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This is an edited MS WORD copy of a book on Your Path to Success for one of our clients.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
1. CHAPTER ONE: You can’t get everything until you give
everything
2. CHAPTER TWO: The power of knowledge
3. CHAPTER THREE: Failures are those who fail themselves.
4. CHAPTER FOUR: The only way to prove that you are wise is
to learn more.
5. CHAPTER FIVE: A clay in the hands of the potter
6. CHAPTER SIX: The blessings of God are like rain that falls 24
hours daily; only those with open heart receive it.
7. CHAPTER SEVEN: Who is a believer?
8. CHAPTER EIGHT: With humility you are like the soil where
any seed can grow.
9. CHAPTER NINE: Wisdom, motivational, and inspirational
quotes
10. CHAPTER TEN: Proverbs and old sayings
1
INTRODUCTION
Many motivational speakers have often advised that people will perform
better if they exploit their God-given talents as opposed to doing those
things they are not good at. There have been several cases of individuals
who changed their jobs and career paths to embrace their talents. They
came out better. Even though our innate gifts manifest in the physical,
there is always a spiritual backing to them. For us to manifest our
potentials, a lot of motivation is required to be able to overcome
challenges.
Motivating people to manifest their potentials only through physical
means often yielded little results. However, applying spiritual
motivational means on the other hand produced better outcome. People
go through a lot of challenges and troubles in life because of their failure
to unleash their potentials. The high rate of unemployment can also be
traced to our inability to utilize our talents to do those things that will
make life easier instead of depending on government to provide jobs that
are not available. However, our inability to utilize our potentials could be
traceable to our failure to embrace the Holy Spirit and revelations from
God on what our callings are.
Blessings and honor be unto God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the
Messiah) who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realm. I always prayed to God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
(insight into mysteries and secrets) in the deep, and intimate knowledge
of Him and purpose for your life by having the eyes of your heart flooded 2
with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He
has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints.
(Ephesians 1:17-18) (Amplified).
Jesus is the head of the church and we are the body. Then if we are the
body, which part of the body are we? This is where we need the wisdom
of God and revelation to get an insight into the mysteries and secrets of
His purpose for our lives through Christ Jesus. The unfolding of God’s
words give light and understanding (discernment and comprehension) to
the simple. (Psalm 119:130) (Amplified).
The cemetery is considered the richest place on earth because of those
buried therein who never had the opportunity of utilizing their God-given
potentials while alive. This is possible if such people didn’t have Christ in
them and thus the unfolding light of God was not available to them for
His purpose for their lives.
Anyone who wants to discover God’s purpose for his life must first get
connected to the body of Christ through faith and recognize Him as the
Lord and personal savior. Then the unfolding light of Jesus which reveals
the truth about our callings will unfold the truth. Many people
misconstrue their callings in darkness because the unfolding light of Jesus
Christ was not available to them.
God did not create man to fail; to do so will be unrighteousness on His
part. And as long as the heaven and earth remains, God can never be
unrighteous. The governments of this world can produce several
graduates without employment opportunities, but God Almighty did not
create any man without potentials. He did not just give us our individual
3
potentials, but also gave us the unfolding light who is Jesus Christ to
reveal the truth to us by being in Him.
CHAPTER ONE
YOU CAN’T GET EVERYTHING UNTIL YOU GIVE EVERYTHING
Jesus said unto the young man, “If you want to be perfect, go and
sell all your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”.
(Mathew 19 v 21) (NLT)
This is a case of testing the heart of man. Jesus was putting man to test
to know where his heart laid, whether it is in material things or not. The
result is clear. Where a man’s treasure is, that is where his heart will be.
When we talk of giving all we have, our mind often went to pecuniary or
material things.
Money is part and the least of what we can give to God. The best gift we
can give to God is our heart. It is when we give our heart to God that we
can give selfless service and worship Him in truth and in spirit. The last
statement in the bible passage says “Then come, follow me”. This means
our heart should lean towards God.
The Lord said to Abraham, “Because you have obeyed me and have not
withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will
certainly bless you; I will multiply your descendants beyond number like
the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore; your descendants will
4
conquer the cities of their enemies and through them all the nations of
the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 22 v 16 – 18) (NLT).
God has respect for humanity. He will be unrighteous to take Abraham’s
only son. This was another case of testing the heart of man.
Abraham gave everything he had. And God said you cannot get
everything until you give every thing. The stars in the sky and the
sand on the seashore represent everything that God gave Abraham
in Mathew 19 v 21 – 22. The young man who Jesus told to give
everything gave nothing and went away sad. And we never heard of
him again. But Abraham did the opposite and today the gospel is not
complete without the story of Abraham.
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how people put money into
the treasury box. And many who were rich put in much; then one poor
widow came and threw in two mites. He called his disciples to himself and
said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor window has put in
more than those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of
their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her
whole livelihood [Mark 12: 41 – 44] (NKJV)
Quote: “The best you can give to God is your heart”
In the old church, there was a treasurer in charge of the treasury box,
who knew how people gave what they gave. Jesus sat opposite the
treasury watching how people cast money into the treasury, what they
gave and how they gave; that is the state of their state of their heart. He
called His disciples to himself and interceded for the poor widow that
5
gave all she had. It is only those who give God their heart that can give
everything even in their poverty. In heaven, Jesus is permanently
interceding for us based on what and how we give out what we have like
the poor widow. That is why we receive things we did not pray for, favour
that we do not merit, blessings we do not deserve because Jesus
intercedes for us based on the state of our heart and credits our account
from heaven based on our account balance.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up
for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal for where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mathew 6: 19 –
21) (NKJV)
My experience in school will help us to have a deep understanding of the
Bible chapter and verses above. In my days on campus, I often made sure
I did not use up all my pocket money as I tried to secure my daily
requirements. Something unexpectedly happened one day and I was
forced to use up all the money left with me. It was then that I
remembered that I had some provisions from God I could fall back on.
Quote: “Your treasure in heaven is an assurance of supernatural
provisions”
The lesson here is that it was not the money in my pocket that
guaranteed my provision, but my treasure in heaven which was credited.
6
Our treasure in heaven provides divine and supernatural provisions for
us. Sometimes we get things from God without asking, praying or
fasting. They are given to us because we are stakeholders of the treasure
in heaven. We shall not lack good things because there is an auto-
transfer, auto-credit mechanism from heaven to our account. Anyone can
be a stake holder of the treasures in heaven based on the transparency
of the heart, obedience to God’s word and holiness.
“The promise granted through faith; for the promise that He
would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed,
but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4: 13) (NLT)
This is a reference passage that tells us more about who are as the
stakeholders of the treasure in heaven. Abraham and his seed did not
become shareholder of the treasure in heaven according to law, culture
or tradition, but by being stakeholders through the righteousness of their
faith.
“The Lord will open to you his good treasure, the heaven, to give
the rain (blessings) to your land in its season, and to bless all the
works of your hand, and you shall lend to many nations, but you
shall not borrow” (Deuteronomy 28: 12) (NKJV)
In every nation or organization, there is a treasure or special account set
aside to solve economic or social problems regarded as very important to
the organization. In oil rich nations there are excess crude oil accounts
which are regarded as national treasure and can be used to solve
economic problems during emergency periods. This is also applicable to
the organization of heaven. However, in this case, economic problems do
7
not need to occur before heaven credits our account from the treasures
of heaven. We must understand that heaven will not credit our account
without the works of our hands as said in Deuteronomy 28:12. “The work
of our hand is a channel in which God can credit our account from the
treasure of heaven”. Today people work like elephants and eat like ants
because they have no treasure in heaven;and there is nothing to credit
their account with.
“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and
establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of
our hands” (Psalm 90:17) [NKJV]
If God does not bless a man, no man will; and if God does not establish a
man, no man can establish him. The establishment of a man is a function
of the accreditation of heavenly treasure. You can’t have access to
heavenly treasure until you give your heart to God.
Those who give everything are those who give God their heart, those who
have everything are those who have treasures in heaven; those who have
treasures in heaven are those who gave their hearts to God and are true
worshippers. True worshippers render selfless service. Those who render
selfless service to God lay up their treasures in heaven; those who lay up
their treasure in heaven never lack any assurance of good things as in
Mathew 6:vs.19-20. Jesus in a parable told us to lay up treasures in
heaven where there is assurance of supernatural provisions.
“Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feeds them; are you
not of more value than they” [Mathew 6:26] (NKJV)
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The birds of the air can provide for their offspring, can afford more
than three meals a day. It is just a question of flying few meters from her
nest. Yet, we are more important than birds. Statistics show us figures of
people who are hungry in every part of the world. They are not hungry
because they refused to work, but are hungry because they lacked
heavenly treasure. With heavenly treasure, little work triggers
abundance.
“For after all these things the gentiles seek for; your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall
be added to you” (Mathew 6v32-33 (NKJV)
There is nothing you want that God does not have or knows about. Based
on the law of sowing and reaping, which is a law of nature, you cannot
reap where you did not sow. God is telling you to deposit your heart first
in his kingdom by rendering selfless service, loving one another,
forgiving, faithful, being humble, give brotherly love, be merciful,
hospitality and so on. Every of those acts increase our treasure box in
heaven which results to our supernatural provision on earth. With our
treasure box in heaven, our divine provision is not by law, but by right.
With our heavenly treasure, we don’t need to ask. When we think of
anything according to the will of God, it will be given to us.
