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!

I Refuse To Be Delayed!

Delay according to word net is defined as inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time.  Many, at the assurance of success still find themselves waiting for the manifestation; some wait overtime while some wait till they leave this world and the reason for this “wait” cannot be fathomed. Most times, the reasons you haven’t received that breakthrough may not be because God is withholding it and it may not be the fault of whoever is delivering it, but because some spiritual forces are at work. Daniel 10:12-14, 12Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. 14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel’s answered prayers were withheld for 21 days by the SPIRIT prince (another version of the Bible says, “By the King”) of Persia. The angel that was sent in response to Daniel’s prayers said Daniel’s prayers were answered, that was success there, but it was delayed, the desired result, that is, the angel of God that was sent to reveal what will happen in future to the people of Jerusalem was delayed.  Daniel was in a state of holiness, purity and clear route to Heaven, hence, the Spirit Prince of Persia couldn’t delay him for long because heaven had taken up his case.

Failure or success, fulfillment or setback, are not decided by wealth, skills, power or whatever you have achieved, they are dependent on your connection with God, your relationship with God. Daniel may have had his prayers answered on the first day, but if he had disconnected from heaven, from God and had chosen to entangle himself with the affairs of this world, he would have been delayed for as long as he stayed disconnected and he would have kept on waiting to hear from God or receive answers from God. This is what a lot of people are undergoing today, because we see God as an ATM machine, when we need Him, we seek Him and the moment we are assured of our victory we are nowhere near God. Success isn’t complete until it’s manifested and when it’s manifested, it isn’t complete until it reaches its maximum state. Just because God has spoken to you one way or the other about a situation doesn’t mean you should go back and entangle yourself with the affairs of this world, let me reiterate, pursue those promises with all diligence and guard them like you would your very eyes. One thing I have realized is that every success comes in stages, and for each stage, you meet different oppositions. For example, you want to get into college, they need you to get your transcript evaluated, when they get it evaluated, the school will access your grades and choose whether or not to take you, when they do, you have to ensure good grades to get the benefits at school, when you do, you have to maintain it to graduate, when you are done with that, you have to look for a job, when you get a job, you have to work hard to be promoted and so on…… Each stage of success has its requirements and every man on earth has an angel assigned to him and how well those angels will work on your behalf (active) depends strictly on you, how well you stay focused and connected to God. Daniel 10:20, He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. 21Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. The angel revealed that Michael is Daniel’s angel who assists in fighting for Daniel against the spirituals forces. He also mentioned in verse 20 that, after fighting against the spirit of Persia, he would fight the spirit of Greece. Because this truth has been hidden from most people, a lot find themselves in a disappointing situation; they win here and lose there because they relax in their spiritual warfare after what seems like an assuring response from God. If the devil, our adversary prowls around looking for someone to devour, you don’t want to be a prey. (1 Peter 5:8), stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

