Day 1
1 peter 4
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin
Successful people live contented lives. I have developed in my mind the clarity that, based on the bible. God intends for his children to live satisfied, contented and cheerful lives…. to all his children, and to be of good cheer all the time. That’s what he is saying in John sixteen.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Be of good cheer. Take heart. That means be happy, be joyful, be contented. The desire of the Lord is that his people live a contented life. Otherwise, how can you be cheerful if you are not contented? Be cheerful means you are contented.
Yet I meet church people from place to place who are not contented. After I left university in the nineteen seventies, I have been exposed to different people. But I have a memory of the teachings either I heard or I have been involved in those years especially the early years I have been involved with the youth here coming very regularly to the youth conferences that used to be held in many churches.
Yet I go from place to place and people are full of complaints and dissatisfaction. After university I worked for a parastatal bank, and it wasn’t paying me a lot of money. I got the impression the reason there were so many complaints is because we were not earning enough money. Then one day I went for a workshop somewhere, and it was mixture of private sector and government bodies that were in the course, and then we went back to our work places. Then somebody from a multinational oil company rang me and said, so and so, you remember me? Yes. Why can’t you consider coming to work for us? the company was Shell, and I said, I was so happy where I was working, I really did not want to move. I was enjoying myself and I was just about two years in the place. So, I wasn’t very keen on moving. He said, no, no, no. Just come let’s talk. When I went to his place I told him, I am actually very happy where I am working. He told me, we need somebody who is a business analyst, who can help us the kind of ways I heard you talk about in the workshop.
He actually gave me a piece of paper to apply in his office. So, he just gave me a paper, write here. Now, since I wasn’t actually quite interested, I started praying about it and I told the Lord to block it unless it is him who is talking. So, and he arranged for me to go for the first interview, which I did. Then after that I went to see the CEO. That was their format for new executives. So, finally I have to meet the CEO. And we met. After that HR called me for us to negotiate remuneration.
Since I was still wanting to know whether it was the Lord calling me, I just doubled my current salary so that they don’t bother me anymore. I knew what my salary is. When he asked, how much do you want? I doubled it. Those days they were not called HRs, they used to be called Personnel Managers. The Personnel Manager continued talking about Shell as a good employer and about the things that they were doing. I said, sir, did you hear what salary I need? He said, young man I can handle that. Now, obviously I waited to see the letter of appointment. And sure, enough they doubled my salary.
I assumed if I go to a place that doubles the salary, people must be very happy. It took me only a few weeks to hear the same complaints I used to hear in the parastatal bank. People unhappy, people dissatisfied, yet they are earning double what we were earning. And within no time, even myself I started thinking my salary is too small. In fact, the first appraisal I had with my boss, he was looking through my file and he asked me, how come they are paying you so little? Me I thought my salary was doubled, but my boss said it was very little. That means I didn’t know how to negotiate. I should have tripled it. And with his influence they actually adjusted my salary because they thought what I was earning wasn’t enough. Yet I was with people totally discontented, totally dissatisfied. And I learnt my lesson as a young man, that is fifty years ago, I learnt my lesson. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. Money cannot give you contentment. They may double your salary and still double your problems.
Are you getting my point?
Day 2
1 Peter 4
2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God
I am not suggesting you don’t continue getting good money, please do not think I am telling you to remain poor, get rich if the Lord allows. But please do not ever make a mistake of thinking that when you get rich you will be actually happier.
I keep telling married couples sometimes when you have no car and you have to struggle to come to church, and you are quarreling with your wife because she is delaying you, you think, God give me a car. The day we have a car we can go to church quickly, and we will not be quarreling on Sunday morning, and then arriving in church conscious of our quarrels and not receiving well from the Lord. God give me a car.
And the Lord answers and you get a car. You know, when you had no car and she was very tied with the baby, she could finally tell you, you go first and I will come after you. And then you go and both of you arrive to church happy. As soon as the car is there you cannot leave her, you must sit and wait. Now it is the time you will be discontented properly. Because now you cannot leave her for there is only one car and if you leave her there will be a curse.
By the way it is not her curse you get for leaving her, it is the Bible curse. It says if you don’t agree with her your prayers will be hindered. Isn’t that in the Bible? Can you see just by getting rich there is more trouble for you? You were better off when you had no car.