Quote: “Every of your righteous act increases your heavenly treasure”
9
With our heavenly treasure, good things will happen to us in their own
accord; the promise that God will grant our heart’s desire is based on our
heavenly treasure. Heavenly treasure is a covenant that guarantees our
provision on earth.
Some times wealth could disappear because of lack of heavenly
treasure that guarantees everlasting provision on earth. We should enter
into a covenant of supernatural provision by giving our heart to God just
like Abraham and David did in the bible. These are some of the people
who gave their hearts and God established a covenant with them.
Mathew 6:19-21 tells us not to lay up our treasure on earth, where
moth and rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal, but we
should lay up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys.
When you lay up your treasure in heaven, there is a covenant the seals it
up which is the best form of security. That is why Jesus said “do not lay
up your treasure on earth where there is no covenant or divine security;
but lay up your treasure in heaven where there is an everlasting
guarantee of divine provision. For those who lay up their treasure on
earth, there is no guarantee of everlasting provision. In fact, the expiring
date of their wealth is known because there is no divine security from
above.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in
my temple. If you do, says the Lord of heavenly 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” [Malachi 3:10]
(NLT)
Bringing all the tithes takes us back to our chapter title that say’s you
cannot get everything until you give everything. Now the truth is, many
10
of us believe that ten percent of our income is our entire tithe. No, it is
only a part of it. All our tithes comprise of tithing your strength, your
time, your knowledge, your talent and so on.
As an accountant in an organization, you tithe your experience by helping
the church in the accounting department. Twenty four hours a day, we
are expected to tithe some percentage of our time in praising or worship
God. These and others make up all the tithes. When we have done this,
we have given everything to God and God also gives us everything. He
says, “I will open the windows of heaven to give everything because you
have given everything, which is your entire tithe”.
“But this I say; he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” [2
Corinthians 9 V 6] (NKJV)
Those who sow sparingly are those who do not give their complete tithe.
Complete tithe in this case is not ten percent of your total income, it also
entails physical offering, offering your acquired skill and so on. Those who
give financially only sow sparingly, but those who give financially as well
as themselves have sown bountifully. Money is the least of what we can
give to God. God is not man who takes material things as the best offer.
The best we can give to God is our heart.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field,
which a man found and hid again; he goes to sell all that he has
and buys that field” [Mathew 13:14] (NASB)
This is a parable of a cheerful giver; a parable of a man who is willing to
give everything to access the treasure in heaven. Remember the story of
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a young rich man in [Mathew 19:21] who Jesus told to sell all his
possessions and give the money to the poor to access heavenly treasure.
We should also remember the story of Abraham in [Genesis 22: 16-18]
who gave his only son to access heavenly treasure. We know the rest of
the story. This explanation will help us to interpret the story of this man
who joyfully sold all he had to buy up the field. Now the field represents
green pasture; the green pasture represents divine provision; the field
represents heavenly treasure; the man who sold all that he has and buys
that field, meant giving all his heart in selfless service to buy the heart of
God to access heavenly treasure. This is why I said heavenly treasure is
like a strategy which only those who can understand it, survive. There are
people who are doing better than you and you begin to ask God why this
is so. It is because they know the strategy you don’t know; the sacrificial
strategy, a strategy of sowing bountifully.
CHAPTER TWO
THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge stands for you
Ignorance stands against you
Knowledge pays for you
You pay for ignorance
Knowledge is a shield
Ignorance is like a conflict
That can make you a refugee
12
Even in your fatherland.
Apart from our respective discipline, we need to seek the knowledge of
God. Our collective knowledge is not complete without the knowledge of
God. Lack of knowledge generally gets us into trouble, knowledge about
what is happening around us, knowledge about God’s purpose for our life.
This and other necessary knowledge are what we need to acquire.
Ignorance is not an excuse in the secular world. Even as children of God,
we must be knowledgeable because God is a God of knowledge.
“Come and listen to my counsel; I’ll share my heart with you and
make you wise” [proverb 1 V 23] (NLT)
This is a call for you to acquire knowledge, through revelation, through
the word of God. It says, come and listens to my counsel; I will share my
heart, my knowledge with you and make you wise, about the knowledge
of God, about God’s purpose for your life. God supplies series of
knowledge through different channels. Knowledge is like a mustard seed.
No matter how small it is, when planted, it becomes a big tree. It is also
applicable to knowledge, especially the knowledge of God. When we take
heed and dwell in it, it will help us grow like a mustard seed that grows
into a bigger tree; a tree that can bear fruits and become blessings to
others. Knowledge is a light that makes you shine in the dark, and make
people look for you for help. Ignorance is like darkness in which you must
look up to people for help.
13
Quote: “It is better to be a student for one day than to be an illiterate
forever”
Ordinarily, a man needs help even though he can provide everything for
himself. Sometimes ignorance can make us look out for what we already
have. Ignorance can also waste our time, or move ahead of time which
can be dangerous. Knowledge about God’s purpose for our lives is very
important. God has prepared a table before us, but sometimes because of
our lack of knowledge, we destroy it.
“And there was famine in the land, other than the famine that
was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to
Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him
and said, do not down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell
you. Dwell temporarily in this Land, and I will be with you and
favor you with blessing; for to you and to your descendants I will
perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I
will make your descendants to multiply as the stars of the
heavens, and will give to you posterity of all these lands
(Kingdom); and by your offspring shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed,” [Genesis 26: 1 -4] (AMP)
What would have made Isaac plan to go to Egypt during famine period
(economic meltdown)? Possibly to look for greener pasture and Isaac is
the heir of Abraham’s promise. We must have the knowledge that our
provision is not in abroad, but from above. Lack of knowledge makes us
to look for what we already have. We should also have the knowledge
14
that any land we step our foot on is ours as an heir of Abraham’s
promise. Traveling from one country to another for greener pasture is not
necessary as an heir of Abraham’s promise.
“Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same
year a hundred times as much as he had planted and God
favored him with blessings. And the man became great and
gained more and more until he became very wealthy and
distinguished” [Genesis 26: 12 – 13] (AMP)
This brings us to the fact that we can prosper anywhere. If Isaac had gone
to Egypt, he would possibly have become a refugee, [Proverb 1 V 23).
God said come and listen to my counsel; I will share my heart with you; I
will tell you what to do; where to sow; where to invest and I will make you
rich. It is very important we let God hold our hands and lead us to the
promise land. God told Isaac “dwell temporarily in this land”, not
permanently in the land. We should let the instruction of God be the air
we breathe in so that we can survive because He knows the beginning
from the end.
Then Abilmelech went to him (Isaac) from Gerar with Ahuzzah, one of his
friends, and Phicoh, his army’s commander. And Isaac said to them, “why
have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away
from you”. They said, we saw that the Lord was certainly with you; so we
said, “let there be now an oath between us [carrying a curse with it to
befall the one who breaks it] even between you and us, and let us make
between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you” [Genesis 26:
28]
15
A rich man has many friends, but a poor man is hated by even his
neighbor. The difference between a poor and a rich man is
information, knowledge especially the knowledge of God.
In [Genesis 26 V 1], Isaac went to see Abimelech, King of the Philistines
possibly to seek for favor. Sometimes the lack of knowledge makes up
run from pillar to post. Until you discover God’s purpose for your life, you
will remain a slave to your oppressor or a refugee. Like I said earlier,
ignorance is like a conflict that can make a man a refugee in his own land
while knowledge will make you to be in the right place for God blessings.
Isaac acknowledged the fact that he does not need to go to Egypt to
become what he wanted to become. We must acknowledge the fact that
the Lord is a good shepherd that can lead him to a greener pasture. And
we must be a good sheep who listen to instructions to follow the way
directed by the shepherd to get to a greener pasture.
Knowledge is a light that makes us shine in the dark in the face of
economic meltdown. When lights shine in the dark, people come to it. In
[Genesis 26 V 28] even King Abilech and his army’s commander saw the
light shining through the life of Isaac.
Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my
hand and no one regarded, because you disdained all my
counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at
your calamity, I will mock when your terror comes like a storm,
and your destruction comes like a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not
answer, they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
16
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the
Lord [Proverb 1: 24-29] (NKJV)
God gave Isaac instructions, he did not refuse; God stretched out His
helping hand to Isaac, and he gave God his hand to lead him. Isaac did
not disdain the knowledge of God; he did not go down to Egypt as
instructed by God. If Isaac did not follow God’s instruction, he would have
been out of God’s plan for his life. Knowledge about God’s purpose for our
life is the master key for success. Lack of knowledge of God’s purpose for
our life is a fast lane to calamity. God gives out instructions through
different media. The question is, do we listen and follow this instruction
like Isaac? The reason why God sometimes don’t answer our prayers is
because we don’t follow His instructions when we are in the wrong place.
The wealthiest people on earth are those who trade on knowledge (Sam
Adeyemi).
People who made wealth in the stock market did so not because they
traded in stock, but because they traded on the knowledge of what the
market will be. Isaac did not become wealthy because of his strength,
but because he traded on the knowledge of God.
Investment in knowledge always pays the best interest (Benjamin
Franklin). Even in the business world, knowledge is one of the things
that can give you competitive advantage over your competitors. It also a
means to make strategic decisions, effective management, risk
management; it also helps in managing opportunities and so on.
