Keys represent access. They represent authority. Whether it’s a key to a building, car, or safety deposit box; if you’ve been given a key to something, it means you have a right to use it. You have access to whatever that key will open.
Friend, because of Jesus, we have the keys to the kingdom of heaven! We have access to all the heavenly blessings and promises that are in the Word of God. And, we have the authority to take hold of those promises.
Today, are you using the keys that you have been given by God? The keys of faith and the power of your words and actions? No matter what you may have need of—be it physical healing, provision, wholeness, freedom from addiction—you have been given the authority to access it in Jesus’ Name! Take hold of those promises by faith and begin to declare that every need is met according to His riches in glory. Take a step of faith and use those keys you have been given to take hold of every blessing God has in store for you!
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:19, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for giving me the keys and access to every promise and blessing in heaven. Father, by faith, right now I receive everything You have for me. God, help me stay focused on Your Word which empowers me to live in the victory You have in store for me. In Christ’ Name. Amen.
I meet people daily who worry about everything. They worry about the kids, finances, job and even their health. Is there something that you are worrying about today? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life.
Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical body. It affects your sleep. You won’t ever gain anything by worrying; in fact, you’ll lose precious moments that you can never get back again. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him, He will give you His peace.
Today stop worrying. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God’s promises. As you focus on God’s word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and God given expectancy; and you’ll be empowered to move forward into the life of blessing He has in store for you!
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV)
Let’s Pray Yahweh, I choose to put an end to worry in my life. Father, I give You all my worry, stress and anxiety. Please lift them off me today, so that I can be free. I choose to feed my faith by studying Your promises, and declaring them over my life. Help me to have total trust in You today and every day. In Christ’ name. Amen.
Do you and God have a special place? A place where you meet with Him and He you. It may or may not be physical. God’s special place for you is where you are most content and fulfilled in Him. It may not be a place where you experience prosperity, good health, good emotions, good relationships, or perfect finances. It could be that place where you run to when things are not right.
In Scripture we find a good example in the life of Elijah. In 1 Kings 17:3, God told the prophet Elijah, “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.” Elijah went to the place where God directed him so his physical, spiritual and emotional needs could be met. It was quite peaceful and in the presence of God.
Today, be like Elijah who obeyed God and went to that special place of alone time with God, and all his needs were met. If Elijah had decided not to obey God and do things his own way instead, he may not have been in a place to receive God’s blessings. Today, God is calling you to that quiet place to spend time with Him. You will be blessed when you are convinced that God wants to meet all your needs, and you decide to follow Him.
“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for loving me and for giving me a place where I can meet with You physically, spiritually and emotionally, so that I can be recharged, fulfilled and blessed. God, give me the wisdom and patience to know where to go to find the special quiet place of Your blessing. In Christ’s Name! Amen.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of praise for God amongst believers. We were created to praise God. Praise is powerful! Praise is putting your faith in action. Just as putting your physical body into action to make it grow strong, putting your faith in action through prayer and thanksgiving will cause it to grow strong too!
The Bible says about Abraham: no unbelief made him waver regarding the promise of God. What does it mean to waver? It actually means to go back and forth. It’s a very unsteady posture. Spiritual wavering is when we go back and forth in believing the promises of God. Wavering shows up in our words and actions. When you speak contrary to God’s promises, you are wavering and unsteady. Abraham never had unbelief or doubting thoughts. It basically says that he didn’t let it control him or cause him to waver in his words, actions and thinking. He took captive every thought and stood strong through His praise and worship!
Today, take captive your thoughts through praise to God. Praise makes you stable. It makes you strong. Decide today to put your faith into action by thanking and praising God all throughout the day! As you do, you’ll grow strong and live the life of victory God has in store for you!
“No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” (Romans 4:20, AMP)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, today I bless Your name and lift You up! Father, thank You for life. I thank You for breath. I thank You for provision, healing, strength and joy. God, I praise You for abundantly supplying all my needs so that I can be a blessing to others, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
In this day and age with viruses increasing daily and lock down lasting months, sleep is very important to our wellbeing. God promises to give blessings to His beloved in their sleep! He wants you to rest securely in Him and be rejuvenated nightly, mind and body. Sleep has great benefits – it builds your immune system, it decreases your stress and it increases productivity.
Did you know sleep is so important not only to our physical health, but also our spiritual wellbeing? When we are well rested, we are better able to deal with the trials that come our way. It’s easier to keep our hearts and minds in the right place, so we can stand stronger and make better spiritual decisions.
Today, you may be struggling with sleep, ask God to show you what you need to do to get back on track. Do you have cares you need to cast on Him? Are you worrying instead of worshiping? Has a spirit of fear crept in? Do you need to make better decisions about what time to go to bed? Remember, He said He will give you peace when you lie down, He wants you to be rested. He wants you to be rejuvenated and revived so that you can be the best you!
