Spotlight: In the Dark – Unoma Nwankwor


You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28.

Do you find yourself wondering about the expiration date of your “meantime place?” Are you struggling to hold on when you have no idea what God’s end game is?

Multi-published award winning author, entrepreneur and Purpose Champion, Unoma Nwankwor takes readers on a hopeful exploration of Jeremiah 29. Along the way, she provides strategies to remain anchored during the uncertainties of life. Storms come to move us out of place, but as Christians we must not only survive but thrive with persevering confidence.

Blending undisguised personal testimony, biblical references and in your face realisms, this book shows readers how to push past the stagnation of life’s uncertainties by successfully navigating the dark places, walking the walk of faith with hope for a favorable end, having peace by learning to trust God and relinquish control to Him. We can’t dominate our areas of influence in excellence if we give up every time we hit a rocky patch. This book will leave you equipped with tools and tips needed to help you push through the process by maintaining confident expectations for today and tomorrow.

Bonus: With the paperback, you’ll receive the Light Pearls in the Dark Prayer Journal. It contains 40 days of praise/worship song suggestions and anchor verses that will help you strategically defeat the enemy’s plan of sowing doubt in your dark place. It also provides space for you to write personalized prayers. Record your testimonies in accordance to the fulfillment of His promise.

 

Listen to a reading from In the Dark: Confident Expectations For Today & Tomorrow by Unoma Nwankwor. Non-fiction. Faith-base: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CHV2kv6k/

excerpt from the chapter “just a glimpse”

However long the night, the dawn will break. ~ African ProverbAs a kid, I, like I’m sure most of you, was afraid of the dark. The notion that something big, bad, and ugly would come out of nowhere and whisk me off, frightened me to no end. My parents would always leave the lights on until I fell asleep. That was all fine and dandy, except when there was no light. That caught you off guard, huh? It’s a fact that we didn’t and still don’t have twenty-four-hour electricity in Nigeria. Don’t get me to talking about it because it makes no sense.

Anchor Tip 9: Cease the murmuring while you wait. Others may be going through something much worse.
Anyway, I digress. The light and my ability to see, made my mind believe that I was in total control. Now that I look back, it was kind of silly since if the boogie man did appear while the lights were on, I had no more strength to fight him than if the lights were off. Do you see how our emotions or perceptions can have us living in an alternative universe – believing what is not? On those occasions of no electricity, I endured the night because at least my parents were just down the hall. Nothing could happen to me with them close by. Right?

As adults, our boogie man has changed. We’re no longer scared of the physical darkness or some monster hidden in the closet, rather we’re scared of a dark or uncertain road ahead. A road where we’re expected to keep walking on a straight path when we have no idea what lies ahead. It’s the unknown tomorrow that scares us. Can I at least get a clue? Please, Jesus. Those unknowns concerning relocating to a new city, starting a new job, business, health issues, and storms of life. Or enduring the challenges the new opportunity might bring. If you’re single, will you ever get married? That’s if you desire to. Or something as basic as where your next meal will come from.

Just like with the boogie man and the lights being on, the reality is that none of us are guaranteed anything. Not even our next breath. Even in that other universe we created in our minds. You know the one where we feel we’re secure and are in total control. Errr… wrong! We are not and can never be without Christ. When things get challenging like when there’s no light, pun intended, it is important to lean and meditate on the Scripture as the bedrock of truth.

I know what you’re thinking. “If God would just give me a glimpse, at least I can plan. One small clue, and I’ll be good. I promise.” Are you sure? If you were given a clear road map to what the future holds, do you think you could handle it?

Navigation Rights

Do you watch the Hallmark channel? I do. Anyway, around the holidays, there’s always some movie about the Christmas Ghost past, present, or future. Or some Christmas angel trying to show the character that hates Christmas what their life would have been had they gone a different route. I’m going to play the Christmas angel for a few minutes. Let’s see how it would look if you had the navigation rights on your life. If the lights were on and you had a clear view to see how your life would turn out.

And the Lord says, “My child, here is your life. At fifteen, you’ll lose both your parents in a car crash. Then you’ll go to live with relatives who’ll mistreat you for three years. After that, you’ll go to the University or College as they say in America. There, you’ll earn a dual degree but when you graduate, that job you want will elude you for a couple of years. You’ll have to swallow your pride and work at a fast food chain. Yep, you’ll flip burgers with a dual degree because at that point, you’ll almost have to beg for food.

“But then, in about two years, you’ll relocate to another city. Once you do, you’ll meet the man of your dreams. But although you’re thirty-two, he is so fine, and you are way past the age that society says you should get married, he’s not My plan for you. I know you will marry him anyway, and he’ll mistreat you every day. But hold on because I’ll send someone else to wipe your tears. This time, you’ll have a happy marriage, two great kids. Your business will have a rough start, but it will blossom. For ten-and-a-half years, you will know so much happiness. Then, at exactly 5:06 p.m., on a Sunday, you will die of a brain aneurysm on your way to church. You will be sixty-six years old.”

Anchor Tip 10: You can’t handle the truth. You either trust Him or you don’t.
Yep, we can’t handle it. I don’t care what you say. We can’t handle knowing what the future holds. I guarantee God knows it, too. Simply because He made us and knows the havoc it would create if we had a clear roadmap. Instead TRUST HIM through your darkness, your process by surrendering all navigation rights. And when doubt or worry comes, as it will because the devil is busy – attack it with praise.
© 2017 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Unoma Nwankwor. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

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