Dispatch from Guinea: Containing Ebola.

The link below contains emails from a Dr working in one of the isolated infected areas in Guinea. They were all incredibly sad and devastating emails but they provided real insight on what the disease really is besides all the medical jargon we have heard in the media.

http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2014/june/dispatch-from-guinea-containing-ebola

The Real truth About 'Boring' Men—And The Women Who Live With Them: Redefining Boring


So not every guy proposes with lip syncingrolling cameras, and a choreographed entourage.
Yeah —  so what if  your Dad didn't?
He just pulled that beat-up Volkswagen Rabbit of his over in front of Murray Reesor’s hundred acre farm right there where Grey Township meets Elma Township, pulled out a little red velvet box, and whispered it in the snowy dark: “Marry me?”

“He didn't even get down on one knee or anything?”

You boys ask it incredulous, like there’s some kind of manual for this kind of holy.
And I've got no qualms in telling you no. No, he didn't even get down on one knee – it was just a box, a glint of gold in the dark, two hallowed words and a question mark.

“Boring.”

I know. When you’ve watched a few dozen mastermind proposals on youtube, shared them with their rolling credits on Facebook, marveling at how real romance has an imagination like that.
Can I tell you something, sons?

Romance isn't measured by how viral your proposal goes. The internet age may try to sell you something different, but don’t ever forget that viral is closely associated with sickness – so don’t ever make being viral your goal.

Your goal is always to make your Christ-focus contagious – to just one person.
It’s more than just imagining some romantic proposal.
It’s a man who imagines washing puked-on sheets at 2:30 am, plunging out a full and plugged toilet for the third time this week, and then scraping out the crud in the bottom screen of the dishwasher — every single night for the next 37 years without any cameras rolling or soundtrack playing — that’s imagining true romance.

The man who imagines slipping his arm around his wife’s soft, thickening middle age waistline and whispering that he couldn't love her more…. who imagines the manliness of standing bold and unashamed in the express checkout line with only maxi pads and tampons because someone he loves is having an unexpected Saturday morning emergency.

The man who imagines the coming decades of a fluid life – her leaking milky circles through a dress at Aunt Ruth’s birthday party, her wearing thick diaper-like Depends for soggy weeks after pushing a whole human being out through her inch-wide cervix, her bleeding through sheets and gushing amniotic oceans across the bathroom floor and the unexpected beauty of her crossing her legs every time she jumps on the trampoline with the kids.

The real romantics imagine greying and sagging and wrinkling as the deepening of something sacred.
Because get this, kids — How a man proposes isn’t what makes him romantic. It’s how a man purposes to lay down his life that makes him romantic.

And a man begins being romantic years before any ring – romance begins with only having eyes for one woman now – so you don’t go giving your eyes away to cheap porn. Your dad will say it sometimes to me, a leaning over – “I am glad that there’s always only been you.” Not some bare, plastic-surgeon-scalpel-enhanced pixels ballooning on a screen, not some tempting flesh clicked on in the dark, not some photo-shopped figment of cultural beauty that’s basically a lie.
The real romantics know that stretchmarks are beauty marks and that different shaped women fit into the different shapes of men souls and that real romance is really sacrifice.

I know – you’re thinking, “Boring.”

Can you see it again – how your grandfather stood over your grandmother’s grave and brushed away his heart leaking without a sound down his cheeks?
50 boring years. 50 unfilmed years of milking 70 cows, raising 6 boys and 3 girls, getting ready for sermon every Sunday morning, him helping her with her zipper. 50 boring years of arguing in Dutch and making up in touching in the dark, 50 boring years of planting potatoes and weeding rows on humid July afternoons, 50 boring years of washing the white Corel dishes and turning out the light on the mess – till he finally carried her in and out of the tub and helped her pull up her Depends.

Don’t ever forget it:
The real romantics are the boring ones — they let another heart bore a hole deep into theirs.
Be one of the boring ones. Pray to be one who get 50 boring years of marriage – 50 years to let her heart bore a hole deep into yours.