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
(Psalm 4:8, ESV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for giving me the gift of sleep so I can be at peace, revived and rejuvenated. Father, help me to cast my cares on You daily. Teach me to make it a priority to stay well rested, so I can live the life physically and spiritually that You have designed for me, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
Are you feeling tired or weary? Is there so much on your plate that you are constantly running to get it all done? There are seasons when we need to go the extra mile and give it our all, and there are seasons to rest and rejuvenate.
Today’s scripture tells us that during those times when it’s necessary to be busy for God, we will be able run and not grow weary! God will give us the strength and power of an eagle. We won’t be tired, we won’t faint under the pressure of the task, He will renew our physical, mental and spiritual strength.
Today, you maybe facing something that seems to be taking all of your energy? Wait on the Lord! Expect, look for, and hope in Him. The Bible promises that when you live with expectancy, when you stay hopeful, when you make preparations for the goodness of God, you’ll rise up higher. Your strength will be renewed, and you’ll be empowered to overcome life’s obstacles!
“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount to up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” (Isaiah 40:31, AMP)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, good morning, thank You for giving me Your strength and power. Father, I receive it right now by putting my trust and hope in You. God, I know that with You all things are possible. Lord, I’m feeling tired and weary, please renew my spirit so I can continue to run for You, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
Growing up, I used to believe that weakness was as a result of continued sinning in one’s life. Sometimes, people get distracted by what they consider to be a disadvantage or weakness. It may be something about their personality or looks, maybe they’ve been through an unfair situation: a divorce, loss of a job, or just a bad break. We all have things that can feel like disadvantages, things that make life hard and difficult. It can even be a mental or physical disability.
In 2020 you may have been “disadvantaged.” However, just because you’ve been through a tough time, it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to sit back in 2021 and settle where you are.
Today and in this new year, God has something great for you to do! He wants to show Himself strong in your weakness. The Holy Spirit wants to help you when you feel weak and low. Stay strong in faith, and let God take what you see as a disadvantage and turn it around into an advantage, so you can move forward into the abundant life He has for you! Hallelujah!
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (Romans 8:26, NLT)
Let’s Prayer
Yahweh, I give You all that I am – my weaknesses, my disadvantages, my emotional and physical pain. Father, I invite You into the weak places in my life so that You can make me strong. God, thank You for working in my life in 2020 despite my weakness, and using me for Your glory, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
If you’ve never been in the habit of keeping a faith journal, you might think your meditative prayer and reading scripture has given you a strong spiritual life. But beginning your journaling journey can supplement your spiritual practices and make tangible much of the faith you’ve taken for granted. Staring a faith journal is a great way to track your daily prayers, the gratitude you feel for God’s gifts and offers new ways of exploring scripture. Take that leap of faith today.
1) Creative Prayer
A faith journal doesn’t have to be exclusively about writing. Color, shape and doodling – whatever takes your heart’s desire – can all have its place in your faith journal.
If your prayer is directed at someone special, it can feel exceptionally powerful to write their name and sketch a growing, colorful shape around it. Once their name appears on the page, glorified by color, you can write your prayer for them or simply think about it. But the prayer will have a physical manifestation that can strengthen it.
You can also sketch mandalas in a meditative way. These complex patterns of repeating shapes can be relaxing to sink into, and drawing and coloring them can become a form of prayer in itself. It’s your faith journal, so get creative!
2) Making Prayer Tangible
The time you spend in prayer each day forms a valuable foundation for your spiritual life and strengthens your connection with God. When this takes place in your mind it’s almost a meditative practice, and can often lead to a profound inner feeling.
Writing your prayers down can strengthen them further as the process of putting your thoughts into writing can make them more tangible. Through your faith journal you can pursue a closer connection to God, creating a concrete history of your prayers and devotion on any given day.
If you write in a stream-of-consciousness, letting the words flow out of you, you might be surprised at what you look down to read. New, deep ideas can turn up on the page without conscious effort. Alternatively, writing your prayers in bullet form can help you conceive of them more accurately and make them easier to review in the future.
3) Scripture Is Powerful On The Page
Strengthening your connection to scripture is a great way to explore your faith. We all have particular passages that speak to us, those that we come back to time and again to find peace in or contemplation amongst. Reading scripture is one thing, but journaling scripture can take your understanding of your favorite passages to another level.
Exploring the idea of a crossbook – a book that comes with printed scripture on one side of the page and a blank side opposite for your thoughts and notes – is a great way to begin your faith journal. You can underline and highlight the passages that speak to you on one side, while elaborating on how it deepens your devotion on the other. You’ll be on a path to wisdom and faith.