17
Quote: “A man’s major problem can be traced to the potentials he did
not unleash”
With knowledge, a journey of a hundred years can be a journey of one
day. Isaac was about to emback on a long journey to Egypt, but the
knowledge of God made his journey short. Ignorance will make us to
embark on a long and fruitless journey. Knowledge is needed in every
area of our life as in business, marriage, relationships and so on. Anything
we do in life we need to wait; and if we must wait, we should have the
knowledge of God while waiting to succeed. Furthermore, if we must walk
or run in life, we must have the knowledge of the distance. For us to fly in
life, we need to have knowledge about the direction. When he brought his
sheep outside, he walked on before them, and the sheep followed him
because they knew his voice [John 10 V 4] (AMP).
God is always there before us to direct us. If we listen to his instruction,
the voice of God will speak knowledge. Then you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free. [John 8:32] (NIV).
Being knowledgeable is freedom, and lack of it is captivity. Your
knowledge does not only set you free, but also sets others free. God has
prepared our table before us, but because of our ignorance ,we destroyed
it. The word of God is the truth, the knowledge that guides us in life. For
us to succeed in life, the knowledge of God should be the air we breathe.
The only material to lay a sound foundation is to seek the knowledge of
God.
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MAN WILL CONTINUE TO WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW UNTIL HE
UNLEASHES HIS POTENTIALS
“Then you should invest my money with the bankers, and at my
coming I would have received what was my own interest…..and
through the good–for-nothing servant into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [Mathew
25:27 & 30] (AMP).
A man who unleashes his potentials is like a man who has a river at his
back yard. Each time he needed water, he went there to fetch from it. A
man who unleashes his potentials has no cause to worry about tomorrow.
If a bird can leave its nest and spread its winds, the sky is its stepping
stone. We are more valuable to God than birds. The servant who did not
trade with his talents was good-for-nothing for not trying at all. When you
make attempt, there is grace to excel while the Master will always be
there to assist you. Jesus assisted those who traded with their talents by
adding extra talent to the ones they already had. God is the God of
increase. He multiplies your seed sown. When the seed you sow is
multiplied, you have no cause to worry about the future. The master of
the servant even complained of not making an attempt of saving his
money in the bank. At least he would have done something. Rather, the
servant kept on procrastinating and did nothing.
19
CHAPTER THREE
FAILURES ARE THOSE WHO FAIL THEMSELVES
There are millions of people in the world today who have lost hope and
regard themselves as failures. The question is, “Why have they failed?”
They might have failed not because of the inadequacies of government or
because the economic system failed them. They probably failed because
they chose to fail. Another question could be, “Who are those who have
failed themselves?” They are those people who have failed to develop
their potentials and God-given talents may be due to several challenges
of life.
Quote:”Everything around you can fail you, but your potential can never
fail you if you develop it”
God did not create any man to fail, but most failed because of their
inability to develop their innate talents. God created man to succeed. He
created man and labeled him with success. Any man created in the image
and likeness of God is created to succeed because God is a God of
success. God given potentials come with challenges. And those
challenges are made to purify us, to build and develop our potentials. Let
us examine some individuals who used their challenges to build and
develop their God given potentials. Their stories teach us how they were
able to surmount numerous obstacles which forced them to work harder
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with much determination. Keep them in mind and remind yourself that
sometimes failure could just be the first step towards success. These
people and the companies the founded or the organizations they
managed are today known around the world. As these stories have
shown, their beginnings weren’t always smooth.
HENRY FORD: While Henry Ford is today known for his innovative
assembly lines and American-made cars, he wasn’t an instant success. In
fact his early businesses failed which left him broke five times before he
founded the successful Ford Motor Company .
R. H. MACY: Most people are familiar with this large departmental store
chain. But Macy didn’t always have it easy. She started seven failed
businesses before finally hitting it big with his stores in New York City.
SOICHIRO HONDA: The billion-dollar business that is Honda began with
a series of failures and fortunate turns of luck. Honda was turned down by
Toyota Motor Corporation for a job as an engineer and was jobless for
quite some time. He started making scooters of his own at home.
Spurred on by his neighbors he finally started his own business.
AKIO MORITA: You may not have heard of Morita, but you have
undoubtedly heard of his company. Sony’s first product was a rice cooker
that unfortunately didn’t cook rice so much as burn it and sold far less
those 100 units. The first setback didn’t stop Morita and is partners as
they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company.
21
BILL GATES: Gates didn’t seem like a shoe-in for success after dropping
out of Harvard University and stated a failed business with Microsoft co-
founder Paul Allen called Trap-o-Data. While this early idea didn’t work,
Gate’s later efforts did work creating the global empire that is Microsoft.
Quote: “The world is like a market place where every man has goods
and services to sell”
HARLAND DAVID SANDERS: Perhaps better known as Colonel Sanders
of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. Sanders had a hard time selling his
chicken at first. In fact, his famous secret chicken recipe was rejected
1,009 times before a restaurant accepted it.
WALT DISNEY: Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies
and theme parks. He had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a
newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good
ideas”. After that, Disney stared a number of businesses that didn’t last
too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept trudging along.
However, he eventually found a recipe for success that worked.
SCEINTISTS AND THINKERS
These people are often regarded as some of the greatest minds of our
time, but they often had to face great obstacles, the ridicule of their
peers and the animosity of society.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Most of us take Einstein’s name as synonymous with
genius, but didn’t always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until
he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and
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parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti social.
Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admission to
the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but
most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end,
winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics
CHARLES DARWIN: In his early years, Darwin gave up on having a
medical career and was often chastised by his father for being lazy and
too dreamy. Darwin himself wrote, “I was considered by all my masters
and by my father a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard
of intellect”. Perhaps they judged too soon, as Darwin today is well-known
for his scientific studies
ROBERT GODDARD: Goddard today is hailed for his research and
experiment with liquid-fueled rockets. But during his lifetime, his ideas
were often rejected and mocked by his scientific peers who thought they
were outrageous and impossible. Today, rockets and space travel don’t
seem far-fetched at all due largely in part to the work of this scientist who
worked against the feeling of the time.
ISAAC NEWTON: Newton was undoubtedly a genius when it came to
mathematics, but he had some failings early on. He never did particularly
well in school and when put in charge of running the family farm, he
failed miserably and so poorly such that an uncle took charge and sent
him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into the scholar we
know today.
ROBERT STERNBERY: This big name in Psychology received a “C” in his
first college Introductory Psychology class with his teacher telling him,
“there was already a famous Sternberg in Psychology and it was obvious
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there would not be another”. Sternbery showed him, however, graduating
from Stanford with exceptional distinction in Psychology summa cum
laude, and Phi Beta Kappa and eventually becoming the President of the
American Psychology Association.
INVENTORS
These inventors changed the face of the modern world, but not without a
few failed prototypes along the way.
THOMAS EDISON: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too
stupid to learn anything”. Work was no better, as he was fired from his
first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor,
Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of
course, all those unsuccessfully attempts finally resulted in the design
that worked.
ORVILLE AND WILBUR WRIGHT: These brothers battled depression
and family illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them
to experimenting with flight. After numerous attempts at creating a flying
machine, several years of hard work, and tons of failed prototypes, the
brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stayed there.
PUBLIC FIGURES
From politicians to talk show hosts, these figures had a few failures
before they came out on top.
WINSTON CHURCHILL: This Nobel Prize-winning, twice-elected Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom wasn’t always as well regarded as he is
today. Churchill struggled in school. He faced many years of political
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failures, as he was defeated in every election for public office until he
finally became the Prime Minister at the ripe old age of 62.
Quote: “You have no selling point until you have unleashed your
potentials”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: While today he is remembered as one of the
greatest leaders of America, Lincoln’s life wasn’t so easy. In his youth, he
went to war as captain and returned a private. (If you are not familiar
with military ranks, just know that a private is as low as it sounds).
However, Lincoln didn’t stop failing. He had numerous failed attempts for
public office.
OPRAH WINFREY: Most people know Oprah as one of the most iconic
faces on TV as well as one of the richest and most successful women in
the world. Oprah faced a hard road to get to that position; however,
enduring a rough and often abusive childhood as well as numerous
careers setbacks including being fired from her job as a television
reporter because she was “unfit for TV”.
DICK CHENEY: This recent Vice President and businessman made his
way to the White House, but to flunk out of Yale University, not once, but
twice. Former President George W. Bush joked with Cheney about this
fact, saying, “So now we know, if you graduate from Yale, you become
President; if you drop out, you get to be Vice President”.
HOLLYWOOD STARS
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Their faces ought to be familiar from the big screen, but these actors,
actresses and directors saw their fair share of rejection and failure before
they made it big.
JERRY SEINFELD: Just about everybody knows who Seinfeld is, but the
first time the young American comedian walked on stage at a comedy
club, he looked out at the audience, froze and was eventually jeered and
booed off the stage. Seinfeld knew he could do it, so he went back the
next night, completed his set to laughter and applause, and the rest is
history.
FRED ASTAIRE: In his screen test, the director of MGM noted that
Astaire could not act, could not sing, slightly bald, but could dance a little.
Astaire went on to become an incredibly successful actor, singer and
dancer and kept that note in his Beverly Hills home to remind him of
where he came from.
SIDNEY POITIER. After his first audition, Poitier was told by the casting
director, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and
become a dishwasher or something?” Poitier vowed to show him that he
could make it, went on to win an Oscar and became one of the most well
regarded actors in the business.
