IS PRAYER IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT IN TODAY’S WORLD?
Jesus Prayed to Execute His Assignment
To think that the only man in the history of humanity to be conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin had to often spend quality time praying in order to fulfill his assignment is to be advised on the indispensability of prayer in our quest for fulfillment and divine approval. Prayer is simply talking with God; remember: it is not talking to God but with God. Talking to God is a one-way traffic or a monologue, whereas talking with God is a two-way traffic, a dialogue, a communion, or fellowship with feedback. It is assumed by most people that Jesus did not have to do much in order to carry out the Father’s assignment by virtue of his divine connection. But the scriptures are inundated with the many instances that Jesus had to resort to prayer. He often withdrew himself from the public in order to pray. Mark said of him: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Luke also said of Jesus: “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Matthew said of him: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23). Prayer could never be separated from the personality of Jesus. It was an integral part of his persona and character. Before he did anything significant, he prayed. He was the one who laid down the basic parameters of prayer. His model for prayer is the most comprehensive ever known to man. Today, the Lord’s Prayer is recited by most Christians without the consciousness of its depth and reach. A careful and meditative appraisal of this model prayer reveals a profundity that touches on the things that are dear to the heart of the Father.
Prayer is like rainfall in a dry land. It softens the ground and prepares the terrain for cultivation. Without water, the ground is as good as dead. Destiny thrives when you are in constant communion with the assignment-giver. Constant communion with the Father leads to clarity of thought and sound judgment. It is like a radar or compass that guides you to the desired destination. Jesus clearly understood this divine principle and utilized it to propel his destiny. Before embarking on his ministry, he set out to pray in the wilderness for forty days and nights; before ministering to people, he fortified himself in prayer; before embracing the cross, he communed with the Father. Christ gave birth to his assignment in the closet of prayer. Constant prayer is the key that activated the potential that he carried within from birth. Show me a man that is serious about his destiny, and you will find in that man a praying heart, just like Christ.
Excerpt from CALL TO ASSIGMENT, released on www.amazon.com and on this link:
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/CallToAssignment.html
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Heaven’s Gate
In a flash I seemed to have received
A new sight for extra vision
I could now see things even a million miles away.
I saw what appeared to be gates of brass
With guards like giants standing in front of them
As we got closer, I could count about twelve gates
What I thought to be brass was not brass at all.
We forged ahead in the direction of the gates
All I could now see was one narrow gate
Adorned in pearls beyond description.
As we approached the entrance
The gate opened on its own volition
Something then happened to me
I fell flat on my face
The strength I had for the journey gave way
And all I now sensed was a wave of weakness
My vision was blurred and I could not speak.
I suddenly felt a hand lifting me up, and behold
New strength, new sight, and what a beautiful scene that met my gaze.
Copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
Inside Heaven
Behold, as I looked
I was in another world beyond the words of men
The splendour, the grandeur
The magnificence, the radiance
The glory, the beauty
Just too much for me to comprehend.
As I looked down
My feet were walking on extra premium gold
I had never seen anything like this before
Everywhere I walked was pure glittering gold.
Then I heard as it were
The voices of a great multitude
Sounding like the rushing sound of many waters
And there was mighty thundering, and these words I heard so clearly
‘All power, all glory, all honour
Belong to the Lord our God.’
All around me were glittering beams of pure light
As if from the radiance of a billion gems fused together
At this point, I had no spirit left in me any more.
copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
Mansions in Heaven
I gathered a little courage, holding my gaze as far as I could
The sight of edifices out of the ordinary met my gape
Then I thought for a second
The grandest of architects on miserable earth
Were light years away from heaven’s technology.
Each of these paradisiacal palaces
Were unique in their appearance
So that not one of them looked like the other
Yet I believe they numbered in their millions.
I fixed my curious eyes on one of them
This one looked like crystals of glass
Expertly manicured into a magnificent mansion.
I looked yet on another
Behold, it looked like precious stones of diamond
Were its foundations and walls.
Each of the mansions radiated a certain kind of glory
Each was different in brilliance and splendour
Then I thought, all the gold and skills of my little isle
Would not be enough to build one of these.
copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
In a flash I seemed to have received
A new sight for extra vision
I could now see things even a million miles away.
I saw what appeared to be gates of brass
With guards like giants standing in front of them
As we got closer, I could count about twelve gates
What I thought to be brass was not brass at all.
We forged ahead in the direction of the gates
All I could now see was one narrow gate
Adorned in pearls beyond description.
