When You Don't Feel Appreciated

I have been thinking about how to handle sharing blog messages in the next couple of days and praying to God for what to share, and as I began to trust God for what to write that will make an impact, I realized that I have a bank of blog posts that I had written since 2020 but not published. Is God not too good? So, today's blog is one of those messages that were archived. I hope and pray that you pick a lesson from it in Jesus' name. 

One common issue with couples is finances. Looking at this from the perspective of a woman and wife, I will play a scenario for us to consider. The wife feels she spends so much on household matters, you know, those $5s, $10s, and $50s, that appear not so much, yet their accumulation turns out to be so much. On the other hand, the husband carries those big bills all the time and then does a rethink and says he is the only one spending all the money in the family, and the wife isn't helping, and sometimes vice versa.

I understand this scenario too well because I sometimes experience it in my home. Our spouses often wonder what we spend money on, forgetting that the small needs of the home never end. Those petty needs you think you should not bother your spouse with. So, in short, we both spend so much; it's just that one person probably does not appreciate the effort of the other. This also leaves out the non-monetary commitment to caring for the home that does not have a tangible value. 

This scenario plays out in many marriages, and even though the problem is apparent, the solution must be addressed. I trust the Lord to open our hearts to the perfect solution to this problem.

This problem is usually born from the place or position of lack; in the face of abundance, this will not be so much of a problem. When one party begins to get overwhelmed with the financial burden of the home, then he/she get so consumed by how they feel that they are totally unaware of the efforts and contributions of their partner. And even though the partner does so much, it doesn't seem to be appreciated because all they see is what they feel and nothing more.

However, the one whose efforts go unnoticed tends to feel hurt and wants to withdraw due to a lack of acknowledgment and appreciation, which does not resolve the problem but creates more. It's either the one who is not appreciated, fights for acknowledgment, or withdraws, leading to a breakdown in communication. Whichever way, it leads to a bigger problem, becoming a rollercoaster of issues. Whether you are the wife whose effort is unnoticed or the husband whose effort is unnoticed, you must understand that the problem is not yours. What you should realize is that your partner needs help. You should know that he/she is overwhelmed, so rather than getting angry, it's essential that you ignore the hurt and pray that the Lord will grant your spouse the peace of mind he/she needs to focus. 

I have always found Genesis 25:21 a helpful scripture when interceding for my husband. The Bible tells us that the wife of Isaac, Rebekah, was barren, and Isaac pleaded with the Lord. God granted his plea, and his wife became pregnant, not with a child but two babies. When you lift up your spouse in prayer, God listens, hears, and grants your plea. The big trick here is that the abundance that comes from your prayer brings peace into your home and life. The appreciation and acknowledgment you seek follow. 

This is where understanding in marriage is of great importance. This is not the time to stop contributing your quota because you think the effort is not recognized, but rather to steadily increase the tempo of your effort. Whether you are the wife or husband, never sit in the seat of a dependent. Always ensure that you are contributing something to the well-being of the home. If you can't make financial contributions, you can always give your efforts to other activities of the home. You need to work at earning the respect of your spouse, and that is done by what you are able to bring to the table in the marriage. The Bible says, "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for the labor" (Ecclesiastes 4:9), even when it appears the labor is not appreciated. The reward comes from God and not man. He holds the scorecard, and the reward is good when the two are laboring together. But the Bible says, "Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:10).

To labor alone can be overwhelming and understandably so, but not to appreciate and acknowledge the help of a partner can also be discouraging and demoralizing, yet both need to labor on because the pressure is only for a while, the reward is sure and sweet if both don't give up.  

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

Should you stop singing? (Part 2)

So, I started writing on Exodus 15 in my last post, but only ended up discussing Exodus 14. So, let's look at Exodus 15 properly now. Like my son said, it's mostly a song. The kind of song you sing when God surpasses and exceeds your expectations. The sort of song you sing when what you never thought or imagined could happen does happen. You are in awe, honestly grateful to the One who makes it happen. Finally, your fears are gone, relieved at last. You are now in your safe place. People who have heard and seen how God came through for you are also in awe. Those who thought you could never amount to anything and have placed on you the stigma of an enslaved person are finally humbled. The narrative has changed in your favor. You are now singing a new song of victory, grace, and gratitude. You have become the one God has helped. This is the story behind the song sung by the children of Israel in Exodus 15. It was a deep song of joy, gratitude, and confidence.  

