Score A Bull's Eye

By Pastor Charles Lwanga

"Score A Bull's Eye" is a book that envisages Life as a journey" Through my experiences along this journey of life, I believe, life is merely not a single journey, it is indeed a combination of various small journeys that teaches one or the other thing to a person and leaves an everlasting impact on h/her life. Sometimes it feels like oscillations that take you high the mountain and bring you down to a valley. We find ourselves in moments when we are clueless and the future looks blink. The book offers a wealth of helpful information on what to expect along the journey and how to react. And if you are anxious to know what lies ahead on your path, SCORE A BULL'S EYE, is invaluable in preparing for any number of possibilities. This unique guide will enable you to better understand that there is a seed of purposeful life in every person. All you need is to mirror what God has placed in you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Smashwords
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223055778

Book preview

I

Part One

From Confucius, The Analects of Confucius: he says, The expectations of life depend upon diligence the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. SCORE A BULL’S EYE, will sharpen your tools of life to live a fulfilled life. You will feel being perfectly alive, filled with purpose and satisfaction, involving laser vision of an eagle—Life becomes highly meaningful, and you are sought after by all. Your purpose is your NORTH STAR.

Introduction

Chapter Separator

With so much dubiousness in this fast-paced world, we ought to stop and interrogate ourselves; Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Am I living it? If not, what do I do about it?

Today, perhaps you are going through life feeling dissatisfied, unfocused, searching for life’s meaning, but nothing seems to fill that vacuum. What exactly is missing? What is the cause of this phenomenon? To find true-life meaning, we must turn the clock back to the beginning, to know who made us and why. All life begins with God, who created each of us in His likeness and ends with Him. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. (Col1:15-17MSG) One must be in that position in God. The Bible says: So God created man in his image,… male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). God created us with a good cause; to be like Him, to find Him and to have a relationship with Him. The irony of it all, instead of loving Him, we have chosen to love ourselves more. Paul avows this, we have become Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (2 Tim 3:4). Rather than freely serving Him, we have chosen to serve ourselves. This is called sin, which broke our relationship with Him. Until we restore that relationship, we will never know our true purpose or what matters in our lives. Think of it this way: There is a God-shaped unoccupied space in all of us and no matter what we have or accomplish, there will be an emptiness without God. People will try everything to fill that hole, but it is valueless and futile. Drugs, promiscuity, entertainment et al cannot satisfy that thirst.

Solomon, one of the richest kings in history, felt this emptiness. He says, I explored with my mind how to gratify myself with wine while [at the same time] having my mind remain steady and guide me wisely; and how to take control of foolishness until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and orchards for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made pools of water for myself from which to water the forest and make the trees bud. I bought male and female slaves and had slaves born in my house. I also possessed herds and flocks larger than any who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights and pleasures of men—many concubines. So I became great and excelled more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me. Whatever my eyes looked at with desire, I did not refuse them. I did not withhold from my heart any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labour; and this was my reward for all my labour. (Eccl 2:3-10 AMP). With all that wealth, he lapsed into a disturbed state. He then pondered, … I considered all which my hands had done and laboured to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun. (Eccl 2:11 AMP). Heralded as the wisest man ever lived, endowed with enviable immense wealth, he should have been contented. Why do we then see a picture of a man who did not have joy and even said, I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. (Eccl 1:14 AMP). That abundance did not bring him spiritual satisfaction. By all means, there is more to life than material contentment.

Anxiety And Hopelessness

Candidly, it is only God who can step in and lift you from this crisis, otherwise without peace in your heart, they will say you are mentally ill. The populace is going into depression and some do not hold up but give out, losing their minds. Depression and anxiety are different conditions, but they commonly occur together. They also have similar treatments. Can we avoid it? Yes, we can.

Feeling down or having the blues now and then is commonplace. And everyone feels apprehensive from time to time — it is a normal comeback to stressful situations. A status of severe or continuing feelings of depression and anxiety can be a sign of an underlying mental health disorder. When dealing with depression and anxiety, it can sometimes be overwhelming or intimidating to seek help. After all, not everyone who has depression has the same symptoms. Whether you are experiencing sadness, a loss of interest in life, or noticing changes in your sleep, appetite, or energy levels, being honest and open about your mental health is often the first step to finding relief. People think it is only because of lack or poverty that people fall into an apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness, usually over an impending or presaging ill fortune. But have seen men with stability in life commit self-murder.