Let everyone do their talking about 50 shades of grey, but don’t let anyone talk you out of it: commitment is pretty much black and white. Because the truth is, real love will always make you suffer. Simply commit: Who am I willing to suffer for?

Who am I willing to take the reeking garbage out for and clean out the gross muck ponding at the bottom of the fridge? Who am I willing to listen to instead of talk at? Who am I willing to hold as they grow older and realer? Who am I willing to die a bit more for every day? Who am I willing to make heart-boring years with? Who am I willing to let bore a hole into my heart?

Get it: Life – and marriage proposals — isn’t not about one up-manship — it’s about one down-manship. It’s about the heart-boring years of sacrifice and going lower and serving.It’s not about how well you perform your proposal. It’s about how well you let Christ perform your life.
Sure, go ahead, have fun, make a ridiculously good memory and we’ll cheer loud: propose creatively — but never forget that what wows a woman and woos her is you how you purpose to live your life.
I’m praying, boys — be Men. Be one of the ‘boring” men – and let your heart be bore into.And know there are women who love that kind of man.
The kind of man whose romance isn’t flashy – because love is gritty.
The kind of man whose romance isn’t about cameras — because it’s about Christ.
The kind of man whose romance doesn’t have to go viral — because it’s going eternal.
No, your dad did not get down on one knee when he proposed – because the romantic men know it’s about living your whole life on your knees.

There are Fridays. And the quiet romantics who will take out the garbage without fanfare. There will be the unimaginative calendar by the fridge, with all it’s scribbled squares of two lives being made one. The toilet seat will be left predictably up. The sink will be resigned to its load of last night’s dishes.
And there is now and the beautiful boring, the way two lives touch and go deeper into time with each other.
The clock ticking passionately into decades.
**********************************************************************************************
Maybe I am more of a cynic than a romantic or perhaps a realist like I call myself —although someone swears I'm too much of an idealist to be a realist as if they are mutually exclusive *side eye*— but I am now at a stage where I am no longer fazed by many things. I mean, I still aww when I see some Bella Naija and Instagram wedding pictures, but something tells me that with all the extravagance that go on in these things, no one is paying attention to marriage anymore but to weddings and other superficial things. Before you get carried away though—and with ALL things in life not just marriages/weddings—ask yourself the real questions. Does this matter? These people I am trying to please, do they even care? Ten years down the line, where would these people be?

As usual, I saw this beautiful piece somewhere on cyberspace and thought to share. Enjoy. I hope that one day, people understand the most important things but till then, bring me boring. I love boring. I am boring.

Love,
I

Blog-Versary...Hurray!!!! Plus Compilation Of Popular Posts.

Guess whose Blogiversary it is today, mine! Today makes it a whole year since I started blogging. Of course, I am thankful. I think I have been more consistent than I thought I would be, so I commend myself. Truthfully, I have NOT been that consistent but I surpassed my own expectation. Not just in consistency now, but even in terms of readership and audience. The fact is that I don't publicize the blog that much. I share most posts on Facebook, just a few on Twitter and I have since stopped putting it on my BBM. No word of mouth at all. There is not one person I personally told to check my blog out. My Dad shares ALL my posts though lol, my siblings share some. My friend M once sent a post to everybody on her email list haha (Thanks bae). Also my friend Tomi the owner of  www.withtomi.com  sometimes shares some. That's about it. So imagine my huge surprise when my words and articles have been to countries I have only seen on the map; Bolivia, Kenya, India, Germany, Japan, Turkey. Places I only dream of visiting, my words have been. Imagine my surprise when I realize that thousands of people have read my blog or perhaps people have visited my blog many thousands times. The internet is quite fascinating, to be honest. I hardly post pictures neither do I have a unique design—I should work on these soon though, I mostly just write, literally. Yet, Blogger tells me that people are reading. SOOOOOO, ladies and gentlemen, THANK YOU. For always reading. For sometimes commenting. For sometimes emailing me.