JEANN MOREAU: As a young actress just starting out, this French
actress was told by a casting director that she was simply not pretty
enough to make it in films. He couldn’t have been more wrong as Moreau
went on to star in nearly 100 films and won numerous awards for her
performances.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN: It’s hard to imagine films without the iconic Charlie
Chaplin, but his act was initially rejected by Hollywood Studio chiefs
because they felt he was a little too nonsensical to ever sell.
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LUCILLE BALL: During her career, Ball had thirteen Emmy nominations
and four wins and also earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Kennedy Center Honors. Before starring in I love Lucy, Ball was widely
regarded as a failed actress and a ‘B’ movie star. Even her drama
instructors did not feel she could make it, telling her to try another
profession. She of course, proved them all wrong.
HARRISON FORD: In his first film, Ford was told by the movie execs that
he simply didn’t have what it takes to be a star. Today with numerous
hits under his belt, iconic portrayals of characters like Han Solo and
Indiana Jones, and a career that stretched decades, Ford can proudly
show that he does in fact have what it takes.
OLIVER STONE: This Oscar – wining filmmaker began his first novel
while at Yale, a project that eventually caused him to fall out of school.
This would turn out to be a poor decision as his text was rejected by
publishers and was not well received. After dropping of school, Stone
moved to Vietnam to teach English, later enlisting in the army and
fighting in the war which earned him two Purple Hearts and helped him
find the inspiration for his later work that often centered on wars.
WRITERS AND ARTISTS
JACK LONDON: This well-known American author wasn’t always such a
success. While he would go on to publish popular novels like White Fang
and the Call of the wild, his first story received six hundred rejection slips
before finally being accepted.
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MONET: Today Monet’s work sells for millions of dollars and hangs in
some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Yet during his own
time, he was mocked and rejected by the artistic elite in the Paris salon.
Monet kept at his impressionist style which caught on and in many ways
was a starting point for some major changes to art that ushered in the
modern era.
THEODOR SEUSS GIESEL: Today nearly every child has read the Cat in
the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham, yet 27 different publishers rejected Dr
Seuss’ first book to think that saw it on Mulberry Street.
STEPHEN KING: The first book by this author, the iconic thriller Carrie
received thirty rejections which finally caused King to give up and threw it
in the trash. His wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it, and
the rest is history with King now having hundreds of book published and
the distinction of being one of the best – selling authors of all time.
ZONE GREY: Incredibly popular in the early 20th century, this adventure
book writer began his career as a dentist, a profession he began to hate
over time. So, he began to write only to see rejection after rejection for
his works. Being a writer, he would have given up. It took him years, but
at 40 years of age, Zone finally got his first work published, leaving him
with almost 90 books to his name and selling over 50 millions copies
worldwide.
CHARLES SCHULTZ: Schultz’s peanuts comic strips has enduring fame,
yet this cartoonist had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high
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school yearbook staff. Even after high school, Schultz didn’t have it easy,
applying and being rejected for a position to work with Walt Disney.
Quote: “The world without a mustard seed is like a world without our
collective potentials”
STEVEN SPIELBERG: While today Spielberg’s name is synonymous with
big budget, he was rejected by the University of Southern California
School of Theater, Film and Television three times. He eventually
attended school at another location; only to drop out to become a
director before finishing. Thirty-five years after starting his degree,
Spielberg returned to school to finally complete his work and earned his
bachelor’s degree.
MUSICIANS
While their music are some of the best selling albums, best loved and
most popular around the world today, these musicians showed that it
takes a whole lot of determination to achieve success.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: In his formative years, young Beethoven
was incredibly awkward on the violin and was often so busy working on
his own compositions that he neglected to practice. Despite his love of
composing, his teachers felt he was hopeless at it and would never
succeed with the violin or in composing. Beethoven kept plunging along,
however, and composed some of the best-loved symphonies of all time;
five of them while he was completely deaf.
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ELVIS PRESLEY: As one of the best-selling artists of all time, Elvis has
become a household name even years after of his death. But back in
1954, Elvis was still a nobody, and Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand
Ole Opry fired Elvis Presley after just one performance telling him, “you
aren’t going nowhere son; you ought to go back to driving a truck”
THE BEATLES: Few people can deny the lasting power of this super
group, still popular with people around the world today. Yet when they
were just starting out, they were told by a recording company “we don’t
like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out”, two things the rest
of the world couldn’t have disagreed with.
ATHLETES
While some athletes rocked to fame, others endured a path fraught with
a little more adversity, like those listed here.
MICHAEL JORDAN: Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often
lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his
high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn’t let this set back stop
him from playing the game and he stated, “I have missed more than
9,000 shots in my career, I have lost almost 300 games; on 26 occasions,
I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I
have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”.
STAN SMITH: This tennis player was rejected from even being a lowly
ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because event organizers felt he
was to clumsy and uncoordinated. Smith went on to prove them wrong,
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showcasing he is not so clumsy by winning the Wimbledon, U.S. Open
and eight Davis Cups.
BABE RUTH: You probably know Babe Ruth because of his home run
record (714 during his career), but along with all those home runs came a
pretty hefty amount of strikeouts as well (1,330 in all). In fact, for
decades, he held the record for strikeouts. When asked about this, he
simply said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”
This brings us back to the quote that says failures are those people who
approve of it. Despite their challenges, frustrations, series of failures in
their attempts, persistence was their watch word. People are not created
to fail in their respective endeavours.
Your potential is like a mustard seed which when unleashed
grows into a big tree to serve many purposes
Mustard seeds and mustard greens are used for a variety of purposes; to
spice up sandwiches, salad and other meals, to preserve pickles and so
on. Mustard seeds are used for producing oil, which is known for its
excellent warming properties and can be used for massages. In addition,
mustard seeds have high nutritional value, being a source of many
important microelements and nutrients, one of the healthiest and the
least caloric spices. Mustard seeds are used in almost every world’s
cuisines and are among the world’s most demanded spices, which is
specially loved in India, Canada and the United States.
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Mustard seeds benefits include anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory
properties. Being a great source of selenium and magnesium, mustard
seeds can decrease inflammation, and reduce the symptoms of such
disease as rheumatoid arthritis or asthma. The seeds also contain
Isothiocyanates known for their anti-cancer effects. Other useful elements
and nutrients which can be found in mustard seeds and mustard greens
are calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, dietary fibers and
very valuable omega 3 fatty acids, which can lower cholesterol levels and
protect us from having heart disease.
Mustard products have been used also to speed up metabolism to
improve the functioning of the digestive system. One of the most
important health benefits of mustard seeds is being helpful in reducing
the frequency of migraines. Mustard and mustard oils have been
effectively used for centuries for lowering high blood pressure and
preventing sclerosis.
Massaging your scalp with mustard oil will help you to substantially
improve your hair quality and prevent hair loss. Another interesting
property of mustard seed is in improving appetite. Finally, mustard seeds
are considered to be a great source of power and bioenergy. The
products of mustard seeds can also help to improve immunity and assist
in fighting against insomnia, as well to treat such problems as anxiety,
psychological disorders, the effects of stress and depression, bronchitis,
sexual dysfunctions, the symptoms of menopause, and many others.
I have taken time to list out the importance of mustard seed and
mustard green for you to know how important your potential is to the
world. Your potential can bring unlimited solutions when unleashed.
Imagine a world without Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb or
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Orville and Wilbur Wright brothers who created a flight machine and
others. The problem the world is facing today is because somebody
somewhere has not unleashed his or her potentials. God is a God of
programmes. He has programmed our potentials to solve various
problems. The fact that we have millions of unemployed people around
the world today means there are millions of people who have not
unleashed their potentials.
Since ancient times, purgative properties were considered the best
mustard seed benefits, but nowadays this herbal remedy is valued also
for its antifungal and antiseptic effects. This wonderful story tells us that
no matter what has been invented today cannot be compared to what will
be invented tomorrow. If we unleash our respective potentials we will still
be fruitful at old age. For example, a footballer who may no longer play
could serve as a coach or an adviser to a football team. A musician who
can no longer sing can be a judge in a musical contest. When you unleash
you potential, the sky will be your steeping stone.
A good government should provide jobs for its university graduates. In
the same vein, God has created us with respective potentials which
provide a selling point for us. The world is a market place where every
man has what to give. God will be unrighteous if He created man without
potentials. It is left to you to exploit those God-given potentials to
become what God has created you to be.
Quote: “The world market is not complete without your product”
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Our God is a God of programmes and has programmed our collective
potentials to solve various problems. Many people have not unleashed
their potentials probably because of certain challenges attached to it. The
giver of potentials has given us respective talents according to our ability.
He did not just give us our talents, but He is also willing to assist us.
When we make attempts to unleash our potentials and multiply our
seeds, the rest is left to us to make the best use of the situation.