4) Track Your Holiest Behaviours
A faith journal can also function as a diary for all your holiest habits, letting you reflect on your past week or month and consider ways you can better manifest your faith in the future. You can record how many hours you spent volunteering, how your generosity manifested and how long you prayed for in your faith journal.
Having a record of these behaviours can make it easier to strengthen them as routine habits. All these practices have great spiritual value and your faith journal will encourage you to perform them more often.
5) Express Your Gratitude
There are many spiritual and psychological benefits to gratitude, yet if you don’t make an effort to express your gratitude it can often slip away without being recognized. Journaling gives you an example to record God’s gifts, ensuring that you value them for what they are.
Taking time out of each day to write down what God has brought you can make each day, no matter how hectic or stressful, seem a little brighter.
Amen
Keeping a faith journal has so many spiritual and psychological benefits and it’s sure to strengthen your relationship with God as well as developing a deeper understanding of his message. Get creative with your faith journal with colors, shapes and content. You’ll soon find out it’s a habit that’s hard to break.
Katherine Rundell is a spiritual writer at UKWritings.com and Academized.com services. She works with local church groups to inspire young people to explore their faith in new and creative ways. She is also a proofreader at Boomessays.com.
We live in a world where not everyone is free. Freedom is based on race, gender or money. The good news is God’s freedom is not partial. The Word says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” and God’s freedom is free for everyone! It doesn’t matter what your nationality, heritage or gender is, or what your family name is. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have; God wants you free from everything that would hold you back from your relationship with Him!
Today, God wants to pour out His abundant blessing on all who honour Him and do what is right. In fact, the Bible says in Galatians, that in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek or even male or female. That means God’s not judging you based on physical conditions. He’s looking at your heart. He’s looking at the gifts He’s placed inside of you, and is offering you His freedom.
Today, don’t let the enemy lie to you and tell you that God is blessing everyone else but you. Look for the ways He is pouring out blessings in your life. Thank Him for His acceptance, love and freedom. Focus on honouring Him and doing what is right, and you will be free in mind, body and Spirit, and you’ll see His hand of blessing in every area of your life! Hallelujah!
“…God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” (Acts 10:34—35, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for loving and accepting me and setting me free. Father, my desire is to do what pleases You, and honour You with my attitude, words and actions. Holy Spirit, show me if there is any area that isn’t pleasing to You, and help me eradicate it today. God, I want to live as an example of Your goodness all the days of my life. In Christ’s Name! Amen.
With infection rates going up, our children about to head back to school, and the economy the lowest it’s ever been, it’s easy to worry. What are you worrying about today? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again until it stresses you out. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life negatively. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical and mental body. It even affects your sleep.
The Bible says you won’t ever gain anything by worrying; in fact, you’ll lose precious moments that you can never get back again. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him, He will give you His peace, which will eradicate your worry. Hallelujah!
Today, why not put an end to worry in your life. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God’s promises of peace. As you focus on God’s Word, and spend time in conversation with Him, He will drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and expectancy, and you will overcome in every area of your life!
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV
Let’s Pray Yahweh, today I give You permission to put an end to worry in my life. Father, I have decided to feed my faith by studying Your promises, and declaring Your Word over my life. God, help me to totally trust in You today and every day, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8
When I was younger, this was presented as the reason why it was okay to work out. It was alright to pump the iron, drink whey protein, and get “jacked” because there was a Bible verse saying so. “For physical training is of some value”, so…do it up!
How I wish I was taught differently. How I wish I knew differently.
I was given the smallest, least important aspect of this Scripture and told to major on it. As a small kid, that messes with you.
I was skinny. I’m still skinny. I wanted anything to be not skinny when I was in school. Not to be “skin and bones” as the white-haired women in the church would call me. When I heard that I was “supposed to” be physically training…I focused on that, worried about that, and thought about only that. Not that I was able to change my skinny-ness.
But I missed out on the spiritual training.
As a teenager, as a young man, a man with energy and unlimited time to spare, I missed out on doing something that had value far beyond my physicality.
The training of the spirit, the development of the spiritual life was underemphasized, made of lesser importance. It was a secondary item in a single sermon, but…here I am, sitting and looking at my arms, disappointed that they aren’t bigger.
Our world continues to focus on physical appearance. How one looks depends on how many likes or followers you get. How someone looks makes all the difference in a job interview. How one looks changes who hangs out with who, where one goes, how one behaves. And sadly, it has infected the church.
Verses such as 1 Timothy 4:8 become “proof-texts”, Scriptures that you can use to make your point more “biblical”. Thus, securing your rightness and letting you continue in that way.
