Some Thoughts on Faith.

What is Faith?

Faith is unarguably the most talked-about subject in Christendom and perhaps the least deployed ‘weapon’ by Christians in this age.

Being the bedrock as well as the hallmark of Christianity, faith occupies a key position in God-human relationship. With faith we deepen our understanding of God and get clarity about His will for us.

Faith as defined by the book of Hebrews 11 chapter 1 is ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’. Faith has some invisible but tangible components and closes the gap between the future and the present.

Faith does not act superficially. It has a root in the word of God and in the promises and plans of God for humanity.

Why we do we need Faith?

Hebrews 11 chapter 6 says ‘but without faith, it is impossible to please God: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’

Coming to Jesus Christ at salvation has some elements of faith – confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart unto righteousness (Romans 10 chapter 9 & 10). Faith consolidates our testimony of salvation and revalidates our covenant of relationship with God.

Faith is our access to the supernatural. We link the Spirit of God and commit Him to delivering on His promises through faith. Without having faith in God, we become vulnerable to the antics and tactics of the devil.

What is the Process of having Faith?

The book of Romans 10 chapter 17 explicitly declares that ‘so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God’.

‘Hearing’ as noted in this verse, is more than the physical listening and assimilating. It involves the Spirit of God opening our senses and connecting our spirit through revelation of His word to His plans and desires. In this process, we see into God’s purpose through the revealed word of God which some call ‘rhema’ and we are empowered to accept and act on what we have seen.

Under this circumstance, faith becomes planted as a seed in our spirit and mind and with more listening and acting on the word of God, we nurture faith until it grows and delivers what God wants for us. Unfortunately, the natural man cannot have faith because his spirit is dead and the Spirit of God cannot effectively connect with his spirit until he comes to Christ through salvation.

What are the rewards of having Faith?

The rewards of faith are countless. However, faith gives us uninterrupted access to the supernatural and makes us a friend of God. With faith we are able to please God and to bring His kingdom and dominion down on earth.

In appreciation of God

To God, the giver of life and the lifter of men; To Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world and the reason for all seasons; To Holy Spirit, the comforter of all souls and the greatest teacher of all times; I say thank you for EVERYTHING.

As I am getting older...

I’m a year older today and I am becoming a man. A man not because of how many ‘bottles’ I can gulp or how many ‘chicks’ I can brood on. A man because God is forming more and more in me; a man because my assignments are becoming more and more clear.

I am leaving a stage which I will never come back to; I am going to a place that I have never been to.

And as only God can guarantee the future of all men, I am working out more dependency on Him. I am striving to have faith.

I am developing new paradigms. I am placing new values on relationships and opportunities. I am respecting people more, no matter their creed or belief.

I am relishing my philosophy that ‘nothing comes on its own.’ I am building with one hand and fighting with the other hand.

I am exuding more love for my ‘Baby’. I am becoming more mindful of what the role of leading a home should be.

I am thinking of the corporations to own, the messages to relay, the lives to change, the generational blessings to perpetuate.

As I am getting older, my resolves are getting stronger. I am thinking – MY LIFE MUST COUNT AND GOD MUST NOT REGRET CREATING ME.

And as things start to work.....

Depravity harbours the power of conditioning a man’s mind to see just what is available and not what is possible.

If a man has received the baptism of lack, it might not be impossible for him to show criticism for the miracle of abundance.

There are men today whose ‘gospel’ stemmed from the unfortunate cross(es) life dropped on their shoulders and who have became an Apostle of their woes. Prisoners of status quo, if you like, who have resigned to fate and who now daily sail on the ship of perssimism, inaction, fear and unbelief.

For me, I am really thankful that the weights I picked up in the years of ‘lack’, God is helping me to shed them as He begins to lace me with abundance.

Things are changing, and they are really changing for the better.

I am getting more and more humbled by the events around my life in these last few days and weeks. I am seeing the past being rewritten in a way that appears as if things have never been bad. Hope is wearing the robe of reality and desires, the raiment of results.

And as things start to work, I start to pray and work that things continue to work.

Meet Kayode Raphael Adegboye

Kayode Raphael Adegboye, a native of Ikirun from the clan of Balogun Olayemi Ojaoke in Osun state Nigeria was born and bred in Lagos to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Olusegun Tayelolu Adegboye.

The fourth born from a family of six - three men and three women, Kayode grew up, like his other siblings, under the prayerful watch of his dad and committed entrepreneurial-mindedness of his mum to scale through all manners of hurdles to be where he is today.

A 2002 graduate of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Kayode holds a Bachelors degree in Agriculture (Animal Science), a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Management from the Strategic Business School, Lagos, two Advanced Certificates in MIS and Sales and Marketing Management from the Federal College of Education (Tech.) Lagos and a certificate in Organizational Leadership. He is presently rounding up his Masters degree in Agricultural Science and Resource Management at the University of Bonn, Germany.

Having worked for over five years with various top-notch organizations like The Candel Company Limited, an international agribusiness outfit involved in developing agricultural solutions to small and medium-scale farmers, marketing agrochemicals and providing broad-based agricultural supports and presently with GlobalGAP, the reference organization for Good Agricultural Practice certification globally, Kayode has gained wide-range experiences covering operations in Africa, Europe and the rest of the world in various aspects of agribusiness management and consultancy.

His other volunteer and leadership experiences are also highly impressive. He has volunteered for the African Youth Foundation (AYF), the IHDP/UNU, Mount Sinai Church, BIMUN/SINUB e.V amongst many organizations and has led various youth groups and initiatives at different times. He was a Vice President of one of the most remarkable youth fellowships on campus while he was studying for his Bachelor degree and he held the position of a zonal coordinator for the NCCF during his NYSC. He has also collaborated at top levels with a lot of local and international academic, social, religious and professional initiatives as project team member.

Kayode has a cosmopolitan nature and has travelled extensively and interacted widely with people from various beliefs, creeds and experiences while on academic, professional and personal engagements.

An agribusiness strategist and an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management NIM (Chartered) and the Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria ISMN, Kayode is an intellectual enigma that soundly articulates and succinctly comment on issues when and where he needs to.

His communication, presentation and diplomatic competencies have placed him as a three International Model United Nations award winner in Bonn, Geneva and in Milan and he continues to bring valuable insights to the table of international development and the various spheres of multilateralism.

He has a couple of published writings to his credit and has featured twice in the 'Forsh' magazine of the University of Bonn. He was also recently granted a Bundesministerium Stipendum to complete his study programme.

Kayode thinks he has a contribution towards building sustainable systems that would promote youth development, SME management and wealth creation throughout the world and is poised not to rest on his hoax until the various ideological, infrastructural and systemic gaps that divides humanity and prevents them from maximizing their God-given potentials are considerably bridged.

Meet Kayode Raphael Adegboye.