“It always seems impossible until it is done” - Nelson Mandela

A word about the forthcoming exams, my experiences as a columnist and most importantly - the words of appreciation for the support…

The first semester faded like clouds with all its ups and downs. Fortunately, you have undergone the second semester, but now remains this ‘task’ of writing the examinations. This is the time where verses like this, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) should not vacate your mind. Regardless of how low your DPs may be and the influence of other obstacles in light of the scripture quoted, I believe that in the forthcoming exams you will be the “head and not the tail”. In other words, you will succeed with ‘flying colours’ in your examinations depending on how you invest  your time. In addition, considering the gist of this column, understanding that you must live by principles and not preferences, and your relationship with and faith in God will make the latter a reality.  

The following motivations can help you to succeed in the fast-approaching exams:

 1. Do not forget where you come from (background), this calls for a critical reflection about your main reason of being here. If you come from an underprivileged background, this will influence your attitude towards the exams, your background will affect you to perceive the exams as the only route to break away from the poverty scourge that makes your family poor. 2. Excel where you are, so that you can be able to proceed to where you want to be. 3 Always remember where you are going (dream). 

(Julius Malema, 2016) puts point 2 and 3 eloquently when he says, “As long as you have an appointment with the future [care less about the situations or people that want to pull you down], you have to make it to the appointment with the future. Adapted from (Pastor Zondo’s, 2014), motivation session.

            There are various things that squander our time. So if you want to invest your time (with the exams in mind), rather than, spending it, please consider Stephen Covey’s time management grid

. Firstly, He says urgent and important things must be executed straightway (E.g. preparing for the exams during the study week). Secondly, he says for important but not urgent, you can decide when to execute them (E.g. Jogging - it is high time that you remove jogging from your day schedule. Maybe I should be soft on this since it is exam time please limit the time you engage in the activity in question or any activity that is not that important since it is exam time. 

Dr. Stephe R Covey' Time Management Grid

Thirdly, urgent not important must be delegated. For instance, when your friend invites you to watch a soccer match at 15h00pm, while you are preparing for the exams. You can politely respond with a grin, telling him that he should tell you the match results when he comes back. 

Lastly, not important not urgent things, must be dumped, says Covey. Friends, I am giving you a chance to select the things that you need to dump (I know you have one or two of them) … dump them because they are not adding value to your life!

     

 When I was a student of accounting in grade twelve, there was this accounting expect from the learning channel. After his lessons, he always said, “Always aim for the moon, even if you miss, you will land among the stars”. To-date, this quote has always been my philosophy affecting the different spheres of my life that I engage with. Towards the end of the 2015 academic year when I approached the editor of this issue to give an opportunity to share my work. She offered me a slot to write about spiritual affairs, when she told me the names of other columnists, I said “No! no! if you say ***** is part of this – no I can’t do it”. Lindelwa insisted that I join this initiative. Today when I look back, I am very surprised at my potential of writing texts that are commended by my column readers including people from different countries. Sincerely, I never thought that one day I would write pieces that a lauded. That is why I say, “It always seems impossible until it is done” like Mr. Nelson Mandela once said. My brother and sister, you also have a gift that God has given you to share with the world. Please ensure that you unleash your untapped potential before you depart for Heaven.

Writing is like breathing to me – So effortless! So natural! The inspiration to write at times caught up with me while studying, I thank God for such an experience. Another thing that interests me about my pieces is the fact that when I write, not only God inspires me to teach other people about certain topics through myself, I also learn from my work!

 I am profoundly grateful to The Catalyst Newsletter Team for the opportunity. I also share same sentiments to the people who have been assisting me as touching the affairs of editing and proofreading my pieces, these people are Noluthando Ndlovu and Khanyi Mbambo.

I am also grateful to everyone whom I have been interacting with (or reading their work) because at times the inspiration to write was a germination of seeds that were set into my heart - after insightful conversations with the following people (some of them were people who patted me on the back for my columns):

·         My mentors:  Prof Mgqwashu, Dr SSS Mhlunngu and Mr Mthembu.

·      Friends, fellow students and brothers in the Lord: Sboniso Luthuli, Benele Mvelase, Mxolisi Biyela, Mxolisi Dube, Mnqobi Makhanya, Sphamandla Msweli, Xola Mbambo, Aubrey Nyathi, George Kehdinga, David Adebiyi, William Dagogo, Peter Merisi, Ayeni Adeniyi, Lindokuhle Mhlongo, Sydwel Mkhwanazi, Zamani Mangweni, Banele Mathenjwa, Bongumusa Nzimande, Sphamandla Shabalala, Bongani Mndaweni, Sbonelo Khumalo Sthelo Magagula, Mluleko Ndawonde, Siphosethu Ndebele, Malibongwe Mbeje, Mandla Mweni, Nokubonga Hadebe, Nolwazi Sibisi, Nelisiwe Sithole, Lindelwa Tshabalala, Noluthando Ndlovu, Khanyi Mbambo, Nhlanhla Ngidi, Phakade Zulu, Mluleki Msomi, Thembelani Mkhwanazi, Nkululeko Sibiya, Yonela Gaba, Ntombikayise Mthethwa, Thulile Mthethwa, Mlungisi Madide, Syanda Bhengu and Nkonzo Yaka – to name but a few.

