Where are you? Can you attempt to answer that question? While you are at it, that was the first question that man was ever faced with. The Bible records in the book of Genesis chapter 3 verse 9 : GOD called to the Man: “Where are you?” I recon that since it is the almighty asking the question, it wasn’t because he didn’t know the answer. Asking however, makes the one being asked to ask him or herself a fundamental question that can help in quick recovery.
I would have thought that the first question that God would have asked man was the question of “who are you?”, “why are you here?” e.t.c. The first question however was not any of these soul searching philosophical questions, the first question was, “where are you?”. Who you are was done and delivered before you were formed, it’s not an answer you cook, it’s an answer you find. It’s the same with why you are here, the answer existed before you were formed in your mother’s womb. Where you are however, is interestingly your doing, and you are answerable to God!
The weekend has been quite hectic for me, I dare say I must have presented in more 6 different sessions over the weekend. This question is one that was strongly impressed on my heart in one of those presentations. My friend, where are you? Where are you today?
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” – King David
In looking at the quote above, taken from the quotes of King David in the book of Psalms chapter one verse one, you’ll observe something interesting about the Journey of the man who is blessed, and the one who is not. There are three key words I will like you to pay close attention to in this verse. The words are – walk, stand, sit.
The first observation I will like you to make is to picture this sequences. This man or woman starts by walking, then he or she goes ahead to stand, and ultimately to sit. I dare say that the direction of these images is not of one that is on the move to achieve, but someone who is about to stop! The progression here is negative, perhaps before he walked he ran, and perhaps after he sat, he died. With simple quantitative analysis, we can project the missing spaces, the before and the after.
Let me say categorically then, that our lives are a journey from somewhere to somewhere else. Our lives are bound by two dates, the one in which we were born and the one in which we die. I like the analogy that says that when a man dies, his tomb stone reads as such, ” James Calvin, 1933 – 2001″ . In this inscription the life of James Calvin is represented by a little dash, this little dash is in between 1933 and 2001, this little dash moves from left to right. From the day we are born to the day we die, we are in a journey. A journey from left to right, a journey towards success, towards achievement, towards greatness, towards significance, towards leaving a legacy. The little us, starts life learning to sit, then he learns to stand, then to walk, then to run, and then he dreams he can fly. The journey of progress is towards motion, more rapid motion. God had interacted with Adam for days, months perhaps years, without asking him where he was. I recon that when progress is assumed, there is no basis for defining location. All of a sudden, Adam engages in a process, that makes his location questionable. I’m asking you again, “Where are you?”
In your gradual movement towards your dreams, what stopped you? As a child, you struggled for months to walk, you rose and fell over 1000 times, but you never gave up. You never said “I can’t”, you never settled down with yesterday’s best. You had dreams that look like jokes to you now, you have been numbed by your routine job, normalized by reality. The little muscle of possibilities lurking in your heart is responding and dancing to what you are currently reading, but your brain is trying to rationalize it out. You might not have stopped, but are you still running or you are walking? Are you walking or standing, or are you standing or sitting? Or are you past sitting? “Where are you?”
Here are the things to watch out for, to ensure that your progress is undetered, and your location irrelevant.
1. Walking: The blessed, to be envied and highly favoured man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. The first activity that begins to slow you down, is the counsel and the opinion of wicked people. Wicked people in this case are not the faceless witches in your village, or the unknown evil forces. Wicked here is simply the opposite of righteous. If you are not doing the right things by Gods’ standards you are wicked. If you are not in right standing with God you are wicked. If you are not living in faith and pleasing God, you are wicked. Simple. What makes people begin to slow down and not move is when they begin to take counsel from the wicked. “What do you think I should do?”, “How did you go about your own?”, “Ja mi si”. We know that without faith, we can’t please God, yet we take fearful counsel from the wicked. The first stopper is getting comfortable with counsel from the wicked, taking our measures from their principles and advice. Where are you?
2. Standing: The blessed person does not stand in the way or path of sinners. “I just hang out with them, I don’t do what they do”. “I’m the sanest among my friends”. “My friends call me pastor as a way of excempting themselves from the standards I keep”. “He’s an okay guy, he does some things I don’t approve of, but I like him”. “There is nothing wrong with him, I know so man so called christians that are not any better”. If any of these describes your reality, you are standing in the company and way of sinners. You are not sitting yet, but you are getting too comfortable with the counsel of the ungodly. We cannot tell you appart from your associations, your conversation is blending already. You already have reputation with the way of the world, “Ori e tin fonka sibe!” . The blessed person does not do what they are doing, go where they are going, or take the decision of the crowd. He that would be kept from harm, must keep out of harm’s way.