But we have sorely missed the point. We have strayed so far from what is at the heart of God when we start maximizing on minute details. When we major on the first part of that verse and ignore everything that comes after it, we are willfully neglecting that is most important to God.
Yes, physical training is of some value…
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
God isn’t that worried about the size of my biceps. God is not as concerned about my body fat index or the number of calories that I have consumed today as we may think he is.
And while taking care of our bodies is important, how much energy have we honestly spent worrying about our spiritual health?
Do we have an app for that on our phones?
Do we have accountability to make sure we don’t…what’s the spiritual equivalent of cheating on our diets?
Do we sacrifice, give up, and otherwise lay down any and all excuses to make God our priority and strive for bigger, better, and bolder in relationship to him? And not our waist sizes?
I can say for myself, I thought about spending time on the rowing machine I have in my basement. Because it’s been a few days and it’s a nice workout.
At no time did prayer, silent and holy time with God enter my mind…until I was convicted to write this.
The church needs to take a step back from the weights, from the mirror, from the keto diets, and whatever other healthy trends we’re caught up in.
We need to remember what God said before he picked the scrawny shepherd boy as the future king of Israel.
We need to remember that our Savior wasn’t a looker, and it wasn’t his appearance that drew the crowds to him (Isaiah 53:2).
We need to remember the whole verse from 1 Timothy 4.
Yes, physical training is good. But there is something of infinite value that you should not be neglecting. Something that you need to be putting more, so much more energy into than your bicep curls, your stomach crunches, and your calorie counts.
The condition of your soul. The substance of your character. The treasures of your heart.
“Godinterest want’s to introduce you to a great young man Taquarius Wair (TQ) a high school football player, who is in his senior year.
Taquarius Wair burned 55% of his body and in some places to the bone in a tragic house fire at the early age 4. He lost four fingers on his left hand.
His mother saved him from the fire, but he ran back in trying to save his oldest sister. She didn’t survive, but his hero heart holds her with every stride.
“All I can remember is the fire all around me,” Wair said. “My Mother called my name and I came walking out of the fire. She said it was then that she knew I was going to be special.”
Taquarius Wair
“I don’t remember much of my life before I was 8, but I do know that is when my no quit attitude was developed,” said Wair. “I remember people looking at me and probably thinking I wasn’t going to be good, but I was really good.”
Taquarius Wair
Inspiring story of Taquarius Wair – a high school football player who was burn over 55% of his body. Taquarius never gave up on his dream to play and is playing college football next year!
He almost didn’t play this year because he thought no disabled person will ever go pro. That was until the Seattle Seahawks drafted a one handed player, Shaquem Griffin, in the 5th round.
Taquarius Wair did not quit and its a good thing because he will now play college football at Mesabi Range College. Taquarius Wair fought through his disabilities and received an offer to play football at the collegiate level.
Wair finished off his first ever complete football season in 2018. He helped lead his team to the 2A State Semi-Finals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. T.Q. will be playing football for head coach Tom Inforzato at Mesabi Range Community College.
His goals are simple.
“My next step is to play in the NFL like Shaquem Griffin,” said Wair. “I look forward to watching Taquarius Wair be an inspiration for kids in years to come.”
Taquarius Wair
My point you have no idea who you can inspire by chasing your God given dreams. Get up and chase down your greatness!“
Recently I’ve been on a spiritual journey that includes deep prayer, meditation, and mindfulness to help me to connect with God. At the same time, I’ve also been on the hunt for some low-impact stretching that could potentially help with chronic pain in a natural way.
Meditation and stretching. Put those two together and what do you get?
Yoga.
So, I’ve said I need to stretch. And I find that meditation brings me closer to God. These all naturally come together in the form of yoga. But, as a Christian, should I do yoga? Am I allowed? Will Jesus love me less?
Well, first, let’s see”¦what does the Bible say about the word “yoga”? Nothing. Zero. There’s no record of that word being used.
So now what do I do? Since the Bible doesn’t talk about yoga specifically, I have to use the brains God gave me to dig a bit deeper. Then I can determine how best to deal with this current cultural trend.
Let’s start with a few of the basics:
Yoga began as a spiritual disciple in Hindu which includes breath control, meditation, and static postures of the body. Some people who practice yoga are active Hindus or Buddhists. Many are not.
In the western world, yoga is a broad term that is often descriptive of people engaging in the physical body postures that encourage strength and stamina. Sometimes this is combined with meditation for mental strength, but not exclusively. Some yoga classes used sacred words such as “Om”, “Namaste”, and certain chants that hint to Buddhism and Hinduism. Other classes make no reference to the spiritual world at all and are simply a form of physical exercise. Yoga potures have Sanskrit names that have spiritual meanings. Many times these are replaced with English names that simply describe the form the body is taking. (For instance, “lotus” has become “criss-cross applesauce”.)