Thanks! Kea leboha! Ngiyabonga! Ndiyabulela Enkosi

We have made it fourth-year students; I wish I could take back times when some students called us Freshers – they scared us in different ways.  They made us consider the completion of our course as something that is ‘far-fetched’.  

Considering where we come from and our experiences as fourth years it is appropriate for us to say “It always seems impossible until it is done”.

What we have to do is to finish strong good people! “No one can go back and make a brand new start, however, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending”. Academically I urge us to make this quote a reality by achieving excellent grade or marks, to the that we call all be called as students who are the cream of the crop.

A picture we took in 2014 while completing an assignment as second years students

 If you are a 1^st , 2^nd or a 3rd-year student – this piece is for you as well. I see the light at the end of the tunnel – trust me before you know it you are going to be completing this course.

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the commands of the Bible, our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.

                                                                                            

My experience at the ‘Student Excellence Awards Ceremony'.

Let us learn what made ‘them' to be invited, to receive certificates the ‘Student Excellence Awards Ceremony' and equip ourselves to be part of the next ‘Student Excellence Awards Ceremony'. 

Congratulation! To all the people who were part of the prestigious event, that is, the "Student Excellence Awards Ceremony", which took place on the 6th of October 2016. Everything was special about that event. The room was filled with grins and ululation as the Professors, Doctors, Masters graduates who are part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal community walked on the red carpet. These are people who are the driving force towards making UKZN be one of the top university in the Republic of South Africa and abroad. While some of them simply occupied the seats by the podium – the other lecturers were tasked with calling out the names of the students. The students I just referred to did nothing much but they – proved that hard work really pays off!

The event commenced on a very high note. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Humanities Prof. Potgieter shared her words of wisdom that kept the crowd nodding heads in agreement. She said, "Successful people are people that take opportunities when presented to them". She really shook me when she said we are very fortunate to be university students. Our brothers and sisters who could not make it to higher education were affected by life chances, their context's surrounding including the element of hard working.  She said you must be strategic in all that you do, that is, live a balanced lifestyle. I could not agree more with the latter statement because some students perform below their potential. Mainly, due to lack of living a principled lifestyle. While some fail because they are copycats, that is, they try to be something they are not. They study like their friends only to find out that is not in a manner that is well-matched with who they are – what tragedy!

Her last quote that I managed to pen reads, "Your attitude determines your altitude".  When Prof said this, I was reminded of a 4th-year student by the name of Melusi Mthethwa. When Melusi was a grade 12 learner, he was told he cannot make it when it comes to mathematics. These messages came from other fellow learners who were commerce stream majors. These are the learners who considered mathematics to be a ‘thing' for science stream majors. This negatively affected Melusi because when he attempted to practice mathematics, he was often discouraged as he remembered the negative statements about mathematics. The statements that were continuously said to him by fellow learners (the commerce stream majors). Sadly, when the results were released Melusi scored below 30% as his final mark for mathematics. Simply, put he failed mathematics.

During the orientation of first-year students at the UKZN. Dr. Ntombela and Dr. Maharajh brought it into learners’ attention that if you did pass mathematics in high school you have no choice but to complete a mathematics module otherwise you will not get your degree after four years of studying. After he heard the information, about mathematics from the houses mouth. He sat down with his friend, reflected back, as touching the businesses on the what was the cause for them to fail mathematics in high school, pondering on the negativities about mathematics by fellow learners

Melusi and his friend Nhlanhla sat down and calculated the costs of failing the mathematics course as university students and discovered that they had no choice but to pass it, if not, they were going to be delayed for one year because of failing a mathematics course. No only that, their academic record was going to be negatively affected.

After some minutes contemplation Melusi then realised his mistakes. His attitude was what spoilt everything about mathematics. He realised that the attitude towards something determines your likelihood of succeeding on it. He made an oath to himself that in 2014 (as a second year student), he was going to make sure that he passes mathematics to prove the people who told him he cannot pass mathematics wrong. 

Melusi and Nhlanhla made up their minds that they were going to pass the mathematics module before they even commenced attending its lectures. They worked hard during the semester frequently consulting with the lecturer, practicing previous tests and exam papers… at the end of the first semester (they were second year students) when the final results were out Melusi aced a Merit Certificate on that mathematics module while Nhlanhla his friend also passed with flying colours. When I asked Melusi and Nhlanhla how did you do it guys? They said, "we changed our attitudes brother and that made us pass the maths they said we can't pass in high school – with flying colours.". Melusi and Nhlanhla proved that indeed "your attitude determines your altitude".

Therefore, to be part of the student excellence awards scheduled for next year, you must live a principled life. Daniel is one individual you might want to imitate in order to ace it academically. He was a principled man. Even though the King had said that the people in Babylon for the next 30 days were supposed to pray to him lest they are thrown into the lion's den (See Daniel 6: 1-28). That decree did not move Daniel instead "Now when [he] learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before" (Daniel 6:10).

