Forget the 'Prayer of Jabez'...there is the 'Prayer of Lawrence!'

Have you ever watched those Hollywood movies where a demon shows up, a priest comes against it brandishing a huge cross and starts reciting the following:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy Name...Mary mother of Jesus, pray for us..."

What I know is that if a serious demon showed up at my doorstep and I actually saw it...the prayer I will make will be real to that situation at hand. It will not be a scriptural recitation...I will basically be yelling... "Lord help meee!!"

So anyway... from my Christian faith, I have been taught about 'The Lord's Prayer'...basically a template that Jesus gave to his disciples that asked him to teach them how to pray.

We have to notice this was a general template that should be customized for personal needs at different times in different situations and for different purposes. Hot on the heels of the Lord's prayer has been what is widely known as "The Prayer Of Jabez". Jabez was a guy born in stressful circumstances...and his name actually means pain. So one day he prayed the following:

"Lord that you would bless me indeed, and that you would enlarge my territory. That your hand would keep me from evil and that it shall be well with me"

The Bible records that God answered that particular prayer. It has caused many Christians across the globe to take those words of Jabez and recite them verbatim so that they can get the exact results that Jabez got. I have no problem with that.

What I am championing today however, is the fact that there is an ever more powerful prayer than the prayer of Jabez. It is called the prayer of Lawrence. OK, it is also called the Prayer of Moses...the Prayer of Pauline, the prayer of Beth, the Prayer of Alice, the Prayer of Wamakonjio...I hope you get the point. In essence, you can simply insert your name there and it becomes the most powerful prayer you can ever use after the prayer of Jabez.

Let me explain. Jabez was personal about his request. It came as a concerted effort to break a lineage of distress...and a destiny of pain. It as specific to his condition and situation. It was as clear as it could get. He felt deep down inside of his heart what he prayed. He did not want these things....no he needed them...and he needed them badly!

Let me be personal enough and just show you how the Prayer of Lawrence looks like. Are you ready? Here goes:

1.  Oh God that I may be so deeply in love with you and live daily in your presence, and maintain our intimacy!

2. Oh God, that I may impact the lives of millions through coaching, motivational speaking, preaching, seminars and workshops, on radio, and TV, and online, and speak hope to the hopeless and challenge millions to take personal action for their own life revivals!

3. Oh God that I may own my own home, raise my own family and be blessed seeing my grand kids, a godly lineage that impacts the universe!

4. Oh God, that I would be extremely wealthy and prosperous, a blessing to the fourth generation from me! 

Friend, when I pray the above (which I have included in my Dream Book) most often it comes from deep down my gut. I feel it. I want it...and I want it badly!!!

Here is the thing: Now that I have shared with you, you cannot take it and make it yours. Chances are that you do not feel so strongly about coaching, preaching, wealth, books, the media, speaking and so on like I do. However, you have your own dreams, wishes and desires.

Next time you want to pray, would you please be seriously clear about what you really do need and desire? Next time you catch yourself doing 'The Lord's prayer' or the 'Prayer of Jabez'...why don't you stop yourself for a minute and remember the prayer of Lawrence, or John, or Olive, or Rosemary...?

Makes sense, right? 

ABOUT THE BUSHES AND STORIES OF 'NO MAN'S LAND'

A certain Comedian being interviewed quipped, 'At the height of my career, I was invited by the Bush family to go make a presentation. So when my time came, I stood before the bushes....I mean the Bushes and made my performance'. Smart people will read between the lines and get the joke...others, well do not take life too seriously. Reminds me of a quote that Coach Phillip brought to my attention the other day, "On your way to making a million, stop by and pick up a rose"~Jim Rohn.

It happens a lot. Even with this post. People want to get to the subject matter immediately. So it does not help me much when I have a title like the one above...that basically hides the message. Such like a way of writing pleases readers but not prospective clients. This message has further been fueled by another post by a friend of mine Robert Bake, the founder and President at Authors' Forum-Kampala.

Lingering is not such a good thing. When you are crossing a border between two countries, there is normally a small piece of land in between the two called 'No Man's Land'. Here, there is no government, no legislation. If you pitched a tent there, you will belong to no country. You will have no identity.

That analogy is pretty extreme, yet this scenario pervades our lives daily. We for some reason, love circling the airport for long before finally landing. We like beating about the bushes instead of going to the real deal. It is much like what we talked of in the previous post. We never like being real-especially with other people. We love  putting the best foot forward so we can impress. There is a time and place for that.