The word “yoga” in Sanskrit means “yoke” or “union with God”. God tells me to not worship another god, and I must obey.
So I know that yoga started as an ancient spiritual practice of another religion which should lead me to move forward with caution. But I also know that Jesus came to redeem all things.
Is it possible to engage in a moderated form of yoga that feeds our Christian souls, or should we avoid it altogether? Can we be aware of the potential pitfalls and dangers of the spiritual side of yoga and then practice it in a meaningful way with a Christian bent and attitude?
The famous American minister John Piper seems to think that we can’t. He says we should avoid yoga completely, citing it as antithetical to Christianity.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Piper has some good things to offer. But in this situation I tend to think that maybe he’s throwing the proverbial “baby out with the bathwater”.
Christians have often taken “secular” symbols or practices and re-stored them into something that is healthy and even God-glorifying. Take Christmas, for example. December 25, the day on which we now celebrate Jesus’ birth, was reclaimed from the pagans. That date was redeemed from a pagan holiday to a Christian celebration.
Jesus has come to redeem all things. Even pagan holidays. Possibly even stretching and meditation and breathing?
Over the ages, Christians have used wisdom and the discernment to choose what is right for them as individuals and as a Body of believers. To apply Jesus’ redemption to various non-Christian things.
“Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
So I need to decide if yoga could be beneficial (or detrimental) to me. In my case, I truly believe God has given me the wisdom and discernment to be able to stretch and strengthen my body without accidentally worshipping a false god. I even believe that I can meditate and breathe while I simultaneously reflect and contemplate how incredible God is. All without slipping into the devil’s snare.
But I am aware that this may not be the case for all people.
Personally, think that I can apply the idea of a “yoke” or “union with God” in yoga to my relationship with Christ. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just sign up for any yoga class that is offered. I need to be wise and first ask questions about how spiritual a class is before taking it. For my own purposes, I tend to learn at home with videos, so there’s not much of a risk of me getting caught in an awkward situation. If something gets a little weird, I can just turn it off.
Holy Yoga is a practice that is gaining traction, offering the grounding of the Gospel while reframing the positive aspects of yoga in a Christian way.
“Holy Yoga embraces the essential elements of yoga: breath work, meditation and physical postures. In all of these elements, Christ is the focus of our intention and worship.”
So as I‘m making a decision about yoga (or anything in my life!), I need to ask if it creates a risk of becoming a detriment to my walk with Jesus. If so, then I absolutely shouldn’t do it! But if yoga can be practiced in a way that is healthy to my body and mind, while drawing me closer to Christ with mindfulness and meditation, then is it possible that even John Piper can’t argue with that?
Living in an over-sexualized culture, we hear messages about sex, wrong messages. These messages become more a part of us than God’s truth because we hear them repetitively and churches are scared to address sexuality.
For too long, I believed the world’s message about sex. That it’s a superficial, feel-good avenue to self-satisfaction. Wrong, partly. God did design sex to feel good!
But, there is more than that. He designed it for profound spiritual, physical, and emotional connection. It is just a shadow of things to come.
God’s design of sex is too amazing to keep silent about.
Here are five truths about God’s design of sex in marriage.
God designed sex to be bonding.
Not only spiritually bonding, but emotionally and physically. When the two become one flesh, biochemicals are released in our bodies like oxytocin and dopamine. Oxytocin, especially, is a bonding chemical. When I embraced this truth and started engaging in the marriage bed more, the tone of our marriage completely changed.
“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24 (NIV).
God designed sex for both husband and wife to experience pleasure.
It’s an equal opportunity activity. Why else would there be a clitoris? It’s only function is for pleasure. The Song of Solomon is full of beautiful poetic language about the pleasures of physical love for both spouses.
If one spouse struggles with the ultimate moment, there are Christian resources available to help the couple understand how to achieve mutual enjoyment.
“The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved,” Song of Solomon 7:13 (NIV).
God designed sex so that we would know yearning.
Before you were married, you yearned for your fianc. Not only did you crave your fiance’s touch, you craved his/her presence and knowing him/her better. Even after years of marriage, it is good to remember this yearning. It mirrors how God desires us to yearn for him. I believe this is one reason he frequently uses the marriage as a symbol of his relationship with us throughout the Bible.
“Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” James 4:5 (NIV).
God designed the marriage bed to be a place to show the fruit of the Spirit.
Peace, patience, love, joy, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control are the foundation of all Christian life, especially the marriage bed. All conflict surrounding the marriage bed can be managed through employing these key traits.