The spirit of the King of Persia (Daniel 10:13) comes in different forms, it is regarded as our enemy and could be operating in different forms, either through your next door neighbor, your best friend, that church member who doesn’t like you and doesn’t want you anywhere in church because the devil knows your place of blessings, your boss, members of your family, your colleagues at school, work, etc. It is very easy to identify the enemy and its works. Anyone or anything that presents itself to you and causes you to engage in these acts is your enemy; Galatians 5:19-21, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  All these are destiny destroyers; they bring about delays and most times if not corrected, brings about denial of your success. The only language your enemy understands is force. When the desire to sin comes in the midst of your walk with God, (trust me, the desire will come), you can win by vehemently rebuking the devil and he will flee.  Anytime you make a conscious effort to draw closer to God, the enemy makes a stronger attempt to stop you, if he succeeds, he has you under his custody, but if he doesn’t, he has no hold on you, John 14:30. Forces of darkness operate victoriously in an unholy environment, unclean persons and one who is disconnected from heaven, they cannot prevail against you as long as you are in good terms with God and living a blameless life before Him (holy). I remember vividly when I was struggling to walk this walk, each time success was around the corner, the enemy comes with a huge offer and I’d take the offer at the detriment of my success, but, one day, God saw that I had been robbed enough and because He had a greater plan for me, He revealed this truth to me, the day I realized this truth, I purposed in my heart never to compromise my standards for anyone or anything. You can say I was delayed here and there but the moment I received this truth, I forcefully declined any subsequent offers from the devil and this time, the enemy came back with greater offers that anyone wouldn’t resist, but thank the Lord for Jesus Christ who gave me victory, victory over sin, victory over delays and disappointments. That is why the bible instructs us to bring our body under subjection, it’s not an easy walk, but you can do ALL things by the power of God, through Jesus Christ.  (Hebrews 12:1&2) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Verse 1 says, we have to strip (remove, strip, deprive) ourselves of that weight (jealousy, greed, anger, backbiting, sexual immorality, immorality, drunkenness, etc) that slows us down (delay) and easily trips us (makes us fall, stumble, go weak spiritually). Are you ashamed that you are not doing what your peer would rather have you do? Look up to Jesus! Are you ashamed that your friends laugh at the fact that you’ve chosen to follow Jesus? Remember His suffering and how He focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, instead of giving in to sin, He chose the crown. If you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, and strive to stay on that road fixing your eyes on Jesus alone, however difficult, then and only then can you shield yourself against the forces of darkness that seek to delay and destroy your destiny.         YOUR FEAR FOR SIN & ITS CONSEQUENCES SHOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN THE FEAR OF YOUR ENEMIES.

It is my prayer that every destiny destroyer sent to bring us down and cause delays in our lives will be condemned today in Jesus name. Amen!

Don’t Stop At Knowing (2)

Habakkuk 2:2&3

2And the LORD answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

It is one thing to know your purpose; it is another thing to fulfill your purpose. Have you ever asked yourself the reason God gives His beloved a vision and when he does, He helps you see the big picture, you see the end clearly? Because God is all-knowing and has seen all the bumps you’ll encounter before you get to your destination, hence, He gives you the end picture to help you to keep moving. Whenever God brings a vision to your knowledge, there is a binding force to achieve it and it can never be achieved until you have played your role. If God just says, I’ll bless you and doesn’t give you a vision or doesn’t reveal the end of his promise, like he did for Jacob; you’ll probably falter when it gets really bumpy, when it gets really tough. No wonder the bible calls him the “one who knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10) I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. As for God, he has already perfected His plans for you because the number of days you haven’t fulfilled, he has already lived through, seen all your failures, where you’ll likely give up, days you’ll cry, days you’ll sorrow in your pursuit for success and guess what? He mapped out a plan for you, he’s positioned help for you each day, he’s filled each day with the grace that you need, that’s why the bible says, “today is a day the Lord has made, I’ll rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).With all assurance, God says in verse 10B of Isaiah 46 that His purpose for you will stand and do all that He pleases, that’s to tell you that he has seen you reach the end and has perfected it, all you need do is run with the vision he’s given you. Also, bear in mind that when God gives you a vision, He equips you with all that you need to achieve it.

Let me tell you a story, I used to be an athlete back in the days and I had some trainers who would get me up at about 4.30am every morning (in preparation for a huge competition). A lot of them depended on me to win the cup, they were training me to stay light and strong. They starved me (I would eat only a slice of bread, no water, just glucose), ran around a 400 meter field about 10 times, did sit ups and pushups, they stretched me to a breaking point and explained to me why they were doing that to me and not other students, they made me see the end of the competition, the cup, the glory in being celebrated, the popularity, etc Being a short distance runner, I needed to comply if I had to cover all the laps and get the cup. On the day of the competition, I had done 100m, 200m, relay and finally 400m which demanded speed from start to finish and at that point I was so tired to lift my legs even though I was leading, the only thing that ever kept me lifting my legs, however heavy they were, was the cup, the glory and all.