It is like the man about to take a long journey who called his servants
together and entrusted with them with his property. To one he gave five
talents [probably about 5,000]; to another two, to another one; to each in
proportion of his own ability. Then he departed and left the country. He
who had received five talents went at once and traded with them, and he
gained five more talents. And likewise he who had received the two
talents, he also gained two talents more. But he who had received the
one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s
money. Now after a long time, the master returned and settled his
account with them. And he who received the five talents came and
brought him five more, saying ‘master, you entrusted to me five talents,
see here, I have gained five talents more’. His master said to him, ‘well
done you upright honorable, admirable and faithful servant; you have
been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of
much. Enter into my house and share the joy (the delight, the
blessedness) which your master enjoys’. And he also who was given two
talents came forward, saying, ‘master, you entrusted two talents to me;
here I have gained two talents more’. His master said to him, ‘well done,
you upright, honorable, admirable and faithful servant; you have been
34
faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of men. Enter
into my house and share the joy, the delight, the blessedness which your
master enjoys’. He who received one talent also came forward saying,
‘master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did
not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed (grains). I was
afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what
is your own’. But his master answered him, ‘you wicked, lazy and idle
servant, did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and
gather (grains) where I have not winnowed? Then you should have
invested my money with the bankers and at my coming, I would have
received what was my own with interest. So take the talent away from
him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who
has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have
an abundance, but from the one who does not have, even what he does
have will be taken away’ [Mathew 25:14 V 29] (AMP)
The question is what is so important about this one talent? The master
did not just ask for it, it was collected from the man who did not trade
with the talent, and then it was given to the servant who made effective
use of the ten talents he had. That was why I said the market place is not
complete without your talent. When the master came to tidy up the
assignment given to the servants, he discovered that the equation was
not balanced. May be people who were supposed to be free from
depression or sickness were not freed and the servant who had the one
talent was responsible for that specific task. That is why the master did
not take away the talent, but he gave it out for effective use. Our God is a
God of programmes. He has programmed each and every servant to
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perform a specific function, and if that servant does not effectively use
his talent, there will be mal-functions in the system.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE ONLY WAY TO PROVE THAT YOU ARE WISE IS TO LEARN
MORE
As a student in an examination hall, you may think you have answered all
questions correctly, but could be disappointed when results are released.
You performed woefully! This could be as a result of nervousness before
the exam, or because of ill preparation for the examination.
For you to make the best of your life, see yourself as an empty tape
because the memory you are carrying about may have been corrupted. It
is wise to update and upgrade so that you don’t remain outdated. There
is wisdom in asking and wanting to know more. How can this be done?
We can do so by learning more in our respective disciplines and about
what is happening around us.
One of the best places to learn more is in the word of God. He who
knows, and wants to know more about the word of God is like a man who
builds his house on the rock. He who does not do so is like a man who
builds on sandy soil, and when erosions come, it washes the house away.
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Like newborn babies, you should crave (thirst for, earnestly
desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you
may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation
[1 Peter 2:2] (AMP)
Quote:” The word of God is like a pencil; it gives us the opportunity to
write, make mistakes, take corrections and improve”
One of the attribute of a child is the ability to ask several questions due
to their inquisitiveness. They want to know more. A child never stops
asking questions wanting to know and learn more. A child who does not
ask questions will not learn; and a child who refuses milk, spiritual or
physical, will lack nutrients required to grow into maturity. For newborn
babies, milk contains essential vitamins for growth and to fight against
diseases. The milk contains spiritual nutrients that heal our heart from
depression and builds up our spiritual body to carry the cross of salvation.
The value of this spiritual nutrient is unlimited. The only way we can
acquire it to build our mind, body and soul is to desire the spiritual milk.
That is, by hearing and doing the word of God.
“Anyone who hears these worlds of mine and acts upon them
[obeying them] will be like a sensible [prudent, practical, wise]
man who builds his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and
the beat against the house, yet it did not fall because it had been
founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not do them will be like stupid (foolish) man who
builds his house upon the sand. And the rain fell and the floods
came and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it
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fell… and great and complete was the fall of it”. [Mathew 7: 24 –
27] (AMP).
The only way to prove to be wise is to seek diligently the word of
God and obey it. This is like building a house on the rock. To build a
house, good materials are needed. Obedience, faithfulness… make us like
clay in the hands of God. It assists God to build us better and lay a solid
foundation for us.
“Give instructions to a wise man and he will be wiser; teach a
just man and he will increase in learning”. (Proverb 9:9] (NKJV)
The only way to prove that we are wise is to empty ourselves and be like
a little child. The most vital learning material in the hand of a child is a
pencil because it gives the child opportunity to write, make mistakes,
take corrections, and improve. So also is the word of God to us. Every
scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for
instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of errors and
discipline in obedience (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living),
in conformity to God’s will, thought, purpose and action. (2Timothy 3: 16)
AMP). As a pencil is the best material for a child to learn perfectly, the
word of God is the perfect material to learn, so that we can face the
challenges life.
Let no person deceive himself; if any one among you purpose
that
he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his
worldly
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discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish
without true learning and scholarship], that he may become
(really) wise. (1 Corinthians3:18) (AMP).
The summary of bible passages is the only way to prove that to be wise
is to learn (learning more of the word of God, because the word of God
makes us wiser.)
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your
own understanding; in all you ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the
Lord and depart from evil’ (Proverb 3:5 (NKJV)
In anything we engage in apart from our respective disciplines, we should
seek the face of God for direction. There are some certain decisions we
may have taken and we thought we didn’t need God’s direction. We need
God’s direction in every area of our lives; the word of God is always with
us for direction, correction and reproof, because God does not want us to
run into problems.
‘Because I have called and you refuse (to answer), have
stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it. And you
treated as nothing all my counsel and would accept none of my
reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when the
thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic (Proverb 1:24 –
26) (AMP)
Before we take any step, we are supposed to ask God for direction and
follow His instructions. Even when we make mistakes, the word is there
for correction. Our ability to learn and grow should be the ultimate goal.
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Our problems start when we want to be wise in our own understanding.
God has laid down his wise counsel for reproof, trying to be wise in our
own understanding is an element of pride or foolishness. We know God
resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. We also know that
ignorance (foolishness) is not an excuse, God is a wise God; we the
children of God must be wise also in seeking diligently the commandment
of God for direction in all our decisions.
Quote: ”When pride comes, the knowledge of God stops flowing”
This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. But God
chooses what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. He chooses
what the world considers weak to shame the strong, and He chooses
what the world considers to be low-class or low-life, that is what is
considered to be nothing to something [1 Corinthians 1: 25, 27-28] (CEB)
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways; and my thoughts higher than your
thoughts’. (Isaiah 55:9) (NASB)
This is a call to trade on God’s wisdom. We have traded on our worldly
knowledge and it resulted to a lot of problems such as in politics,
marriages, government and in other areas of our lives. I am not
condemning social knowledge because they are profitable to mankind.
The point is, do not let the knowledge you have acquired overrule the
wisdom of God, because God is the beginning of all knowledge.
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Immediately we think we know everything, we cut short the wisdom of
God that is profitable to all. God has given us a call to wisdom.
Quote: “Even when you know a colour is red, still ask; it may not be as
red as you think”
Do not be wise in your own understanding; in all you do ask for guidance,
the path you want to follow, He created the road before you were born,
you may see the road and not know the real path to follow because the
foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and as the heaven is
higher that the earth, His way is higher than our ways. We should desire
the sincere milk (the wisdom) of God. Newly born babies are very
sensitive to their parents; we should also be sensitive to the word
(knowledge) of God. We should also follow new born babies’ kind of
obedience when they abide by the instruction of their parents. We should
also follow God’s instructions and obey His commandments so that we
don’t go astray.
CHAPTER FIVE
CLAY IN THE HANDS OF THE POTTER
“O lord, you are our Father (Master); we are the clay, and you
are the potter, and we all are the work of your hands” (Isaiah
68:8) Amp
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A couple went to a supermarket for shopping. As they were moving
around, the lady saw a beautiful tea cup which she admired. She said to
her husband, “Look at this beautiful tea cup, let us purchase it”. As she
stretched her hand to pick up the tea cup, the cup said, “wait a minute, I
am beautiful and admirable for purchase today; yesterday I was a raw
clay (material) in the hands of God (master). God mixed me with water
(word of God) and made me pass through fire (long suffering), to become
a beautiful product that you admire today for purchase. This product you
admire today is a product of humility, long suffering, patience and
perseverance.
“When you pass through waters, I will be with you; when you
walk (pass) through fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43 vs.
2)
(USCCB).
Remember what the tea cup told the lady in the supermarket. ‘I was in a
neutral state before God mixed me with water (word of God) and passed
through fire (high degree of heat; long suffering). That is why you can
stretch your hands to me to say ‘I preferred this tea cup’.
“My brethren count it all for joy when you fall into various trials,
(degrees of heat), knowing that the testing of your faith
produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that
you may be perfect (preferred) and complete, lacking nothing”
(James 1:2- 4) [NKJV]
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This scripture can manifest in our lives as we become vessels of honor (a
carrier of God’s glory), if we are like clay (being humble) in the hands of
the potter (God).
You may be in a situation of the clay that might make you to ask God
series of questions like: “God when will all this struggle end; why did you
create me in the first place”? But 1st Peter 4: 12 – 13) (CEB) says. “Dear
friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trial that have come along you
to test you.
Quote:” Humility makes a better material (clay) in the hands of God”
These are not strange happenings. Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s
suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have
overwhelming joy when His glory is revealed”.
The lady in the supermarket did not just develop interest in the tea cup.
The glory of God must have shone on it. One powerful thing about the
glory of God is that it attracts, and makes you the preferred one, and
makes you a vessel of honor.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also
utensils of wood and earthen ware; some for honorable and noble use
while others could be used for menial and ignoble use. So whoever
cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates
himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will
be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes,
consecrated and profitable to the master, fit and ready for any good
work.
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In that supermarket, there were varieties of tea cups, but this lady
preferred a particular type for use. This is because of the process the
product had passed through.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “ See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri,
the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the
spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds crafts
to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to
cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of
craftsmanship, moreover I have appointed Oholiab son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan to help him. Also I have given skill
to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you”.