My own marriage endured a long season of mismatched sex drives. It was through these qualities and some wise communication tools that we overcame our conflict.
God designed sex as a powerful mystery.
Biblical stories of sex often confused me when I was young. There was some nasty stuff in the old testament, the rape of Dinah, Lot and his daughters, the men of Gibeah clammering for the male visitor, Leviticus 20. And yet, there is the beautiful Song of Solomon. The New Testament seemed to prefer celibacy, to be honest. As a teenager, I couldn’t understand why I liked thinking about sex if it was disgraceful and violent.
But, as an adult, I realized the stories were teaching me that sexual intimacy is powerful and mysterious. It’s OK not to have it all figured out, as long as you respect the power it holds to do good when it is aligned with God’s perfect design.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the world’s message of cheap sex destroy the meaningful sex in your marriage. Sex may only be a small portion of the whole of your marriage. However, sex matters. It especially matters if one spouse is more interested than the other. When we ignore its power and importance in marriage, the relationship suffers.
Now, granted chronic health issues can affect sexual function and that’s a more complicated story.
The Nigerian construction industry is mostly concerned with the development and provision of projects such as roads, bridges, railways, residential and commercial real estates, and the maintenance necessary for the socio-economic developments contributes immensely to the Nigerian economic growth (Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Butcher and demmers (2003) described projects as an idea which begins and ends by filling a need. However, a project fails when its idea ends without meeting the needs and expectations of its stakeholders.
Nigeria Has Become the World’s Junk – Yard of Abandoned and Failed Projects worth Billions of Naira!
Hanachor (2013), revealed that projects form part of the basis for assessing a country’s development. However, a damming report from the Abandoned Projects Audit Commission which was set up by the Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 revealed that 11,886 federal government projects were abandoned in the past 40 years across Nigerian (Abimbola, 2012). This confirmed the assertion by Osemenan (1987) “that Nigeria has become the world’s junk –yard of abandoned and failed projects worth billions of naira”.
Abandoned projects including building and other civil engineering infrastructure development projects now litter the whole of Nigeria.
Physical projects do not only provide the means of making life more meaningful for members of the community where the projects are located, successful projects also result in empowerment and collective action towards self improvement (Hanachor, 2013).
This Issue of Abandonment Has Been Left Without Adequate Attention for Too Long, and Is Now Having a Multiplier Effect on the Construction Industry in Particular and the Nigeria’s National Economy as a Whole. (Kotngora, 1993)
PROJECT FAILURE
Project Failure might mean a different thing to different stakeholders. A project that seemed successful to one stakeholder may be a total failure to another (Toor and Ogunlana, 2008). Some stakeholders, more especially the project users and some private owners, think of failed projects as a situation where a completed building project collapsed, a situation where by a completed dam project stopped working after few days of completion, or a completed road project that broke down after few months of completion. Other experienced stakeholders, such as engineers and architects conform to the iron triangle by Atkinson (1999) which states that the most strategically important measures of project failure are “time overrun”, “cost overrun”, and “poor quality”.
Turner (1993) noted that a project fails when the project specifications are not delivered within budget and on time;the project fails to achieve its stated business purpose; the project did not meet the pre-stated objectives; the project fails to satisfy the needs of the project team and supporters; and the project fails to satisfy the need of the users and other stakeholders. Lim and Mohamed (1999) cited in Toor and Ogunlana (2009) clarified that there are two possible view points to project failure namely; the macro-level and the micro-level. They further explained that the macro view point reviews if the original objectives and concepts of the project was met. Usually the end users and the project beneficiaries are the ones looking at the project failure from the macro view point, where as the project design team, the consultants, contractors, and suppliers review projects from a micro view point focusing on time of delivery, budget, and poor quality.
In the early 1990s, the failure as well as the success of any project was determined by the project duration, monetary cost, and the performance of the project (Idrus, Sodangi, and Husin, 2011). Belout and Gauvrean (2004), also confirmed that the project management triangle based on schedule, cost, and technical performance is the most useful in determining the failure of a project. Moreover, a project is considered as an achievement of specific objectives, which involves series of activities and tasks which consume resources, are completed within specifications, and have a definite start and end time (Muns and Bjeirmi 1996, cited in Toor and Ogunlana, 2009). Reiss (1993) in his suggestion stated that a project is a human activity that achieves a clear objective against a time scale. Wright (1997) taking the view of clients, suggested that time and budget are the only two important parameters of a project which determines if a project is successful or failed. Nevertheless, many other writers such as Turner, Morris and Hough, wateridge, dewit, McCoy, Pinto and Slevin, saarinen and Ballantine all cited in Atkinson (1999), agreed that cost, time, and quality are all success as well as failure criteria of a project, and are not to be usedexclusively.