It is human nature to feel the way the children of Israel felt with the kind of miraculous deliverance they received from God. They have been helped and expressed gratitude; nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary. What would have been spectacular about the story of Exodus 15 was if the children of Israel had never stopped singing. If they didn't forget their wins, thereby making God prove Himself to them over and over again. But that was not the case. Not too long after they sang their song of victory, which was just a journey of three days into the wilderness with no water, all the songs of gratitude evaporated into thin air. They complained like people whom God has never helped.

I am convinced that as you read this, you will be angered in your spirit and wonder how these people can be so ungrateful. The deliverance from Egypt with such a mighty hand, snatching them from the claws of slavery, allowing them to leave with so much wealth than they ever imagined, and then destroying their enslaver, and yet they complained about a tiny issue—lack of water. If God could do so much for them, what was water that would be a thing to complain about? But in truth, they are just being human. As humans, every little discomfort erodes all the good things we've had before. For a simple-minded person, a single no as an answer has nullified all the yeses he has received in times past, even when the yes was an uncomfortable yes from the giver. And sometimes, that really hurts. If it will hurt a man who has been going out of his way to provide a yes only to be shown ingratitude for a single no amid a million yeses, how much more would God feel when we complain at the slightest discomfort and forget all the saves and deliverances that we did not qualify for and yet received.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 teaches us that in all things, we should give thanks, for that is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. Thanksgiving is not denying our discomfort; it is simply acknowledging the sovereignty of God over our challenges and discomforts. When the Bible says we should give thanks, it is, in essence, saying we should put our faith to work and trust the power of God over what we may be going through, knowing that if God did it in the past, He would do it again. We are asked in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 to rejoice always and pray without ceasing. That means never stop asking, knowing that the One you are requesting from has the ability and capacity to do what you are asking Him to do, and so in confidence, faith, and trust, you rejoice. Because He has answered you several times before, you have a basis to trust again.

This would have been the preferred attitude of the children of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness without water. They never should have stopped singing. The song was not meant to transition to a complaint. While this is the default human nature, ingratitude should not be the nature of God's children. You have been bought with the blood of Jesus, immersed in God's unending and unconditional love. Your focus should not be on the challenging situation but on the ability and capacity of the God you have invested your trust in. Has He ever failed? If the answer is no, then He will never fail. God only fails when you fail to wait on His deliverance. Otherwise, God never fails. His timing and strategy may not align with your limited understanding, but He will always show up, and when He shows up, He shows up big.  

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

Should you stop singing? (Part 1)

My children and I have this Bible-reading ritual. One person picks a book in the Bible, and we read through the whole book and share what we have learned from each chapter in the family group chat. When finished, another person picks a book, and we do the same. The whole idea is to ensure we read the Bible and be sure each person picks a lesson or two for their life’s treasure. We spend an average of one month on each book, depending on the volume of the book.

We are currently reading Exodus, and much of what I have learned has been the basis of what I share on the blog. My last child read Exodus 15 and simply wrote in the group chat, “It’s just a song.” He was ahead of me in the reading, so I looked forward to Exodus 15 to see if all it contained was a song. And yes, it was mostly a song but loaded with lessons, which I want to discuss in today’s blog.

The chapter before Exodus 15 contained the story of how the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, and when Pharaoh and his men attempted to do the same, they all perished, swallowed up by the water, which was the reason for the song in Exodus 15. It was a calculated trap set by God Himself. We read in Exodus 13:17 how the Lord led the children of Israel through a longer route that landed them at the Red Sea. So, it was a calculated arrangement by God.

Have you ever felt that God may be slow in handling an issue that you trust in His hands? You probably think there should be a shorter or faster way to get things done. This story may help you, as it does for me, too. By the time the children of Israel got to the Red Sea, the cloud that produced light for them and led them on their journey moved position and became darkness for their enemies and a Protector for the children of Israel. But that is not just the highlight of Exodus 14; it was the fact that God destroyed Pharaoh on behalf of the children of Israel. The long journey was aimed at the fact that Pharaoh would never have to come and intimidate or enslave the children of Israel again. Every one of his servants who could have taken up the assignment of enslaving Israel again or continuing in the pursuit of Israel perished in the Red Sea, and the exciting thing is that Israel didn’t have to lift a sword or fight. In Exodus 14:14, God said the battle was His to fight, and He won the battle fair and square.

