Zamai Banje

Tag: faith

Life Truths
Life Truths
April 22, 2024

Life Truths: 13 Statements to Change Your Thinking

This is a list of simple life truths I found from a book – Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley. These statements reveal the simplicity and truth of living.

These truths should remind you on what life is really all about. No need to overcomplicate things. These truths might feel radical or religious, but the most radical truths are really simple ones.

Life Truths

Life Truths

  1. God is real. He loves you.

The Creator and Mastermind of the Universe loves you.

Everything happens for a reason. Every move you have made in your life. The freewill you receive to make your decisions. He loves you so you can willingly love him back.

It is because God cares for you.

  1. Good and evil exist. Good will win.

Light will always overcome darkness.

This is set in stone. You are salt and light, constantly facing the trials and tribulations in your life. Triumphs will be at the end of your tunnels.

Because you are good. And Good will always win.

  1. You are made in the image of God.

This is why man’s wants are insatiable.

You always want more.  It is why you want to leave a legacy and change the lives of people around you. This is the secret on why you crave to be appreciated and valued.

You want to achieve God hood.

  1. You are also fallen.

You are still human.

Mistakes will always happen. Imperfection and procrastination still creeps in. It’s the demerits of being human.

Your fragility is a result of man’s fall a long time ago.

  1. Jesus died for you. He also rose for you.

This is the celebration of Easter.

It was all because of you. He rose to eliminate your fall.

  1. God’s world is beautiful. We are tasked with caring for it.

The famous hymn – All things bright and beautiful perfectly captures this truth about life.

Keep appreciating nature and everything around you. Protect all things bright and beautiful. Preserve all creatures great and small.

You are the ultimate caretaker.

  1. Men and women exist.

You are not alone.

Fully embrace the fact that everyone from your family, friends to even strangers, has their own life story and experiences as vivid and complex as your own. Treat everyone equally with your full attention and respect.

It is why the Golden Rule exists – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

  1. Families happen when we unite.

Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.

They are like building blocks of a healthy world; we should try to keep them together, and not topple them over.

  1. Prayer is real; it changes you as much as it changes the world.

Prayer is your key to God’s door.

When you spend time with Him in prayer, you realize how powerful and able and good God is and how much you need him. This equips you for the battles you face every day.

Most importantly, prayer does not change God. It changes you.

  1. Life is hard, but God is with you.

No matter who you are, you have had your difficult times.

Life is hard because the world is broken, with so many people trying to ruin it for you. There’s hope because there is someone greater than every hardship. This person is victorious over every pain, and he is ready to walk with you through hard times.

Life becomes easy when you are one with God.

  1. Suffering will happen, but it will sanctify you.

As the saying goes – What does not kill you makes you stronger.

By going through difficult experiences, you build up your strength for your next battles. Even researchers found that early-career failure promotes future professional success. Whether you like it or not, you feel more brave and stronger after facing tough situations.

There is value in failure.

  1. Love is not a feeling, it is a sacrifice, usually in small things.

Love is an action word.

Be patient, kind and do not be envious. Do not dishonour others or angry all the time – rather be selfless, calm, and ready to forgive anyone. Always trust, hope, and persevere.

This is what it means to love.

  1. God loves you, period.

Your good deeds won’t change that; your bad deeds won’t change that.

These are the life-altering paradigms that come in just a couple of words.

The rest of your life is about living these truths, so it will be powerful to find a moment each day to just say one of them loud.

November 23, 2020 / 4 Comments

The Eight Type of Friends You Need Right Now

How do you know the right type of friends in your life? Sometimes you might wonder if you can truly live alone without the help of friends. And there are other days you wonder if you can really survive without a particular friend in your life. There is a proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. And if you want to go far, go with people.“

I love this saying because it should resonate with every youthful ambitious person right now, especially you. You are young, vibrant and energetic. However, there is a great chance you will burn out when it’s finally time to enjoy the fruits of your passions, talents and abilities. You need the support you can before the time comes. That’s why you need to start selecting the right kind of friends in your life right now.

Here is the best part. This article will show the eight types of friends you must add to your inner circle.

The type of friends you had when growing up

When you were small and younger, the environment chose friends for you. These friends came in the form of classmates, neighbours, seat-mates in buses and age mates from extended family.

Now you are older. The power is in your hands.