3. Sitting: The blessed does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The depth of the decline is sitting. Here was a woman or man, who was running and on the way from start to finish, from birth to glory, from shame to fame, from anonymous t significant and so on, all of a sudden reduced to one that not only practices wrongdoing but mocks at those who do good. There are two dimensions we are looking at here, we are looking at the progress – in the social as well as spiritual. Those who sit, are those who for example stay in a state they know deep within ought not to be final, but mock those who are bold to take the move. He’s in a job that sucks, but yet rejoices at the woes of an entrepreneur. On the other hand, he is sitting who now mocks at the standards he once knew were right. To someone walking today, sitting may seem far, to someone standing, sitting may also seem pushing it. The pathway is clear however, and the destinations sure.
As it was with Adam.. first counsel from the devil, then standing in the way of someone who had already participated in eating – Eve, and just before he got to a point where like Satan, he would also sit and scorn, God asked him a question that was the beginning point of rallying him back to sanity. That question was helpful then, and still is today, “Where are you?”. You were on the way somewhere, on the way to your dreams. Don’t miss your step. Keep running!
What I see here is reverse progress, but in all ur movement, move forward, even if you have to fail, fail forward.
Great thoughts here Deolu.
WORD!!
Thanks Deolu, my journey in life must be forward ever, NO stagnancy, backward never.
Great thinking; Great product.
But how do we move from the thinking to the product.
Any ideas?
Thank you deolu.forward ever backward never
Chairman, truly, your vogage to Egpyt brought a lot of refreshment to your brian. thanks for sharing
With God all things are possible.
Thought provoking.
Let all know that whatever is in your heart, good or bad, will soon surface in your hands. So check it – where you are – before you are checked-out.
I’ll also like to note here that there are no STRONG (Christian) men but the Careful ones. For weaker ‘vessels’ to exist is a confirmation the preceding ‘vessel’ is weak. So let he that THINKS (not confirmed/affirmed, it was the thinker’s assumption o) he stands take heed…he falls. Every man at the stages of sitting, standing, even walking always assume they are in control until they check out who is at the wheels – the hand is Esau’s while the voice is Jacob’s. O ga o.
Great Deolu!!
this is mindblowing,though provking and spell binding.i’m so compelled to do away with thsoe thing that conform to God’s standard.i need to rearrange my philosophies.thanks deolu.
Bros….you have said it all.Most of us tends to know where we are if we are sincere with ourself but we find no answer to where we are going.I pray that the almighty God will show us all the direction to where we are going.Amen!
Speechless!
I am here In Nashville is my answer. Just read the question and i am answering it right away. I will read the whole content and see what and where you are taking us to this time around.
This can only be God speaking! its thought provoking indeed..i need to digest it for myself first before i make a proper comment!.. am speechless!..all i can say for now is that God’s definition of move forward could be like Joshua and co, walking round the walls of Jericho 7 times..it did not make sense initially..but it finally did when the walls crumbled!..to some of us..this may not make sense..but i suggest..you print it out and read and meditate on it while praying..God where am i?..am speechless but still managed this “tinny winny comment”..lol, My Prophet, thanks..Egypt do you well!
http://www.bridget-elesin-laughs.blogspot.com
Philosophical!
Very important and strategic question! Thanks
God bless u for sharing!
mmnn! Thanks for sharing this. The voice of man is the voice of God.
where am I?
God bless you.
A simple word, enough for the wise!Keep it up bros.
Where am I? True question. I actually had to read the post over and over twice. Ododo oro.
May we not miss it and backslide!
God bless you for this blessed gospel. For me it was a word in time.I will start running and I’ll drop the slangs. Thanks.
great question that requires answer from all.WHERE AM I?Great piece from a Graced man of God.MORE GRACE TO U IN JESUS NAME AMEN.
A GREAT PIECE. MAY MORE GRACE BE MULTIFLIED UNTO U IN JESUS NAME AMEN.WHERE AM I?A GREAT QUESTION IN DEED.
doing the business of the day by the day is a greater way to move forward, its advisable not to jump up but climb up…he who jumps up falls down but he who climbs up stay up but humble yourself while on the way forward/up.
Pls come and open your church branch in Nashville. This is indeed the word for now. It is a concept that comes from deep inspiration. Thank you my brother.
“You had dreams that look like jokes to you now (not really like jokes but are under constant threats of abortion), you have been numbed by your routine job, normalized by reality. The little muscle of possibilities lurking in your heart is responding and dancing to what you are currently reading, but your brain is trying to rationalize it out”. Enough said!