As we approached the entrance
The gate opened on its own volition
Something then happened to me
I fell flat on my face
The strength I had for the journey gave way
And all I now sensed was a wave of weakness
My vision was blurred and I could not speak.
I suddenly felt a hand lifting me up, and behold
New strength, new sight, and what a beautiful scene that met my gaze.
Copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
Inside Heaven
Behold, as I looked
I was in another world beyond the words of men
The splendour, the grandeur
The magnificence, the radiance
The glory, the beauty
Just too much for me to comprehend.
As I looked down
My feet were walking on extra premium gold
I had never seen anything like this before
Everywhere I walked was pure glittering gold.
Then I heard as it were
The voices of a great multitude
Sounding like the rushing sound of many waters
And there was mighty thundering, and these words I heard so clearly
‘All power, all glory, all honour
Belong to the Lord our God.’
All around me were glittering beams of pure light
As if from the radiance of a billion gems fused together
At this point, I had no spirit left in me any more.
copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
Mansions in Heaven
I gathered a little courage, holding my gaze as far as I could
The sight of edifices out of the ordinary met my gape
Then I thought for a second
The grandest of architects on miserable earth
Were light years away from heaven’s technology.
Each of these paradisiacal palaces
Were unique in their appearance
So that not one of them looked like the other
Yet I believe they numbered in their millions.
I fixed my curious eyes on one of them
This one looked like crystals of glass
Expertly manicured into a magnificent mansion.
I looked yet on another
Behold, it looked like precious stones of diamond
Were its foundations and walls.
Each of the mansions radiated a certain kind of glory
Each was different in brilliance and splendour
Then I thought, all the gold and skills of my little isle
Would not be enough to build one of these.
copyright 2010 kingsley amoah
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Excerpts from "CALL TO ASSIGNMENT" / Chapter III
You Have Something Only You Can Offer This World
The surest way to understand your area of uniqueness is to soak yourself into a relationship with the Holy Spirit. He opens your understanding and gives you wisdom to see things the way you ought to. Wisdom comes from the Spirit of God. He knows the mind of God, he knows all truths, and he knows all answers. He reveals them to whoever is willing. If you are willing, the Bible says you shall eat the fruit of the land. Remember: It was Abraham who was called to sacrifice his son Isaac and not Jacob or Joseph. Don’t go “sacrificing your Isaac” because you’ve seen others sacrifice theirs. You will need to hear that specific word that is tailor-made for you. Don’t try to be someone else because you admire them. You can learn from them to not repeat their mistakes; you can learn from them to acquire the secrets to their fulfillment, but you can never fulfill their divine assignment. You can catch the anointing of your mentor, but you have not been called to do his assignment. Even if you took over from your mentor, you can never be exactly like them. Attempting to fulfill the assignment of your mentor will mean abandoning or killing your own. No one is big enough to fulfill two people’s assignments. Your entire life is about fulfilling an assignment for only one person, and that person is you. This is the reason why only you will be held accountable for your life when you stand before the ultimate judge. Christ fulfilled the assignment that was meant for him alone to fulfill. No one else could have died for all humanity except Christ. No other blood could have atoned for the sins of all humanity except the precious sinless blood of Jesus. The consequence of trying to accomplish other people’s assignments is not worth the attempt. Endeavor not to be like someone else, and start being you! You have something to offer this world in a way that no one else can. You were created to be unique and not to be like anyone else. You have a lot to overcome, but that does not change who you are in Christ. You are God’s workmanship created for good works in Christ. You have a DNA peculiar to only you. It is not for nothing that no two DNAs are the same. God made it so for a reason. Greatness is waiting for you only at the place of your uniqueness and assignment. Seek to excel in your uniqueness. Package and present it with excellence.
Uniqueness and Mediocrity Are Not the Same
It is very necessary at this point to put a divide between uniqueness and mediocrity. What is mediocre does not in any way glorify God because he is the God of excellence. You cannot claim uniqueness in mediocrity. Your area of uniqueness does not necessarily come across in a glorious form. Even though your uniqueness may present itself in an unrefined and raw form, you are not supposed to maintain the rawness with your gift. It always exacts the wisdom of God and the mentorship of a “father” to be transformed from an almost raw state into a refined and an excellent form that is capable of positively impacting the lives of others. It is therefore important to identify your area of uniqueness very early so it can benefit from the process of preparation. The stage of preparation unearths the rough edges of your peculiar divine asset. You are very prone to ignoring and trivializing your gift because it may not easily appear to you as a valuable unique asset. Your own uniqueness runs the risks of being overshadowed or eclipsed by your personal faults and weaknesses. But when recognized and harnessed, it more than compensates for the imperfections in your life.