Verse 2 of Habakkuk 2, says, write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. What does this mean? Write the vision, note the vision, remember the vision, let the vision be in your memory, do not forget your vision that you may not run in vain and make it plain, how? Understand your reason for embarking on a journey, understand your purpose, and make it clear to yourself why you have to go for your crown, because the zeal, the eagerness, the fervor, the interest to achieve the expected end comes through knowing the purpose of God for your life, but did God say stop at knowing and understanding? No! He said, RUN! PURSUE! Don’t stop until you get it for there is an assurance of your crown (expected end) as long as you run with your vision. Another fact I’d like to point out is the reason God said, you should know your vision, engrave the vision in your heart, understand your vision and RUN with your vision is for you never to give up in pursuit for success because those things that would distract you would come, those situations that will discourage you will come, those ugly feelings will rear their ugly heads, e.g, fear of the unknown, uncertainty, doubt, etc.,those friends that would mock you will appear, those who tried and failed all the way will be in your face and try to add you to the number of “tried and failed”, but, it is totally dependent on you to choose your goal over your detractors.  Galatians 5:7&8, you were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. The only time you’re permitted to stop pursuing God’s plan for you is when it is manifested and you are sure it is permanent, its permanence depends on your level of adherence to moral and ethical principles. For example, a person whom God has given a clear vision to Pastor a 2 million member church may succeed in bringing that vision to play, but how well the church advances depends on how the Pastor maintains an upright conduct.

In conclusion, you do not have any business being with anything or anyone that draws you back or prevents you from running and finishing well; no matter what it is or who it is because Galatians 5 verse 8 says such person or thing isn’t from God who gave you that vision, who called you for that purpose.

I pray that every detractor in our lives be completely defeated. May God open the eyes of your understanding to know what His purpose for you is and grant us all the strength to run without looking back till we’re crowned. Amen!

Don’t Stop At Knowing!

Some years back when I was in High school, there were several promises God made to me, I knew about them and as a matter of fact I was conscious of these promises, waiting to just walk into them without working or striving to bring them to fulfillment, how ignorant I was. While I advanced to college level, I did not only know my purpose in life, but I knew about the promises that would come with fulfilling my purpose, but I relaxed thinking that the God who promised all those will be faithful enough to fulfill them without my contribution. Guess God called me a “huge joke”.

Everyone has a purpose to fulfill on this earth and until you realize and begin to pursue your purpose in life, you’re considered unfruitful, unproductive and completely wasted. Take for example, the story of Jacob, in Genesis 28:1-5;

1 So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, "You must not marry any of these Canaanite women.2 Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban's daughters.3 May God Almighty* bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!4 May God pass on to you and your descendants* the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham."5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Isaac pronounced blessings on Jacob, but Jacob did not stop at knowing that he’d been blessed, he pursued the blessings knowing that his purpose was to become many nations through one of his uncle’s daughters. Not just that, to also possess the land he occupied as a fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and his descendant. The question now is, did Isaac stop at knowing these blessings? No! look at verse  5;

So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Immediately, Jacob pursued his purpose, he left for his purpose. While he pursued his destiny, he encountered disappointments but guess what, he did not stop pursuing his purpose. Jacob wanted Rachel, but Laban gave him the wrong woman after seven years of serving Laban (that was the height of wickedness, even if he had an excuse for what he did, I still consider it wicked because he should have informed Jacob about their “tradition”), Jacob went through the pain, sorrow, disappointment and regrets and served for another seven years just to have his purpose fulfilled. Read Chapter 29. All those children borne by Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah and Rachel made up great nations. This goes to say that most times when we think our plans are not working out the way we’d have them work out, there is probably a bigger picture we aren’t seeing. You can’t simply stop moving or pursuing your destiny because of setbacks, failures, disappointments, delays, etc. If Jacob stopped moving because of those setbacks, we probably wouldn’t be, a lot of destinies would have been aborted, a lot of plans would have failed, and a lot wouldn’t have come to play just because of one man’s fear of advancement.