If you are a person of faith and you hold dearly to God, you would have known and experienced that God’s work is not always in line with your style or timing. If you can figure out how it (your challenge or situation) will be done, then it’s most likely not God at work but you doing your thing. The wisdom of God is beyond human comprehension, and His strategy is far beyond understanding. But the best of it all is that His timing is always perfect.

For the children of Israel, getting into the Promised Land as soon as possible would have been the most important thing to them. For God, it was beyond getting to the Promised Land; it was about them remaining in it without ever being troubled by Pharaoh again. God started by hearing their cry and coming down to save them. Then, He plagued Egypt so that the children of Israel would be free from slavery, but it wasn’t just about leaving Egypt, but about receiving what was due to them for all their years of labor in Egypt. But God didn’t stop there; He ensured they never had to go back to slavery in Egypt, and so He completely destroyed their enslaver and his servants. He even destroyed the firstborn of all Egyptians, both human and animal, so that it would not even come to the mind of anyone in Egypt to force Israel back into slavery.

We often judge issues based on our limited understanding of God’s strategy and what He is working on for us. Sometimes, we give up a little too soon, and we miss the mark of His goodness. It is at this point that faith becomes very essential. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” With faith, we focus on two things: the result, which is the goal or desired outcome, and the One who is making it happen—God. We disregard the process of achieving the result entirely because focusing on the process may shake our faith and cause us to abort the process without achieving the goal. We can’t do it like God will, so worrying about the process can be a little beyond us. Our only assignment in the process is to listen to God’s leading and do what He tells us to do, nothing more. Then, praise Him in the process as we wait. And as we are learning in the story of the children of Israel, the outcome will always be far better than what we can imagine or achieve by our limited minds, because exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ever ask or imagine is always the way God delivers the goods.  

I deviated from what I had intended to write. I started with the song in Exodus 15, but only gleaned from Exodus 14. But I have been blessed to be a vessel in God’s hands in sharing this blog with you. So, in my next post, I will continue with what I learned in Exodus 15. It’s worth looking forward to the next post. 

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

Blueprint for a Successful Marriage

 

I will be shaking some tables in today’s blog. I do not intend to be judgmental, but I hope what I discuss in today’s blog will help someone. I have spent the last couple of minutes going through YouTube reels on my phone just as a form of resting, and the volume of marriage talks, workshops, and sermons I saw is quite interesting. One would think that blissful marriages would trend with so much being said about marriages. But honestly, that is not the case. So, we will discuss one of my perceived reasons why we still struggle in marriages.

I have observed that many marriages are now being modeled around the environment in which the couples reside, more than the biblical standard. In the regions and places where women are more privileged and favored, marriages are dominated and controlled by women. It is more like saying the woman becomes the head of the home. What they say is law. And in regions and places where the men are more privileged and favored, the men are the lord and master. The women there have no voice. They are subjected to the code of forced submission, and how they feel does not matter. If, by chance, the couple finds themselves changing regions, the call for vengeance is almost inevitable, as the one favored by the new environment is quick to want to take back a pound of flesh.

One truth to bear in mind as you enter into marriage is that God, who instituted marriage, established the institution with standards and rules that are not subject to your environment or culture. I would always say that the biggest enemy of marriage is TRADITION. Any tradition or norm that runs contrary to Bible standards is a big enemy of your marriage, and you will do yourself a lot of good by throwing such tradition out of your life.

For any marriage to succeed, and when I say succeed, I don’t mean being miserable in your marriage and telling yourself you must stay there either out of shame, to avoid stigma, for your children, or whatever reason you give to throw your peace away; I mean enjoying and genuinely having a proper good marriage, you need to do it God’s way. You can only get a good marriage devoid of pretense or hidden hatred by following God’s blueprint for marriage.  