[Exodus 31: 1 -11]
Among the different tribes, God decide to choose particular persons, just
like the woman in the supermarket. God chose them because they were
vessels of honor since they were good materials (clay) in the hands of
God, by humbling themselves, patient, long suffering, obedient and
believed.
Act 9:15-16 say’s ‘But the Lord said to him’, “Go, for he is a
chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles
and the sons of Israel, And I myself will show him all that he
must suffer for my sake”.
In this case Saul was a vessel, but was not good enough for the Master’s
use. God broke and re-branded Saul to be a vessel of honor and
instrument for use. The last sentence says, ‘I will show him all that he
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must suffer for my sake’. This is the process that Saul must pass through
in the course of re-branding him for the Master’s use.
“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will
come out as pure as gold [Job 23:10] [NLT]
Job understood he was clay in the hands of the potter; he knew how he
was tested and became as pure as gold. Romans 8:28 says “all things
work together for good to those who love God, and to those who
are called according to his purpose”.
Two things are involved here. One, all things work together for those that
love God. When you love God, you humble yourself, and when you
humble yourself, you become a good material (clay) for God to mold into
admirable product and vessel of honor. Two, all things work together for
those that are called according to His purpose. Now, what is this call
according to His purpose? This is for us to become a good material (clay)
in His hand for Him to mold us and become admirable, like that tea cup in
the supermarket for us to become a vessel of honor and instrument for
His use. In 2nd Corinthians 4 vs. 7 (NIV), Apostle Paul referred to our
bodies as “jars of clay,” the carrier of God’s glory, “a vessel of
honor”
TURNING POINT
“You hands fashioned me, made me altogether, and would you
destroy me? Remember now, that you have made me as clay.
Would you turn me into dust again”? [Job 10 vs. 10-19] (NASB)
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Before Job was refined as pure gold in Job 23 vs. 10, he went through
series of pressure, some degree of fire, and as clay in the hand of God.
Quote: “Humility makes you a better material in the hands of the potter;
patience makes you a better product”
When we pass through such, God is transforming us into the image of
Christ (vessel of honor) to be a partaker of His glory (Romans 8:29).
God Almighty wants to use what we pass through today as tools to shape
and mold us into the image of Christ. He wants to deepen our faith, to
develop within us the quality of perseverance, and to make us a
watertight container of his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and self
control (Galatians 5:22-23)
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CHAPTER: SIX
THE BLESSINGS OF GOD ARE LIKE RAIN THAT FALLS 24 HOURS
DAILY; ONLY THOSE WITH OPEN HEART RECEIVE IT
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up
his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully, he shall receive
blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his
salvation (Psalm 24:2-5) (NKJV)
Our emphasis is on a pure heart (open heart). An open heart is a heart
that forgives easily, a heart willing to do the will of God, a heart that
obeys the world of God; such a heart is like an opening that can receive
God’s blessings anytime, any day. The blessing was given to Abraham
based on the size of his heart. It is also applicable to every one of us
willing to trust and obey the word of God. Take time to search the bible
for a list of men of God who served the Lord with their whole might, soul
and spirit and see how God blessed them. Even in the world today, the
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size of your heart determines the size of blessings God gives us. People
find it difficult to understand why some people succeed abundantly while
others remain poor. The truth is that our success depends on the size of
our heart.
And He said, “By myself I have sown, says the Lord, because
you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your
only son, blessings I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply
your descendents as the stars of the heaven and as the sand
which is on the seashore and your descendants shall possess the
gate of their enemies in your seed (Christ); all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice”
[Genesis22:16-18] (NKJV)
The whole world is not too big for God to give to one man; it all depends
on the size of the man’s heart. Abraham is a typical example of a man
who enlarged his heart by obeying God’s commandments and gave him
the whole world. We all know the story of how Abraham waited for a long
time for a child.
Quote:”The size of our heart determines the size of your blessing”
This promise is not limited to Abraham and his descendents alone, but
for those who will obey the commandment of God. Abraham is an
example of the blessings that will come unto us if we diligently observe
and obey the word of God. A simple act of obedience and forgiveness can
make God’s blessings to go with us, go after us, and go before us.
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“That the blessings of Abraham might come upon the gentiles in
Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the spirit
through faith”. [Galatians 3:14](NKJV)
The angel of God called unto Abraham from heaven a second time
saying:
“I make an oath by my own name that I will richly bless you
because you did this and not keep back your only son from me; l
promise that I will give you as many descendents as there are
stars in the sky or grain of sand along the seashore; your
descendants will conquer their enemies. All the nations will ask
me to bless them as I have blessed your descendents all because
you obeyed my command” (Genesis 22:15-18) (GNT)
God is not particular about those who will receive His blessings; neither
Jews nor Gentiles. The people we classify as unbelievers sometimes are
better than us when it comes to receiving blessings of God. God has
blessed them because they obeyed the commands of God just as
Abraham did. The lord showed himself to Isaac, and said, “Do not go to
Egypt, stay in the land I will tell you about; live in this land and I
will be with you and bring good to you; for I will give all these
land to you and your children; I will keep the promise I made to
your father Abraham, I will make your children and all your
children’s children as many as the stars of heaven, I will give
these land to them for Abraham obeyed me, he did what I told
him to do; he kept my word and my law“ (Genesis 26:2-5](NLV)
God in His business of blessing people always present to us business
proposals because He wants to bless us so that we will become a blessing
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to the world. There are no losses in business with God because He is a
righteous God, and not selfish.
Quote: “God gave Abraham the whole world based on the size of his
heart”
God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son. At the end of the day,
Abraham never lost Isaac; instead God multiplied his seed as the stars of
heaven, and his descendents as the sand of the seashore. Abraham
gained everlasting covenant.
God also presented a proposal to Isaac, saying, “Do not go to Egypt,
stay in the land I will tell you about; live in that land and I will be
with you and bring good to you; I will keep the promise I made to
your father Abraham” .
God gave Isaac a condition of remaining in the covenant (business) that
He had with his father Abraham. God is a business man who does
business with every generation. He did business with Abraham, He did it
with Isaac, and He is also extending the business proposal to me and you
today.
In [Deuteronomy 7:12-15] , He said, “And if you hearken to these
precepts and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with
you the covenant and the steadfast love which he swore to your
fathers . And he will love you; bless you, and multiple you. He
will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your hand,
your grain, your new wine and your oil; the increase of your
cattle and the young of your flock in the land which he swore to
your father to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples.
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There shall not be male or female barren among you, or among
your cattle. And the lord will take away from you all sickness,
and none of the evil diseases of Egypt which you knew will he
who put upon you, but will lay them upon all who hate you”
God is presenting the same proposal He presented to Abraham and
Isaac to us today. He is ever ready in the business of blessing us by
establishing the covenant which He swore to our fathers. The questions
is, is our heart open to receive those promises, are we willing to hearken
unto the commandments and law of God which He has given us? The
word of God (the blessings of God) can never fail to fall like rain, but our
heart can fail to receive them (not open to receive those promises).
“Now if you really obey the Lord your God by carefully keeping all His
commandments that I am giving you right now, then the Lord your God
will set you high above all nations of the earth. All these blessings will
come upon you and find you if you obey the Lord your God’s voice: ‘you
will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field, your fertility,
your soil’s produce, and your livestock’s offspring – the young of
both cattle and flocks- will be blessed; you will be blessed when
you go out and bless you when you come back; the lord will
defeat any enemies who attack you; they will come against you
from one direction, but will run for their lives away from you in
seven different direction. The lord will command the blessing to
be with you- in your barns and on all the work you do-and He will
bless you on the land the Lord your God is giving you. The lord
will establish you as His own, a holy nation just as He swore to
you, if you keep the Lord your God’s commandments and walk in
His ways. All the earths people will see that you are called by
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the Lord’s name and they will be in awe of you; the Lord will
make good things abound for you whether the fertility of your
womb, your livestock’s offspring, or your fertile soil’s produce-
on the very land that the lord swore to your ancestors to give to
you the lord will open up for you his own well-stock storehouse,
the heavens, providing your land with rain at just the right time
and blessing all your work. You will lend to many nations.”
(Deuteronomy 28: 1 12) (CEB)
Anything a man needs to succeed is packaged in God’s promise. Before
God created man, He knew from the beginning that human needs
are endless, and He also packaged endless promises for those who
will obey His laws and commands. There are no scarcities of
resources to those who fear Him and seek Him diligently. One of the
major problems we have in the word today is that we operate only
with the world economic principles.
Quote: “No business is as profitable as obeying the word of God”
In a parable Jesus described God’s kingdom economic principle by saying.
“Do not lay up treasure on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for
your selves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys; where thieves do not break in and steal it”.
This is not about not saving and investing physically; this principle
is not telling us not to buy insurance policies; far from it. Jesus is
telling us that heaven’s economy controls the earthy economy, any
man that does layup treasure for himself by giving sacrificially
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cannot operate this world’s economic system simply because the
spiritual controls the physical. Every of your sacrificial gift is like
laying up your treasure in heaven. No investment is as profitable as
sacrificial giving.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WHO IS A BELIEVER?
The question of who a believer is, is an important one that requires
fundamental answer. There are no Christians or Muslims in heaven.
Heaven is not a religious place but a righteous place. Those in heaven are
righteous people who are believers. Now, who is a believer? If you ask a
Christian who an unbeliever is, he could point his finger to a Muslim; and
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if you ask a Muslim who an unbeliever is; he could also point his finger to
a Christian. A parable of Jesus will throw more light to who a believer is.