                                         
                                                                        (Source)
So, how do we celebrate this big day? Hehe. I decided (long ago) to list the ten most viewed posts on my blog in the past year. Although, thinking about it now, since they were the most viewed, do I still need to put them below? Shouldn't I just list the least viewed? I'll probably do that at a later time. But for now, the posts that got—and are still getting— the most buzz. Here goes;

1) MY HUSBAND IS NOT MY SOULMATE This was not originally written by me. I got it off another blog. The idea behind the post is something I had always strongly agreed with so I thought to share it. I would later realize that many people were quite fascinated by the topic and discussion. Oh well.

2) DID GOD REALLY SAY THAT TO YOU...OR DID YOU SAY THAT TO YOURSELF? Lol, this is just about three or two weeks old. I guess the title spoke for itself.

3) MY ANGER JOURNEY Honestly, the idea to blog about this thing came very randomly. It was a challenge or maybe a dare to make it public. I hope I challenged someone else.

4) THIS THING CALLED LEADERSHIP My personal expository on leadership with inspiration from the bible.

5) BATTLE OF THE SEXES AND OF EQUALITY The closest thing to feminism I ever wrote about.

6)SOMETIMES, LIFE IS WHAT IT IS, LIFE. My anti Y.O.L.O campaign. Someone needed to tell some of these young people to get off their high horse and wake up from their slumber to the reality of things. I volunteered to do the telling.

7)YOU WERE MY FAVE, OLU. Yayy, the second fiction on this blog. It was quite convincing though. My friend, Ugo thought I did lose someone. Lol.

8)HOW RIHANNA TAUGHT ME TO SAY NO TO NUDITY Rihanna did not actually inspire the post. No, it was a blogger who got inspiration from nudity that aroused my interest in the topic. Really? Nudity and feminism? Seriously? Ugh.

9)ON LAZY AFRICAN INTELLECTUALS AND NON INTELLECTUALS WHO DETEST THE TRUTH What kind of a title was this anyway? Lol. It was not originally written by me also but I gave it that title. It was an AMAZING post with plenty of truths and wisdom. And the pageviews was just as amazing.

10) SILVER JUBILEE PLUS ONE One of my earliest blogposts in celebration of my parents' wedding anniversary. People love love though. Lol.

Whew. That was not an easy compilation. With this list, I probably would be able to narrow the focus of the blog. So, drinks on me of course, for tonight. Dress code is formal; black. See ya tonight. Lol

Thank you guys for always reading my ramblings. One year down, many more to go!

CHEERS,
I

The Many Faces Of Sexual Assault; Let's Discuss.

"I am going to get that girl tonight. Definitely."

Certainty. Pride. Smack lips.

"Hey shawty..."

Walks over. Fills glass. Alcohol.

"It looks like someone needs some more drinks"

More alcohol. Petty conversations. More alcohol. More petty conversation. Intoxicated.

"Why don't we call it a night and head over to my place."

Manipulation.

"um...yea...maybe. I don't know"

Laughter. Drunk. Intoxicated. Judgment impaired.

Sexual assault comes in various forms. While  the definition of sexual assault  varies widely between different jurisdictions—especially legally—it is common knowledge that the basis of sexual assault is engaging in an UNWANTED sexual act. The key word is unwanted. Also, there are variances of the term 'sexual act'. When you dig further and deeper, you would realize, especially with statistics that many people have been sexually assaulted or at least sexually harassed and they probably didn't even realize. In a recent mandatory sexual assault online course I took, I learnt some statistics and figures; I would share them in this post and further explain preventive measures that can be taken.

