Potent Investments In A Downward Economy (2)

5.       Offering. This issue of offering has eluded a lot their blessings. Most people offer money and other material things with the mind that they’re bringing their gifts to God. There was this young lady who once asked me in church back in 2008 where all the church offerings were going? She added that she had a strong feeling that the Shepherd of the Church was embezzling money and that she would never give offerings in church. She complained that she worked all night only for her to come and give to the Pastor who didn’t have a job. WOW! Was all I could say. When you give offerings in church or anywhere else with the mind of giving to the human figure in charge of that Church or Organization, you are done for. What the church does with your offering shouldn’t give you sleepless nights; instead you should be glad that your offering is before God as a sweet smelling savor that He will not ignore. Proverbs 3:9&10. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. What you do when you offer to God from what you have is that you honor God who in return honors you with overflowing blessings. Some may ask the difference between tithes and offering, tithe is a mandatory 10% off your income, no matter how little your income is, while; offering is a voluntary sacrifice that affords you an opportunity to commit God’s integrity to perform your behalf. The standard of offering is totally dependent on you but if I am to advice you, take the standard of offering from Cain and Abel in the bible, Genesis 4:3-5, In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. God accepted one while the other was rejected. Abel knew what was right and pleasing to God, he knew what was fit to honor God and did it, in return God favored him, while Cain brought what he would give to God with the mindset of giving to a human figure, he brought that which did not cost him anything and he gave himself to lack, want and depression because the presence of God had departed from him.

6.Investing in an Ethical Company. This kind comes by seeking the face of the all-knowing God who knows the beginning, end, works, growth and benefits of each Organization, through counseling. Proverbs 15:22. Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success. The point here is that God will never show you a company to invest in and years later you realize it was a mistake. Before you make plans to invest in any company, seek God’s advice before you consult any man. I remember an investment a friend of mine had years ago, she got the dividend once or twice and up until today, she cannot tell what happened to that investment as she cannot even get across to the Organization. Guess that is what happens when you decide to invest without seeking God but man. Verse 22b says many advisers bring success; one with God is majority, now you may want to ask, so besides God can’t I seek a financial adviser? Yes you can, but until God orders your steps to invest in the right place, you may never find the best financial adviser who would talk you into the right company, most time when God orders your steps; you may not need the help of any adviser. 1 Kings 18:22. Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. God did not leave him to remain alone, He showed up when Elijah sought Him against the prophets of Baal who would have done better in calling down their god as they were so many. This only explains that what so many financial advisers may tell you about certain investments because they will benefit one way or the other, (most times leaving you confused on which company to invest in); God is able to let you know without much effort and no confusion. 
 7. Be a Giver. God cannot be mocked, whatever any man sows, that he’ll surely reap. When you give with the right intentions, you’ll reap bountiful harvest but when you give with an ungodly intention, you’ll certainly reap a likely harvest. Proverbs 11:24&25,There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds  more than is right, But leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.

I used to have this friend who always shared some of what she had with people who were really in need, I mean people she knew and strangers, in all these she never complained for one day, even though she didn’t have everything she needed. One thing I can testify about her today is that she never lacks, neither does she live wanting what she cannot afford. Several times, she ran into financial hardship but she never cried for finances because she knew she had made investment that would one way or the other return to her, she got financial gifts from strangers, long time friends, close pals, etc. This is one of the things that happen to people who give without the wrong intention. God knows and sees the heart of every man. How do you know when you’re giving with the wrong intention? When you give, do you expect something in return from that individual, e.g. position, sex, winning the person over to your side or judge a case in your favor, etc? Do you seek to be liked by the individual or earn the praises of the individual? Do you give because you want to lord yourself over those you’ve given? Do you give to seduce an individual? What you give to a certain individual, would you do it for another individual in similar position? These are questions that you should ask before you give out to anyone. When you give with the right intention, whether the person says “thank you” or not doesn’t really matter, what matters is that you gave it and you feel peace within you, whether you know the person or not doesn’t really matter, all you know is that you just touched a soul, you just made a soul thankful to God for a gift you gave and be sure that heaven will reward you for that gift.