Then Jesus answered and said, “a certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of
his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
By chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he
saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levi; when
he arrived at the place came and looked and passed by on the
other side. But a certain Samaritan, as journeyed, came where he
was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to
him and bounded his wounds, pouring on oil and he set him on
his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him. On
the next day when he departed, he took out two Denair, gave
them to the innkeeper, and said to him, take care of him, and
whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you”.
(Luke 10:30-35) (NKJV)
This parable of Jesus gives an insight of who a believer is. A priest
came to the scene of the attack and passed by; a priest who the whole
world would describe as a believer, possibly he was going to preach the
gospel of loving our neighbors as ourselves, and a certain Samaritan
came where he was and had compassion when he saw him.
Quote:”Whoever helps his neighbor in the name of God is a
believer”
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This whole parable tells us who a believer is. The whole world must have
described the Samaritan as an unbeliever based on our worldly judgment.
A believer helps anyone irrespective of the color, tribe or religion. A major
example of a believer is God Almighty who loves us equally in respective
of our color, tribe and religion. If we understand this collectively, there
will not be religious problems. The Samaritan was not interested on
whom the victim was; he was particular about humanity. He did it for the
love of God; he did all he could to save a life. This is a clear picture of
whom a believer is. The promise to Abraham or his posterity that he will
inherit the earth did not come through observing the commands of the
law, but through the righteousness of faith. [Romans 4:13](AMP)
The promise to Abraham and his generation did not just come through
confessing the commandments of God, the same law is applicable to
whom a believer should be. The daily confession of that priest might be,
‘love your neighbor as yourself’; but when it came to the practical aspect
of it, he failed to act the faith he believed in.
‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only
son, so that everyone who believed in Him will not perish, but
have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) (NLT)
God has so much love and respect for humanity; that is why He sent His
only son to save humanity so that we will not perish, but have eternal life.
One of the attributes of God is that God is the God of humanity. For us to
claim we are children of God, we must value humanity. Any crime
committed against humanity is a crime against God because we were
created in the image and likeness of God.
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Quote:” God never looks at our ugly past, but at our beauty and
greatness”
Any society that commits crime against humanity can never make
progress. For example western nations’ progress today depends on their
love for humanity despite their scarce natural resources. Despite the
abundance of natural resources in Africa, it is still a continent that lacks
so much as a result of crime against humanity such as idolatry, poverty
of the mind and so on. If God does not bless a man, community or
society, no man can bless them.
ANYONE WHO ENGAGES IN PRACTICAL GOSPEL IS A BELIEVER
And then a certain lawyer arose to try (test, tempt) Him saying,
“Teacher, what am I to do to inherit everlasting life (that is, to
partake of eternal salvation in the messiah’s kingdom)?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?
And he replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with your soul and with all your strength and with your
entire mind, and your neighbor as yourself”. And Jesus said to
him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live
[enjoy active, blessed, endless life in the kingdom of God]”. And
he, determined to quit himself of reproach said to Jesus, “And who is
my neighbor… (The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke10:30-35).
Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three do you think proved
himself a neighbor (a believer) to him who fell among the
robbers”? He told Jesus it is the man who showed pity and mercy to him,
and Jesus said “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:25-29, 36, 37) (AMP)
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What Jesus was telling this lawyer is for us to love the Lord with all our
heart and with all our soul, with all our strength and our entire mind, and
as well love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the theory of the gospel. If
we engage in practical gospel like the Good Samaritan, then we will be a
partaker of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s Kingdom. The Good
Samaritan did not just confess it, our love for our neighbor determines if
we are believers or not.
WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOUR?
Your response to your neighbor’s problem means a lot to God and defines
your faith. “Whatsoever you give to your neighbor is what you give
to God and what God gives back to you. Whatever you do when
nobody sees you determines if you are a believer or not. Be
careful not to be righteous in the mist of people to be seen by
them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in
heaven”. (Mathew 6:1) (NIV).
This is the teaching of Jesus on who a true believer should be; that is
someone who does good things when nobody sees him. We must not
engage in eye-service because it brings pride and self praise. With eye-
service you cannot receive God’s glory because it attracts self praise, and
self praise shares God’s glory. Eye service is idolatry and not the true way
to worship God.
“You shall not share other gods with me (my glory and your
worship). Gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for
your selves.” (Exodus 20:23)(AMP)
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A believer gives all Glory to God and worships God in truth and in spirit.
Those who worship God in truth and in spirit don’t give glory to
themselves as all their works ought to give glory to God, through their
selfless worship.
‘Now the multitudes of those who believe were of one heart and
one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he
possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.’ [Act
4:32] (NKJV)
This bible passage is teaching us the true character of a believer. Selfless
sharing what we have with our neighbors willingly, irrespective of what it
may cost us just like the Good Samaritan helped the man that was
attacked by robbers. If your sacrifice does not really cost you any thing,
it’s not a true sacrifice.
… But as for me and my house hold, we will serve the Lord
(Joshua24:15) (NIV).
This is a heart of a believer by not putting yourself first. To do that will be
a selfish act which is not an attribute of a believer. As a believer, we
should use our talent, skill and experience for the glory of God, not for
selfish ambition.
‘Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility
of mind; regard one another as more important than yourselves;
do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also
for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which
was also in Christ Jesus, who although existed in the form of God
did not regard equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the
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form of a servant and made in the likeness of men’ (Philippians
2:3-7) (NASB)
As a believer, humility should be your watch word. Jesus came to give us
a blue print of what a true believer should be. He is God the Son, the
Master of the universe. He came in the form of man as a servant to
humanity. A believer does not demonstrate power, but displays humility.
Jesus had the power and authority to command us from heaven to serve
Him, but he came to relate with man. He was not selfish, He was not
thinking of His own life, but our life first. Jesus left this blue print so that
we can measure our faith on a daily basis. In decision making in your
family or at work, do you really consider others first? This is not about
displeasing your self, but following the blue print of Jesus as a believer.
“Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of
one family] giving precedence and showing honor to one
another” (Romans 12:10) (AMP)
Seeing people the way God sees them is a major attribute of a
believer. God saw us, valued us and sent His only Son to redeem us from
destruction. He never condemned nor looked down on us. He did not pay
a higher price for some and lower price for others. He demonstrated
equal love for us all. We ought to practice this same unconditional love of
God as believers.
Loving and relating with people the way God relates with us makes us a
believer.
Birds of the same feather flock together, they say. We are not of the
same level with God, but He wants to fill the gap to be at the same level
with Him. He sacrificed His only Son on our behalf that we might be
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reconciled to Him and enter into His presence. He broke the gap of being
a lowly man and openly invites us to come unto Him.
“Look I am standing on the door and knocking. If any hear
my voice and opens the door, I will come in to be with them, and
will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me”.
(Revelation 3:20) (CEB)
God does not want us to have a master-servant relationship, but Father-
Son relationship. He wants us to flock together; He wants to dine with us
as intimate friends, irrespective of the gap between us. God is not also
particular of the kind of people He wants to love and relate with.
He said, “Behold I stand at the door and knocking, if any one
hears my voice and opens, I will come in and dine with me”.
How we relate and love the people we are bigger than at home or in the
office defines if we are believers or not.
“What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man
that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the
angels. And you crowned him with glory and honor; you have
made him to have dominion over the works of your hands”.
(Psalm) (NKJV)
This is King David, who God related with in love and kindness. He knows
that God values and honor man which He created, the same way and
manner we value the people we are higher than. This shows if we are a
believer or not. It takes two friendly people to make a relationship work.
Quote:” Your love and respect for humanity makes you a believer”
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As God is friendly with us, we must also extend a hand of friendship to
others in the same manner. God cannot open the door if we do not do the
same to others. How then can we really make God our friend? This is by
opening the door of our heart and allows His word to come in and dwell in
us.
“You are my friends if you keep on doing the things which I
command you to do. I do not call you servant (slaves) any
longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing
(working out), but I have called you my friends because I have
made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
(I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from
Him)” (John 14-15) (AMP)
In other to extend a hand of friendship to God, we must obey His
commandments. The friendship of God is what we must not take for
granted. King David knows the gap between the two beings and advised
that we should take our relationship with God as a treasure.
SEEING PEOPLE THE WAY GOD SEES THEM MAKES US A
BELIEVER
“Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty
of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk
not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the
spirit [Romans 8:1] (Amp)
God sees us with His eyes of righteousness, the eyes that does not focus
on our weakness, but our strength and greatness. Some organizations 61
select and decide who to work with, relate with and employ based on
their qualifications or on their biography or culture. In the world, people
are grouped into classes depending on their background, but in the
kingdom of God, He never sees or groups us the way the world sees us.
Quote:” Man wants to see the best in you, but God wants to bring out
the best in you”
God never condemns those who come to Him through Christ Jesus. In
Him, we are discharged and acquitted of all our wrong doings irrespective
of our sins. In Him, there is no discrimination.
“Let us reason together says, the Lord. Though your sin are like
scarlet, they are shall be as white as snow; though they are red
like crimson, they shall be like wool” [Isaiah 1:18] (Amp)
Beyond our sins which are red like scarlet, His righteous eyes still
penetrates the redness. God sees beyond our weaknesses and sees the
greatness in us. The big question is, ‘how do we see people or rate people
as a believer; do we see them the way God sees them, or the way we see
them?’ We make wrong choices in marriage especially because we see
people with our human eyes; not the way God sees them. When you view
people with your human eyes, you may reject them, but they could be
your Moses. One of the signs of a believer is seeing people the way God
sees them.