According to the aforementioned course, alcohol is the leading course of sexual assault especially in the United States. Among other things, alcohol impairs people's judgments. Sometimes, both the prey and the predators' are victims of alcohol intoxication. I was both devastated and flabbergasted when I found out that 1 in 5 American female students report that they have either been raped or almost raped. What was even worse was that, 90% of these victims were assaulted by people they KNOW. That means that while that creepy person you suspect may be following you is dangerous, you are more likely to be assaulted by someone you are very familiar with. This person may come in form of an ex-partner, a current partner, a casual friend, a very good friend or sometimes family. Yes, family! We also should never assume women are the only victims of sexual assault.  1 in 33 men are sexually assaulted at one time or the other. Now that we have established the stats and figures, let's go further to study how it can be prevented.

                                       
                                                                       (source)

Let's assume the introductory conversation did happen. First and foremost since it was in a public place (which is where many assaults start from anyway), the people around witnessing this should not just stand and keep mum. Yes, at that stage, nothing concrete had happened. But since the girl in question was obviously drunk, people around could try to distract the guy or in fact tell him directly that the girl was in no condition to really say if she wanted to follow him home. I think that men and women need to know that except a person gives a VERBAL consent, they do not want to have sex. Don't infer from body language or mood or facial expression, the only thing permissible is a verbal acknowledgement where the person says 'yes'. Now, assuming the said person says a yes at the beginning, the person has a right to call it off and withdraw their consent at any moment otherwise, that  also qualifies as a sexual assault. Since we know many predators take advantage of intoxicated people, it is our responsibility to either drink very responsibly, not drink at all or have someone you trust with you who is not drinking. Personally, I think you should forget the last option because trust is very relative and talking about who to trust is another blogpost  on its own. Bottom line, party responsibly or don't party at all.
                                                   
                                                       
                                                                           (source)
Unfortunately, another very common aspect of sexual assault is threat. For instance, if a superior colleague at work or a teacher asks for sexual favors and threatens you when you refuse the advances, that is a classic example of sexual assault. Assuming the victim goes ahead to have sexual relations with this superior, since the victim was coerced, I believe it was still a case of sexual assault. The predator gave conditions and threats as a repercussion for refusing, so it was a sexual assault and can be reported. I would say you could say no but knowing what I do about some Nigerian lectu... *ahem* What were we saying? Okay sexual assault. Do not let anyone manipulate you please, try as hard as possible to not let anybody in a supposed higher position take advantage of you. I think a really unfortunate type (and they all are) would be the one between partners—people who are together. According to research, this type mostly starts from emotional abuse to verbal to physical and then to sexual abuse. We all know that friend whose boyfriend just yells at them for the silliest reason. Or the one that is obsessive and would not let their partner breathe or talk to any other person. Na so e dey start*. The minute your partner starts raping you, let's not merry go round here, just pick up yourself and leave. Full-stop. Get help if you have to but make sure you leave.
                                           
                                                                              (source)
Now those exes, casual friends and buddies; It's hard to sometimes see this type coming but I guess it means we have to be very cautious and self aware. I have a LOT to say about these 'ex' people, but I am struggling hard to not digress here and to focus on the one thing I am blogging about. Like I said, it is very unfortunate that many of these situations cannot be helped especially with supposed friends and maybe even strangers. But if you do happen to find yourself in such situations, you have all the power to stop it. I blogged about a real live story HERE; how the lady survived almost being raped. Unfortunately again, and this is really sad but there are still victims. Sometimes, it just happens in ways no one could have expected or overcome. And if you are in this category, I am sorry. Extremely sorry. There are things one can do after being sexually assaulted but know that it is up to you to decide. Whatever you decide is fine. You can immediately go to a hospital, first for your own safety, health-wise and also because getting a rape kit can help to preserve evidence should you decide to report to the police. Most times, it is advised that you report because in most cases, that helps to stop the predator from doing the same damage to other people. However, assuming you don't want to report, that is fine too. You may also call counselling centers that offer help to victims. Or perhaps, you are fine with talking to a trusted friend or family. Whatever works. What is most important is that you try to heal both physically and emotionally. And you will, eventually.