Lastly, the eighth form of investment is totally dependent on you. I call it voluntary sacrifice. You can do it at your convenience, when you want to, whom you choose to, where you choose to, how you choose to. It is not compulsory, but it’s necessary in order to draw heaven’s attention. A giver they say never lacks because God loves a cheerful giver. Whatever you let God for God will be saved for you and whatever you keep for yourself knowing that there are outstretched hands waiting to be help by you, you’ll lose one way or the other. Matthew 8:35 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it”.

Of all these forms of Investments, it will be very difficult for you not to yield profit or see your dividend in the nearest future such that your children’s children will benefit from as long as they are done right, and with the best intentions. Solomon was wise enough to state that we should spread our investments just in case INVESTMENT A doesn’t yield its desired harvest, INVESTMENT B would….. You may be doing a great job investing in the church but not a great job investing in God’s instruments, you may be doing a great job investing in the life of a needy but not doing a good job investing in an ethical Organization, etc

It is my prayer that God will give you the heart to sparingly give and commit your resources to His service and as you invest with the right attitude, God will increase you in all ramifications of your life, here and beyond. AMEN!

Potent Investments In A Downward Economy. (1)

Nothing is as maddening as investing in a currently booming business and after some years when you’ve positioned yourself to enjoy your profit, recession hits the economy and the Company is forced to shut down. Ouch! Most people do not recover from such loss and they probably leave behind, the fear of investing anywhere else for their generations. Does it mean that investments should not be advised? No! Truth is, everyone wants to get rich like Bill Gate or even richer but only a few are more than willing to take the necessary steps and make sacrifices that will open lasting doors of immeasurable wealth. Early last year, I learnt about a famous man today who reversed one of the popular ways of attracting abundance for oneself, which in return made him what he is today. He gave up 90% of his wealth for God’s work and lived on 10%. It is difficult, but, someone did it, that was his own way of attracting open heaven for himself, his family and his generation. This is totally optional but if you must prosper, it is very impossible to neglect these steps and yield lasting wealth or success.