This blueprint is just as simple: husband, love your wife as Christ loves the church; love your wife as yourself (Ephesians 3:25-29, Colossians 3:19). This love does not change, no matter the environment or region you find yourself in. It does not change even when your wife changes. It is a love modeled in the pattern in which Christ loves the church. The love is unconditionally giving. It is not restricted to you financially providing for your wife; it is not an economy-based love. It does not blame, it does not take revenge; in fact, it is not punitive. It is a love that keeps loving. I pray that God will enable husbands to know this is a huge issue. Marriage is not transactional. It is not a 50-50 relationship. It is a 100% forever business. We read in 1 Peter 3:7 and Malachi 2:13-15 the consequences of default.

However, the first spouse to receive an instruction from God when it comes to marriage is the wife (Ephesians 3:22-24, Colossians 3:18). The instruction says to submit to your husband as unto the Lord. So, the model for the wife is that just as she would submit to God, she is supposed to give the same level of submission to her husband. The submission spoken about in Ephesians and Colossians is not forced or demanded by the husband; it is God asking the wife to willingly yield herself to her husband's authority, just as she will willingly yield herself to the authority of God. The submission is not conditional; otherwise, the Bible would have stated so. Although, as a woman myself, I understand this can be tough. Based on my experience, I can confidently say that submission can sometimes be demanding. Still, it is the one powerful tool a wife has at her disposal that, if well used, can take her very far in building a successful marriage.

These marriage rules are not territorial; they are not culturally based. They don’t change even when your environment changes, and nothing guarantees a beautiful marriage as much as when the married couple builds their marriage on these two foundational blueprints from the throne and God. When a man loves his wife in the model by which God asked him to, and the wife submits to her husband in the model given by God, no environment can influence this union. The bedrock of any successful marriage is God; you cannot claim to have God in your marriage if you do not obey His rules for marriage. 

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

Are You Ready for your Package

I will glean from a story in Luke 1, and today’s blog will be based on that. This story has greatly encouraged me, and I hope you will be encouraged by it, too. Zacharias and Elizabeth are a couple that the Bible calls righteous (Luke 1:6). However, their righteousness did not shield them from life's challenges; Elizabeth was well advanced in years, yet she had no child—she was barren. Then, we move on to verse 13, when the angel named Gabriel visited Zacharias and declared that “his prayer is heard.” From what I have read, I don’t know how long Zacharias has been praying, but if he and his wife had advanced in age, then it would mean they had been praying for a long time. But the lesson I have picked here is that despite the length of waiting for Zacharias and his wife, they never gave up their righteous walk with God. The comforting outcome of their righteous waiting was a great son before God who will be going before God in the spirit and power of Elijah, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children (Luke 1:17). It was indeed a well-deserved answer to their righteous waiting.

One more big lesson for me in this story is in Luke 1:36, when the same angel named Gabriel visited Mary to inform her of her good news. He said, “Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” What this tells me is that Elizabeth had a stigma of barrenness attached to her person. Everyone who knew Elizabeth knew her to be that childless woman. It wasn’t a good identity. Some would have mocked her, spoken ill about her, and it would have appeared as though God was silent. But when it was time to send a great prophet to earth, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, the righteous Elizabeth’s womb was perfectly ready and available to carry the seed.

I don’t know what kind of stigma your challenges have placed on your person, but nobody dares define you in a way that God has not, because only God has the final say. It might not look or feel like it, but if you do not lose focus on God, the perfect time for that miracle is on its way. When the answer to Zacharias' miracle came, it was unbelievable for him. The kind of miracle that matches the definition of “too good to be true.” It was such a dumbfounding miracle that when people around Elizabeth heard of her childbirth, they rejoiced with her. Remember, these same neighbors had known and defined her as barren.

Isaiah 49:14-15 speaks of a profound truth. When you, like Zion, say the Lord has forsaken and forgotten you, the Lord responds with an affirmation, and He says: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palm of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.” These words are a direct declaration from God, not spoken by Derin or your pastor.

When you feel overwhelmed, as we all do every now and then, understand one truth: Your situation does not define you, and your challenges are only for a moment. Your prayers are not in vain. Don’t lose focus on God, and don’t neglect your righteousness, because when God is ready to dispatch your package, you must be ready to receive it. Elizabeth and Zacharias received their package, and it wasn’t small. Yours is coming too, and it won’t be small. 

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

Something to know about waiting

The Bible is filled with profound truths relatable to our world today. That is why the Bible is rightly referred to as a living manual for a successful life on earth. This manual doesn’t promise or depict a life without challenges, but it contains a cheat sheet for overcoming life’s hurdles and living a victorious life.