Stalking is quite an important factor in all forms of assault. Unfortunately, stalking has never been easier than it is now. According to the course, Technology is a primary tool used by stalkers. Hello Twitter. Hello Facebook. Hello Instagram. Of course there is harmless stalking on social network but there are also harmful ones. Personally, I am learning the act of being discreet, not because of assault now but because I just hate to satisfy the curiosity of nosy people. Lol. But seriously, I toy with my Twitter and FB but Instagram, sigh. I love and hate that site. Pictures make everything so LIVE! Hence, my account is private. I can't shout. Lol. Seriously though, don't go about tweeting your every movement or tweeting about how you live alone. Only do these, if you have absolute control over your Twitter followers. It's a scary world out there guys. You can't ever be too careful. Oh and parents, PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN. Pedophiles are very despicable and they are everywhere. That innocent aunt and uncle... Uhunnn (in Wendy's voice). If your child tells you something, don't just brush it off. Believe the child and take it up. Step on toes if you have to, but protect that child.

So how can we stop this scourge  from the corners of our homes? Educate people. Enlighten people. Tweet about it, blog about it, update your Facebook status. Let these predators know they are being watched and people are being more guarded. Spread the word. One word at a time.

Love,
I

*That's how it usually starts.

Re: My Anger Journey/Challenge.

I AM BACK! Lol. That was an over dramatic intro. Anyway, I did promise to be back with results on my ANGER JOURNEY/CHALLENGE which I blogged about here.  And I am happy to tell you it was a success, yay! I didn't report back when it was exactly a week because I was quite busy. But as soon as I had the time, I decided to, mostly because quite a lot of people asked me about it and how possible it could be. It was possible and as a matter of fact, it wasn't just a one week challenge for me, it's now a lifelong journey and lifestyle. I think the most important thing to note is that in that moment of anger, you need to be still and like a part of Proverbs (or was it Psalms?) I stumbled on (totally coincidental!) during the challenge said; "Instead of letting anger eat you up, just lay on your bed and think about the issue." I paraphrased that, but I think that sometimes, the more you think about a situation, the more you realize how irrelevant and maybe petty it really is. Voila.

Besides, the story of the student of Redeemers University who gruesomely murdered his own father and cut him into pieces reminds me how important it is to keep our emotions in check. Self control is such a priceless virtue. When I first heard that story, my biggest fear was that Nigerians were beginning to breed wackos like they have here in America. Then I read about Wale Gates' (a different person entirely) testimony of how he survived his own abusive father. I began to understand just a little bit that it could have been anybody. Wale Gates' story was so pathetic; his father was extremely close to killing him. Now, I am sure about sixty percent of Nigerian kids suffered some kind of psychological or emotional abuse at one point or the other but that amount of physical abuse though, woah! I'm thankful for my parents; may God continue to bless them. My own father never touched me, my mother gave me a few slaps and maybe beat me once but even that had it's limits and it stopped a LONG time ago. I should add that my parents are DISCIPLINARIANS, yes in caps. The level of our upbringing was above par, no kidding. That means my parents prove that you don't need to hit a child to raise a disciplined child. Wale's father beat him even up till he was in his twenties. What is really worrisome in many of the cases of Nigerian parents 'disciplining' their children is that, a large percentage are not doing it because they are that concerned about the welfare of that child but because they don't want a bad name for themselves. I am not kidding you. For instance, Wale's father was a Deacon, so his reputation must have meant a lot to him. That was why even though Wale washed his car but not the EXACT way he wanted, he almost murdered his son but for the poor boy's reflexes. The same way some mothers don't care much about their daughter's sexual atrocities as long as she does not get pregnant. It's a maddening world.

Back to the Redeemers University student. I am so sorry for his family, what a double tragedy. He doesn't seem sorry though, I mean yes he is sorry. But according to his speech, he's sorry for his Mum's loss and even apologized to his sister. But he's not entirely sorry he killed his father. By the way, how does the legal system in Nigeria work? Why is a SUSPECT already spilling so much? But for this speech he gave and the fact that he literally pieced his father, a good criminal lawyer could have claimed self defense especially with a proof of an abusive pattern. Look at me with all my law jargon, I have never stepped a foot inside a law class or even a courtroom! Blame it on an overdose of Law and Order. Lol.