Carbon Copies Are Scarcely Accepted
Your significance on earth will only reside within the area of your uniqueness. Two people could both have the gift of soccer, but they may all not be effective as strikers. While one could be good at scoring goals, the other may be an expert in the goal post. The difference between the two is established in their uniqueness: one has an advantage of agility and nimbleness for the goal post, and the other possesses the speed and the hunger to score goals. They all possess the same gift of playing soccer, but they are only celebrated and significant in their respective areas of uniqueness; striker and goalkeeper respectively. In the same manner, you can have a thousand goalkeepers or strikers but each of them will be different in style and technique.
There are many people out there trying hard to become a carbon copy of their mentor, idol, or contemporary. If you persist in that direction, you will only amount to a feeble replica of them all. In our present world, carbon copies are hardly accepted when it comes to very important issues. It is so because carbon copies fade with time and lose their vitality and worth. They are not original. For this reason, it is very important for each one of us to answer this question sincerely: What do you think you are—an original or a carbon copy? Let it be clear to you that God did not create you to become a pale shadow of anybody. He created you to be you, a veritable original who must deliver on an original and a specific assignment. God does not duplicate assignments. He said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. He does not send a laborer to accomplish an assignment that has already been finished. What is the point? He always sends a servant to execute an unaccomplished assignment. Endeavour to be who God made you to be, an original and not a carbon copy.
The surest way to understand your area of uniqueness is to soak yourself into a relationship with the Holy Spirit. He opens your understanding and gives you wisdom to see things the way you ought to. Wisdom comes from the Spirit of God. He knows the mind of God, he knows all truths, and he knows all answers. He reveals them to whoever is willing. If you are willing, the Bible says you shall eat the fruit of the land. Remember: It was Abraham who was called to sacrifice his son Isaac and not Jacob or Joseph. Don’t go “sacrificing your Isaac” because you’ve seen others sacrifice theirs. You will need to hear that specific word that is tailor-made for you. Don’t try to be someone else because you admire them. You can learn from them to not repeat their mistakes; you can learn from them to acquire the secrets to their fulfillment, but you can never fulfill their divine assignment. You can catch the anointing of your mentor, but you have not been called to do his assignment. Even if you took over from your mentor, you can never be exactly like them. Attempting to fulfill the assignment of your mentor will mean abandoning or killing your own. No one is big enough to fulfill two people’s assignments. Your entire life is about fulfilling an assignment for only one person, and that person is you. This is the reason why only you will be held accountable for your life when you stand before the ultimate judge. Christ fulfilled the assignment that was meant for him alone to fulfill. No one else could have died for all humanity except Christ. No other blood could have atoned for the sins of all humanity except the precious sinless blood of Jesus. The consequence of trying to accomplish other people’s assignments is not worth the attempt. Endeavor not to be like someone else, and start being you! You have something to offer this world in a way that no one else can. You were created to be unique and not to be like anyone else. You have a lot to overcome, but that does not change who you are in Christ. You are God’s workmanship created for good works in Christ. You have a DNA peculiar to only you. It is not for nothing that no two DNAs are the same. God made it so for a reason. Greatness is waiting for you only at the place of your uniqueness and assignment. Seek to excel in your uniqueness. Package and present it with excellence.
Uniqueness and Mediocrity Are Not the Same
It is very necessary at this point to put a divide between uniqueness and mediocrity. What is mediocre does not in any way glorify God because he is the God of excellence. You cannot claim uniqueness in mediocrity. Your area of uniqueness does not necessarily come across in a glorious form. Even though your uniqueness may present itself in an unrefined and raw form, you are not supposed to maintain the rawness with your gift. It always exacts the wisdom of God and the mentorship of a “father” to be transformed from an almost raw state into a refined and an excellent form that is capable of positively impacting the lives of others. It is therefore important to identify your area of uniqueness very early so it can benefit from the process of preparation. The stage of preparation unearths the rough edges of your peculiar divine asset. You are very prone to ignoring and trivializing your gift because it may not easily appear to you as a valuable unique asset. Your own uniqueness runs the risks of being overshadowed or eclipsed by your personal faults and weaknesses. But when recognized and harnessed, it more than compensates for the imperfections in your life.
