLACE POLITICS, NO ONE WINS!

For the few years I worked, I had bitter experiences of politics at workplaces. On impulse I also developed the politics habit to safeguard my work or better still my career but one day a realization hits me hard, there is no winner after all. It is the organisation that suffers at the end.

At one of the organisations I worked, well my opponents succeeded in making me leave the work but months later, the very person who masterminded my departure called me in need of my service. Well, I provided the needed service to them, but recently when they needed me most I got another job and left the country. So couldn't help them, sorry. Think about it who looses?

Sad to say this, at one of the organisations am working with currently, one of the big men (bigot) play politics at the least chance even with his subordinates. Instead of supervising his subordinates, he enjoyed politicking.   Then Boom! Things went bad, money was lost. The Accountants or Auditors call it Misappropriation. These guys are just wonderful people. I mean this money people ( Accountants and their Auditors) find very nice terms to make something small look big. Anyway that is not my case. Back to business, workplace politics right. Now money is misappropriated, who to blame? The Accounts Clerk, the Middle - Level Manager or the Big Boss...

They are all in the hot water, my dear. The Accounts Clerk didn't do a good job, then his/her immediate supervisor didn't supervise well and the big man, you know it yourself. The organisation lost money, big monies. That is not the end of it, when our beneficiaries hear of this news it will mean withdrawal of clientele.

DOES ANYONE WIN? THINK BEFORE YOU POLITIC AT THE WORKPLACE!

ARE WE LIBERATED?

My friends know I like Tie and Dye Batik a lot, so I put on Whiteman’s shirt from Monday to Tuesday and the rest of the days in the week are for my Tie and Dye. Something happened one day when I was at Burro, Koforidua. The Americans I work with always fall in love with my Tie and Dye Batiks and that encouraged me to wear more of them. Then Burro got some interns from one of the Universities from U.S. Well they also seem to like my dresses but one day I put on Kasper long-sleeved shirt and one of the interns said,” Today you are dressed up”.  I took it as an insult to me.

But this is where it got interesting, when they were leaving back to the States, all of them including the lady who said that, bought not less than three separate pieces of that same Tie and Dye Batik away. So I asked one of them what he will use them for, he answered he will wear them. Since then I have being asking lots of questions myself and one obvious answer comes to mind. GHANA NEEDS TO RETHINK

Ghanaians still think you can only look professional and presentable when you wear Whiteman’s shirt like Mark and Spencer or Kasper with Tie. It is pathetic! I so much admire Nigerian Head of States because you will never see them in Suit and my own Pastor Otabil. I am not saying we should not wear Whiteman’s shirts, No. Lets wear them but not at the detriment of ours. Can you imagine the market we create for them by wearing their cloths? Let us all do this small analysis, let’s start wearing our cloths we produce to our offices at least three times in the five days we go to work. Don’t you think demand for them will increase and will need increased production? And that will translate into more employment. Do you realize the impact it will have on our economy?

By the way who set the rules? It is us, so we can equally change them.

Do you also realize we don’t farm to feed ourselves? What our colonial masters taught us years ago, that is the same thing we practice today. We plant cocoa because they (Western world) need cocoa. We plant coffee because they need it. We have started planting mangoes because they are demanding them too. Are we just hewers of firewood and drawers of water for the west? I got to know that, we don’t even need factories to process our cocoa into chocolate. You are surprise! Yes, we don’t need factories to produce chocolate. You can make them from your kitchen. This is another employment opportunity.

Then most people believe everything from the western world is the best. Hmmm…, think of this, you aspire to be an Entrepreneur, employee, produce an album or do something to sell. Tell me why people should buy yours or employ you to work for them if everything in Ghana is not good. Why should they take your advice or product if Tie and Dye Batik or Ghanaian music are not good? Are you not a Ghanaian? If everything in Ghana is not good, it therefore implies that you are not good too. And you want to sing for whom? Me? In case you are thinking of producing something for Ghanaians, my friend you better start to patronize made in Ghana goods. If we think the quality is not good let us improve the quality.

Let us renew our mind. Let’s get liberated. It can start from us. Ghana is all we have. May God help us!

We even prefer to wear second hand cloths from the Whiteman to our brand new cloths. Are Ghanaians that cheap? If those cloths were to be good, am not sure they will send them to us. I have come to appreciate the fact that, God never give anything second hand or used. Everything from Him is new. Why then do we reduce ourselves to beggars?

Sadly the Ghanaian youth today thinks the only way to make it is to travel to UK or U.S. Governments use tax payers’ money to educate you and all you can do is to go and be washing dishes. University graduate all that you can think of is to travel and do what? God have mercy. Yes, I agree there are no jobs but it is no excuse. That is why you are educated to think and bring solutions. If there are no jobs, create one. It is good to seize opportunities but it is better to create an opportunity. What are you using your head for? What about the knowledge you acquired? Get up and start something. It is better to try and fail than not to start at all.

For the three decades I live, I have appreciated the fact that Africans are not willing to develop that is why we are where we are. We want to be poor that is why we are poor. We want to be manipulated that is why we are manipulated. We don’t want to be united that is why we are not. And we want to kill ourselves that is why we are killing ourselves.

My friend, you may want to re-examine yourself again and again any time you call Michael Essien or Sulley Ali Muntari unpatriotic because they refuse to play for Ghana. Are you patriotic? Patriotism is not about singing the National Anthem or criticizing the President. Do you have the moral right to accuse anyone of being unpatriotic? Do you rob Ghana of her income, time or even betray her by aiding foreign nationals to cheat your nation? If you are not doing what is expected of you as a citizen of Ghana, you are unpatriotic. If you are not doing what you are employed to do, you are unpatriotic. Are you pulling somebody down, you are unpatriotic. You are late to work, you are unpatriotic and the list is endless.

IT IS ONE THING SAYING I AM A GHANAIAN AND IT IS ANOTHER THING BEING A GHANAIAN.