Anyway, I do hope, other Nigerian kids don't begin to follow this pattern. Abeg o. We have been raised to withstand a lot, especially emotionally and that's why I think we are strong people. So I hope other kids don't ever take a cue from this. On the other hand, I do hope that Parents generally learn to not provoke their children also. Again, I am extremely sorry for that family. This is a very devastating situation, one that would stick on their minds forever. Sigh.

Love, and some peace,
I

Truth Is Like A Pineapple.

"Truth is like a pineapple.At first sight,it's rabidly ugly with a skin,filled rough, sharp edges.But for those who can accept it,the reward is a juicy sweetnessthat enriches body and soul."-Femi Olawole.



SOURCE
www.femiolawole.blogspot.com

Did God Really Say That To You...Or Did You Say That To Yourself?

I am back with some of my nuggets of wisdom from God's word. A disclaimer; I don't know as much as I would like to but I like to share some of my findings. Of the word of God, that is. King Josiah in the bible is famously known as the youngest king of Judah. Actually, the youngest king ever. I doubt any one would ever make an eight year old king. But that was not all he was about. He was phenomenal.  Just before his reign, many of the previous kings had a hard time setting standards. Some others, were plainly evil. They worshiped all sorts of gods, bowed down to poles, one of them literally put his own son inside fire. Vile, I know. They did the very things God forbade their ancestors from doing. However, you know God and his sense of humor. He let them be. Other kings weren't as wicked; they served God and weren't as vile. But they did nothing about the gods and the atrocities the people were committing. They turned a deaf ear. See no evil. Hear no evil.    
                                                  
                                                                    source

So, it was amazing to see an eight year old take initiative. He didn't just stand for what was right, he out-rightly forbade it. As soon as he found the book of law—which I believe is present day Deuteronomy— and realized the covenant his forefathers made with God, he took action. At this point, God was angry and was ready to bring disaster upon the city. This young man moved God. God was so impressed that he immediately said:

  "...You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and it's people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you...So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in PEACE. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city."

                                             
                                                                       source
Josiah called everyone and read the laws out to them, insisting that everyone MUST do as it said. He instructed the priests to do away with foreign gods and he severely punished idolatrous priests. I don't know what it was like in that generation. But this current generation? Standing out and standing for something is HARD. Setting standards is HARD. If you doubt me, go on Twitter and post something like 'fornication is wrong'. Sit back and watch your mentions blow with insults about your backwardness. My point? It wasn't just Josiah's actions that inspired me but his ability to stand out and take a stand at such a young age. He made this reforms at about 18 or 16 years after he became king so he certainly was in his twenties—my generation. Now, you may argue that he is king and had the veto power. I disagree. Being king/ruler, you need the people to be on your side. I know at least two kings of Judah and Israel that were murdered by their own officials. So you see, it was about choosing right over wrong.

After demolishing all of these structures and setting things in place, imagine my surprise and frustration when few verses later, Josiah was brutally murdered by a King of Egypt. I WAS LIVID.  I was frustrated and disappointed. 'No way!' I thought. Not the good one. Why Lord? I questioned God over someone that died thousands of years ago. Why does it always seem like the odds are stacked against good people? 'You promised, God!' You promised a peaceful death not a gruesome murder by an enemy. Of all people! Many of those past wicked and vile kings lived and reigned for quite a while, so why Josiah?