FACTORS OF PROJECT FAILURE
Cookie-Davies (2002) stated the difference between the success criteria and the failure factors. Hestated that failure factors are those which contributed towards the failure of a project while success criteria are the measures by which the failure of a project will be judged. The factors constituting the failure criteria are commonly referred to as the key performance indicators (KPIs).
Timeand Cost Overrun
The time factor of project failure cannot be discussed without mentioning cost. This is because the time spent on construction projects has a cost attached to it. Al-Khali and Al-Ghafly, (1999); Aibinu and Jagboro, (2002) confirmed that time overrun in construction projects do not only result in cost overrun and poor quality but also result in greater disputes, abandonment and protracted litigation by the project parties. Therefore, focus on reducing the Time overrun helps to reduce resource spent on heavy litigation processes in the construction industry (Phua and Rowlinson, 2003). Most times, the time overrun of a project does not allow resultant system and benefits of the project to be taking into consideration (Atkinson, 1999). Once a project exceeds the contract time, it does not matter anymore if the project was finally abandoned or completed at the same cost and quality specified on the original contract document, the project has failed. Furthermore, Assaf and Al-Hejji, (2006) noted that time overrun means loss of owner’s revenue due to unavailability of the commercial facilities on time, and contractors may also suffers from higher over heads, material and labour costs.
Poor quality/Technical Performance
The word “Performance” has a different meaning which depends on the context it is being used and it can also be referred to as quality. Performance can be generally defined as effectiveness (doing the right thing), and efficiency (doing it right) (Idrus and Sodangi, 2010). Based on this definition of performance, at the project level, it simply means that a completed project meets fulfilled the stakeholder requirements in the business case.
CAUSES OF PROJECT FAILURE
A lot of research studies have investigated the reasons for project failures, and why projects continue to be described as failing despite improved management. Odeh and Baltaineh, 2002; Arain andLaw, 2003; Abdul-Rahman et al., 2006; Sambasivan and Soon, 2007; all cited in Toor and Ogunlana, 2008, pointed out the major causes of project failures as Inadequate procurement method; poor funding and availability of resources; descripancies between design and construction; lack of project management practices; and communication lapses
The contract/procurement method
A result obtained from two construction projects which were done by the same contractor but using different procurement methods showed that rework, on the design part which occurs when the activities and materials order are different from those specified on the original contract document, makes it difficult for the project to finish on the expected time (Idrus, Sodangi, and Husin, 2011). This is as a result of non-collaboration and integration between the design team, contractor, and tier suppliers. The rework on the design portion has a huge impact on project failure leading to the time overrun. The traditional method of procurement has inadequate flexibility required to facilitate late changes to the project design once the design phase of the construction project has been concluded.
Nigerian most widely used procurement method is the traditional method of procurement (design-bid-construct) which has been confirmed to be less effective to successfully delivery of a construction project (Dim and Ezeabasili, 2015). And, the world bank country procurement assessment report (2000) cited in Anigbogu and Shwarka, (2011) reported that about 50% of projects in Nigeria are dead even before they commence because they were designed to fail.
The way the construction projects are contracted, in addition to the way the contracts are delivered, contributes to the causes of projects failure. Particularly, among the methods of project contracting is lump-sum or a fixed-price contracting method, in which the contractor agrees to deliver a construction project at a fixed price. The fixed-price contract can be low-bid or not however, once the contract cost has been agreed upon the contract award, it cannot be changed. And, contractors are expected to honor and deliver the contract agreement, failure to do so can result in a breach of contract which can result in the contractor being prosecuted.
Awarding a contract to an unqualified personnel also contributes to project failures. When a contractor places more emphasis on money and the mobilization fee after a construction project has been initiated instead of getting the right workforce and skilled professionals that will execute the project. Instead the workforce chosen will often not be base on competence and required skills rather it will be based on availability. Moreover, poor strategy and planning by contractors who have overloaded with work also contributed to one of the causes of project failure.
Poor funding/Budget Planning
A lot of public projects in the Nigerian construction industry failed as a result inadequate funding, and the difference between the national annual budget and the budget actual released. Most of the Nigerian public projects are signed even before the actual release of the national budget. The difference in budget of the contracted project and the actual budget release can get the contracted company stuck as a result of inflation of prices, scarcity of construction material at the time of the budget release and mobilization to site. Also un-planned scope of work which can be as a result of the contractor working on another contract when he is called back to mobilization to start work. Moreover, poor budget planning is a regular mistake made by some contractors by not undertaking feasibility assessments before starting the design. The construction project should be planned according to the available resources and not according to the unrealistic expectations a client has in mind.