Then you actually tell yourself, God if only we had two cars, this frustration will stop. I love my wife and yet we keep quarreling because of one car. You know in the morning if you are late to work there is a quarrel, every morning as you go to the office, because you must drop her in order to arrive your work place later. Now, if you drop her late you also arrive late. Now, those problems you say, they will all be sorted out the day we have two cars. And sure, enough the Lord answers prayers.
You finally have a car and she has another car. But that’s the beginning of your new troubles. Because when you go to the office and she goes to her office, in the middle of the day Brother Ng’ang’a your friend tells you, can we meet later. There is a prayer issue, we must pray about. You don’t bother ringing her, after all she has her own car. So, you go and meet Brother Ng’ang’a and you really deal with the spiritual issues. And you come home happy because of the ministry breakthrough. You arrive home and she is opening the gate and says, where were you? I went for a fellowship; I went to meet Brother Ng’ang’a. Without telling me? That’s when you realize you should have told her. The beginning of the second car is the beginning of troubles because every time your family starts operating separately going different.
You know the one car was very good, it was the point of discussion. So, you could not go without talking about the day, but now with two cars you can go without clearing with spouse… And that’s not what marriage is. Are you getting my message?
So, Contentment is not related in any way with how much money you have. Not at all. And I say then, contentment must be a secret. So, I called my book, The Secret of Contentment. And if you know that secret, it does not matter at all how much money you have, the look of your husband, the look of your children, the estate you live in, you will be contented all the days of your life.
And it is a pity that many of us who are born again and we are going to heaven, we hate sin, we live in righteousness but still discontented. Because we have the wrong attitude, we do not understand the secret. We live a life where you don’t enjoy time on earth although we will still go to heaven. God’s intention is not just for heaven. He wants you to enjoy heaven and He wants you to be contented on earth. And it is important you get both.
That’s why He did not say, don’t worry, continue suffering and in heaven you will be happy… He said, be of good cheer now. Not in heaven but on earth. So that you do not say, oh I am unhappy but it doesn’t matter, after all I will be happy in heaven. That is not true. You need to deal with the matter here that is giving you discontentment.
Day 3
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.
I want to share a few things that book of Peter is mentioning that will help you. The basic issue is, attitude determines your altitude. Where you are operating from, whether you will be a place of contentment or a place of depression, am calling altitude? Depression is downwards the altitude. Attitude determines altitude. Altitude is the height. Are we together?
So, where you operate will depend on your attitude. Let’s just look at the book of 1 Peter 4. I am reading in NIV from verse four.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God
Jesus lived a happy life. We do not meet Jesus at any time either in childhood or adulthood playing in depression. Jesus never suffered depression. All the time. But it is not because He came from a rich family. Remember his father was a carpenter. That boy was trained as a carpenter also, which was normal in those days. That tells you the young boy must have hit his finger trying to hit nails several times. That’s normal for a carpenter, isn’t it? You want to hit the nail, then you hit your finger. Now, so he must have suffered quite a bit as he was growing up.
But we meet the boy at the age of twelve in the temple, jolly, happy, with self-confidence. In fact, He is sitting with the elders and talking to them, until the parents leave him. You know the story, isn’t it? And then they remember, where is the boy. They go back to find him with old people, educated people, professors of the word, talking to them and they are listening to a twelve-year-old boy. That is what we call self confident.
But I want to tell you Jesus did not actually have self confidence, He had God confidence. And that is the first attitude I want you to understand you need. If you want to live a contented life, instead of self confidence you must have God confidence. You know, every time you hear people telling you, eeh you know, please have self-confidence. You keep thinking in your mind, they are telling me to have self confidence because they don’t know me. I am not worth having confidence in. How terrible I am? They are only saying that because they don’t know me well. So, for somebody to tell you to have self confidence, he is a joker. He doesn’t even know you. So how can he tell you to trust yourself?
Day 4
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
The word of God doesn’t encourage you to trust yourself, the word of God asks you to trust in God. So, you then have no self confidence but God confidence. What is God confidence? God confidence is the attitude that God cannot let you down. That God is so loving to you that it does not matter what you suffer, what you are going through, God will always be there; number one. Number two, confidence is the idea that God is able, so able that there is no enemy that can do you evil to you. So, a witchdoctor may threaten I have gone to see kabwere. Kabwere was a famous witchdoctor a few years ago, I don’t know if he still exists. You don’t sit there unable to sleep at night. What will happen when he comes back from kabwere? No. When you have just self-confidence and fear witchcraft, you will never sleep at night, isn’t it? But if you have God confidence, you say, God, he has just gone to see kabwere, and kabwere talks to the devil, and the devil is one of the angels you created. Handle him. Once you have handed him over to the Lord, you will sleep like a baby. Are you getting my point? That is called God confidence.