Carbon Copies Are Scarcely Accepted
Your significance on earth will only reside within the area of your uniqueness. Two people could both have the gift of soccer, but they may all not be effective as strikers. While one could be good at scoring goals, the other may be an expert in the goal post. The difference between the two is established in their uniqueness: one has an advantage of agility and nimbleness for the goal post, and the other possesses the speed and the hunger to score goals. They all possess the same gift of playing soccer, but they are only celebrated and significant in their respective areas of uniqueness; striker and goalkeeper respectively. In the same manner, you can have a thousand goalkeepers or strikers but each of them will be different in style and technique.
There are many people out there trying hard to become a carbon copy of their mentor, idol, or contemporary. If you persist in that direction, you will only amount to a feeble replica of them all. In our present world, carbon copies are hardly accepted when it comes to very important issues. It is so because carbon copies fade with time and lose their vitality and worth. They are not original. For this reason, it is very important for each one of us to answer this question sincerely: What do you think you are—an original or a carbon copy? Let it be clear to you that God did not create you to become a pale shadow of anybody. He created you to be you, a veritable original who must deliver on an original and a specific assignment. God does not duplicate assignments. He said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. He does not send a laborer to accomplish an assignment that has already been finished. What is the point? He always sends a servant to execute an unaccomplished assignment. Endeavour to be who God made you to be, an original and not a carbon copy.
Excerpt from "CALL TO ASSIGNMENT"
Introduction
Life is indeed an unavoidable rugged terrain replete with puzzles, riddles, and questions that continually stare everyone in the face in anticipation of answers. This phenomenon of life is common to all, whether great or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, agnostic or believer. Most people choose to live life anyhow without ever considering the pertinent questions that certainly have a direct bearing on destinies. But the most fundamental enigma that no one can afford to ignore is the question: What is the purpose of my life? No one, no matter his or her standing or status in life, will enjoy the luxury of being exempt from engaging and making sense of this puzzle.
Although every human being made a naked entry into the world, no one is born empty. Right within the frame of a fragile day-old baby is the DNA of assignment. You are born already packaged and fully loaded with purpose and assignment. Terrifyingly, we are all confronted with the risk of never fulfilling the assignments we were destined for as a result of the various distractions and choices that earnestly vie for our attention. For most of us, our destinies are hanging on a knife edge. Many of us walk the face of the earth without ever discovering why we exist. We will do just about anything out of convenience or simply for survival. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, destinies are constantly being abused and aborted without restraint. It is a great tragedy to live your entire life without ever knowing why you live. The truth is that you are alive for a reason, for a purpose, and for a cause. This cause and this reason is your assignment. The assignment of your life has a limitation called time, and this limitation waits for no man.
Life is indeed an unavoidable rugged terrain replete with puzzles, riddles, and questions that continually stare everyone in the face in anticipation of answers. This phenomenon of life is common to all, whether great or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, agnostic or believer. Most people choose to live life anyhow without ever considering the pertinent questions that certainly have a direct bearing on destinies. But the most fundamental enigma that no one can afford to ignore is the question: What is the purpose of my life? No one, no matter his or her standing or status in life, will enjoy the luxury of being exempt from engaging and making sense of this puzzle.
Although every human being made a naked entry into the world, no one is born empty. Right within the frame of a fragile day-old baby is the DNA of assignment. You are born already packaged and fully loaded with purpose and assignment. Terrifyingly, we are all confronted with the risk of never fulfilling the assignments we were destined for as a result of the various distractions and choices that earnestly vie for our attention. For most of us, our destinies are hanging on a knife edge. Many of us walk the face of the earth without ever discovering why we exist. We will do just about anything out of convenience or simply for survival. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, destinies are constantly being abused and aborted without restraint. It is a great tragedy to live your entire life without ever knowing why you live. The truth is that you are alive for a reason, for a purpose, and for a cause. This cause and this reason is your assignment. The assignment of your life has a limitation called time, and this limitation waits for no man.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
COMING OUT SOON
In Call to Assignment, the truth has been broken down to a level that is easy to appreciate. It is a wake-up call to the most important reason why you live. It will guide you into finding the right mix and balance necessary to propel you to a life of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. It is a journey to the discovery and fulfillment of your life's purpose. This book will fail in its mission if it does not trigger in the reader and provoke a sense of duty and purpose and a new realization that life without an urgent sense of assignment leads to the miscarriage of purpose and destiny.
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