I Choose To Stand Out

By Carllister Ejinkeonye

YOUTHS of today are trapped in a world that is rushing after the same things. The tide of knowledge, fashion, entertainment, technology, wealth, fame, etc., is moving with such a terrific speed and overwhelming strength and carrying along with it the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the whole and the disabled, the young and the old, etc.  The tragedy, however, is that, perhaps, only an insignificant few might stop, at some point, to consider what would eventually befall them in the now or hereafter.  It all sums up the fact that the Scriptures are being fulfilled in our very eyes:  Hell hath enlarged herself (Isaiah 5:11-14) for the purpose of accommodating the greatly increasing number of people trooping down to it as the broad way that leads to destruction gets even broader (Matthew 7:13).

Today, as the Lord's manner is, He is once again demonstrating His love and willingness to save more youths at this tail end of time through this timely counsel and warning to those who would care to STAND OUT in this adulterous and untoward generation (Acts 2:40).

What Does It Mean To Stand Out?

A brief study of the lives of some people in the Bible (including the challenges they faced) should be able to give us a good idea of what is meant here by a Christian youth standing out in a generation like ours.

    

Joseph, for instance, separated himself from the ungodly conducts of his brethren though his position in his family was such that he could easily have been influenced, intimidated and dissuaded from the truth and right way (Genesis 37:2). But he shunned evil and when he was sold by his brothers and taken to Egypt, he also fled from an opportunity to commit a very grievous sin which many other youths would have eagerly grabbed (Genesis 39:7-12).

I Choose To Stand out!

Again, among the persons selected to represent   the great Hebrew congregation in a special task concerning the future of Israel and their conquest of other nations, the edifying report and thoughtful comments of Caleb and Joshua distinguished them from their colleagues whose reports had plunged the whole nation into confusion, mourning and murmuring, and eventually attracted the displeasure of God. Indeed, Caleb and Joshua won a place in God's heart with their own good report (Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; 14:1-12, 26-30).

Academic Excellence Through Good Study Habits

By Carllister Ejinkeonye

The ultimate goal of any genuine student is to greatly excel in his studies. This should not only be determined by the grades he is able to score during examinations. The student should equally demonstrate his mastery of a given subject with an ability to discuss and disseminate its contents any time he is called upon to do so. In other words, he must be so at home with the subject that he would be able to explain it clearly to another person. That is why the student needs to acquire effective study habits necessary for beneficial assimilation and astounding success.

As a child begins to grow, parents and teachers should recognize their obligation to instill the culture of regular, quality and diversified reading in him. The goal should be to motivate him to acquire knowledge and not just certificates, even though the certificates are equally very important and must also be obtained. The following are good study habits which if meticulously followed would help the student achieve excellent success in his academic pursuits both at the secondary and tertiary institutions. They have worked for students over the years and can still work for many more.

Despite All Odds...

By Carllister Ejinkeonye

LIFE without challenges is boring and can be stagnant and unprogressive. The ladder of challenges is the ladder to greatness, especially, when climbed by a focused fighter and achiever.  Many youths who appear to have been born with silver spoons in their mouths are hardly able to handle challenges of life and several of them fall by the wayside when the resources at their disposal run out (cons. Luke 15:11-16).  So, it may not always be how wealthy, strong, beautiful, handsome or intelligent somebody is, or the opportunities available to him, that determine how far he can go (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Most of the time, it takes much more than that. When all these fail, there is One that can NEVER fail. So, in addition to your great talents, amazing  endowments and hard work, never stop abiding in and relying on God. He will break the strongest rock before you to grant you a passageway to your target.

A youth's life is characterized by issues and challenges that can either strangulate his vision or broaden and help him to realize it depending on how he is able to take it.  In today's article, the Lord who wants to see you achieve your utmost desire would want you to know that with Him, you can make it despite all odds (cons. Jeremiah 29:11).  Now, what are these odds?