 Now having achieved all of these, yes, and his children multiplied and became many nations, but he didn’t stop at that, he continued in pursuit of his purpose, even though it wasn’t easy. Jacob wrestled with the only One who could grant Him rest and establish him. Genesis 32:22;

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket.26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!" But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 "What is your name?" the man asked.  He replied, "Jacob”.28 "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel,* because you have fought with God and with men and have won."

Jacob went away from his family to be alone with God in prayer because he was desperate for a change, knowing that he was entitled to the promise made to Abraham and the only One that could make it happen was God. (verse 26), when God saw that he wouldn’t let go, he wouldn’t stop asking to be blessed, God had no other choice but to grant him his desires.

I have heard a lot of people complain about God’s unfulfilled promise and some even left the faith because they see God as a liar and very unfair. Sometime ago I was having a conversation with my eldest sister regarding some personal issues and one thing I remembered her telling me was, “If God promised, He will fulfill. But you have a role to play”. Jesus Christ did not ascend the throne by just sitting down and knowing that He’s been called to be the savior and with or without His contribution, he’ll be the savior. No! Jesus came and walked the walk, pursuing His divine purpose on earth with all his might, not that he never faced oppositions, disappointments, not that he never felt pains, not that he never cried, as a matter of fact, he begged His father to take this cup away from him, but when he remembered you, when He remembered me, when He thought about your tomorrow, he said, “Father, let your will and not mine be done. Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."

That’s why you & I are alive today, we no longer live under the law of sin, but we live by the grace of God. Jesus pursued his purpose regardless of the pain and suffering, he went through fire, yet he did not give up because he knew what promise awaited Him, and today, he has received it. Like Abraham, it took him obedience, faith and patience to receive God’s promise, like Elijah, who depended totally on God for everything through prayer and frequent communication, received the promise of eternal live, he lived in fear of his enemies, yet, did not give up till he was taken up to heaven by God. If all these people where able to receive the promises made to them by God and pursued their purpose in life without the distractions of this world, you can and I can. You can’t stop at knowing God’s will for your life, you have to keep pushing until it is manifested.

Isaiah 62:6 & 7

6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD. 7 Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.

Israel gave himself no rest (verse 6B); he prayed to God until he became the father of many nations, his name was changed. Before we can get the desired results in our lives, we have to keep praying till we see results, not just knowing that God has promised, yes, He will fulfill what He has promised but not until we go by the principles. Jacob faced disappointments, failures and oppositions, yet, he did not stop at that, he kept on pressing forward knowing that he had a purpose to fulfill. Again, he depended on God to change his name and bring to manifestation every promise made to him to bless and establish him, he wouldn’t give himself rest till he was absolutely established. Isaiah 62 says, give yourselves no rest until God completes His work and makes you the pride of this earth.

Your purpose in life comes in stages, when one stage is completed, don’t rest until the second is achieved, then the third ……… So many do not even know what direction to take in life, while so many hear God’s voice on what to do and work in their destinies, but for some reasons, they are not responsive. Isaiah 45:11

"thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me".

 You CANNOT just stop at knowing God’s plans for you and expect results just sitting there. I can’t remember where I heard this saying, “If you’re not ready to move your legs, don’t tell God to order your steps”.

Ask God for His purpose, ask Him things you know not and he’ll not only show you but guide you through the walk to achieving them. Jacob commanded the works of God’s hands, and today, we regard him as our father. As long as you know your purpose in life, you should never give in to those distractions and oppositions, they are there to make you stronger, better and wiser; the earlier you begin to pursue your purpose with all your might, the better for you. Let me reiterate, without fulfilling your destiny, your life on this earth is a complete waste, regardless of how comfortable you may be now.  Psalm 90:12, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. What does this mean? The earlier you realize that you do not have that luxury of time on this part of the world, the better for you because your ULTIMATE goal is to fulfill your purpose, which is why it’s expedient that you apply God’s wisdom in order to fulfill your destiny.