His situation did not affect his principles. Successful people in life are people who live by principles and not by any means by preference.  God made Daniel be successful - when thrown into the lions' den, the lions did not eat him. God can also help you to be successful only if you live by principles. To ace it in all spheres of life be a person who lives by principles. Remember! That our God is the God of principles!  

Furthermore, Mr Bheki Mthembu, a man who knows his story. He is my lecturer of English. During one of our lectures we had as English majors, he said: "You cannot infect someone with the disease you don't have".  In the same breath, the word of God says Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33).  We all at one stage have heard about this quote "Birds of the same feather flock together". The premise of the preceding statements is that if you want to be a merit student, cum laude or a summa cum laude you must rub shoulders with students who are towards that ‘path'.

David Adebayo, Nhlanhla Ngidi,  Mnqobi Makhanya, Lindokuhle Mhlongo, Benele Mvelase, Sboniso Luthuli, Noluhando Ndlovu, Busisiwe Mkhize, Anitha Msweli, Lindelwa Tshabalala, Melissa Croucamp and Nosipho Hlongwane are people that I am related to in one way or another.  And we all somehow have infected each other with the disease of being diligent when it comes to our school work – little wonder we collected certificates for excelling academically at the aforementioned event!

From Left : Mthobisi Thabana, Nhlanhla Ngidi, Lindokuhle Mhlongo and Sboniso Luthulu - a picture taken while they were at the "Student Excellence Awards Ceremony". 2016

The awards were about success, therefore; I consider it ideal to bring in the concept of success. "Success is not a comparison of what we have done with what others have done. Why? because you will always find someone less than you and better than you. Success is measured by what you have done compared with what you were supposed to do" (Myles Munroe). To all who were part of the event in question there is a room for improvement. This is in light of Dr. Munroe's quote – if you got an aggregate of just above 75% you must work towards closing the gap between 75% and 100%. If you were not invited to be part of the event in question by now I would like to believe that you know what to have to do in order to excel academically.  Scientists have proven that the average human uses about 10% of their brain. So in order for you to be a Professor you need to use about 15% of your brain. God is disappointed when He sees us jubilation over our academic victories because he knows our real potential. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail… (Deuteronomy 28:13). "[You] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [you]" (Phil 4:13) So get up and reach out for God's best for your life!

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the commands of the Bible, our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.

The Power of Imagination

By: SoniaBDorsey

“This column is credited to the Kingdom Citizen Sonia B Dorsey from the USA. I got to know her from her YouTube channel, after I kept on listening her reading books and commenting on them. I felt like she needed to share her experiences on a piece dedicated to the youths in the R.S.A. Hope you will learn from her good people” Mthobisi Thabana

Greetings! I hope all is well and you are doing great in your endeavors. You are doing great in your choices and are moving closer to your hopes and dreams every day.  If you will recall, we were discussing how to serve our gifts to this generation. We were having a conversation about how and what you can do now in order to share with the world, that thing, that God Almighty placed only inside of you. We stated that we need to decide. Our decisions have a profound impact on our lives. Everyday decisions bombard us. Our decisions dictate our lives. From the simplest ones to the greatest ones, over time, they impact our lives. Think about it. Something so simple as eating too much sugar or salt , over time, can be a detriment to your health. Something so simple as hanging out with people for a few hours, instead of studying, can become a detriment to our educational goals. Lastly, and probably, most importantly, not recognizing our talent and gifts, nurturing them to maturity, and serving them to our fellow man, can have a major detriment to our satisfaction in this lifetime.

I think for many of us, its that we don't consider the time element of decision making. I know for myself, I started really considering the time element because it relates to what I want to see happen in my lifetime. I bet if you think back over your life, you can recall that someone invested in you. Maybe it was encouragement, financial assistance, chastised (Hebrew 12:6), reminded you of your opportunity, whatever benefited you was God's way of investing in you. Even if at times, it was uncomfortable (Revleation 3:19), if in the end you benefited from it, it was His hand at work in your life. It's all to prepare you for your work, your service to your generation. Count your blessings! Now, let me tell you what that means. It means that you don't get to waste this opportunity. You are valuable and  your potential is needed for His name's sake. 

Once you have decided that you want to serve your gift to your generation, you have to sit down and write it out on paper. It's not enough to say to yourself, "I want to be the best cook, teacher, dancer, professor, lawyer, etc.," you name it, you have to sit down and write it out. Something happens when you put pen to paper. I don't know why that it is but it is. For me, when I sit down and write out things in my own handwriting, I feel more connected to our resources. So, sit down and write out your dreams, hope, and desires. When you write it down, or type it, this is where you get to imagine your future. Now, its to your benefit to imagine BIG! We serve a big God and guess what? The earth and everything in it belongs to Him. He desires to give you the desires of your heart. Dream big on paper! How do you know if your dream is inline with His purpose and plan for your life? In my experience, when my dreams are to better others and benefit others, I know that I am in line with what God desires for me. I feel really good about my successes and any thing that doesn't go according to my plan, is only a learning opportunity and there is knowledge to gain there. So, keep that in mind. Having your plans on paper, gives you the ability to keep notes (preferrably in one notebook) on what, who, when, where, and how...