Anybody can have a mood disorder, marked by varying degrees of gloominess, despair, and solitariness and that is typically accompanied by inactivity, guilt trip, loss of concentration, social withdrawal, sleep disturbances, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. Tyler Hamilton says,—What people don’t understand about depression is how much it hurts. It’s like it convinced your brain that it’s dying and produces an acid that eats away at you from the inside until all that’s less is a scary hollowness. Your mind fills with dark thoughts; you become convinced that your friends secretly hate you, you are worthless, and then there’s no hope. I never got so low as to consider ending it all, but I understand how that can happen to some people. Depression simply hurts too much.

When you see a man in this position, the next thing would be depression. In moments like this one, you need to talk to someone, one that you can trust. Otherwise, you can end up losing it. You must know there were many in your position before you. For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,..(Heb 11:32 AMP)

In weakness, we find strength in God. Those men above, who by faith [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, extinguished the power of [raging] fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty and unbeatable in battle, putting enemy forces to flight.(Heb11:33-34 AMP).

Whatever it is, no temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]—1 Cor 10:13 AMP

Elijah Went Through Anxiety And Depression

… Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow, I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed! And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there while he travelled on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, Lord, he said. Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers." (1 Ki 19:2-4 BSB).

When Elijah heard about Jezebel’s decision to kill him, he ran for his life. He went into the lonely wilderness, travelling south. The man of God who did great miracles before the entire nation was afraid, anxious and depressed. He decided to be on the run. He sat under a Juniper bush and asked God to kill him. What a shift from where he was a day before, showing great boldness before prophets of Baal. This amount of oscillations can happen to anyone. Elijah wanted to die. When people go through fires of anxiety and depression, they always think ending their lives is the best option. But taking your life is the beginning of misery.

God is true to His word. He says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Phil 4:6-7 BSB). After Elijah made his requests known, God sent His angel to take care of his hunger and to help him gain physical strength. Refreshed, Elijah ate and ran again without asking God which way to go. He went and hid in Mount Sinai, where Moses received the ten commandments. Driven by fear and anxiety, Elijah had by now run for almost a thousand kilometres, south from Samaria to Mount Sinai. Stop running! For how long are you going to run? And from what?

At This Point, God Had To Renew Elijah’s Purpose

If you give God the opportunity, He will choreograph your life. God had not given up on this runaway prophet. He came to meet him on Mount Sinai. He has assured us; It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deut 31:8 AMP). He cannot abandon us. God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. The first question God asked him might apply to most of us. God asked Elijah, What are you doing here? It was not the place God expected Elijah to be. He was completely in the wrong place, out of his natural and spiritual habitat, driven by fear and anxiety about the future. What are you doing there? You are in the wrong place under a cloud. You have been driven by fear of the future and running away from your life without consulting God. He wants to help you. You have to get out of that place and go back to your place of dominion. Elijah had to travel back to the place where he started. That means, another thousand kilometres north. God dealt with this tired and depressed prophet and gave him a renewed purpose.

Then the Lord said to him, Go back by the way you came and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. You are also to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as a prophet(1 Ki 19:15-16 BSB). He had nothing to fear, he had to face his fears. God is always with us, even when we fail Him. Jonah failed God, too. But he had this to say, I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them."(Jonah 4:2b). Get up and pick up the pieces if you feel torn apart and go back to God. He loves you and He will protect you.

God as our Creator, has a grand plan in mind for us and only He can make us complete. God holds the answer to your question, Is there a point to living? There is hope. He has assured us, Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]. (Isa 41:10 AMP). He is willing to help you, Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Mat 11:28 BSB). Accept the invitation. God has provided a way for us to connect with Him directly and restore our broken relationship—that is through His Son Jesus Christ, who bridged the gap between us and God. Through faith in Jesus, there is no more separation from God. No more holes in your heart. When that is done, cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you(1Pet 5:7). Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?,’(Mat 6:31 LEB). At this point, you will be in a position to say, Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift my soul. (Psa 143:7-8). Arise and shine!