It is my prayer that your destiny will not be aborted and you will fulfill purpose in Jesus name. Amen!

You Are Your First Enemy!

Generally speaking, we all want to blame another person or find a situation to blame for our shortcomings. Oh, I know he’s responsible for my failure, oh, I know she never liked my personality and chose to kick me out of the classroom. I remember when I was in School taking classes for My Masters degree. I was in one of those classes that was necessary to help me in future (in the real world), mid way into the semester, a project on Non-Profit Organization was assigned to every member of the class and we were supposed to be working with any chosen Non-Profit Organization. Shortly before the semester was over, I was done with my project of about 44 slides to be presented after it was graded. Some of the materials I had picked from the company to help me work on my project were not properly used because I did not remember to cite my work, and you know how grievous that offense is. The instructor said I was 12% guilty of plagiarism and that was huge, I pleaded to go back and cite my work since I admitted I’d used the materials given to me while I was working with the Organization to help me understand what they were all about. Summary, I was dropped from the class at the end of the semester with no possibility of going to another class that semester and my GPA was somewhat affected, the rest is history. The question is did I add words from their materials? Yes.

Many at times, we look for people to point accusing fingers at over our situations even though we know that we play a large role in bringing our situations to play. Those enemies we seek to fight or we fight externally were attracted by the internal enemies in us. What am I saying? Let’s analyze the issue above. If I had cited my source or studied the materials better or even taken my time to change the words I had picked from my source, I wouldn’t have been dropped from that class and as a matter of fact, I probably would have had the GPA I’d wanted and I wouldn’t have been battling with the school and tagging them “racists”, concluding that they did not like the fact that I was doing well at school. The internal enemy opens the door for external enemies to come in, and the less we look inwardly at the enemy on the inside, the more external battles we’ll keep fighting until we identify and kill the one we carry in us.

I had a friend who shared his problem with me concerning his temporary blessings. He said nothing lasts for him and that he felt someone back home was behind his case (like someone didn’t like the fact that he was progressing). The first question I asked him was, are you born again? He said, yes. I asked him the last time he was in God’s presence, he said, each time he wanted to attend church service his girlfriend complained that she wasn’t getting enough attention or his job called him for overtime, and some other stories that touched the heart, but he added that he read his bible, prayed and even listened to sermons online. I asked him what he does with this girlfriend of his on Sundays that wouldn’t wait till after service and how much was he being paid for overtime that he couldn’t sacrifice to pursue God’s purpose for his life? He couldn’t reply. The only thing I could say to him was, as long as you’re termed a child of God, you can never prosper in iniquity, I presented myself as an example, as long as you keep struggling with sin, you cannot conquer that external enemy. When you discipline the members of your household not to open the door for any stranger, it will be very difficult for a thief to be welcomed into your home, so also, if you discipline your body and bring it under subjection, it will be very difficult to expose yourself to the enemy and only then can you be sure of fighting battles that you’ll win through the help of God. It’s very possible that there are external forces fighting him, but if the lust of the flesh, greed for more money and living in absolute falsehood would be identified and killed (eliminated), he’d gain more strength and have the armor of God stay on him.

You discover that the more you fight the enemies, it seems like the arrows you throw are not going far, or they’re not affected by your prayers. Have you been fighting battles without winning? Pause for a moment……look inwardly, between you and God, point out those ugly desires within you, such as lust of the flesh, jealousy, slander, greed, etc The moment you’re able to identify some of these enemies, you’re few steps to winning your battles against external enemies. Identify those enemies and fight them, get rid of them because they open wider doors to the external enemies that are more powerful than they are. When you get rid of those internal enemies, you are secured against external enemies, even though they will hang around waiting to come in. 1 peter 5:8, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. As long as there are no openings or there are no inner enemies to open the door for them, external enemies will have no access to destroy you and you’ll remain a victor. Now, don’t go saying, Prisca said no more battles, no, you’re only assured of victory.