 If you want to put God to the test in your life, write down your deepest, biggest dreams. I will tell you what happened to me when I did this many years ago. I actually still have the notebook as a testament to what God can do through one person. I wrote down what I wanted, when I wanted it, who I needed to network with, and the time frames I wanted to have it accomplished by. It would take a long time to read all that I wrote but let me say this: one of my desires (written down), was to write for a paper at the university level, but to make it most meaningful by encouraging men and women into their God given potential. Friend, God is good. Not only is He satisfying the gift in me, but He said, your gift will make room for you. It has been a pleasure to write for God and produce works with His guidance. When you pursue your gift, your God given talent, doors open for you... and where there is none, He creates one. This is called innovation. Some of us, it's that your gift/talent is to be at the forefront of creation for your generation. So don't take this part lightly...take the time, to sit down, and write. Think of it this way, this writing is to be akin to your success road map.

Remember success, like failure is calculated. Well, let me give you this also, not having a written plan, a written account of your hopes, dreams, desires, and wants, is like getting in a car to an unknown destination without a road map or a GPS enabled device. I don't know about you, but I do not like waste. Especially wasting time. Time is your greatest asset. Use it wisely. Imagine where you will be 2 years from now, 3 years from now, 5 years from now. For some of us, it's easy to imagine...so take the time and write out your strategy to get there. Take your mission, write it down and create a strategy to get there. In this manner, your time, your greatest asset, is that much closer to being spent wisely. For example, if you want to be the best teacher. Your writings should include the classes you will takein school, the tactics to make the best scores on assessments. Don't stop there. Write down what you will wear to graduation and who will be there to applaud your success.  Write down what kind of teacher you want to be, who you will network with, which schools you will want to work with, how your students will view you, imagine what your class will look like, write so descriptively that when you share this writing with someone, they will be able to visualize your classroom with its sky blue walls and learning paraphernalia. 

As much as I can, I write. Why? I love the feeling of accomplishment. You will feel most accomplished when you see what God enabled you to accomplish through being focused on your gifts and fine tuning your craft in such a way that only He will be able to get the glory at your success. Friend, at the fullness of time, when all things are in His order, He will complete the work He started in you. He will fulfill His purpose in your life. You will be usable for His purpose. I know many people who pray the prayer: Lord, use me. But, I believe God is like: use what? What did you do or have done that makes you usable. Think about it. When you do your part, He can do His. He said we were created in His image, in His likeness. He said, we would do greater works than Jesus. In our Father's Kingdom, all our gifts are used for His glory. In addition, since He is King of kings, why would we serve anything less than the best to any king.

Once you have decided on fine tuning your gift, sit down and write out your mission and how you will accomplish it in serving it to your generation. Use every bit of your imagination and dream big! Once you have it written down, it's ok to revisit it and make changes as you acquire knowledge and understanding of your talent. Have fun with this part! I am!

 God is waiting for an opportunity to answer what it is you desire (Psalm 37:4)!

Scripture references include: Purpose discovery: Proverbs 19:21; Focus Factor: Matthew 8:27; Life Mission Statements and Plans: Habakkuk 2:1-3; Increasing faith for better decisions: John 16:13. 

We are enough. I dare to share.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi2KFJuTHfDcqYarsfO6N1Q 

Access  Sonia’s work @ http://www.sonyadorsey.com/

YOU WERE CREATED ON PURPOSE WITH A PURPOSE, IRON SHARPENS IRON. by Sonia B Dorsey

“This column is credited to the Kingdom Citizen Sonia B Dorsey from the USA. I got to know her from her YouTube channel, after I kept on listening her reading books and commenting on them. I felt like she needed to share her experiences on a piece intended for women youths. Hope you will learn from her ladies!”
King Mthobisi Thabana 

My introduction (to the article and myself): I have been a follower of the Way for over 20 years. From very humble beginnings, God has showed me that I can do all things through His son, Jesus. Even when I ran away from Him, I turned back to Him. We all have a story to tell. We all are capable of encouraging our fellow man. Most things are color blind, we actually all want the same things. We want the best for ourselves and our loved ones and hopefully, for all people. Doing His Will, completing the purpose He has placed on my life..."It is an ideal, a cause, for which I am prepared to die...", in the words of a fellow KC, King Nelson Mandela. Though we are separated geographically, God has purposed that our journeys should cross via the air waves, the internet. Everyone can afford to hear encouragement. No one knows when someone is going through something and may need to hear something from Him. We are all vessels. I choose to allow the Highest Spirit of all to use me to profoundly impact others in the way that He designed for me to do, based upon what He knows I am capable of being able to do. Though there are times that I do not feel capable, I know it is when He has surely carried me through. He said He calls us sons and daughters...that makes us brothers and sisters of the Way. So, it is most humbling for me to converse with my brothers and sisters in Republic of South Africa, in such a way, that lifts them up and encourages them to press on, to continue, to not give up, to be fully committed, sold out to our King and Kingdom.