The type of friends you should meet now

You are more responsible for your life now. And you have the ability to choose people that have the right to your friendship. These friends should be as close as a sibling. They should be here to caution and celebrate you in your closest moments. These set of people will constitute your inner circle. Have you seen how crucial these kinds of friendship means to your life and wellbeing?

Photo by Min An from Pexels

Now, here are the eight types of friends you need in life right now:

1. Creative Friends

These are the set of friends who will bring variety and adventure into your life. With their unique mindset, they open you to different perspectives and ways of approaching situations and challenges in life.

You need these type of friends to adopt an “out-of-the-box” mentality, and they will never allow you to stay stagnant in life for a long time.

Recommended article: Seven Golden Rules of Creativity: How to Stay in Touch with your Creative Self

2. Loyal Friends

Loyalty always comes with trust and complete allegiance. A loyal friend will always defend you both in your presence and absence. These set of friends are wiling to push and showcase your name and brand behind closed doors and on the rooftops.

If you already have a loyal friend, please hold them tight and appreciate them as often as possible. And if you don’t have any yet, look for trust-worthy acquaintances and make them your friend.

3. Friends who share your vision and purpose

There will come a time when your vision and purpose becomes bigger than you. Or a time when you feel discouraged and lost. That’s not the time to give up. During this phase, simply search your inner circle for friends who share your vision and purpose.

This kind of friends will act as accountability partners and encourage you in the long run. They offer good advice and insights on what to do, how to do and when to do it.

To find this type of friends, you have to constantly share your vision and purpose through your stories and talents. Constantly listen and observe people interested in your craft. Especially those you admire. Then make them your friend.

Recommended article: Salt and Light: When your Purpose meets Brilliance

4. Friends with complementary gifts

When adding friends who share your vision; also search for people with talents that complement yours. You cannot do it all. You need these set of friends to amplify your passions and abilities. They will bring out the best in you at every opportunity.

To find this type of friends, you have to be out-going and visible. Go to events that match your current interests and success path. Strive to meet those on the other side of these gatherings. Invite them to your inner circle and then make them your friend.

You are halfway through the list. Here are the other four types of friends you must add to your inner circle right now:

5. Wise and Intelligent Friends

A wise and intelligent friend tells you the truth. They are highly knowledgeable and open-minded. This type of friend will weigh the pros and cons before allowing you to make an important decision. They will tell you to act both on feelings and logic. Personally, this category of friendship is one of the best experiences you can have.

To find these set of friends, you have to go the extra mile. Ask questions and listen critically during your quest in finding them. This is because some foolish people tend to disguise as wise ones at the beginning.

6. Friends with Influence

On your way to the top, you will need advocates who will promote your name, brand and reputation in higher places. These are the people of influence. These set of friends are often mentors and senior colleagues in your chosen interests. They can also be your peers who already have a huge following in your fields.

To befriend this type of friend, be the first to offer a helping hand. Always find a way to add value to them. Give honest compliments and they will be sure to notice you and make you their friend.

7. Friends with Integrity

People of integrity will arguably be the rarest in your group because there is often a blurred line between loyalty and integrity in friendships. These set of friends have a higher form of loyalty because they are not loyal to you, but to a specific standard and set of principles. They will be your moral compass with their honest words and actions.

To have this kind of friend, check track-records and ask people around them. Then make them your friend.

8. Friends of Faith

Faith is the most powerful force in the universe and it’s safe to say these set of friends are the most powerful in your inner circle. They pray with you and share your beliefs. They have a strong (or at least better) understanding of divine principles and how the universe operates. A remarkable trait in them is their foresight and unwavering belief that things will only keep getting better,

You will find these set of people in close-knit gatherings and fellowships. Make them your friends and hold them closest in your inner circle.

Recommended article:Faith for the Modern Millenial – Read This For Strength

P.S: People of faith are different from religious people.

How to Develop your Inner Circle with these Types of Friends

Start developing and expanding your inner circle by selecting the right type of friends. And if you don’t have good friends to choose from; here is a great poem for you:

“I went out to find a friend. I could find no one there. Then I went out to be a friend, and friends were everywhere.”

To meet a good friend, you must be a great friend too. Be a person of value. Always find a way to contribute to your friendships. When you go out to be a good friend, you will attract the good type of friends.

Recommended article: Invest in Relationships the Right Way: Read this Now!!!

Cheers.