In today’s blog, let’s glean the life of one prominent man in the Bible named Joseph. His story can be found in the book of Genesis from chapter 37 to the end of Genesis. In Genesis 37, Joseph had a dream of a great future for himself. He dreamed that those older than him would eventually bow to him. Now, the interesting thing that we always hold onto from this part of Joseph’s story is to keep our dreams to ourselves to avoid them being truncated even before they materialize.

While I agree with this line of thought, I would like to make some additions to it. Having a dream is the beginning of a journey; running with the dream is the big assignment that follows. Many people have had dreams like Joseph's; they have kept these dreams to themselves to avoid them being truncated or polluted, yet these dreams never materialize. And then, I wonder—God, who is all-knowing and sees all things even before they happen, knowing beforehand that Joseph would tell the dream prematurely, still chose to reveal to Joseph what would happen to him ahead. God, knowing Joseph would not keep the secret, and also knowing the hearts of his brothers were envious, and what would happen to Joseph if he told the secret, still showed Joseph his future.

The big problem wasn’t what anyone could or would do to truncate Joseph’s dream but what Joseph himself would do to materialize or truncate the dream. The question wasn’t about what others would do but what Joseph himself would or would not do. So, the major focus was “how determined was Joseph in ensuring that what he had dreamed was his experience in reality.”

God is not a partial God; He doesn’t bless one and abandon the other. The door of opportunity opens to all of us at one time or another, and if we dare to dream and run with it with the help of God, we will succeed. Joseph was sold as a slave, and he was imprisoned. About 20 years of waiting was what he endured, but that dream never left him. His circumstances, situation, and challenges were not big enough to kill the dream he had dreamed. His situation didn't look like his dream, but his dream prevailed over his situation.

Another interesting thing I noticed was that all through Joseph’s ordeal, from his father’s care to being a slave, a convict who was falsely imprisoned, what the Bible tells us is that God was with Joseph. In his pain and suffering, God was with him, and he became a successful man (Genesis 39:2-3). He was a successful slave and a successful prisoner. I am sure you will wonder why it happened that way. God would have taken him through an easier route to success. Joseph didn’t have to be a slave, and then a prisoner to become a prime minister. If your thoughts are in this direction, they are valid. However, God knew the enormity of His planned greatness for Joseph, and He also knew He needed to train him first to be mature enough to handle the capacity of what God was doing in his life. The issue was not about Joseph telling the secret. It was about God putting Joseph through a divine preparation course for the magnitude of the greatness coming.

In God's training hands, Joseph learned loyalty, hard work, trustworthiness, overcoming temptation, and learned to focus. He also learned leadership. In Genesis 39:23, Joseph was already an authority over all the prisoners. By the time he was heading to the palace to take on the elevated position, he was ready for the opportunity.

Quite a handful of people have dreams like that of Joseph that don’t look like they will ever come to pass. Days are counting into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, and still, it doesn’t seem as if this dream will ever be real. The big takeaway from this story of Joseph is: “What is God teaching me in the process?” God will not entrust big stuff into small minds. If it has to be you, then you need to be trained. No matter how many people you tell your dreams to, when you are ready for the breakthrough, it will not be delayed. But if being able to hold your mouth and keep secrets is the lesson God desires for you to learn,  you will have to learn it before you show yourself ready for the big break.

So, I finish with this: delay, they say, is not denial. Your waiting time is not wasted time; rather, it is a prepping time. It is God teaching you and validating the values of greatness in you before your portion of greatness comes. It is a time of learning and so embrace it with grace.

 

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

 

How Do You Pray?

I have often written about prayer in my blog. For me, it’s one singular action you can never get wrong because things happen when we pray. In my post of the 6^th of November, you will find a discussion about God saying in Exodus 3:7-9 that He had heard the cry of His children (Israel) and had come down to save them. The cries go up to heaven if we dare to cry to God in prayer. As a matter of fact, we find in Revelation 8:4 that the smoke of the incense, together with our prayers, goes up to God. So, the efficacy of prayer cannot be overemphasized.

I strongly believe in the power of communal prayers. Jesus said, “When two or more gather in His name, there He will be in their midst.” So, when we come together to pray with oneness of heart, it becomes a powerful force. Solomon said, “One will chase a thousand, but two can put tens of thousands to flight.” There is power in praying together.