Your boss comes and tells you at work, I will fire you. You refused to see me after four thirty, no, no. In my days work used to end at four thirty. So, we used to talk about any meeting after four thirty is suspect. Now I should be saying after five. Have you seen bosses who want to see ladies after five? Have you heard of them? And she tells him, no, I am born again, I don’t see bosses after five. He comes again and tells you, please see me. Look at me seriously. You don’t meet me after five, count yourself fired. And by the time he is firing you, your children have just entered school and you have no other money. Your husband has just begun a business that is not doing well. And you know without that money your children will be thrown out of school. And all over sudden you feel like, waah! I now can’t trust myself. I better see him. Only I will not go to a hotel, we will go somewhere safe. Now, that is the way to backslide. You don’t backslide by running, you backslide by sliding slowly. So basically, you are just sliding backwards. Now, why are you doing that? Because you have only self-confidence.
Day 5
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God
What is self-confidence? Trust salary you are getting. And when the salary goes, you realize your children will be out of school. But when you have God confidence, you tell the man I don’t want to lose my job but I also don’t want to see you after five. If the Lord chooses that He will use you to get me out of here, it is only because He has another source for my children’s school fees. Go ahead. Assured, so sure that if you are fired, it will only be so that you are employed in another place. You need to understand that can only happen when you are friends with God, where you don’t trust in yourself, you have no self confidence, you have God confidence.
That’s an attitude that Jesus had. So that at every stage of the way, irrespective of the temptations and Jesus had, He had God confidence. He faced it. The worst of them was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew they are going to kill him. As a human being, because remember theologians tell us He was very human and very God, that means He was very human means He feared pain like every one of us. So, to imagine being crucified, being killed was frightening. In fact, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He actually went away from the disciples so that they don’t hear him, He took three of them to a particular point, then He went further so that He would pray all alone. So, the third time He was sweating sweat like of blood. He was in real trouble. Then He looked up to God and He said, God you are capable of two things; either removing this cup or giving me the courage to face it. It is not my will, let your will be done.
That is called God confidence. That you can see things are getting worse, have been bad but they are actually getting worse. But at that point you don’t end up getting depressed. You get up saying, if the Lord allows this, it must be because He will give me the ability to deal with it. The Bible says clearly no temptation will be allowed your way except that which is, number one common to man, number two where He will give you a way of escape. Is that in the scriptures? So that even as the issues come your way, you can be contented in the middle of troubles because of who you believed in because you no longer have self confidence, you have God confidence.
Day 6
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
The Bible is telling us, therefore
since Christ suffered in the body, arm yourself with the same attitude.
That means if you truly want to live the contented life that Jesus had, it will be very, very important that you yourself start getting the attitude that Jesus himself had. Let me ask you, what is in your attitude that is causing you not to live a happy life. Because you need to understand that it is not the issues you are facing that are the problem, it is where your confidence lies, your attitude to God and his place in your life, and your attitude to problems whichever they are.
After a number of years working in Nairobi, I was transferred to Kisumu. And I went the first month on my own and left the family behind to make arrangements later with the family. And in between I was invited by University of Nairobi CU trip to speak to them in fourteen falls and Kilimambogo. So, we actually went to fourteen falls and at the top of Kilimambogo, it is where I was giving them my talk. And then we came down on that Saturday, because I had come on Friday evening, I had flown back on Friday evening, and this time I was going to drive my car to Kisumu. On my way to Kisumu on Sunday, after church, I drove towards Kisumu, and in Nakuru near Stem Hotel, I had a head on collision with another car, and my brand new, it was six months old, Toyota car, was folded like a piece of paper, such that I have never seen it again. The insurance company wrote it off. And for an insurance to write off a new car, you can tell very clearly, they must have been assured it is badly done.
But my car was badly done but I am here to writing this now around fourty years later. Are you getting my point? Then that’s what the Lord we are talking about, a God who can get you out of a mangled car. In fact, the front was so badly done that although I was okay, the Lord saved me. I was calling people to remove me from the wreckage and they kept coming and looking and disappearing. I was calling them, come! And they kept a distance until an army vehicle came, and they rescued. And I told them, please pull me from the back seat. So, they were able to look. I had by that time even myself struggled to see how I can flatten the seat. They were able to flatten my seat and pull me from the back. That’s when I discovered my leg weak. I had no blood, I had no scar, but the other vehicle was a canter car and I braked as it hit me. My knee was affected but I had no blood.