I felt like I was missing something. Most of the time, I tell myself that we only see a fraction of what God sees. Hence, the very many un-explainable things. But, not this. There was no way I could let this be. These are things atheist even wonder and when they ask, should one not know anything about the God one serves? I remember when my Course Adviser in University always asked me, "Olawole, explain this your God to me. What kind of a God kills his only child for people he doesn't know?" Even though, I was just as much of a christian as I am now, I never knew how to answer. Perhaps, my expression always screamed confusion whenever he asked, because somehow he never stopped asking. ugh. Dr.Y! I do have an answer now though but I have since lost contact with him. Anyway, so I wasn't just going to take this Josiah situation as one of those things. I started my research and found out there was another book entirely explaining Josiah's situation. I found out God did not go back on his words, he never would. Josiah was the one who faulted.

AND, there is so much to learn from this story, that I just had to share. King Neco of Egypt, the man who killed Josiah, went up to fight and Josiah—with his oversabi-ness*—went up to meet him at the battle. Immediately, Neco warned him;

"What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
                           
                                                                      source
But no, my guy insisted on going. He would not listen to what that man said. Why do you think he did this? He thought he had become invincible. Pride was beginning to set in. And perhaps, because he was so sure about having God's backing, he thought he could conquer it all. He had prophets he could have consulted to ask if truly God had sent Neco on that mission but he didn't. Neither did he consult God himself on whether he should go. That was how he was murdered. He would have eventually died, yes. Because the goal was to keep him from seeing the disasters that was to befall the city. Perhaps, Josiah must have thought he could not be hurt or killed or worse, he could be as reckless as he deemed fit. That is the only explanation for such stubbornness despite the fact that he was NOT to go to battle with Neco. God's promise and prophecy was fulfilled, in that Josiah did not die in a time of war in the city. I think this mostly relates with us today because of how Josiah took God's words and promises. He interpreted the words incorrectly to mean some sort of shield and deliberately sought for trouble. We all treat God's word like that; WE FIND SOME PROMISES OF GOD IN THE BIBLE THAT WE BELIEVE MAY APPLY TO OUR SITUATION AND WE TAKE RISKS ON SUCH PROMISES. Even though those were not God's words to us. I believe we should pray with the word of God and claim everything good about it. But sometimes, when God has not promised us something or spoken a word about a situation to us, we become very disappointed when we don't get that thing we asked for. We are angry because we think God didn't answer that prayer or didn't fulfill that promise. I believe Pastor Poju called the exact promise God gives to us a Rhema. It is a different thing entirely, however to genuinely seek God's face for something and hope/believe/have faith that we will get it. But to cling to a word and say God told us that word/Rhema when he did not, is merely setting ourselves up for disappointment.

During my research, I read an analysis. The aforementioned situation was likened to missionaries who go to mission fields without adequate preparation. They defend their actions by quoting "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money-belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandles, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food." Believing those verses to be an assurance of God's provision, they go out without preparing. Meanwhile, the same bible later said  Christ rescinded  that command by adding,  "And He said to them, ‘When I sent you without money bag, sack, and sandals, did you lack anything?’  So they said, ‘Nothing.’  Then He said to them, ‘But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a sack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one." Just like Josiah, such missionaries think they have a 'get-out-of-planning-free'  power up (as the writer put it). And just like Josiah again, some of such missionaries end up being ultimately disappointment when things start to go south. So no, God did not alter his words, in fact such people didn't pay enough attention to the word. Just so we know, faith without works is dead! So, instead of forcing God to fulfill a promise he never made, why don't you just humble yourself before him and ask.
Josiah was so great that he was described like this;

 "Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since..." He was compared to David and even Solomon, beat that! However, he, like many of us had faults and misapplied God's words. It's the same way everybody embraces the first part of Deuteronomy 28, which is filled with unbelievably amazing blessings. But, we somehow ignore the rest of the chapter which is also filled with unbelievably disastrous curses. We forget there is a caveat for those blessings. We need to understand the interpretation of God's words and to seek him and his will before making rash decisions. So we can avoid devastating consequences.

Love,
I.

P.s; you have to forgive me for how lengthy this post was. If you read it to the end, you are the real MVP. Lol! I just learnt that slang, I plan on abusing it.

*Overzealous. I too know