CBN: Turning Point Zone » tpi blog

One Thing: The Perfect Resolution

Simisola Komolafe — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:58:31 +0000

We are one month into the New Year, and many New Year’s resolutions may have already gone by the wayside or maybe you’ve resolved not to make any more resolutions at all. It seems we all enter the New Year with high expectations, but along the way, if we’re not careful goals can be forgotten, abandoned, neglected and tossed away as casualties of another year of unfulfilled hopes and dreams.

Perhaps the only resolution we all need to make every year and every day of the year is to never quit. We can set many wonderful goals for ourselves this year, but if we don’t resolve to keep at it every day then our setting goals is a waste of time. The fulfillment of our goals is only as real as our determination each day to bring them to pass, and that kind of determination can only come from a source that is greater than our own natural strength and ability.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus to a frantic woman named Martha who was furious with her sister Mary for not doing her part. The Bible states that Martha was encumbered about with much serving, while her sister, Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word. When Martha complained to Jesus about Mary, He said, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10: 41-42) We can all be encumbered with trying to change all the things we don’t like about ourselves and our lives, but only one thing is really needful: to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. That one resolution is life changing because it releases all of the power contained in God’s Word into our lives. The truth of God’s Word permeating our beings releases us from our natural limitations and thrusts us into the limitless power of God where nothing is impossible.

We make New Year’s resolutions because we want to be free. There is one path to genuine freedom: the truth. There is one source of genuine truth: God’s Word. There is one precious fruit of receiving the truth: freedom. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Join me in resolving to be like Mary. May we be found sitting at the feet of Jesus, hearing His Word daily in 2012.

God’s best to you today and every day.

Kathy Edwards

The Perfect Father

Simisola Komolafe — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:51:45 +0000

“The Perfect Father”

Is there such thing as a perfect father? In his book “Experiencing Father’s Embrace” author Jack Frost discusses the different types of fathers–the good father, the performance oriented father, the passive father, the absentee father, the authoritarian father, and the abusive father.

I’m sure your own father falls into one of those categories. Maybe you grew up resenting him because he was absent from your life and you never knew him. Maybe he was mean, harsh and very stern like an authoritarian father. Maybe he was a good provider, but he never told you he loved you. Maybe he had children with women other than your mother and you did not feel special.

Frost makes a good point in his book when he states, “the leftover pain and wounds from childhood can create a lens through which adults later view the world and God.” I’ve heard the words “forgiveness is for you” more times than I can count. But it is so true. If you want to walk in total freedom and peace, you have to forgive your father for his shortcomings. Chances are he did the best he knew how to do. He didn’t have a perfect father either. Do you want forgiveness extended to you when you fall short? Then you have to extend it to your father too.

Now there are some who suffered extreme abuse at the hands of their father, whether physical, sexual, or emotional. I am so sorry that you endured what you went through. I know that forgiveness is a more difficult process for you. Your anger and pain are real and God understands. He knows what you’ve been through and He wants to help you through it. Please seek Him and help so that you can have the victory He has already promised you in that situation.

Regardless of what your circumstances are, there is hope and there is a perfect father who loves you. He loves you unconditionally and He will never hurt you. And that hope is found in getting to know God as Father. Yes He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, and Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. But know that He is also God the Father. And He wants you to call him Father. The Bible says that He predestined us to become his sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5). That means if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you are God’s child and He is your Father. When you need him, just cry out “Abba Father.” He will hear you and like a perfect father, He will answer you. Experience his perfect love and embrace today. It is more powerful than any issue you’ve had with your imperfect, earthly dad and it’s exactly what you need. I guarantee it!

This is a blog entry from producer Holly Flood. Feel free to comment below.