August 8, 2020 / 0 Comments

Faith for the Modern Millenial – Read This For Strength

FAITH. How best can you describe this intangible force with tangible words? I have slightly discussed the theory of faith in a previous post. The good news is we all exhibit faith at every point of our lives. It is that gut feeling and confidence you have in something or someone. It is the belief that something will come to pass at its own time. Strong rooted faith is really indescribable and cannot be fully expressed. But here is a perfect definition of faith:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

HEBREWS 11:1 NKJV

A similar concept would be defining faith as ‘receipts’ for life purchases. It is what you hold on to before the ‘package’ arrives. If you have ordered a product online, you must know this feeling. When you purchase a product online, you get a confirmation order or receipt that your package is on its way. Most times, you must have inserted your card details and pay even though you have not physically seen your item.

This belief comes from trust in that system. You strongly believe the person at the other end would fulfil his other part of the deal. Your faith in life should be strong and more unwavering than this system. You should wake up and do your work, knowing your ‘package’ (your goals, desires and aspirations) will finally be delivered to you at its time.

However, there are times when your faith wavers. Especially those days when the ‘package’ takes longer periods to land for you. At those moments, it seems delay is gradually turning to denial. Don’t worry. I have got you covered. Here are some tips to stay true to the end:

Faith for the Modern Millennial
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

KNOW YOUR ULTIMATE SOURCE OF FAITH

Yeah. Having faith in temporal things simply leads to constant faltering belief. These temporal things include: your goals, money, health, career, medicine and even your innate wisdom. Having faith in these things is fine. You need to have conviction in them to thrive and become your highest self (being successful in all aspects of your life). However, there should be a central anchor of faith on which your other convictions rely on.

That anchor is God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Yes dear, he is your rock on which you should firmly build your house on. He is the ‘delivery guy’ who always delivers at the appointed time. Learn to trust in Him.

IDENTIFY YOUR MAJOR SOURCES OF DISTRACTION

There’s a reason we must specifically identify major sources of distractions. This is because the only way you avoid all interferences today is to live in a cave disconnected from people, the internet and the entire world. (Even the wandering mind can still be a distraction at this point).

So here is what you can do. Take your time to identify the major activities that distracts you and causes your faith to waver on certain days. Then unplug them. Or readjust them in a way that boosts your faith and resolve.

For instance, in the past few months, I discovered a major source of my distractions. Social media. I was always online. And it began to affect my mental health and outlook towards life: Unhealthy Twitter trends and threads (it’s shocking how some people are ready to ruin others in the name of banter and grammar correction).

This app is too sensitive for me. You could say I love my life and suicidal people would get offended.

TWEET FROM @qgatss (chivo) –

The seemingly endless Instagram feed. Overwhelming information on Facebook (I was in so many knowledge-sharing groups and communities. I forgot to share my own knowledge or apply most of them I learnt on a daily basis)

Yeah. Those were my major sources of distractions. Here is what I did:

  • I started slowly by setting countdown timers on my dominant social media apps (for example Twitter – 1 hour, Instagram – 30 minutes, Facebook – 30 minutes, WhatsApp – 1 hour 30 minutes) Once the allotted time elapsed, the specific app shuts down for the rest of the day. Achieve this strategy through ‘Digital well-being and parental control’ on Android OS. P.S: I must admit I removed the timers on some days, but the discipline got stronger as the weeks went by.
  • I eventually uninstalled the apps. It felt unnatural at that time. But I did it at the end.
  • After setting up a plan on how to manage my social media, I re-installed Instagram and created a new account (which you can FOLLOW HERE). With this new page, I was now deliberate with whom I follow and the content I create and consume. The plan is to replicate this tactic with other social media platforms.

In sum, everyone has a way of managing their major distractions. Just make sure you do what suits you. Identify. Then unplug.

STRIVE TO BECOME THE MEN OF OLD

This sounds very strange, right? Advising you to be like ancient men when there are so many successful people to emulate today sounds absurd. Yet, what you learn from the people of old are their core values, principles and astounding faith. In this context, the people of old are the successful individuals mentioned in Hebrews 11:4-35.

The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

HEBREWS 11:2 MSG

To imitate them, through your faith:

  • Pursue excellence like Abel
  • Stand apart like Enoch
  • Prepare ahead like Noah
  • Believe till the end like Abraham and Sarah
  • Understand the power of your words like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph
  • Sacrifice every other thing for the right reason like Moses
  • Seek peace like Rahab

Yeah. This is the end. Do all the above and experience stronger bouts of faith as modern millennials. Cheers.