"Princi-pearls"

The things that matter the most and are the most impressive are not necessarily those that posses immense strength or might (as we usually think is the case), but those that have the greatest functionality and versatility – case in point the three auricular ossicles though being the smallest bones in the body, when functional, work together with such seamless and elegant consonance as to enable the sensing of stimuli that  deliver the blooming cornucopia of the sounds of life … The absence of these bones which combined are of about half the size of a dime, results in a world so silent as to be screamingly deafening….

"Princi-pearls"

Be careful not to waste the energy meant for fueling the fulfillment of your dreams by constantly talking about it, rather than engaging yourself in mental and spiritual exercise aimed at the ultimate physical manifestation of those dreams.

Mettabel Okulaja

Keep and Ponder

"Princi-pearls"

The art of raising exceptional children lies in successfully bringing them to a state of quality of mind, and discipline of the body, without breaking their spirits... This can only happen if the parents themselves live by these values, and most importantly by the grace of God!

Adepero Mettabel Okulaja

Brother Andrew's Story

Brother Andrew's Story



Please click on the link above to read the story... Shalom and be blessed!

"Princi-pearls"

Letting go of the ego, and totally submitting to God's sovereignty, is the final and most pivotal step one must take before one can fully step into the best of what one was created for...

Adepero Mettabel Okulaja

The day God "Outed" me

‘Wow! Last year you were actually able to give $*** dollars... This year you’ve got to do more!’ This was the thought that ran through my head this morning surprisingly after I had just concluded a call with someone who had blessed me and prayed God’s favor over my life.

All my friends know that I am a sucker for giving things away, and I have also been blessed in that I know I can pretty much ask my friends for anything and they will give it to me if it is within their power to do so. This grace however was not always present in my life.

The year was 1996. I was in a hotel suite with a bunch of people from my church including my pastor at that time, visiting with Rev Francis Wale Oke – A venerable minister of God who had come to bless us at my home church. It was a very rare opportunity to see such a well-respected minister up close and personal, but a few moments later, if the ground could have opened up and swallowed me, it would have been a blessing; but I am so grateful to God for that encounter, that today, I would not have wished it any other way. This minister right in the middle of conversation turned to me and said ‘God asked me to tell you something’ ‘ooooh’ I thought. ‘He’s going to give me a word’ … ‘He told me to tell you that you are stingy towards Him, and He wants you to stop it!’  ‘OM goodness! Not here, not now with ALL these people around me!’ I thought, embarrassed to the tips of my ten-dollar shoes. But even as these thoughts flew through my head, I KNEW without a shadow of doubt, that this was God himself speaking to me. I knew because though I had been a faithful “tither" from my early Christian days, I saw no reason to give even more in offerings – I was stingy towards God, very stingy, and I would even skip the tithe if I had better things in my estimation to do with my money. So much like David did when confronted regarding his sin, I admitted it and I said ‘Yes sir, I will stop being stingy towards God’ I tell you that was the best response and vow to repent, that I have ever made!  As a result of this conversation, I made a vow to give not because I’m compelled to, but because He asked me to – PERSONALLY AND YES! PUBLICLY… before a 'cloud of witnesses' no less!  Through this experience, the Lord started to impel and empower me to give… and yes, I am free from industrial bias in the presentation of this material…. (Oh you just got it! lol) I don’t even know if Rev Wale would even remember this encounter, but it changed my life.

Fast forward to the year 2008, I was going through a financial crisis and the Lord once again spoke to my heart – ‘I want you to give more’…. Are you kidding me?!  I’m no longer stingy! I get it! I am stretched to the elastic limit of my giving as it is. I can’t pull anymore than I am, or I will snap! ‘You won’t' He told me – you do what I say, and I will be your ‘elastic recoil’. OKaaaayyyy… I still tried to get out of it by speaking to one of my dearest friends, but bless her heart this is what she told me: ‘OluP why are you asking me this question when you already know what you should do?’ ‘Hummmph. Grumble, grumble, grumble…’ but again I obeyed, and not only was I able to do as the Lord asked me to, but the crisis was averted and permanently annihilated… pressed down, shaken together, well you get the picture…


So why the trip 'back down memory lane'? It was thanks to Uncle Sam who mandates that we be given a year-end statement of our giving record – As I perused the main document, I marveled at how far the Lord has brought me, and I’m still not “there” yet! I realized that since that encounter in 1996, I have never for one year given less than I did the previous year… Every year God continued to challenge me to give above- and – beyond in small yet ingenious ways and every year He empowered me to meet the goal… This is my personal journey shared, in obedience to what He asked me to do… so what have I learned from this?