Now, I felt God there must be something special you want with my life. How can you get me out of there? By the way, my wife and my great friend Brother Daniel Chege, I think they came to Nakuru the following day. I rang from the hospital and they came to find me. And they tell me, when they went to the police station to see the car, even where I am claiming I was seated they couldn’t see because the engine and the front thing had fallen on the seat. So, they were asking where I came out from. The Lord must have held the front, as long as I was there, when I moved out there was no need. The angels of the Lord must have been holding the car wreckage.
I knew that God had a purpose for my life. And as I was lying in the hospital, I said, God, how much you love me. How can you rescue me like that? I came back to Nairobi and I had a plaster for a number of weeks and I had to go through physiotherapy; I was still getting excited about how good God is. And then I got better, I started preaching again. We moved the whole family to Kisumu; we were preaching all over Western Kenya.
One week I needed to go on duty to Mombasa, around July. Road accident was February, around July. I went to Mombasa for about, I can’t remember the number of weeks. On my way back I came I stopped in Nairobi on a Friday and visited Brother Chege and I told him to take me to Kinangop where my home is, on a Saturday. Because I came from Mombasa on a Friday, stayed in his house, then he took me to Kinangop to see my mother, because on Sunday I wanted to take the very early morning flight to Kisumu, so what we would go to church in Kisumu with the family. We used to be in the PEFA Church, Christ Church of Kisumu, that’s where we were worshipping in Kisumu. There was a very early morning flight in, so I would be in Kisumu by eight o’clock, and we would go to church normally with my family on time. So, we took off from JKIA. But at the airport I saw another sister. When I was in Alliance Boys, she was in Alliance Girls, and we were both leaders of the Christian Unions. We had not seen each other since university, and that was about ten years later. That was now in the late nineteen eighties, so it is ten years since we had left university. So, we were very excited about updating each other. And because the plane was not full, we ended up sitting together. So, we were having fellowship, updating each other.
As we were just about to land in Kisumu, those of you who have landed in Kisumu, your normally go over the lake and then onto the runway. When the girl saw, the lady, I think that’s the better word, when the lady saw that we are just about to go into the water, she started holding her sit tight. I said, I am used to this .You just over fly the lake low but not on the water. Because I have landed in Kisumu many times. I wanted to comfort her to tell her, don’t worry that is normal. You normally go like you are landing on water then you land on the land.
How wrong I was? Within seconds we just crashed onto the runway. We were coming down the runway without wheels. The pilot had forgotten to remove the wheels. And those of you who know how you brake, the pilot normally uses the wheels to brake, isn’t it? But when you are, from Kericho when you are just about to go down, the pilots were talking with each other, they were friends. So, when the aircraft reminded them that they were coming too low without removing the wheels, the senior pilot told the other one, horia kanyamu kau…silence it They were Kikuyus. Silence that thing. The thing that is telling them we are dying; the junior pilot was told to silence it. So even themselves they were not aware we were landing without wheels. We just crashed.
Day 6
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
By the grace of God, I am here. How many people on earth have ever crashed and lived to tell the story? As I came out of the aircraft because we were to walk, I knew God loves me. Where we crashed, we had to walk quite a distance to where the office is. I said, God you must have something you want to do with my life. I was just thinking God loves me beyond measure. Remember that is two major accidents within one year; February and then July.
But the story goes on. Two or three months later, we are in Nyanza Sports Club, and on a Saturday afternoon. We were with my wife, our children were standard four, three, nursery, that kind of level. So, they were young people. So, we take them to the club so that they play around with the swings and what not. So, we are seated taking a soda and the children are playing, and we are talking to each other. Now, we just saw one of our daughters, I think the second one, coming down head frost. You know there is something in the children’s playground where you jump like a monkey from one place to the other until you come out the other side. You climb, and then you go over, and then you go down the other side. You get the picture of what I am talking about? My daughter was up, then another child came from the opposite direction without my daughter knowing, and they met in the middle, and obviously couldn’t fit. So, it is my daughter who came down. And because, when we are talking about a small child of four years, the place is so high, as you are coming down you turn to come with your head. And we saw her coming down with her head. Of course, by that time we stood up to go, she was down. Not that we will do much to save, but a parent cannot sit down. So, you are going but you know you are going to pick a corpse. Because if you land on your head, you can’t be alive. We went there and she was not crying, and we knew she was dead. We touched her and realized she was not dead. Why? At exactly the final moment, she seems to have turned and she landed on her hand instead of landing on her head. So, it is the hand that took the impact and the hand twisted. You know with an older person, when you land badly you break your hand, with a child it turns like a young bamboo. So, my child’s hand was twisted from to back. So, we put her in the car quickly and rushed her to Aga Khan Kisumu hospital praying. And they took her to theatre. And the good thing with a child, they are able to turn it back front. You know, since it is not broken it is only curving, they just curve it back and put it in a plaster. In fact, a few months later I would ask my daughter, which hand had a problem? She couldn’t remember. And I said, what a miracle! This Lord is a miraculous God. And you know with a child she even forgets she is playing with same hand.