My prayer is that his Holy Spirit will strengthen us, as we know He prayed for us when He sent the disciples out into the world to begin saving the world over 2000 years ago and that we will not falter and we, like Paul, will die empty...serving our gifts to the world and winning souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. I love you with the love of Christ and pray for you daily. God bless.

Everything that we have access to is the byproduct of someone's idea. Maybe, it was more than one person that collaborated, but none the less, everything that we experience is from the ideas of people. Think about it. The chair your sitting on...this paper your holding was once a tree! The floor your standing on... all the end result of someone's ideas. Utilizing our planets resources in such a way, that we serve to our generation our gifts and talents (Proverb 18:16). We can all think of some good products that have helped us, and some bad products that have not helped humanity. It's not to focus on ideas being good or bad, but more so to get YOU thinking about what these ideas have done to you (both positively and negatively). Additionally, to get YOU thinking about what you can add to this generation that will have the most positive impact on it for years to come...even impacting the lives of people when you are long gone. This is what it means to live out your purpose. 

Women, remember, we were created on purpose. Don't remember? I can give you many reasons (Gen 2:18, 20, 22). One that comes to mind is procreation. Procreation, though not the first reason, just a natural reason for our creation (Genesis 1:28). Historically, women are some of the greatest influencers of our time. When you know your purpose and why you were created, you decrease the chances of wasting your greatest assets: time and money. Your life takes on meaning. It becomes bigger than you. You come to realize that you are the main character in YOUR life (not everyone else). It's important to understand that you are not what you see in the mirror. That's just a small portion of who you are. You are more than flesh and bones. You are a spirit being, occupying flesh and bones! Your spirit can fill a room. Think about it. Some people can walk into a room and change the entire atmosphere! From gloom to doom, or gloom to glee...I have seen it happen. I bet right now, you are thinking...this is so true!

But ladies, let's keep talking about our purpose. 

You are now in school and there are many things (and people) wanting your attention. Be careful. Choose wisely what you spend your time on. When you are in school, sometimes money isn't your greatest asset. No, I know for a fact that it isn't your greatest asset. Your greatest asset while you are in school is your TIME. Just as you would not want to waste your money, you should think the same of your time. When you are pursuing your purpose, choosing NOT to go to school is NOT an option. This is what I mean by iron sharpens iron. You need people in your life that will help to water your gifts and help you to nurture your gifts to maturity. That is what school does. It helps to provide a strong foundation. All that you do while in school, should be to nurture your decision to pursue what you were purposed to do.

Strong women, leave a legacy no matter where they go. They leave their imprint, their mark. In my lifetime, the women I have been privileged to be around, this is what I have come to know: you get to decide what kind of mark you want to leave behind. With that, I want to encourage you on this wise: decide today to learn why you were created and what you were created to deliver to this generation otherwise, if you delay on this simple aspect of your life, you will find yourself pursuing things that you were not created or purposed for. Even worse, you will find yourself being aimless...goal-less. That is the worst place to be while living on earth. 

So, what's the process to get started with pursuing my purpose you say? How can I share my gifts and talents with the world, especially my generation? 

Well, let me congratulate you on taking the first MAJOR step: THE DECISION. That's it! You decided to get into school to sharpen your skills (iron sharpens iron). That's a POWERFUL DECISION, with great consequences. 

So, STEP 1: DECIDE. 

This step is so important that some people don't sit and think about it and do you know what happens to them? They change majors, they quit, they drop out. This is NOT going to be your story. Ladies, you do not need anyone's permission to decide what you want to be. If you don't know what you want to be, sit down, and think about the gifts that you have, your talents. It wouldn't be a bad idea to write them down. If you have many talents, decide which is the one that you want to know all that you can about. You have to focus on one thing. This one thing, will make room for you on earth. Trust me, I know. For some of us, this might be the hardest part of our journey: making a decision. Why? The journey is filled with ups and downs. There will be so many things happening all around you that will want your attention. You have to take a moment. Yes, take it! IF you don't you will always allow distractions to prevent you from deciding what you want. We women, have so much that wants our attention. When we are not as successful as we know that we can be, we seek to find faults in others, instead of taking responsibility for the actions that got us where we are. So, decide. 

Remember, success, like failure, is calculated. Your decisions or lack of decisions dictate which you will experience in life. So, with that understanding, let's decide to be the best women we can be. Educated. Intelligent. Loving. Nurturing. Creative. Successful. Ambitious. Enthusiastic. Focused. Powerful. Purposed. Scripture references include: Purpose discovery: Proverbs 19:21; Focus Factor: Matthew 8:27; Life Mission Statements and Plans: Habakkuk 2:1- 3; Increasing faith for better decisions: John 16:13. I am a woman. I am enough. I dare to share

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the commands of the Bible, our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi2KFJuTHfDcqYarsfO6N1Q (Kingdom Citizen - Sonia B Dorsey - YouTube Channel link). 