Odds, according to a good dictionary, are those things and situations that make it seem impossible for one to do or achieve something. It means actually that there must be a definite purpose, vision or target one is determined to achieve or reach which circumstances, challenges, forces or even human beings are contending or militating against. So, do you have a purpose to achieve spiritually, academically, professionally, vocationally, etc? Is your vision/desire just to be in church and have no remarkable change in your life?  Are you making do with being born again only? Do you have any aspiration towards perfection, growing in grace and possessing spiritual fruits and gifts?  (Cons. Luke 13:6-7; Jeremiah 8:20; Hebrew 6:1; 2 Peter. 1:5-9; 3:18). Is there any move to excel above your equals in your chosen field (Daniel 1:17-20)? Some young people live for NOTHING, some live for ANYTHING, but youths of purpose live for SOMETHING (cons. Matthew. 25:14-18).  Surely, you must have a target which you are pursuing.

When Distraction Becomes An Attraction

By Carllister Ejinkeonye

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an EXPECTED END” – Jeremiah 29:11.

The later part of our opening scripture reveals the fact that there is an expectation, a future glory and a profitable end attached to the life of God's people and that God is willing to walk them into it. Knowing also that there are challenges on that path, He sees to it that these challenges all work together for the good of the individual and to the realization of his ambition and purpose (Romans 8:28).

Naturally, most people begin to dream about what they want to be in life from childhood which gradually manifests in the discussions that usually capture their attention, the choice of or even the ability to develop and use certain children's tools and toys, writings, etc. Where there are family members who are well informed, these children can be helped to channel their potentials aright. Some others discover the hidden treasures in them as they advance from one class to another (from primary to secondary schools), and remain focused, determined and diligent, and their God-ordained purposes are brought to light. Fortunately, every individual has been destined to be special and great in at least one area of life (Matthew 25:14-15). Every youth must, therefore, DISCOVER and ACTIVATE this particular area where he has been naturally endowed to excel, ACTUALIZE and MAXIMISE the opportunities it offers and become a marvelous success story. No youth who has encountered God and His Son and entered into His plan for his life has any business living a purposeless life. If you agree with this, then you should be interested in our discussion today.

We shall be drawing lessons from Genesis 3:1-10, 20-24 which presents us with an interesting account of how an originally designed purposeful and glorious life was ruined because a distraction was allowed to become an attraction.

Excelling Above Your Equals

By Carllister Ejinkeonye 

Dan. 1:1-21; 2:1-23.

In this seminar, we are going to have a Case Study of four youths that excelled above their equals in their day.  Those youths of Bible days were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

When King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem in 605 B. C., and other nations, the Babylonian empire grew so fast that he did not have enough of his own educated men to run the government. He then took good-looking, healthy, well-educated young men to Babylon in order to teach them the culture and language of the Babylonians, so as to make them useful in the king’s royal service. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan. 1:3-6).

In order to enter into the service of the king, they needed to have Babylonian citizenship, and so were given Babylonian names.  Despite these new names, these four Jewish young captives resolved to remain loyal to the one and true God, their new status  notwithstanding (Dan. 1:7-13). At the final examination after the three years training, Daniel and his three friends excelled above their equals (Dan. 1:17-20). Their castrated condition was never a discouragement to them. Despite their hopeless status, they determined to excel above their equals, such that when they and other wise men of Babylon faced death sentence by the king, for not being able to tell and interpret his dream, they laboured in prayer to get the answer in order to avert the danger. By this, they once more excelled above their equals (Dan. 2:14-19), proving the unfailing promise of the Living God (Deut. 28:1,13)..

What was the secret behind the excellent performance of these four young men? 

                                                                                                                                                      

         *  their reverential  fear of God (Dan. 1:8; Pro. 1:7; 9:10; Ps. 119:97-100).    

 *                              * their trust in the God that answers prayer (Dan. 2:14-20; Ps. 65:2).    

               * their trust in the God that is faithful to His promises (Dan. 1:10-20; Deut. 28:1,13).