I remember several months ago, there were two parties that needed to get into a business agreement. The financier was more concerned with the safety and guarantee of their cash. The business people were more concerned with earning the trust of the financier. You should have seen the back and forth, back and forth between the two parties. It was like watching a pretty s.l.o.w tennis match. Much as the business people did all they could to please the financier, nothing was shifting...well until I spoke up. I told the financier the bare truth. The truth that there is a possibility that the project would not work, and that her finances would be in jeopardy. When the business people agreed with me, you should have been there to see the peace in this financier's face. That is all she needed. When these guys said what they were afraid of saying, that settled the matter right there and she was on board!

Fear of losing is always there. The earlier it is tackled head on the better. Much like the quote I saw the other day, "Face your fears instead of Face Booking them!" Quite true. You see, staying in no man's land has this illusion that you are safe....and that is exactly it! It's an illusion. There is no safety in no-man's land. There is no safety in lingering for long instead of doing the uncomfortable right on (Sounds poetic). Yes, you might lose the client if you told the bare truth...but the trust you will get from your action will be far much valuable than getting a client who will mistrust you later

The reason as to why psychologically many people love the No man's land is that there is no paying taxes over there! Well, neither are there paved roads and utilities delivered!

The same applies with decision-making. I heard an elderly gentleman working for the UN some weeks back say these words, "At the UN, we are encouraged to make decisions IMMEDIATELY, and not to sleep over them". How so true. Being undecided for long is weary. Living a life of legacy needs focus and concentration, things which cannot be achieved if you are living in' no man's land'. My admonition to everyone is to gauge your life at the moment. Like that nice Sunday school song, let me ask: "Whose side are you yelling on"? What are you focusing on for your life really? What 'country' do you belong to? Could it be possible that you are in 'No Man's Land' at the moment?

That is the end of my message. I just need to qualify it with some stories here and there now. I remember few years back I had to make a decision about a relationship. We had taken a very long time living in a 'separated' state ostensibly to sort our options. That was OK, since the decision had already been taken to 'separate'. So we were not in No Man's land per se. However, when the said time came to take sides and agree on one decision, the other party still wanted more time. I guess their mind was already leaning on one side, a side that they knew I dreaded much. To be honest, I really did dread the decision not going my way. But let me say this, the greater dread was waiting another season of time to decide. I could not wait any longer. The waiting state has the capacity of literally crippling you. It has the capacity of taking the life out of you. Sometimes it presents the 'false hope' that the longer you wait, the more probable it is to take a more favorable decision. So when we insisted on taking this decision, well, as you would have imagined, it went flat out against me. I have never cried so much...even lost weight in a record two days! But guess what? I was as free as a bird. I was at least with a standing...and that ultimately gives you direction on the next steps. That was a biggie I tell you.

Another story I am reminded of is the day I took a flight from Nairobi to Entebbe. I used a small plane, the kind of which cant fly 37,000 ft above the ground. In essence, I saw the whole land mass all the way from Nairobi...and a large water body as we entered Uganda's airspace. That was the fun part, until we approached Entebbe and the Pilot informed us that he will be circling the airport for some time until something was sorted on the ground before landing. So there we were suspended in the air, going round in circles. Not fun at all. When we finally did land that is when relief hit me. It is amazing to know that very many people's lives are suspended out there in this and that. They know what exactly they need to do...but have not made the DECISION to.

I have been there. When my wife (then 'just a good friend') introduced me to her mentors, the lady told her later on that I am a slow decision maker. According to Beth, her mentor told her that I would finally become her husband, but I am a slow decision maker. It was very true. For some reason, I wanted all the details to fit.I wanted to know the big picture as well as the nitty gritty of the details before making a decision. I have learnt since that it is wise to move on at the earliest opportunity, and manage the consequences of my decision. After all, you can never regret about a decision, you can only LEARN from it and ADJUST.

In Kenya, few years back, the country was plunged into chaos. Reason? Two men were claiming to have won the presidential elections. When finally the two parties were brought together on a table, and a compromising DECISION taken, the dust settled. Here is the deal, you will always have the good of both sides of your decision. The problem is, you can never have them both. Staying in the suspended state gives you the POTENTIAL of both good, but does not give any one of them to you.

My take on life is this: First, we need to ACT SOONER than later  on our decisions. Second, we need to reduce the amount of time taken living in no man's land. Thirdly, you might never be very sure of a decision. If you were wrong, just learn from it and move on. Lastly, it never pays playing safe.

Have a bush-free day, wont you?