Ecclesiastes 11:2  

Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

Solomon whose wisdom brought about prosperity, shared his secrets in the verse above. He said, invest in seven places, you can add the eighth form of investment if you wish (which I guess the man who decided to invest 90% into God’s work did for himself, in order to yield an unending profit). Why did he say that? Because no one knows where the recent happenings in the Economy will lead them, neither do we know what tragedy will befall the land, in all, we cannot predict the next alarming event. You may choose to invest in business A and tomorrow there is an earth quake, you may choose to invest in business B and it folds up just when you’re about benefiting from the business. I will be sharing SEVEN most important investments that will never fail you as long as the earth remains and God is alive, investments that will stand strong for your generation even when you’re dead and gone.
1.  Investing in Church Projects. Where you choose to sow a seed is totally dependent on you. There are churches where God is the foundation and there are churches where the foundations are questionable. Numbers 13:20; How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.) Your first priority is to see that any church you attend is built on a solid rock, built as Jesus Christ the only foundation; you can tell by their fruits, manner of worship, mode of prayer, their alignment with the Word of God and after seeing all these, your spiritual and physical growth should confirm what soil that is. Then again, not every church operates on same level of anointing, depending on how deeply committed the shepherd of a church is and how closely he walks with God. If you choose a ground with rich and fertile soil (where God is the foundation), you’ll reap in hundreds, if you choose a ground where all the Shepherd knows is how much he can get from you, for himself, and not even call God on your behalf, you belong to those who will reap in sixties and those who invest in churches where there are no committed servants of God, you’ll  probably reap in thirties. Matthew 13:8, still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. The bible did not record that every seed will yield hundred times as much as you planted/invested. It takes wisdom to know where to plant and how best to invest so that your dividend will last your generations. It may also please you to know that whatever investment you make towards church projects  is either accepted or declined by heaven from the moment you make up your mind to invest, how? Your intention determines God’s response; God sees and knows every man’s heart. If you invest to gain attention, you already rewarded yourself, if you invest in pride and selfishness; it’s as good as placing your money where moths will eat it up. Never forget that you have a role to play when you invest in church projects if you must see results. Three people are involved in it; God, you and the Shepherd. God; A girl of about 9 years shocked me when she argued that God is the controller of everything. True, God controls everything in heaven and on earth and determines everything, if you engage God before investing in any church project, He’ll never fail to perform on your behalf. You; it is your responsibility to bring God into your investment, send your seed on an errand (pray on it) and tell God what you want in return before giving it to the church and lastly, it is your responsibility to know what ground you’re sowing your seed. The Shepherd; when donations are made, it is his duty to present it to God and have him perfect His work, because the shepherd CANNOT increase you but can stand in the gap between you and God, that is why it is very important to consider the fertility of any ground. Sometime in January of 2010, some money was wired from an account I had back in Nigeria, because at that time, I didn’t have a job and was living on my savings, it took more than 3 weeks for the money to get to the United States. While I was waiting for the money to be deposited into my account, I’d gone for a prayer group meeting at church and after prayers that evening, the church needed about $20,000 to start up a project without which they wouldn’t be approved. Immediately that announcement was made, the Holy Spirit said invest in that project, I’m like what? You can’t be serious! No job, no reliable source of income, no hopes of getting the money that was wired from Nigeria because it wasn’t traceable. As hard as I argued with that voice, it wouldn’t stop until I’d done its bidding. Then, I finally wrote a check and half of the money I was “expecting” was gone and I wept bitterly the moment that voice was gone, yes, I had peace but I kept asking myself why I had to let such amount go? A man worked up to me and asked me why I was so troubled, I poured out my heart to him and he said he was led by same Spirit to pray with me, we were done praying  he gave me his business card to call him and share my numerous testimonies before the end of year 2010. Two days later, the money was in my account, I got approved for a case that was denied, got me a well paying job for someone who had no prior experience, and lots more! Sowing on a fertile ground involves wisdom. Church projects? I will invest till I’m drained.

2.       Tithing. This very investment is one issue that has been discussed in several religious gatherings, yet not so many people find it easy to keep. Some probably started and because they see no immediate result, they stopped. Some couldn’t tithe more that once because the allowed the devil steal the Word from then by allowing him tell them that it isn’t worth the effort or it doesn’t determine if the windows of heaven will be opened or not. A lot complain that they do not earn enough for them to tithe. Malachi 3:10, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Verse 10C & D, God says; Try me (dare God) and see him turn your situation around by opening unimaginable doors (verse 10B), He did not say, one door/window, He said doors that will make you look for people to share your wealth with. Do you not have enough to merry; do you not have enough to pay for inconsequential activities? Yet you say you do not have enough and expect increase. God knows those who are genuinely in need. Some never tithe because they are so biased with tithing that they believe it’s for the shepherd or the Pastor to make himself rich, since the bible tells us that you rob God when you do not give, would you still remain biased with your tithe just because you see the human figure in church and not God who made that declaration to reward whomever obeys the command to tithe? I used to be skeptical about tithing but the very day I discovered this truth, I never held back my tithe and today, I see results that only God can bring about in my life. When I started tithing, I did it twice and then allowed the devil steal the Word from me, I did listen and when the devourers where done with me, no one reminded me to start paying my tithe. The devil, knows that there will be so much increase the moment you do what you are commanded for prosperity and that heaven moves on behalf of tithers and chooses to steal the knowledge of the Word in order to devour and destroy their fruits. He came with migraine that I had to spend the money I refused to give on medications and hospital bills, my car was broken into that after replacing the stolen items, the engine knocked, all in one month. That was the height of it! I started paying my tithe whether I’d have enough afterwards or not. Today, no migraine, God keeps blessing me to bless others; above all, the peace of God surrounds me. If you are faithful with little things, God will put you in charge of bigger things.

