Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Victory at What Cost? Not every victory is worth the price you pay for it. You can win the battle and still lose something more precious in the process. You can build a successful career and lose your marriage. You can grow a business and lose your children. You can accumulate wealth and lose your health. So the question is not only, “Can I win?” It is also, “What will winning cost me?” Scripture “They killed Philistines that day all the way from Micmash to Aijalon, but the soldiers ended up totally exhausted.”( 1 Samuel 14:31 ) Explanation Israel had just experienced a remarkable victory over the Philistines. But there was a problem: the soldiers were exhausted because they had been forbidden to eat before the battle was over. Saul had placed the army under a severe oath. The soldiers obeyed, not because the instruction was necessarily wise, but because they feared the curse attached to breaking it. They fought hungry. They fought under pressure. They fought until...

PLAY DEAF Sometimes, what you need to do to achieve the impossible is simply to play deaf! I once heard a story about a group of people who were given an impossible task. They all believed it was impossible, and because they believed it, none of them could accomplish it. Then someone came along who had not heard that the task was impossible. He simply attempted it—and succeeded. Sometimes, what we need to do is play deaf to the impossible situations in our lives. Scripture “But Jonathan hadn’t heard his father put the army under oath. He stuck the tip of his staff into some honey and ate it. Refreshed, his eyes lit up with renewed vigor.” ( 1 Samuel 14:27 ) Explanation This is what the story of Jonathan reminds me of. Saul had given an instruction and placed a curse on anyone who ate or drank anything until he had “wreaked vengeance on my enemies.” But Jonathan did not hear the instruction . So when he came across some honey, he ate it. And that little taste of ho...

Bosses Sometimes Act Foolishly Never confuse authority with infallibility. The people we look up to can inspire us, lead us, protect us and make great decisions—but they can also get it wrong. Even the person at the top is still human. Scripture “Saul did something really foolish that day. He addressed the army: ‘A curse on the man who eats anything before evening, before I’ve wreaked vengeance on my enemies!’ None of them ate a thing all day.”( 1 Samuel 14:24 ) Explanation Children often see their parents as superheroes. Followers can see their leaders as almost invincible. Subjects may assume their king must always know what he is doing. But when it comes down to it, all men are still men. The Bible says Saul “did something really foolish that day.” Notice the wording: that day. Saul was not foolish every day, but on this occasion, he made a foolish decision. Perhaps Saul thought he was motivating his troops. He wanted them focused, determined and committed to d...

PUT YOUR FEAR, NOT THE EPHOD, AWAY Fear will tell you to stop praying when you need God’s direction the most. When pressure rises and circumstances become confusing, our natural instinct is often to take control. But the moment we stop seeking God because we are afraid of what He might say—or because we cannot understand what is happening—is the moment we need Him most. Scripture “While Saul was in conversation with the priest, the upheaval in the Philistine camp became greater and louder. Then Saul interrupted Ahijah: ‘Put the Ephod away.’”( 1 Samuel 14:19)  Explanation Who do you turn to when you have a problem? In theory, most of us would say, “God.” But in practice, we often turn first to our training, experience, connections, skills, or understanding. We consult God when everything else fails. Saul's men were abandoning the mission because of fear. Saul appeared to do the right thing—he called for the Ephod, the instrument associated with seeking God’s direc...

The Power of the First Step A child taking their first steps is a beautiful sight. They may stumble, wobble, and even fall—but nobody laughs at them. Everyone celebrates because a journey has begun. Sometimes, that is all God is asking of you: take the first step. Scripture “In this first bloody encounter, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men. That set off a terrific upheaval in both camp and field, the soldiers in the garrison and the raiding squad badly shaken up, the ground itself shuddering—panic like you’ve never seen before!”( 1 Samuel 14:14–15 ) Explanation Jonathan and his armour-bearer did not begin by defeating thousands. They started with a small but courageous action. In their first encounter , they killed about twenty men—and that seemingly small victory triggered something much bigger. The enemy camp was thrown into confusion. Panic spread. The ground shook. What looked like a small beginning became the spark for a great victory. That...

Come Out of Hiding, Step Into the Open You cannot conquer what you are afraid to confront. Sometimes, the first step toward your victory is simply coming out of hiding. Scripture “So they did it, the two of them. They stepped into the open where they could be seen by the Philistine garrison. The Philistines shouted out, ‘Look at that! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!’” ( 1 Samuel 14:11 MSG) Explanation Israel had been hiding from the Philistines because of fear. But Jonathan and his armour-bearer decided it was time to step into the open. Notice what happened: the moment they came out, the enemy saw them. They became exposed to the very people they had been hiding from. But their exposure was not the end of the story—it was the beginning of a victory God would bring through them. Sometimes, we hide because we fear criticism, failure, rejection, or what people will say. Yet what we call hiding for safety can become a prison that keeps us from fulfilling...