However, an exchange happens when you spend quiet time alone with your Maker. The kind of prayer I love the most is the dialogue prayer, where I get to speak to God and take the lead from Him, and I pour my heart out to God as though I can literally see him and feel the warmth of His comfort. This, for me, is a kind of Jeremiah 33:3. Going to God in this prayer pattern is not just about going to talk; it is more about going to receive.

Interestingly, God spoke to us through an intermediary in the days of Moses, Aaron, Samuel, Nathan, and all other prophets of old. But by the perfect finished work of Jesus, God speaks to us not with a mouthpiece but directly, and if you have trained your ears to listen to His voice and adhere to His instructions, then you can't go wrong.

You will wonder where Derin is going with this prayer talk in today’s blog. It’s all about offering a word in season. Many of us take a good time to join prayer meetings, which is a good habit as God is still in the business of doing miracles. But some breakthroughs and miracles come from a place where God tells you or leads you to do something; this comes as a specific instruction to you for a specific situation in your life. Now, this is not a group instruction but as a Father to His child. You will miss the opportunity or struggle if you have not trained yourself to listen to His voice.

When you have not developed the habit of cultivating the presence of God and dialoging with Him in prayer rather than just talking without receiving, you leave your life to chance and the possibility of frustration. We remember the story of Peter and the catch of fish in Luke 5; in verses 4-5, when Jesus told Peter to launch into the deep for a catch, he replied by saying He had toiled all night and caught nothing but at the word of Jesus, he will let down his net. Now, consider yourself as Peter, struggling to put it all together without learning to hear the voice of God on which direction you should go. I am sure you probably would conclude that God is a lie because you have prayed so hard and worked so hard with nothing to show for it. But what you are missing is your ability to hear His voice and discern His leading. He would have been creating opportunities and leading you in advance, but you simply have not been yielding because you don't recognize His voice. Just fix that little problem, and everything else falls into place.

Sometime in 2022, I landed a six-figure job without applying or using any connection or referral, simply by being able to discern the voice of God and doing what the voice told me to do. Before this exciting morning, I had been taking some online courses. I finished one of the modules and just heard a voice within me to update my resume on LinkedIn. The voice was clear, and it was like pressure on me. Like a robot, I opened my laptop and updated my LinkedIn profile. I had totally forgotten about it until about six weeks later, when I got a message on LinkedIn asking if I was available to take on a role in the field where I had completed the online courses. Initially, I thought it was a scam; I had told myself I would not leave my house in the name of any job interview. And just to know it was God doing His thing, I did my interview online on a Zoom call. My offer letter was sent to my email, and I worked from home for the 3 months of being on that job. The contract ended 2 days after I left my home country.

Just imagine what I would have missed if I had not learned to pay attention to the voice of God. God speaks, and we should learn to listen to His voice. But be mindful and careful not to mix the voice of God with your desires and personal objectives. Be sure that you have heard from God and not your inner longings. Be objective enough to differentiate between what you want and what God tells you to do. When God speaks, He backs it up with evidence. You will always have your receipt to show for it.

Thank you so much for visiting this blog channel. Your time is well appreciated. Please help a friend by sharing this with others. And keep visiting because I assure you that there will always be something to inspire you here.

There is something more to offer. 

🙌 Discover the kind of thanksgiving that unlocks breakthroughs and builds unshakable faith.

✨ Gleanings from the Throne of God is a powerful guide to understanding God’s Word from a place of intimacy and truth. It is a 10 mini-books in a single book. It talks about marriage, parenting, handling worry, and so much more. 

It is a must-have in your collection of faith-building tools. 

📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.

💍 God’s Rules of Engagement in Marriage is a one-of-a-kind book filled with timeless biblical wisdom and practical “marriage hacks” for building a strong, lasting, and joyful home.

It’s not just theory—it’s a complete blueprint rooted in Scripture, enriched with real-life stories, and packed with proven principles you can apply to your marriage right away.

This book has been a guide and blessing in my own journey, and I believe it will do the same for you. Whether you’re preparing for marriage or looking to strengthen your current one, this is a resource you’ll return to again and again.

✨ Ready to experience it for yourself?
👉 📘 Available for FREE — in eBook and audiobook formats.