3.       The poor. These people are the greatest investments you can have recorded in heaven. God watches over them like he would His very eyes. Before men, they are not to be associated with or even considered but before God, they are more important than the richest in the world. Matthew 25:35-40, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Who are those in this category? Beggars, hopeless and homeless men and women, those who genuinely need financial support, those in Orphanage homes, babies that were abandoned by their mothers, etc.  Whatever you give to the poor, you render to God Proverbs. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. Do not seek to be rewarded by any man, else, you limit your dividend which would have been extended to your children’s children. When you give to the needy, do not make an announcement of your gift that others may approve you as a giver and a philanthropist, no! Let your gift to them be known to you, the receiver and the rewarder, GOD. Matthew 6:1-4, “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth; they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Many people wonder why their gift offering to the needy isn’t yielding profit like it should, that is because they have rewarded themselves from the very beginning. Then again, when God gives you or provides for you, He hasn’t provided for you to keep them all to yourself but for you to help the needy. Ephesians 4:28. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. There are promises that will surely come to fulfillment in your life as long as you do not grow weak in helping those in need. One secret; when you give to anyone in need, see yourself being rewarded in hundred folds, see yourself occupy a bigger and better position as God fulfills His promise to satisfy all your desires. Lack and want will run far from you when you earnestly deposit into the lives of the needy because God who sees and watches over them wouldn’t give room for you to become the helped, instead He’ll give you more resources that will make you a helper. Isaiah 58:10. "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."

4.       God’s Vessels. These people are everywhere but not all of them are clean vessels. Why did I say that? Some of them start up good but along the line, they mix it up with diabolical powers, some of them, out of greed start worshipping money and the bible calls it a form of idolatry.  Nonetheless, there are some vessels that strictly depend on God for EVERYTHING, e.g., food, power, life, increase in each life they encounter, money, everything you can think of, they do not care what material gifts there are to be purchased or how much they can acquire, all they truly desire is a close walk with God that God will use them as a medium to reach out to other people. These are the vessels I’m talking about. These people have God at their beck and call and He never fails to answer them, whoever makes them happy will be made happy, whoever makes them sad is better dead than alive. The very day I realized this truth, I desperately sought them to invest in because all they have to do is engage God to perform on your behalf,  most times God who sees your actions and the intentions behind your actions will not only reward you for reaching out to His own very servant. In 1 Kings 17:10-24, the woman of Zarephath made herself live in abundance the moment she gave her last meal to a vessel of God, Elijah. There were so many men of God, just like there were so many widows, but God singled out this widow of Zarephath and showed her the secret of living in abundance, if you look at verse 16 of 1 Kings 17. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. Because the woman gave to Elijah, regardless of her emptiness and lack, Elijah engaged God to perform his Words on her behalf. She who had the last meal to eat and die eventually had more than enough at the time of famine. Her son who also died during the period Elijah was living and feeding from this widow was brought back to life. Verses 20-23. Then he cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”22 The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” Elijah committed God to act as she was a source of happiness and she did not deserve sorrow in any way, before Elijah finished praying, the dead boy rose again. When you invest in the lives of true vessels of God, you’ll not only live in abundance, every dead issue in your life, every hopeless case will be brought to life. I did not make these rules, God did and it has been working for those that effectively use them. Trust me when I say, It has been working for me. The question here is, what intention do you have when you sow in their lives?  To gain all the attention for yourself and none for other people?  To show off your capabilities and your possessions? Do you invest in them and tomorrow you want them to pay you back in full and more? Do you invest to bless and make them happy in serving God? The fourth is the only reason God will look down from heaven on your behalf.

Heaven’s Visiting Day!

