The Empowered Life: Review

Many people question the possibility of a life void of stress and hard labour. 'It exists!', so says Dr. Kayode Ijisesan in his new book titled The Empowered Life. This 243-paged work currently serves as my next-level textbook.

We live in a world where everyone has to work extremely hard to make headway in life. Long work hours, rivalry and competition, and high-risk business ventures are commonplace; yet only very few people get the chance to live a full, healthy and rounded life. Even so, such life isn't without costly personal sacrifices. The good news is that there is a kind of lifestyle that facilitates all-round growth and development without stress, hardship or painstaking labour. It is referred to as a lifestyle of the Blessing.

The Blessing is described as the ability or enablement to produce prosperity, success and power; a spiritual force or substance that propels someone to get high-level results in life. Dr. Kay. says the Blessing is like an invisible bank-account that has everything a person needs to live well --riches, health, goodwill from others, wisdom, creativity, you name it. It was given to man by God, but when man lost it, he began to experience stress and toil (i.e. the curse which is the opposite of the Blessing.) This explains why humans have had to struggle in one way or the other to get most of the good things of life.

In spite of mankind's failure to secure this propelling force called the Blessing, a new way has been created to recover the great loss. The Empowered Life explains this new way of recovery in great detail. It shows how God recreated a pathway for the Blessing-flow by forming a pact with man in which He (God) stands as the senior partner. It explains why the wrong mind-set can reduce the efficacy of the Blessing in our lives. Attitudes like strife, rivalry and weak character can compromise the effect of the Blessing and make a person get little returns even though he or she is working harder than others. The book also explains how these wrong attitudes can be corrected.

"Wrong attitudes or habits can form over time due to negative information and association. Such brainwash of the mind can be prevented or dealt with by the knowledge of the truth." 

page 113-114

The pact (or covenant) that God made with mankind demands very simple things. It requires that man should make certain lifestyle adjustments like serving faithfully, living a lifestyle of love and giving honour when it’s due. If these simple changes can become habits, a person would have successfully created the right atmosphere for the Blessing to do its work. 

The expression or manifestation of the of the force of the Blessing is individual in nature, thus, the experience of this empowering substance is personal; varying from person to person based on how much they are committed to apply these lifestyle changes. The Empowered Life is truly a manual for a stress-free life, just like God designed our lives to be.

Thou Shalt Get A Life!

There is nothing as attractive as a person with clean fitting clothes, well groomed hair, good shoes and etiquettes. Good looks is attractive; so is a good life. Life should be maximized --you know, lived to the best.

Some people act like they have a spare life hidden somewhere. Years have come and gone and I get more convinced that everyone should live as if they have only one life because in reality, they have just ONE (singular and irreplaceable) life! I recently started something for the unmarried people in my environment. If there's anything I believe they should know, it is the fact that they should get a life and not wait till they are married.

Eccl 3:5-8

5 The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. 6 Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. 7 So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! 8 Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! (NLT)

When God made man, the first thing He (God) did was to bless him. He said 'Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and have dominion..." Did you notice that all the words in the pronouncement are action words? When God empowers a person, He is giving the person a divine ability to accomplish certain tasks. The specifics of what to to might differ from person to person, but the Blessing remains an empowerment to DO something. The question you should ask yourself is if you are adding value to the society at this time of your life.

I have seen many people get frustrated in life. Many times, it's because they are not involved in something worthwhile. Idleness is bad for a married person, its much worse if you are single. It's like trying to catch someone who is falling when you are not standing properly yourself. Although it sounds too serious, 'Thou shalt get a Life' is an important 'commandment' to everyone who desires to be more than being a part of the fickle human cycle of life and death.

Many people are waiting to live the life of their dreams when they can start creating it. Our world has grown so much that it is possible to do something you love to do; as long as you desire to do it. It amazes me that many people want to be seen as wise and successful, yet they ignore the subtle nudges of their heart. They get an urge to encourage somebody, a nudge to pray, an inclination to go into a particular field of work, a desire to get close to someone or a feeling to volunteer in an organization, but they ignore it. Every time we override an innate desire to carry out certain tasks, we are overriding who we really are.

Getting  a life goes beyond being good at your job or succeeding business. It also means you should live the life you want, starting today. So I'd say to the ladies, get that degree if you really want it; buy that gadget if you can afford it.  If you like traveling --babe, GO ON VA-CA-TION! Guys, eat at that restaurant you've always wanted (even if it means going alone!). Just get going with yourself and live the life of your dreams. 

Thou must get a life today!