The repayments of preparation

The mathematics of living a life less of disappointments: Preparation + Opportunity = Success

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour”. Matthew 25:13

The parable of ten virgins is common to a number of people. Although, we know it or use it in affairs pertaining making it to Heaven, but I would like us to consider it using our day to day perspectives. We miss out on opportunities if we are not prepared to seize them immediately as they are available for our good. It is very sad to realise that in most cases people are given opportunities to better job offers such as promotions, only to find that those opportunities go down the drain because those people who are meant for those opportunities are not prepared for them. 

I am not saying that one must prepare him or her-self for everything under the sun. Instead, my point is that everyone must know his or her purpose for living – one’s purpose has to do with what God created him or her to achieve while on earth (see Jeremiah 1:5), Jeremiah 29:11-13 reads “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. 

The premise of the latter quoted verses is that God wanted something to be accomplished on earth and you are the only person who can make it come true –  that is amazing! This is a promise to everyone by God, this then means He is willing to assist you to accomplish your purpose – if only you will seek Him through prayer. Proverbs 19:21 clearly paints the picture of purpose - King Solomon says “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails”. God is saying that a fulfilling life is only possible when one knows why God created him or her. One’s talents and gifts are another aspect that one has to know in order to grab opportunities. There are people whom God created to change the world and make a living just by exploiting their gifts and talents.

What I have observed in life is the fact that once you are prepared, opportunities come across your

path. 

So if opportunities come but you are not prepared for them, you will fail. When an opportunity arises, that is not the time for you to be preparing – you must be already ready. The only way this principle works it is by having you prepared and waiting for the opportunity.

That is where my maths formula comes in:  Preparation + Opportunity = Success. Therefore, Success is the achievement of a pre-determined worthwhile objective. 

Remember the line that reads “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” by Benjamin Franklin. This column is aimed at encouraging the 4th years students as well as those students who have not yet reach their forth level yet, but who wish to further their studies once they have reached their fourth year level of study.

 Even if you are not a student this piece if for you as well. How many job opportunities you have lost because you do not have a matric certificate, computer certificate or a driver’s license? You do not need to tell me your response, but rather you can appeal to your conscience by preparing yourself for the future opportunities – Please! Don’t allow history to repeat itself!...

I am not proud to say this, but it true that in few years to come our Bachelor of Education Degrees (B.Ed degrees) are going to lose their value. Remember, back in the day teachers who had Diplomas were considered to be highly educated people, but you know what their situation is today. Thus, the responsibility is on the 4th years to prevent history from repeating itself. To this end, they must enrol for different qualifications. The 30th of Sept 2016 is the closing date for application for postgraduate admission to study @UKZN. While, for UNISA the application for postgraduate admission: is currently on - closing on the 11th of November 2016.

It will be a very sad story for you to be relaxing without any preparation, because you will miss out on the opportunity that can help you “to be somebody, instead of nobody. [and] Leave your footprints in the sands of history and carry none of your potential to the cemetery” – Dr. Pastor. Myles Munroe.

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the commands of the Bible, our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.

Stay On Track

 A Biblical based track to help us live a real Christian life so we can make it to Heaven in the end.

Why is it that some people begin their Christian life very sincerely, they trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, they intend to live a Christian life but somehow very soon along the way something happens?

Either they get discouraged by something or they have some personal problems or something somebody else says, maybe their past catches up with them, or maybe they did not quite understand what does being ‘born again’ entails to begin with. The purpose of this piece is to help us to stay on track as touching the affairs of relationship with God.  

Everything in life was created with purpose, the birds were created to fly. Humans were created to be in the presence of the Lord, if you take a man outside the presence of God, he or she malfunctions. Without God, you are hopeless. If you grasp today’s message, I assure you that you will experience peace at its best! you will also get to have an intimate relation with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

A track for an effective Christian life: 

1. Schedule Prayer & Meditation in God’s word as a daily priority, (see Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1: 1-3).        It is very important for a child of God to spend time meditating on the word of God. Meditating, means you read the word of God and you begin to mediate, ask yourself “what that means? What it suggests to me personally? and how can I do that?”. As a Christian it is highly commendable for you to hide in a solitary place to be with God and ask for his grace for the day, just like Jesus (see Mark 1:35). 

2. Obey God & leave all the consequences to Him. This requires courage, patience, and understanding. There is no consequence that God cannot bear. Obeying God is a way to show that we love and desire to love Him (see John 14: 15, 21 & 23).

 3. Trust God in every circumstance. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3: 5-6). This verses calls us to recognise that God has the right, power and privilege, solemn wholly right to guide and direct our lives. 

4. Wait upon the Lord for his direction, (see Psalm 27:14). This is one thing we must understand about God, when he says do not do something and you disobey him you are heading for a disaster. His orders are meant to keep us from the evil one and his wills. You cannot be intimate by Him if you disobey Him. Isaiah 64:4 “… [He] acts on behalf of those who wait for Him”. 

5. Depend upon the Holy Spirit. He is the vital part of the track. The latter is true because he equips you to do everything that Christ and God wants you to do. With your strength you will get in trouble. The Holy Spirit’s task is to energise, protect us and give us the strength to say no! when we are tempted (see John 14:16-18).