Discrepancies Between the Design and Construction
Limited collaboration between the contractors, engineers, and the architect results in discrepancies between the project designs and construction on site, and further leads to rework. Changes on a project designs, and changing to the scope of work in the middle of construction processes on site can be dangerous, and can lead to time overrun, increase in cost, and most of all can lead to abandonment. Moreover, many cases have been seen where the designs from the architects are not buildable on site, whileIn some cases, most contractors are unable to adequately specify the scope of work for the construction processes on site. Therefore any default on the design by the architect can be an opportunity for the contractor to make more money which might cause the project duration to exceed the time specified on the contract document.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research starts with a general reasoning or theory which says that the major cases of project failure in the Nigerian construction industry are defined based on time overrun and cost overrun. The findings from the data analysis will help on the decision to accept the theory or not. The research data was collected from the progress report for the month ending of October, 2015 published by the Nigeria of Federal Ministry of works on thirty-nine on-going highway construction projects at the South-South geopolitical zone. The table 1 below shows the information on the data collected which comprises of the project title, contract Number, project description, the contractor that was awarded the projects, the date of project commencement, date of completion and the extended date if any. The scheduled time for each project was specified as follows: project commencement date labeled as “a”,project completion date labeled as “b”, and the extended date labeled as “c”.
Table 1: The analyzed data on the highway project at the South-South zone in Nigeria.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data analysis was done with the use of Microsoft excel. The analysis started by obtaining the number of days between the date of commencement of each project and the date of completion to show the duration of each highway project. And, the number of days between the project completion date and the extension date showed the time-overrun. The project duration and the extended days were obtained with the use of NETWORKDAYS function in Microsoft Excel which calculates the number of working days between two dates excluding weekends and any dates identified as holidays.
The standard deviation between the specified project duration for each highway projects and the extended days was calculated to obtain the extent to which each highway project contract failed on its time of delivery. This was denoted as the degree of failure. The table 1 above showed the projects ranking which was done based on the degree of failure of all the highway projects. The highway projects that were ranked from one to sixteen have low degree of failure and are represented with green color, while the rest are those with high degree of failure and are represented with red color.
FINDINGS
The findings made showed that the successfully completed highway projects have no extended days or time overrun, and the successful on-going highway projects are still on schedule and have no extended days unlike the on-going highway projects that have already failed as a result of the extended dates. Other projects have been abandoned because they have exceeded the delivery date as specified on the contract document, and have no extended date of completion. Thus, no work is going on.
Figure 1: Abundance of failed highway projects at south-south zone, Nigeria.
Figure 2: On-going failed highway projects
Figure 2 above showed that 14% of highway projects are still on-going projects because they have not exceeded the original date of completion as specified on the contract document. However, they are heading towards failure because they have been given an extended date of completion which can be as a result of some critical activities running behind schedule, causing delay on the critical path network of the projects. Moreover, the other 86% completely failed because they have exceeded their completion date specified on the contract document.
Figure 3: Successful on-going highway projects
The figure 3 above showed that 63% of the successful highway projects are still on-going because they have not exceed their completion dates, and they are not yet completed. However, those on-going highway projects might end up as failed projects as a result of poor funding, discrepancy between the design and the construction on site, and conflict between the construction parties or stakeholders.
“Say what you will do, and do what you said” or “Say as you will do it, and do it as you said”
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The idea of knowing what a failed project is, the factors and the causes is very important in project management. Success in project management can neither be achieved nor measured without the knowledge of project failure, its factors, and causes in the Nigerian construction industries. This work has shown that project failure is as a result of exceeded time of delivery, cost overrun, and poor quality. However, the analysis was only done based on exceeded time of project delivery because of the nature of the data collected.
This work suggested a few approaches to help reduce the number of failed projects in the Nigerian construction industry if properly implemented. Firstly, Having good collaboration between the project stakeholders involved in a construction project at the early stage of project conception is most important in order to accomplish the project objectives, and deliver the project on time, within budget, and quality specified on the original contract document (Othman, 2006).
Secondly, Adopting the ISO 9000 technique which is used for quality management will also help in achieving a successful project delivery. This technique states “ say what you will do, and do what you said” or “say as you will do it, and do it as you said”. This technique is not an indication of high quality but it promotes control and consistency which leads to specialization, and improved productivity and quality. Also, adopting the principles of lean construction will help to reduce waste within the construction and stream-line activities in order to improve the on-time delivery of projects.
Thirdly, Learning from the precedent failed projects, how those projects failed, and the reason for their failures. This will help the project manager to plan and mitigate the risks of project failures in the future. And, finally, more seminars and workshops will help to educate and enlighten clients (the federal government representatives), users, contractors, engineers, and architects on what is project failure, the factors that contributes to abundant failed projects, and their causes.
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