1. That I give to the Lord, for Him to bless and for me to be blessed.
    
2. The Lord knows what and how I give in the secret.
    
3. That the Lord challenges me to give because in doing so, I am being His hands, His arms and His feet to minister to his body, So that it releases Him by The Law of Principles for Him to activate others to be His hands, arms and feet in ministering to me.
    
4. That only He knows what the ‘I’ in me is capable of, and he stretches me till I fill that ‘I’, THEN He raises the bar again!
    
5. That I through giving and pulling down the altars of selfishness, become Jerubaal - The name given to Gideon after he destroyed the altars of Baal Meaning: contender with Baal - a theophoric name  given to mock the god Baʿal, whose shrine Gideon had destroyed, the intention being to imply: "Let Baʿal strive as much as he can ... it will come to nothing." Halleluyah!

The Lord also gave me a promise about 3 years ago he said to me: ‘I will preserve your bread, and I will preserve your wine’. Because God never speaks apart from His word, I was very excited when I found the following scripture to confirm that word, and he has done so and more!

Genesis 14:14-20
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram (Adepero Mettabel) of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.… note that the blessing with the bread and the wine came before the giving of the tithe …. God had discerned Abraham’s heart. Jesus or Melchizedek knew that Abraham was going to give, how do I know this? Note that the scripture reads 'And he gave him tithes of all…'Not so he gave, or therefore he gave, but and…


 and

Conjunction
1. (Used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases, or clauses) along or together with; as well as; in addition to;
2. Added to; plus: 2 and 2 are 4.
3. Also, at the same time: to sleep and dream.
4. Then again; repeatedly: He coughed and coughed.


2 Corinthians 8:12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
For if the [eager] readiness to give is there, then it is acceptable and welcomed in proportion to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.God does not play the tit for tat game…
Finally as I grew more in Him, He freed me to give, based on the following scriptures:

Hebrews 7:8
King James Version (KJV)
 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.…. I give my tithe here; He receives it in heaven
Malachi 1:6                                                                                                                                              A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Malachi 2: 1,2
 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Malachi 3:1-6
 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.


 Malachi 3:9,10
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Yep there are some priests who rob God and the whole nation of God’s people, but my responsibility is to give, and His responsibility is to deal with and “out” all the priests of God that are robbing Him, and not bringing all the tithes into the storehouses of the Lord… Yikes! Not quite what we thought that scripture meant right? (Thanks ‘Tunrayo for making me ‘Berean’ in nature regarding this)… another story for another day…

Malachi 3:16-18
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Because I have heard him and I have returned, God WILL grant me the grace to discern between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serves God and him that serves him not.

HE IS GOD ALL BY HIMSELF.


So the verdict is in:
My name is Mettabel. Formerly known as stingy towards God, “Outed” as stingy in 1996, Forgiven and restored by Jesus, enabled and empowered by God, and enlightened and liberated by the Spirit to continue giving with understanding, So help me God!

I am a child of God, and He approved this message!

© OluPero Mettabel, Jan 2012

"Princi-pearls"

The secret to being prosperous and successful...

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8 NIV)

med·i·tate
v. med·i·tat·ed, med·i·tat·ing, med·i·tates

v.tr.
1. To reflect on; contemplate.
2. To plan in the mind; intend

v.intr.
1. To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer.
2. To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.

Can't seem to get away from You!

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.

 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you…

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.

He hears our cry for help!

