The Road to Damascus (4)

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In this part of the series we will be looking at signs of the road to Damascus. The signs vary from person to person and from circumstance to circumstance, but the end result is a state of brokenness and total surrender to the will of God. 
But before we proceed, it is important to say that not everyone will be privileged to travel down this road, and not everyone who travel on the Road to Damascus will end the journey with the desired results. Damascus experience is for the elected, the predestined and those who have found God’s mercy. Does this mean you have no part to play? Yes you do, your role is to submit to His will. 
Going back to our text, Saul set out on a self-assigned journey but ended up with God assigned journey. One major sign of being on the road to Damascus is when your plans are taken over by factors beyond your control. At such times the more you try to pursue your plans, the more you are taken off track, but such times are usually accompanied with a sense of quiet leading of God.  

Apostle Paul needed his sight to accomplish his set objectives, and God knew as long as he has his sight he will get to Damascus. His sight had to be taken for him to come to realisation of his ignorance. Paul’s sight is similar to man’s vision. This is why God sometimes takes your vision so that you can see His own vision and run with it. 

When you feel frustrated in the pursuit of your vision, you need to find out if it is God or other forces at work. Not all frustrations are from the devil or wicked forces, sometimes God himself will frustrate you to bring you to the centre of His will. He did so for Jonah. He kept the fishes away from Peter all night such that when he caught a great multitude of fishes during the day, Peter had no choice than to accept to follow Jesus. 

When God frustrates, He does so out of love and Mercy. Don’t despair when His hands press you sore, your lemon will produce lemonade. 
Till we meet again, stay blessed and Happy New Month. 
Adewumi Oni

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The Road to Damascus (3)

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The Road to Damascus can also be seen as a Process, a transformational process. When you take anyone or anything through a process, you always have a transformed product, whether positive or negative. 
Moses was raised in the King’s palace and treated like Pharaoh’s son. As a matter of fact, he grew up believing he was meant to be the liberator of Israel. He was cockish and short tempered. In a bid to defend an Israelite, he killed an Egyptian and buried him, but it became a public knowledge. This led to his exile from Egypt and to Jethro’s house. He forfeited all his princely privileges and became a shepherd,living with his father-in-law.

 
It was after Moses was emptied of all his kingly ambition at the back of the wilderness after a period of forty years, that the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush experience. At that point, the one who was so willing to be the leader over Israel had become so humbled that he became reluctant to take on the position of leadership. He came up with several excuses not to go back to Egypt. He had come to realisation of the fact that he could not do anything relying on his own strength. The man who attended the best schools in the land suddenly became afraid of the task he murdered for. What a transformation! 
Have you suddenly become less confident about something you once believed you were cut out for, you may have been through the Road to Damascus. Maybe you have experienced some failures and you have lost confidence in yourself, yet some people are calling you to a similar assignment at a much higher level, you need not be afraid, God allowed those experience so that you can understand that you are insufficient of and by your own self, but in Him, you are complete. 
Just as Moses the stammerer succeeded in leading Israel out of captivity, you will succeed too by the Grace of God. The Road to Damascus transforms the self-sufficient to become God-reliant. 
Until we meet again in the next part of this series, stay blessed. 

Adewumi Oni

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The Road of Damascus (2)

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In this second part of this series, we will look at the various shades of ‘The Road to Damascus’. But before we proceed it is important to stress two salient points:

1. Everybody will (or had) at one or more points travel through this road. You may travel through it once or twice depending on your sensibility or discernment. 

2. Damascus is not a destination, it is only a terminal on the journey of destiny. 
A closer look at this road will reveal the Road as:

a).  A journey 

b). A process

c). An Encounter
​A) As a journey, the Road to Damascus is a journey from self-determination to submission to the will of the Almighty. When Saul set out from Jerusalem having received letter of authority from the High Priest to arrest anyone preaching in the name of Jesus at Damascus, he was full of self-determination and self-righteousness. He was confidently passionate that he was doing the right thing. If you take time to study Acts 8:1-8, you will observed that he had made an havoc of the Church at Jerusalem and many of the Christians had fled the city. 
Saul felt justified and took his passion further to Damascus. His response to the Lord after a great light blinded him, was ‘Lord what would you have me do?’ Acts 9:4. At that point, it mattered no longer to Saul if he was right or not, he was ready to do the will of the Master. 
There are times we are humbled by life’s challenges that we stop caring about our dreams or ambitions, and we become so willing to do whatever God wants us to do. At such times we are blinded and assailed with both the tenacity and barrage of problems, that we cry out to God to help us at any price or cost. Self-pride or confidence is thrown aside, and we are literally clinging naked to the feet of the Master. That point is your Road to Damascus. The major reason for that is for the Master to get your attention. 
The Master will take you on a journey through ‘The Road to Damascus’, if it is necessary to draw your attention. Damascus experience is God’s divine interruption in the earthly pursuits of His children. 
Stay tuned for the next part in this series. 
Have a great day and remain blessed. 
Adewumi Oni

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The Road To Damascus (1)

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​I believe many of us are familiar with the story of Saul who later became Apostle Paul in the Bible. His journey on the way to Damascus, after being harmed with letters from the High Priests, was suddenly highjacked and he became a transformed man. The account can be found in the book of Acts of the Apostle Chapter 9.