 6. Remember God loves you unconditionally. At the heart of this point, is the fact that you must know that God loves you no matter what happens today or how people treat you. If you do not experience and believe this, you will get off track – I guarantee you! If you have wronged God, you should run back to Him immediately, instead of babysitting what you would have done.

 7. Give to God generously, (see Luke 6:38). Giving helps us to be free from being egocentric and greedy. Givers are the happiest people. How could you withhold from God, who gave up his only begotten Son for the salvation of the world? 

8. Rest in the assurance that God has absolute control of your life. This is the major part of the track. You must always know that God knows what you need. He is in charge, He is in control of everything (Psalms 103:19) and that is where we recognise His sovereignty, He is going to cause everything to work for our good. Our problem is that we do not trust Him, so we miss out of His best that He has to offer us. 

9. Keep your eyes on your destiny. “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Jesus said in John 14:2. Without Christ, you are eternally separated from God. The final day is looming, we will be judged on the basis of three things: How much light of truth did we know? How much opportunity did we have? and what did we do with it?

 I appeal to the brothers and sisters, who were fervent when they came to university, but somehow got corrupted… as well to those who do not know Christ to repent of their sins, to be born again and to follow Christ…

 Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the dictates of the Bible, our Constitution as Kingdom of God citizens. 

Ascending the success ladder

Moving ‘From Zero to Hero’, academically as well in all spheres of life.

Over the years the subject of success has gained the attention of boys and girls around the world. This has given rise to many ideas about and approaches to success. Success is a gem that captures the aspirations of everybody. However, all round success is hereby discussed as stated in Joshua 1:8. Success does not come on a platter of gold. It is good to desire success but there is a great difference between desire and accomplishment. God was purposeful at creation and was successful. True success is Christ centred and God-glorifying. God has put into us the key that unlocks the door of success. Success is the very will of God for His children. This is clear from the uniform testimony of scriptures (Joshua 1:8; 3 John 1:2 Psalm 1:1-3).

Seven Steps of Success Ladder 

The following steps can guide you to succeed in a godly way. 

Step one, you should define your priorities, goals and future (Prov. 24:9). Step two, you should defeat all the enemies & weakness on your pathway to success. For example, under-sleeping, over-sleeping, procrastination, lack of proper organization etc. Somebody once said, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. Your results will be immensely and chiefly affected by your relationships. In light of the latter, we can therefore say, determine your friends and studying partners, this is the third step towards being successful. Step four, determination & planning are integral for your success (see Dan. 1:8; Lk 14:28-32). Success is the achievement of a pre-determined worthwhile goal. Remember the line that reads “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” by Benjamin Franklin. Apart from the devil our greatest enemy is our flesh. You might have observed the fact that your flesh tolerates you doing bad things like oversleeping, but when it comes to doing the right things it becomes a fierce struggle to do them. Think about this, how many times do you check your watch when you are studying than when you are watching a movie or chatting with friends.

 This then brings us to step five, you must be disciplined and have self-control (I Cor. 6:12; Prov. 6:6-11). What we eat and when we sleep should be regulated. Success and pleasures are enemies to one another. Step six, focus on diligence and carefulness (Prov. 22:29; Ecc. 9:10; Rom 12:11) Diligence is exercised when a student attends all his classes; writes notes regularly; does his assignments and submits them on time; reads up the note on time; revises past questions, participates in group discussions; reads and follows instructions in examinations; understands questions before attempting them; praying before and after the exam; helps others in the form of tutorials and materials sharing etc. Last but not least, step seven, is all about the defense and stability (I Cor. 16:9; 2Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:10-18) Most failures that occur after much efforts may not be outside the working of the evil one. Success is not without some visible and invisible forces, which call for defense by putting on the whole amour of God. 

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the orders of the Bible and our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.

This column is credited to  Deeper Life Campus Fellowship - Academic Seminar, Sermon Notes.

Communication

Concisely: a word about communication's nature,  its bait and recommendations towards being victorious over its bait.

Communication is as old as the human race. In fact, the creation of humankind was also through communication between the God trinity; “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...” (Gen 1:26). With the latter in mind, I am convinced, you will never be successful in life unless you have a meeting with yourself. Communication helps one to relate with other people, at the same, it is important to note that often there is an overlooked aspect of communication. Precisely, what we consider or define as communication, can go as far as becoming a bond. If we know well enough, as the Kingdom citizens we should not be the devil's toys as we relate with other people.

Communicating with someone often results to bonding with that person. When you communicate as Brothers you end up bonding with one another. This is also the case with the Sisters. The focus of this piece is on the communication (that may happen on a face to face basis, social networks or the use of cell phones) between people of opposite sex a Brother and a Sister.  

