Emmanuel Afiawari's Inspiration podcast

The King James version renders Psalm 5: 12 thus: "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Going by dictionary definition, a shield is anything that protects or defends; a shelter. It is a broad piece of defensive armor, carried on the arm, to protect the body. When used figuratively, it is anyone who protects or defends. The Psalmist defines f...

Sometimes, life can hit us very hard punches, especially on a blind spot, and leave us completely flattened. At such instances, we tend to think that God has forsaken us; we feel the weight of real abandonment so hard that we often begin to question or doubt ourselves. Anyone who's been in such a dilemma can attest to the fact that it's not a palatable place for anyone to be at. It is for all such...

Whenever we want to know what we look like, we take a look at a mirror or examine what we do. The mirror gives us a splitting image of ourselves and what we do defines our nature, character or intrinsic wiring. The word of God is the mirror of our soul, and it defines how bests our lives are to be conducted. It introduces us to whom we are, but more importantly, to whom we should become. Jeremiah...

Genesis tells us two very catchy stories that inspires our thoughts for today. Firstly, God brings all he created to Adam, and whatever Adam called them became their name (Gen. 2: 19). Secondly, God takes Eve out of Adam and brings her to him. Seeing her, he said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Gen. 2:23). In both...

Talking about the incredibility of God, have you ever wondered why He's so dependable even when we're not? He's ever faithful even in our unfaithfulness; He's reliable, even when we falter, oscillate, and vacillate. The guarantee of reliability on his part is so strong, you can trust and depend on him without any fear that he's going to disappoint. The old refrain, "If men were God," points eloque...

Today, I'd like to speak to the incredibility of God. So many things happen to us that beggars belief, numbs us, or leave us in perpetual denial. When calamity, whether natural or man-made due to error happens, we tend to become shattered! When it happens, the problem tends to be so magnified that all we see is problems, fear and uncertainty. Whilst this is not to dismiss of your experiences and y...

Sometimes, God shuts us in from the noises and distractions of the hustle and bustle of our everyday life so He can establish a new beginning with us. As lofty and engaging as the activities of our daily lives can be, they can distract us from a divine purpose. God had to shut Noah in to recalibrate his mindset to a new order that completely departs from the old order. All he knew and associated w...

Sometimes, God shuts us in to build us. He could take us through a regime of discipline, correction, pruning, and refining so as to equip us for the next phase of our manifestion. Until we take the lessons and pass the tests, we're just not ready yet. Understandably, it could be a difficult process but the glories ahead far outweighs the discomfort of the discipline. God wants us primed and fit fo...

This verse in Genesis 7:16 about the story of Noah leaves us a very interesting read, "The Lord shut him in and closed [the door] round about him." What could have happened had God not shut the door to the ark himself? A few thoughts would possibly cross your mind: people outside could have forced the door open to get it and then cause the entire crew to die from the flood; those within could have...

Sarah appears to have so confidently trusted this verse in Isaiah that says, "When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen" (Isa. 60: 22b). She judged God faithful and wouldn't think otherwise. When we encounter delays or misfortune, we often attempt to accuse God, but that's a trick from the pit of hell. Scriptures bear eloquent testimonies that only good and perfect gifts come from t...

Solomon's remark, "Let's hear the conclusion of the whole matter" (Eccl. 12: 13) is pivotal to my meditations today. When things happen around you contrary to expectations, what do you make of them? Does your conclusion show you've knowledge of what's happening? Is it a response of faith, fear or despair? Does it imply you understand God's word or you totally do not have a clue? Sarah couldn't con...

There's something about a personal revelation of the greatness of God that dwarfs all our mountains or make them pale into insignificance while giving confidence and impetus to our dreams. When this revelation hits you, you would realise how so magnificent God is and how so small in comparison your battles and struggles are! It was this revelation that made David defy and kill Goliath. Whilst the...

I want to draw my opening from Gideon's response to the angel that called him a man of valour. “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ (Judg. 6:13 ). We must begin to ask the right questions like Gideon, if we want to expe...

One very big contradiction of our time is to see people talk about the greatness of God without according him the honour due to his greatness. Another one, is to find people who talk about God's greatness live without appropriating the advantages of His greatness in their lives. We cannot talk about the many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and not bear reference to his greatness. H...

A simple banking principle dictates that you cannot make withdrawals where you've not made initial deposits. If you aim to earn more, you must commit  more time, energy and resources to it. You must upskill to upscale. Increased passion will always result in increased output. The year still has a lot to tap from, therefore roll up your sleeves and get to work! Work smart; work differently from you...

There's this "I can do it" spirit that separates those who dare from those who wish. The will to do has been lavishly given to us to use. If you focus or expend your energy on all that could have worked but didn't, you'll lose the ability and determination to explore the potentials or possibilities that abound around you. Paul says he can do all things but quickly tells us his strength is derived...

Knowing what it means to go through hell or high waters and still be ticking, helps you appreciate how far God has brought you and the milestones you've covered. Whilst you might have had some sad experiences and so welcomed July with mixed feelings, mingled with so much uncertainty, it should be a time of sober reflection; a time for stocktaking; a time for objective planning and self-appraisal....

If your destiny carries any weight of significance, just know it that you'll be under the radar of Satanic attack. You don't have to do anything to attract or provoke his attention, he'd come uninvited. Hence, when things begin to misalign and go out of order around you, your uninvited guest has arrived. This is not to scare you but to draw your attention to the fact that it is what you carry that...

Oftentimes when we talk about our ordeals, we paint pictures of the uniqueness and peculiarities of our pain as different from the experiences of other people. Whilst I do not intend to make light of your struggles or dismiss them, I would like to note that our peculiarities are not only in our struggles but also in our graces and gifting. You'd be grossly mistaken to think only of the peculiariti...

The book of 2 Kings 4: 26 presents us a very fascinating account of a prophet, his servant and a woman. It reads, "Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well." Was all truly well with this woman and her child? Not at all. Did she lie when she said all was well? That would be a ratio...

Hope, just like faith, is the currency of exchange where uncertainty looms. A believer's hope doesn't cause shame, but gives something to live for. It is both the conscious and subconscious belief that things would get better and turn out fine the next moment. While to some, it may be meaningless to be hopeful, hope in itself, is an expression of strong faith for what is possible and expected. Hop...

A reality has been forced on us that makes being hopeful a uphill task. The stronger you hold on to hope, the thinner its grip seem to become, so much so that hope has lost its glimmer. Despair has seized everyone, making it so difficult to pilot a survival strategy. It does seem it has become worthless to hope any further. The depressing effect caused by the delay in one's object of hope is bette...

One very significant thing that happens when you get enlightened, is that your body of knowledge increases, and your approach to life changes. True knowledge breaks the barrier of limitation and sets you on a path of positive results. When you have a superior knowledge of how things work in a certain field, no one can intimidate you. Once the scales of ignorance fall off, perception changes and so...

The prevailing inability to bear a child yet took its effect on Abraham. God had to open his eyes to see himself as the father of many nations; Gideon never felt he amounted to anything worthwhile until his encounter with God's angel; Mary didn't see any possibility in a virgin having a child without a man until the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. Many of us have had lots of negative experiences tha...

There's something about being able to see that removes fear in us, and changes our perspective to life. Seeing broadens our horizon and exposes us to opportunities for advancement. Until you see beyond your immediate environment or circumstances, your limitations will be magnified to cage and ruin you. Until Hagar saw the well of water, she only saw her child dying (Gen. 21: 19); until Gehazi saw...