This series will place emphasis on verse 3 of that chapter which says,  “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven” (KJV). 

The objective for Saul on the road to Damascus was to arrest those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ and bring them to Jerusalem for prosecution. It was a journey borne out of zeal, albeit ignorant zeal and passion, but ended with true revelation. It was a journey that turned out to be a  transformational journey. 
There are many people currently on the ‘Road to Damascus’ and who are wondering how they got so far away from their initial objectives. Apostle Paul couldn’t have in his wildest imagination seen himself preaching the same Jesus he had spent his passion opposing. 
Are you somewhere that looks like the very antithesis of what you initially believed and stood for? You might be on the ‘Road to Damascus’. Or maybe you suddenly find yourself defending what you have been criticising all your life and people are wondering what has come over you, maybe you are on your ‘Road to Damascus’. 
In the next broadcast in this series, we will look closely at the ‘Road to Damascus’ before proceeding to discuss the signs of being on the road, the challenges of the road, and how to travel successfully on the road. I am trusting that this series will help someone out there to understand his or her current situation. 
Stay tuned and remain blessed. Good morning. 
Adewumi Oni

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Do You Have a Price or Value? 

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I came across a quote this weekend and I got inspired to share this broadcast with you. It says, “The difference between a corrupt person and an honest person is :The corrupt person has a price while the honest person has a value.”
Truly you can either have a price or a value. A price can be paid for, meaning you can be bought or compromised. If all you have is a price then your life and decisions will most likely be ruled by monetary factors or some rewards. Some rare stones are described as priceless due to the multiplicity of their usage. Some virtues are also said to be priceless, for example, patience is often said to be priceless. 
When what you have is a value, you have moved beyond the level of being moved by money or reward, what determines your decisions or actions are your values and principles. You become uncompromisable or incorruptible. You hold your principles far above any reward. Value is not something you can build by yourself, it takes the spirit of God in you to build it and say no to every compromising demand. 
One of the reasons for the mess in our world today is the abundance of people with prices and the scarcity of people with values. A society that places more emphasis on price than value is positioned for self destruction. Go for value and leave the realm of price. 
Have a great day and remain blessed

Adewumi Oni

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Who Are You Raising? (7)

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As we conclude this series, it is very important to stress the impact of prayer, a life of integrity and commitment on shaping our children’s lives. 

Prayer addresses the spiritual side of your children or wards or protégés and keep them from going astray. When you keep committing their hearts to their Maker, they will always find themselves being drawn back to the right side of life, even when they stray. 

Your integrity is infectious and can determine how faithful your children will be. How you keep your words and how you say the truth will rub off on them. When they find themselves at crossroad, the memories of your way of life may be the only guide between good and bad. That is why I said fathering is the most difficult job because it requires constant sacrifice and uprightness.
When you eat in your car and you wait till you get home before throwing the food pack in the bin, you can be sure that is exactly what your children will emulate, and if otherwise you know the result. If you are always lying, your children will find it so easy to lie. You are their mirror, they see themselves in you, so you determine what they see.  
Lastly, being committed through the thick and thin builds your children to be dependable, steadfast, strong, and committed. Stay through every course you choose. Complete every project you begin. Don’t run away from challenges,otherwise your children will always choose the path of least resistance, which hardly leads anywhere. 
As you work on becoming a better Father, you are laying a strong foundation for your children to be greater than you. 
May we not fail our children and generations to come. 
Have a blessed day. 
Adewumi Oni

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Who Are You Raising? (6)

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​Destiny Moulder: Your role as a father includes shaping destinies and lives. This is perhaps one of the most important aspects of fathering, yet the least appreciated. You can father individuals, states and even nations. Nations fail when the fathers in the nation fail in their fathering responsibility. 
You must first understand that there are destinies that are tied to your destiny. If you fail to fulfil your destiny, those destinies attached to you may suffer delay or fail completely in fulfilling theirs. 
As a father, you must see fulfilling God’s divine purpose for your life as your primary pursuit. It is in identifying and pursuing your destiny that you can become a guider or moulder of other destinies. Many of those we call touts are products of unguided or misguided destinies. Where you are today is a result of being moulded by some people. Consciously investing and taking interest in your children and wards’ lives is necessary to help them find their purpose and fulfil it. 
Refiner: To refine means to purify or to make finer. You purify by removing impurities. Through the Word of God and a transparently pure character, you are to help your children become as pure as they can be. If you have the right connection with your children, when you mirror your life after the Word, your children will mirror their lives after you. 
You must therefore ensure you are as refined as possible before you can refine your children. Children are more inclined to follow your actions than your words. Yours character can either refine or pollute those around you. You are either a refiner for your children or a pollutant. Be a refiner and not a pollutant. 
Stay tuned for the next broadcast in this series. 
Have a great week ahead and stay blessed.  
 