Day 7
But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death
After that somebody came to my house, a Kikuyu, who we had become friends. Of course we were not too many there. He came to visit me, he was not a Christian, he said, Mr. Ng’ang’a, on your way here you had a car accident. Yes. Of course we were friends so he knew. Then you crashed in an aircraft. Yes. Now your daughter almost died. Yes. Don’t you think you need to check up what the issue is? You know people normally think Kikuyus have no superstition. Here is one of them. He thought that I am being foolish to see so many things one following each other, and I seem so happy, and I am telling the story like it is a good story to tell. He just thought, this boy is not quite sure what he is saying. Don’t you think that you can find out?
Of course, what he is saying is I go to see a diviner. Are you getting my point? Some diviner who can find out what are these things that are following me from place to place. I was in utter shock because for me every instance was making me feel happy that I am in the Lord, that nothing can happen to me because the Lord rescues me each instance. So, me I see the love of the Lord, and it give me God confidence I can face anything. Why? Here is the example, anything that tries to come my way, the Lord is able to handle it. So, I am happy and contented.
The other person is seeing one problem after another and says, you are bewitched . And you are so foolish, he is doing nothing about it.
Now, I am telling you attitude determines your altitude. Why? Like the songwriter says, count your blessings name one them one by one, it will surprise you what the Lord has done. That’s what I was doing.
What about my friend? He changed the song, count your curses naming them one by one, it will surprise you how powerful the devil is. Attitude. remember the facts were the same, we were not dealing with different facts, I did not argue with the facts, we all agreed on the facts, but our attitude to the facts determined whether you see a witchdoctor or you rejoice. Are you getting my point?
Day 7
I think it is important that you ask yourself, this morning are you contented or not? I know in your mind you say, I am not contented but Brother Ng’ang’a I wish you knew what I am going through. Even if I knew I can’t help you, go to God.
What is your attitude? Number one, do you believe God is able? Because sometimes you think God cannot handle this. Then you are going to be in trouble because you are all on your own. So, what is your attitude to God and his ability.
Number two, do you believe God loves you. Because if He does and He is able, then there is nothing that will come your way He cannot help you to handle. But you know some people believe God is able but He is not loving. Others believe He is loving but He is not able. Your attitude must be that God is both able and loving. Because when that happens, it does not matter what you are going through. Maybe you are now forty and no brother seems to have been tempted even to propose. And you reach a level and you say, God there is something wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with you. Don’t have confidence in yourself. Do not go and try to change the size of your nose. Now, just be clear in your mind, when the Lord wants you to be married you will be married. But when He has something, He wants to do with you single, which you cannot do unless you are single, He will make sure every brother turns the other direction until you have accomplished God’s purpose for your life. Once it is done, you will just see them coming like butterflies, and you wonder, where have they been all this while. The Lord was holding them away. And then you will be married at forty-two.
Now, once you are married at forty-two, He might make sure you live until around may be eighty-two so will have had about forty years of marriage. Just like the girl who got married at twenty, and who she died at sixty, she also had forty years of marriage. What’s the difference? It is important to understand that God is both able and willing, then there is nothing, absolutely nothing that will bring your joy down.
So, the Bible is saying, let the attitude Jesus had be your attitude, who although He suffered in every way, yet He remained in joy. Jesus suffered more than the average one of us but He was happy and rejoicing.
Is there anybody READING this who is not born again and because you are not born again, You are not able to surrender your battles to the Lord. I would encourage you to tell God that you want your life from today to be managed by him who is able to give you a satisfied, contented life for the rest of your life.
We will enjoy the sense of contentment that the Bible intends for us to have once we have God confidence .