Dream Big

Simisola Komolafe — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:06:09 +0000

I just interviewed singer Melinda Doolittle and I was so inspired by her outlook on life. Melinda was toned-deaf as a child and told she could not sing; yet something deep within her told her not to give up. Singing was the one thing she was passionate about; it was her dream. She writes in her book, Beyond Me, “I wanted a voice to come out of me that made people stop and listen.” Melinda decided not to allow her shortcomings as a singer to discourage her from her ultimate goal, so she took the advice of her mother and prayed hard. Not only did Melinda pray, she put her faith into action by signing up for a talent show and practicing as much as she could. When the performance day came, Melinda discovered the sound of her voice was more powerful than she could have imagined. God had answered her prayer and given her the voice she had dreamed of. She writes, “I love encouraging other people to dream, to open their hearts and minds and see what they can do and what God can do in and through them.”

Just hearing Melinda’s story encouraged me to keep dreaming big. A lot of times, I stop dreaming because I don’t think I have the resources to make my dreams a reality, or I am discouraged because something I had hoped for in the past didn’t come to pass. In my heart, I am scared to fail—scared that the dream is too outrageous. And I convince myself that my dream is not that important.

After talking to Melinda and reading her book, I was reminded that God our Father is the author of the dreams that are in our hearts—He is the ultimate dream giver. God puts those desires in our hearts because He has plans to help them come to pass. And when our dreams become a reality, He is glorified.

Thinking about this made me realize that God has a wealth of resources in His kingdom just waiting to be tapped into by His children who dare to believe that their dreams really can come true. Yet it does take faith on our parts: faith to believe that God truly cares about what is in our hearts and faith to know that He will work in us to make those things come to pass.

This morning before I came to work, I was a little nervous about my interview with Melinda. I was having doubts about my ability to conduct an interview on-camera. I questioned myself with thoughts like, “Am I qualified for this?” “What if I ask the wrong questions?” “What if I fail miserably and discover I am really bad at this?” God dropped a Scripture into my spirit from Ephesians 2:10: ^“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

After the interview with Melinda was over, I got so much positive feedback from everyone—my supervisor, the production crew, and even Melinda. She wrote a note to me and said, “Thank-you for such a great interview, you are amazing!” I just had to smile because I felt like God was winking at me saying, “Yes, I prepared you for this and I delight to see you succeed.”

This experience has taught me that God has already prepared the fulfillment of our dreams in advance; He is just waiting on us to trust Him enough to step into our destiny. We can all learn something from Melinda’s passion for music, her dependence on God, and her unwavering faith to know that “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

I would encourage you all to dream big, pray hard, and take practical steps toward reaching your goals. God will do the rest! He will amaze you with the things He will work for you, in you and through you, as you trust Him. Before you know it, you too will be living your dream!

This is a blog entry from producer Simisola Komolafe. Feel free to comment below.

Who is your enemy?

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:42:29 +0000

I’m preparing for an interview with a man named Simeon Wright. He wrote a book called “Simeon’s Story: An Eyewitness Account of the Kidnapping of Emmett Till.” Emmett Till, Simeon’s cousin, was brutally murdered while visiting family in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett was killed for whistling at a white woman; he was only fourteen years old. The killers were arrested and tried but were found not guilty, despite the testimony of several eyewitnesses. Much like Apartheid, during the 1950’s and 60’s blacks in America were terrorized by whites and denied basic rights that were guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution – all because of the color of their skin. While preparing for the interview, I began to think about the concept of racism a little further. What would make a human being hate another human to the point of torturing the person emotionally, mentally and physically because the two of them are from a different tribe, a different sex, a different religion, or reside in the north verses the south? Didn’t God create all of us? So who gave the created a right to determine the value and worth of other creations? I have to admit that as I read Mr. Wright’s description of what it was like for blacks during this time, I was angry toward white people. Then when I read how the murderers were set free by an all white, all male jury my anger turned into rage. However, I was reminded of a scripture that says: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). God reminded me that my only enemy is Satan. His goal is to destroy mankind and he’s using mankind to do it. So I encourage you to check your heart. Is it full of hate for others? Do you look down on another ethnic group? Do you mistreat people who are different? If you do, begin to talk to God about it and ask Him to change your heart. Better yet, ask Him to let you see them the way He does and I’m willing to bet that your heart will begin to transform.

This is a blog entry from Producer Erica Linney. Feel free to comment below.