 John 10:10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

It is my prayer that as we watch and pray, God will uphold us and help us to stay firm in Him.

One More Try - Never Give Up!

Man's greatest weakness is giving up. People who give up along the line are considered weak and often times they can never achieve their dreams because they believe in trying and letting go. Why give it a try knowing that you'll someday let go? You cannot afford to embark on a journey that you know you will not complete which is the reason some have still not achieved success.

What then is success? Success is setting a goal and achieving 100% of your goal. The focus here is the GOAL, if it's not worth the stress, then it's not worth the start. One thing I say to myself when I find myself in certain situations is, if I must get that crown, I have to walk this walk, I expect the road to get bumpy, I expect to get mocked, I give myself the worst pictures to prepare myself for the task ahead and when I pursue my goal, I try not to give up when certain unexpected events come up.  Often times when I think I may never get it, the only way I encourage myself is, perhaps, one more try and I will get there, when I try and it’s still not successful,  I try again, I keep trying, telling myself just one more try will give me what I want.

Recently, one thing I’ve come to learn and understand is that you are mended in certain situations that come with life to help you see better and brighter, to help you relax and ask yourself questions that you wouldn’t ordinarily ask yourself. What am I talking about? When I was searching for a job, shortly after school, I was applying for anything that I could do because I was looking at the economic situation of the country and how many people had been laid off. All the jobs I applied for never called me for an interview; all I got were acknowledgements. I knew I wanted to build my career but I just didn’t know where to start from. Then during service, the Pastor preached “Wisdom from God”, after service that Sunday, I meditated on the preaching and asked myself what I really wanted and how I would possibly get there. As I read the bible, I was taken to Proverbs 16 and when I got to verse 3, I was stopped in my tracks. I read it over and over and over again, Proverbs 16:3; Commit your ways to the Lord and you’ll succeed in your plans. That was all I needed to help me know what I really wanted, knowing that having a goal will help me walk the walk. Before I knew it, God who had His plans for me while I pursued it my way had positioned a colleague of mine in high school who had seen me in church and introduced me to the President of my job. I would have given up if I didn’t keep pushing myself, if God hadn’t ordered my steps. It didn’t end there as I went through several interview for different positions, some I wasn’t qualified, but I kept on pushing till I got a job, a clean start, that would build me in my chosen career.

In conclusion, the major help you need today is Jesus Christ, the one who knows everything and can order your steps only when you’re ready to move them. I can’t remember where I heard this saying; don’t tell God to order your steps if you’re not ready to move them.  Your success depends on your walk with God and your determination to get to the end. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9: 26 & 27a; therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27a No, I beat my body and make it my slave… Apostle Paul said it all in these verses. You do not start anything without a goal, and you do not get involved in a race or journey without any motivation. He further said, he brings his body under subjection, how? When the body gets weak and he feels like he would stop the race unfinished, he says to it, one more try and I’ll be crowned. Same way we should say to ourselves when we get tired, one more try and there lies our success. Never give up! 

NWOKEJI OGOCHUKWU P. M

Information is knowledge and knowledge is Power.

Hello everyone! I'm sure you'll agree with me that with the recent happenings in the world today, we can hardly say what tomorrow holds for you and I. In life, situations will arise, for example; loosing a loved one, losing a job, accidents, and inability to get what we want, when we want them or even difficulties in getting what we desire..... But, have we ever sat down to ask ourselves how we can come together and share opinions and experiences today to impact other people's lives positively? It is only fair enough that we share our thoughts and ideas in bits and pieces with people we know and see, but unfair that we cannot share them with people we do not know nor see, even when I’m sure that we can go that far in acquiring and sharing knowledge that will help us face situations in life. The purpose of this blog is to restore hope to the hopeless and to help bring people to Jesus Christ as He's the only sure hope we both have. Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and with Him we can rest secure. I trust you'll be blessed as you read my posts and share your experiences with others, as you do so, may the Almighty God meet you at the point of your needs. AMEN!