CHAPTER 1 —Self Emplacement In Christ

Chapter Separator

C. S. Lewis on Membership: "The very word membership is of Christian origin, but it has been taken over by the world and emptied of all meaning"

Today you always see the warning; For Members Only The theme has been taken over by even stores giving preference to members when it came to discounts. The church has not been left behind, membership has been reduced to your name being on a register. But what does God say? So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people) and are [members] of God’s household.(Eph 2:19 AMP) You are part of the family of God. Just like any other family, we have an inheritance. Peter puts it clearly, that we have been born again into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.(1 Pet 1:4) According to the apostle Peter, our inheritance is distinguished by four important qualities:

Our inheritance in Christ is imperishable. What we have in Christ is not subject to corruption or decay. In contrast, everything on earth is in the process of decaying, rusting, or falling apart. The law of entropy affects our houses, our cars, and even our bodies. Our treasure in heaven, though, is unaffected by entropy—Mat 6:19-20. Those who have been born again are born not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God(1 Pet 1:23)

Our inheritance in Christ is unspoiled. What we have in Christ is free from anything that would deform, debase, or degrade. Nothing on earth is perfect. Even the most beautiful things in this world are flawed; if we look closely enough, we can always find an imperfection. But Christ is truly perfect. He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens—(Heb 7:26) and our inheritance in Him is also holy, blameless, exalted, and pure. No earthly corruption or weakness can touch what God has bestowed. The Bible says that nothing impure will ever enter [the New Jerusalem], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful.—Rev 21:27

Our inheritance in Christ is unfading. What we have in Christ is an enduring possession. As creatures of this world, it is hard for us to imagine colours that never fade, an excitement that never flags, or value that never depreciates; but our inheritance is not of this world. Its glorious intensity will never diminish. God says, I am making everything new!—Rev 21:5

Our inheritance in Christ is reserved. What we have in Christ is being kept in heaven for us. Your crown of glory has your name on it. Although we enjoy many blessings as children of God here on earth, our true inheritance—our true home—is reserved for us in heaven. Like Abraham, we are looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God—Heb 11:10 The Holy Spirit guarantees that we will receive eternal life in the world to come (2 Cor 1:22). In fact, when you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance—Eph 13-14

Once adopted into the family of God, we become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings so that we may also share in his glory—Rom 8:17. This heavenly heritage is God’s purpose and will for us—Eph 1:11. We receive the promise of our inheritance by hearing the word of truth and believing in Christ—Eph 1:13

John Calvin writes of our inheritance, We do not have the full enjoyment of it at present. . . . We walk . . . in hope, and we do not see the thing as if it were present, but we see it by faith. . . . Although, then, the world gives itself liberty to trample us under foot, as they say; although our Lord keeps us tried with many temptations; although he humbles us in such a way that it may seem we are as sheep appointed to the slaughter, so that we are continually at death’s door, yet we are not destitute of a good remedy. And why Seeing that the Holy Spirit reigns in our hearts, we have something for which to give praise even in the midst of all our temptations. . . . [Therefore,] we should rejoice, mourn, grieve, give thanks, be content, wait (from Calvin’s Ephesian sermons, delivered in Geneva, 1558—59). When we understand and value the glory that awaits us, we are better able to endure whatever comes our way in this life. We can give God praise even during trials because we have His guarantee that we will receive all He has promised: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all—2 Cor 4:17

David writes, Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance—Psa 16:5-6. And that is why 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—2 Cor 4:18

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favoured by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience], Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and ( his righteousness endures forever(Psa 112:1-3 AMP). … without faith, it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. (Heb 11:6 AMP). The reward you get is finding your divine purpose for your life. For … we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,.. (Eph 1:11 AMP).

Having understood our place in Christ, it is of import to underscore the fact that you are not here by chance occurrence. You are preordained and predestined to be here by God’s design. God speaks to Jeremiah, saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.(Jer 1:5 AMP). To begin with, God in His thoughts had Jeremiah even before the foundations of the world. He fashioned him in his mother’s womb as a chosen instrument and set him apart from Himself. He then appointed him as a prophet to the nations. Chosen set apart and appointed show God’s complete conception for our lives. To make it even much divinely set up, He allows you an area of influence in your life. For Jeremiah, his area was to the Nations. That was his mould. What is your sphere? You must know where you come home from. Where you click. This is the area of your control. You are in charge and here you will thrive. There is an area of dominion for everyone.

From the opening scripture, we have received an inheritance (destiny) from Him who works in agreement with the counsel and design of His will. God is willing to offer you a life of purpose. Are you also willing to do His will? Finding one’s purpose in this life is the ultimate goal. Prosperity and Success message have been abused and derailed from the principles of the word. Preachers have made it like an objective. Charles Spurgeon said,