I have said it before and would say it again, your (God-inspired) words burn like fire within me.
Cheers with Luv!
Thanks all, Amen to the Prayers.
@Otome – The branch is opened already, you can pastor the church
I’ll stay in the headquarters 
Great message! It’s for us all…those who think they stand should take heed lest they fall. Where are we? Where am I? In right standing with HIM or just lukewarm? May God help us.
Wake up call!
After reading this over and over again, now i have somethings to say.
Where am I? I must confess, sometimes i walk, sometimes i run and sometimes i stand doing nothing and some other times i stand in order to look back and see if i have missed anything so that i can go over it again.
I have a quote, it says “I will rather millipede my way to destiny than to frog jump my way to destiny” The small details of life are what makes life interesting.
Personal Lessons learned from here:
1. Never be wicked and never ever stay in company of the wicked.
2. I must constantly set an appraisal over my life at the end of the month to know where I am.
3. I must be consecrated daily, concentrated on what is God’s daily so that i will be compensated (Psalm 1:2-3) and the dash between my year of birth (1983) and year of death (2061) will have a lot of great and excellent meaning.
Thanks
http://www.adesojiadegbulu.com
@ N.I.M.M.O – the first thing you need to do as inferred from this post is to do away with the wicked, scornful etc..Lay down every weight that will slow u down..Open up to God who will lead you forward by His Spirit. Then commit it to action that you will do everything right to make the positive thoughts a positive products through ur words, thoughts and deeds.
Wow…
I first hurriedly browse through this article last week,but am speechless by the revelations
am getting now. Like as I’ve always said, these articles are Holy Ghost inspired.
That is why you are different from other (motivational ) people / speakers.
You can only motivate as it were, well, when you have Eternal life.
Why was it of all the “who are you”?, why are you here”?, it was “where are you”?
that God asked Adam?
“Where are you”? A question that is your responsibility; one that
only you and you alone has the answer to. In fact, I am the sole architect of my life –
whether I fail or succeed solely depends on me. And because, am yet to answer
this very question well, I know something is wrong. I am still self appraising myself.
“Where are you”? A question most women asked their husbands on phones,
after waiting for so long, and when their whereabouts could not be known.
And because they are not where they are suppose to be, they lie.
Once again, I ask myself, Cyril, “where are you”?
Deolu, may God daze you with His blessings unimaginable. Amen.
Going through the passage in Genesis again, I discovered Adam’s answer was he hid himself because he was afraid….the lesson there is that when we are afraid we become naked and vulnerable to all kinds of attacks.
My brother…this question seems inexhaustible.
CM
I just got a light in the form of the definition for RUNNING. It was the light that made me write a post titled “Fire on the Mountain” on my blog http://www.adesojiadegbulu.com
Running means do more than what others are doing. Adding extra to the extra others are adding to what they are doing. It means always chasing after God who will give access to the answers we desire….I can’t say more!
I shall continue running and will not loose the sight of my dream land!
wonderful charge Deolu, thanks for this, need to examine myself, i must keep running no matter what
sir your peiece is wonderful because it is very timely. i believe that 80% of failure in our world today has more to do with our positioning(where) are you at a specific time. proverbs said he that walks with the wise shall be wise but a companion of folols shall be destroyed.this is what we youths need today for a good and glorious future. job well done and i hope this message doesnt fall on deaf ears….God bless naija
Sir, The question: Where are you? if asked a child, it could simply bring a reply such as where the child is standing or the location of the child at the moment. When asked an adult or a mature person, it’s more of a high expectation or responsibility that is laden on the adult for which he’s expected to be responsible. It also sounds like a General that could not find the soldier at his bit. with a sense of disappointment he ask “Where are you” It brings an opportunity to evaluate our level of progress in the set goal and to see to improving for better performance.
don’t join them. we can always beat them……at these deolu is a testimony to that….
chai! i really could not finish absorbing this gracious piece. i just had to come back much later after understanding the magnitude of that question.” i am here send me”… was Isaiah’s response, but Adam gave excuses. one truth i have come to know is that people who give excuses for failures are creating more possibilities for failure so you do not watch out for them.
a man that tells why he must move forward is inviting you to meet him at the top.
NNC bloggers!…. meet me at the TOP!!!!!!
I love this so much. it makes sense.
where i have discovered has alot to do with ones purpose. the first man Adam was created to fufil a glorious purpose. he had all things so planned out by the creator for his life but the end we know what tragic. that same question our creator is still asking us today. are you where he want you to be?. the truth is that if you place yourself where God hasnt placed you, you will neveer make it there. but if you are divinely positioned, you excel.