In a context of a Brother and a Sister communication (including secular people), bonding is dangerous word, bonding is as if shooting webs at each other, every time you speak with someone you shot a web, every time they listen to you they get a web and the more you talk to someone, the more webs are created. The thicker the conversation gets the thicker the webs become. Let us get practical, if I say to you good morning and you reply, there is a web, there is a bond between us, but it is a very shallow bond. If say to you good morning you, how are you doing and how is your family doing? That is a little deeper bond because I am gradually entering your life. If I ask you how is your mother, how is your oldest child if you have one, now I am getting to a deeper bond. And then if get questions like, what do you want to do with your life for the next twenty years? that is a deeper bond, I am prying into your destiny. If I further ask what are the things that really hurt you most in your life? That is an even deeper bond, right away, you are telling that person you want to get at a deeper level at his or her life that is a serious bond you want to connect.

 In light of the example that I have just shared taken from a practical experience of communication - Brothers and Sisters, you must question regular communication between you and people of opposite gender, especially if what you talk about with that person troubles your conscience and most importantly if it deviates from God's precepts. This is because if the Sister and Brother in the Lord relationship, is not founded on prudent intentions it may lead to a catastrophe. People of the world are not exempted from what I have just alluded to.

 Undoubtedly it is true that the tongue is the sharpest of all blunt instruments! In fact, most of the troubles we have are troubles of the tongue. How many have times have you said something to someone unconscious? Only to find out t what you said affected that person emotionally, this goes to prove the power of the tongue and the fact that "most of the troubles we have are troubles of the tongue” The word of God puts it “The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). In this connection, it is every person's business to be careful of what they say, because “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check (James 1:2). See The Book of James; chapter 3: 1-9, as it summarises God's mind concerning the subject of ‘Taming the Tongue’.

The solution of the topic in question section is that you must think before you utter any words and not the other way around. Most importantly, of realise that someone was hurt because of what you said you forget about your character and appeal to your conscience by expressing how sorry you are to that person.

You have to be careful of who you bond with and what questions you ask because this bonding thing is heavily dependent on what you speak about. There are relationships you have to keep at a thin level because you do not want to get too deep. The issue is that once the webs get thick, it becomes hard to break them. If you have bonded for years, it becomes like a marriage, you cannot break that bond easily and once you break it, there is now a broken heart. A broken heart bleeds because of open wounds as emotions rise to their breaking point, and that is why relationships are dangerous or communicating with someone when one of your has other intentions as touching the issue of your communication. You do not want to develop up to a level which you cannot be responsible for. God created us in His image, He has principles that he functions under unconditionally. Therefore, as the Kingdom of God citizens, we should know where to draw a line with regards to what we can and cannot tell people about our lives, and most imperative, we should understand the intentions of any questions that are posed to us.

  

Even though some of us do not wear socks, but I believe we need to pull up our socks with regards to the ability to communicate with other people without endangering ourselves into bonding with them. To avoid unnecessary bonding with each other we should cultivate the habit of keeping of communicating with the confines pure motives. The Kingdom of God citizens must understand that thinking before speaking is one best principle for effective communication. If we do not control our own lives from the inside, somebody else will control them from the outside. Yes! this is true, King David could not control his eyes like Job and he fell into fell into sin (see 2 Samuel 11: 1-5 and Job 31:1). Last but not least, it is not wrong for a Brother and a Sister to communicate, this also applies secular people - but a process of relating with someone must commence with a conversation whereby both of you define your borders (a line of the things you can talk about with that person possibly because they might  lead the both of you to do things that are not in line with the orders of God.

 Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the orders of the Bible our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.

Time Management

An integral element towards achieving excellent grades.

Time is the most important entity that we have as creatures of God. As a matter of fact, the only thing on earth all humans have in common is time.

       The billionaire and a beggar have the same time allocated to them. In an academic context, a merit student and a level one student also the same time allocated to them. In this connection, what you are and what you become depends on how you use your time. While there are a number of things humans can control, that is not the case with time, because it cannot be stopped but humans can control how it will be used.

Some humans are not conscious with time management, this startles me. It is hard to fathom this bugbear, because if there something that distinguishes us from other creatures created by God, it is the fact that we have the capacity for thought. The capacity for thought that we possess, should give us the ability to manage time.  King Solomon puts it “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6: 6-8).

The moral of this passage is that we must plan our time effectively and this will make us to be successful people. It is extremely impossible to sow as seed today and reap it the following day, this is the case with preparing for the examinations. If we really want to get best grades, we must give ourselves enough time to study prior to the exams. The late Maya Angelou echoes the latter statement by saying “All great achievements require time.”

 There are various things that squander out time. If you want invest on your time, rather than, spending it, please consider Stephen Covey’s time management grid. Firstly, He says urgent and important things must be executed straightway (E.g. preparing for a test to be written in two days’ time). Secondly, he says for important but not urgent, you can decide when to execute them (E.g. jogging- if you be writing a test in two days’ time, you can reschedule your jogging time to be something to do after the test).

Thirdly, urgent not important must be delegated. For instance, when your friends invites you to watch a soccer match at 15h00pm, while you are preparing for the exams. You can politely respond with a grin, telling him that he should tell you the match results when he comes back. Lastly, not important not urgent things, must be dumped, says Covey. Friends, I’m giving you a chance to select the things that you need to dump… because they are not adding value to your life.

Remain blessed and always ensure that you are in good terms with the God Trinity and the orders of the Bible our Constitution as the Kingdom of God citizens.