Some years back in the boarding school, there were certain days Parents were allowed to come visit their children and they were all made to have a meeting before seeing their Children.  Despite this set dates, there were some Parents who couldn’t wait to see their Children, because of the genuity of the love they had for their children and the inability to stay away from them for long. This made them roam the school looking for ways to see their children, ensuring they had enough food to sustain them till they’d officially visit again, that is, on the set date. The purpose of visiting day was for parents and their children to reunite, catch up on several events, parents would reassure their children of their ability to provide for their needs and the possibility of getting them whatever they wanted at the end of each school session, but, not without a condition. What condition? You ask. That they came out with good grades and be of their best behavior.

Now, that brings me to the purpose of this topic. Like many, resolutions are made on a set day in each year, that is, on the 31^st day of December. This day is when a lot make resolutions with the intentions of keeping them, they are in church to start the new year with Jesus……..I know that heaven records the highest number of visitors each December 31^st night. How sad? Sad because a lot have refused to be like those parents who would lurk around the school looking for ways to see their Children, to appreciate them, to let them know that they truly love and care for them, to show their unconditional love, to share in their  children’s needs. Instead, they’ve chosen to be like those parents who would visit only on a set date to profess their undying love and let their children know their expectations at the end of school session, living their children with no option but the run their own lives in careless ways? Why? Because they’ve spent little time with their children saying so much that their children can hardly assimilate what their parents expect of them in order to produce the desired results, unlike the parents who spend time with their Children outside the set day for visiting, they spend more time, with few words making their children realize they genuinely love them (for moving out of their comfort zones to visit them outside the set dates), by doing so, their children in turn understand their parents’ expectations and seek to engage in acts that will yield expected results.

2010 came with its ugly stories, failures, inability to keep to resolutions made to become a better person, disappointments that came with God not fulfilling the promises He made at that 31^st night service, etc. You seem to be walking the same route you walked last year, making your new year resolution and going to church on December 31^st night to hear what plans God has for 2011 (not paying attention to the conditions attached to the promises), and you sit through service with great expectations for 2011, pouring out all your requests and all the “I would have done this last year” stories, etc. God is not looking for those who would visit on a particular day; He’s looking for those people who lurk around heaven in sincerity, who spend their time with Him with little words, who do His bidding outside their comfort zone, those who would say a lot with their actions and so little with their mouths. Those are the people He seeks in 2011 to mightily bless; those are the people He has made this year’s promises to, those are the people He has selected to reveal Himself this year, fulfilling their expectations.

The question now is, are you one of those who make resolutions and visit on the set day, afterwards your foot prints in heaven are covered up by those who visit regularly? Or are you one of those who pay the price to serve God out of your comfort zone, spending more time in His presence and saying very few words knowing that He’ll meet all your needs? Deep within you is where your answer lies. What were those things that took you out of his presence in 2010, what were those things that stopped you from fellowshipping with the brethren (Hebrews 10:25)? Your job and its enticing offer (Hebrews 13:5)? You followed after your flesh (Romans 3:12-18)? Etc. If you must see changes in 2011, or move further than you already have, you must make conscious effort to fight your way through by the help of Jesus Christ (John 15:5), you cannot win when you fight alone, you cannot go past your present stage in life if you think you can do it alone, you cannot overcome those habits that take you out of His presence, those barriers (your job, your friends, your family, your business, school, etc) that make it difficult to keep your new year resolutions cannot be broken if you do not invite Jesus who’s knocking at your door to come in and take off your load so he can walk with you and direct you on the path to follow. How do you invite Jesus into your life? In your words and in your heart (Romans 10:9&10), begin your walk into 2011 by activating your lips and heart.

Say this prayer if you truly mean it.

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a weak. I surrender all that I am to you this day, I acknowledge you as my Lord and savior, by whose blood I’ve been set free. I invite you into my life today, take me as I am and help me genuinely love you. Help me to walk this walk, Amen!