Adewumi Oni

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Who Are You Raising? (5)

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​As a father, you are meant to raise fathers of homes, communities, businesses and even nations. You must get to a point where you see fathering beyond just child bearing, but the act of consciously building destinies. It is a great responsibility and one not to be lightly treated. 

6. One of your roles as a father is that of an Arbitrator, more like a judge, an incorruptible one who exercises justice with a sense of fairness, equity and true conscience. As an Arbitrator, you will settle dispute between your children and wards, you must not be seen to be partial. Your children are watching you and they know if you are fair or not. Your sense of fairness or unfairness will be transferred to them. Corrupt judges usually learn corruption from childhood. You will also settle dispute in your neighborhood and community. You must not allow material gains influence your decisions. The Great Arbitrator sits in heaven and He knows everything you do. 
7. As a guider, your actions and inactions have a way of influencing and guiding your children and people who are looking up to you. They will come to you for guidance. If you are not guided you cannot provide any guidance. So the question is who is guiding you? Many have left their guidance in the hands of pastors, prophets and spiritual leaders, some of whom have lost touch with heaven. When the blind leads the blind there will be calamity. Let God be your Guide and you will be able to guide others. 
8. Your greatest role as a father is that of a teacher. You must teach your children godly values upon which the foundation of their character will be laid. You must teach them how to deal with the vicissitudes of life. Teaching is one of the toughest tasks of a father because it requires matching your actions with your words, so you don’t just teach in words, you must match your actions with your teaching. 
When we play our roles well as fathers, we will have less problems in our world. 
Stay blessed and enjoy your day. 
Adewumi Oni

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Who Are You Raising? (4)

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“The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.” –  Abbe Prevost

A father has to be a friend, teacher, role model, and a disciplinarian, all in one. You have to learn to wear different hats at different times. One of such hats is being your children’s best friend. One of the roles of fathers is to be the best friend of their children. 

Best Friend : Your best friend is someone you like and share your secrets with. It is someone you always want to spend your time with. As a father, your children should be looking forward to jumping into your arms after work. You shouldn’t be too busy to sit with them and tell them stories and help them out with their homework. Spending quality time with your children helps in forming a deep bond with them. It is at such times that children pick traits from their father that will be the bedrock of their character. Kindness, patience, gentleness, self discipline and other virtues are usually imbibed by children through close observation of their fathers. Vices are also learnt the same way. 

If you make friends with your children, they will mirror their lives after you. This is the reason you must be the best friend of your children, if you want to raise great sons and daughters. 
Defender : In the same vein, you are your children’s defender. They expect you to defend and protect them against internal and external threats or danger. They implicitly believe in your ability to fight for them. It is important that you don’t betray this trust, because it can lead to crack in the character of your children/ward. Be there for them when they are ill. Be there for them when they are being bullied. Just ensure you don’t let them down when they need you most. 

Stay tuned for the next broadcast. 

Adewumi Oni

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Who Are You Raising? (3)

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​Let us take a deeper look at the roles of Fathers in continuation of this series. We will look at the first three in this part and continue with the rest in subsequent part of this series.  
1. Role Model: Children are imitators. They look at how you sit, talk, walk and try to imitate you, even up to mannerisms, especially if they are fond of you. Your child will naturally want to be like you, it is therefore important that you conduct yourself well. For example, if you are walking on the road with your son and you are pressed to urinate. If you stop on the road to urinate, don’t be surprised if your son also starts urinating. He may not understand that it is not a good habit, because he has seen you doing it, he feels cool doing same. The rule is whatever you don’t want your child to do, don’t do it. 

2. Provider: As a father, you are the breadwinner for your home. You are the primary provider of resources for your home. Don’t shift your responsibility to your wife or anyone else, otherwise your sons may grow up believing it is not their responsibility to provide while your daughters may grow up struggling for leadership of the home with their husbands. Pray and work hard to provide for your home, sometimes you may need to deny yourself of certain comfort. Your children will notice your sacrifice and it will help instil selflessness in them. 

3. Decision Maker: One of the most important duties of the Father is decision making. You will have to take decisions from time to time, both major and minor decisions. The more your children see you taking correct decisions, the more they want to be in a position to make decisions too. How you take your decisions also matters. If you seek opinion of your wife or even the children before deciding, the children will likely grow up carrying others along in their decision making moments. This is important for their career. Most dictators grow up with parents who dish out orders without carrying others along. 
Fatherhood is responsibility. You can raise a great child through proper fathering, which requires discipline, love, firmness, wisdom and the Grace of God. 

May God help us to be great fathers and make our children to be greater than us. Amen. 
Till we meet again in the next series, stay blessed. 

Adewumi Oni

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