Lord if you don’t stop me now, I am going ahead with it! Brrring the phone rang… A voice I had not heard in a while… Hello how are you? And just like that, saved by the bell!  How like the Lord to answer even our belligerently uttered prayers to keep us from taking a step, or making a move we should not make …

Psalm 31:19

New King James Version (NKJV)

 ¹⁹ Oh, how great is Your goodness,
         Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
         Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
         In the presence of the sons of men!

"Princi-pearls"

He is not a poor man who lacks great riches, but is he who is of meager understanding …..
Mettabel




Luke 12:16-21 (New International Version)
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

The Life I'm meant to live....

I was dying!  I knew this as sure as I knew my own name … Not that anyone could see it, for I was my usual bubbly self, but what was on the inside of me surely was a very different picture. One day I sat in my office looking around me I wondered- is this it??? All I had worked towards, dreamt of, is this it!!! Sure some would look at me and say what’s she got to complain about? She has a good career and a great job. True, but you have to know my journey to judge my story.

Every step I had ever taken in my life, I had taken because I had to. I’ll explain – I had to go to grade school, then secondary school, then to university, graduated then went off to internship, then youth service, then emigrated. In my new country there were also things I had to do. Get a transitional job, pass my boards, find a residency program, in the midst of this all, find a way to stay permanently in my new country, and finally get a job – my dream job… All this I did and the Lord helped me through it all, as did all my family and friends.

So how did I come to this horrible conclusion that I was dying… because all my life I had worked towards a goal and all of a sudden I found myself without a goal. I was living and moving through the motions of life without another goal in sight, and I found myself slowly fading into a dismal routine of daily drudgery, going through the motions but having no idea what I was working towards or whether I even LIKED what I was doing! Some might say what about your job? You could advance up the ladder… Yes, but this was one I had climbed for over fifteen years realizing when I got to the top that I wasn’t sure if I SHOULD have climbed that particular ladder at all… anyone with me?

Then something happened to me! I started looking inside of my self, started talking to myself (No I didn’t go crazy), asking my self what it WANTED TO DO, not what it SHOULD DO… I got some very surprising answers, which started me on a new journey, on a new path that has led me to where I am today… I was revived! Not in a tent meeting or in a church, but in my own temple! As I began to ask questions of myself, of the Lord, of the Word, I got answers. I received new sight, new strength and a new life… I discovered a new love for my vocation, for people. I discovered and re-discovered the gifts that God had placed on the inside of me … I was discovering my “Raison d’être “ My reason for being.

Things began to change in me and around me. Some things I had to let go, others I had to appropriate, I made new friends, strengthened old bonds, dug deep, walked alone for a while, but it paid off! IT PAID OFF!  Through it all, I can say today that I am truly living life, and starting to do the things I was destined to do, so that by His grace I can get to where I am supposed to… The Lord is helping me to draw a blueprint, and just like He gave exact instructions down to the “tee” as to how He wanted his temple built, He is giving me instructions as to how to build this my own temple, and I am LISTENING, before I move, before I do. Sure my journey may not be typical, but I am finding out that to live my life with joy and satisfaction, I MUST BE TRUE TO WHO I AM, AND TO WHAT HE HAS PLACED IN ME AND CALLED ME TO DO.

So as I look around me today, and I see hope, I see vision, I see love, I see joy and most of all I see and I am living LIFE!!! The life I’m meant to live…

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 11:25

© OluPero Mettabel, 01/20/12

Let us make man in our image and after our likeness

Let us make man in our image and after our likeness

Genesis 1:1,2
1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:26
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

cre·ate

1. To cause to exist; bring into being
2. To give rise to; produce: That remark created a stir.
3. To produce through artistic or imaginative effort: create a poem; create a role.

Creation starts from the inside, and finishes on the outside – Begins with the intangible and ends with the tangible, starts with complexity broken down to simplicity and built up again to complexity…

How did the Great Architect operate?

When God created the Heavens and the earth, the process started in the realm of His thought – He first created the world in his mind… THEN He looked at His raw material and it was a far cry from that which He had created in His mind… He then got to work based on the blueprints of the project as projected in His mind’s eye…

The process:

C – Conceptualize
R – Ruminate
E – Engage
A- Activate
T- Transition
E – Execute

See you in December 2012!