Judging people with mercy the way God does makes us a
believer
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“If you, O Lord kept a record of sins , O Lord who could stand;
the Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger and filled
with unfailing love” (Psalm 130:3,8) (NIV)(NLT)
If we judge ourselves in the closet, we will acknowledge that we are not
worthy of His mercy. God is the chief judge who judges us with
righteousness. If God should judge us based on our wrong doings, no man
can stand. As believers, how do we judge people? The way we judge
people shows if we are believers or not; and that is how God will also
judge us [James 2:13] (NIV) because judgment without mercy will show
that we are not merciful.
Quote:”Mercy is the constitution God uses in judging us; His court is the
high court of grace; His jurisdiction is based on love; He is the chief judge
of righteousness”
Mercy triumphs over judgment. As a believer, in judging people who have
offended us, mercy should always triumph. Jesus showed us an example
in Luke 23:34 when He said “Father forgive them, for they do know
what they are doing.” God judges us with mercy, and His court is a
court of grace. Jesus was interceding for our transgression because they
were actions done out of ignorance. Jesus did not ask his Father to judge
them according to their sins, but according to His mercy. Jesus forgave
them and asked for God’s mercy on their behalf.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
WITH HUMILITY YOU ARE LIKE SOIL WHERE ANY SEED CAN GROW
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God
(commandment), that he may exalt you in due time” (Peter 5:6)
(NKJV)
“If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and to
do them, I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall
yield her increase and the trees of the field their fruit and your
threshing (time) shall reach to the vintage and the vintage (time)
shall reach to the sowing time, and you shall eat your bread to
the full and dwell in your land security.”
(Leviticus 26:3-5] (AMP)
The word of God “commandment” is a seed, and our heart is the soil.
When we receive the commandment of God with humility and obedience,
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the seed will grow and bear fruits for us and for the people around us.
You will be blessed and become a blessing. Man was not created to be
unfruitful. That we shall be fruitful or not depends on our humility and
obedience; the bible says both the poor and the rich are the creations of
God. It did not say God created some to be poor and others to be rich.
Every of our fruitfulness and unfruitfulness can be traced to the type of
our soil; of unbelief, disobedience, pride or of humility, obedience, and
faithfulness.
Quote:” Your fruitfulness or unfruitfulness is a product of your soul”
Anyone in this life must prepare his heart to receive the word of God and
practicalize them to be the hearer and the doer of God’s word.
He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and
comparison), saying, “A sower went out to sow and as he sowed,
some seed fell by the roadside and the birds came and ate them
up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much
soil, and at once they sprang up because they had no depth of
soil. But when sun rose, they were scorched, and because they
had no root, they dried up and withered away. Other seeds fell
among thorns, grew up and were choked out. Other seeds fell on
good soil, and yielded grains, some a hundred times as mush as
sown, some sixty times as much, and some thirty. He who has
ears [to hear], let him listen and let him [a] consider and [b]
perceive and comprehend by hearing [Mathew 13:3] (AMP)
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Pay attention then to the meaning of the parable of the sower. When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not grasp and
comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in
his heart. This was sown along the roadside. As for what was sown on the
rocky soil, this is he who hears the word and at once welcomes and
accepts it with joy, yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary
(inconstant, lasts but a little while), and when affliction or trouble or
persecution comes on account of the word, at once he is caused to
stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert him whom he
ought to trust and [obey] and he falls away. As for what was sown among
thorns, the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour
and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the word, and it yields no
fruit. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word
and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one
case a hundred times as much, and in another thirty (Mathew 13:18-23)
(Amp).
Quote:” A hundred per cent of our problems in the world today is
traceable to our disobedience to the laws of God”
The word of God is the seed and our heart is the soil. With humility and
obedience, we let the word to germinate as seed in our heart. If we leave
a plot of land for a long time without cultivating it, the seed germinates
and the root gains ground. Cultivation could be unbelief, lack of faith or
pride. Cultivation could lead to deforestation, and deforestation can lead
to scarce of resources. As forestation provides resources for its inhabitant
and non-inhabitants, let us go back to the story of the seed and the soil
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they fell into. The seed fell into four different soils. The seed that fell on a
good soil, germinates and bear fruits, but he who received seeds on the
good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, which indeed
bears fruit and produces, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty:
[Mathew 13:23]( NKJV).
It takes humility to take heed of the word of God to bear fruit, which
brings us back to a chapter in the Bible. With humility we are like a soil
where any seed can grow, the parable also tells us about the four types
of soil the seed fell into and why they did not yield fruits due to
disobedience, lack of trust, pride and unbelief and so on.
“But if you disobey the lord your God and do not faithfully keep
all his command and laws I am giving you today, all these evil
things will happen to you; the Lord will curse your towns and
your fields, the Lord will curse your grain crops and the food you
prepare from them. The lord will curse you by giving you only a
few children, poor crops, and few cattle and sheep. If you do evil
and reject the Lord, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and
trouble in everything you do” (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)(GNT)
If you read (Deuteronomy 28:15-68), you will acknowledge the fact most
of the problems in the world originated from disobeying the laws of God.
The Lord is our Shepherd, without obeying the Shepherd; we cannot get
access to the green pasture.
Many problems we face today range from lack, to sickness and poverty.
God gave us opportunities to choose between life and death; a life that
will make us to live abundantly. Living abundantly comes from obeying
the laws and commandments of God, and all our problems come from 67
disobeying the commandments in the Bible from generation to
generation.
There is no record of any man who obeyed the commandments of God
and lacked anything, because everything we need is in God’s promise
and the key to God’s promise is obedience and humility. In the bible,
since the beginning of the world till date, there is no record of any man
who disobeyed the word of God and ever prospered. A large percentage
of the problems in the world today are associated with the disobedience
of man. The choice is therefore in our finger tips.
For a seed to grow in the spiritual and physical, it passes through some
processes. Some elements need to be mixed together for formation,
maturity and growth of the seed. For example the process of
photosynthesis is in the physical. In the spiritual, that is God’s kingdom,
there is what we can also describe as photosynthesis in the development
of our seed. Photosynthesis is the progress of capturing light energy and
converting it to sugar energy, in the presence of chlorophyll using carbon
dioxide and water. In photosynthesis, the plant uses water and nutrients
from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air with the energy to start off
the process. Humility is the process of capturing the word of God, bearing
fruit in the present of obedience, faith, belief and so on.
The unfolding of your words gives light. It impart understanding
to the simple
(Psalm 119:130) (ESV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the (light) way and truth in the light; no
one comes to the Father except by (through) me” (John 14:16
(AMP)
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“Blessed (happy, fruitful, fortunate prosperous, and enviable) is
the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly
(following their advice, their plans and purpose) nor stands
(submissive and inactive) in the path where sinners walk, nor sits
down (to relax and rest) where the scornful (and the mockers)
gather. But his delight and desire are in the laws of the Lord, and
on his law (the precepts, the instructions, the teaching of God)
he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by
night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted (and tended) by
the stream of water, ready to bring forth it’s fruit in it’s season,
it’s also shall not fade or wither and everything he does shall
prosper [and come to maturity”.(Psalm 1:1-3)(Amp)
Let us go back to the parable of the man who sowed seeds (the
word of God) on different soils (our heart). The seed that fell on the
roadside are those who heard the word and does not grasp and
comprehend it; the evil one comes and snatches it away. The seed
that fell on (rocky) soil is he who hears the word and at once
welcomes and accepts it with joy; yet it has no real root in him, but
is temporary, inconstant, lasts but a little while and when affliction
or trouble or persecution comes on account of the word (trials), at
once he is caused to stumble in unbelief and distrust. The seed sown
among thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world
and pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches
chokes and suffocates the word and it yields no fruit. The seed that
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was sown on good soil (heart) was planted by the stream of water,
faith, righteousness, obedience and humility…, willing to bring forth
fruits.
Quote:” You cannot be like a tree planted by the rivers of water by
prophecy; but by the act of righteousness”
That you shall be like tree planted by the steam of water is like a
verbal agreement and a verbal agreement is not valid. A written
agreement is being a hearer and doer of the word of God. That is
hearing the word of God, trusting, obeying, believing, and
meditating on it day and night. Your righteousness is a written
agreement (faith) witnessed by all parties; (God the father, God the
son God the Holy Spirit), documented in heaven, having right and
access to it (legally). What I am saying in a nut shell is, with your
righteousness, nothing can deny you of your faithfulness (a tree
planted by the streams of water that bring forth fruits every season)
and righteousness are your collective right to prosper to fruitfulness.
Bringing forth fruits depends on time and seasons. We will always
miss our time and season if we are not connected to heaven through
the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we engage in wrong timing
and miss it all.
And He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
became a believer? (Act. 19:2)
Apostle Paul in Ephesus asked believers if they received the Holy
Spirit because he knew the importance of it. A believer without the
Holy Spirit is like an empty container that will float on water and
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cannot sink. The Holy Spirit confirms which word of God leads us to
the part of righteousness. Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot get
access to the deep things of God (Revelation of the deep things of
God). The Holy Spirit helps us to get insight of the future and
reminds us of the past things and helps us to know a false doctrine.
This is why a believer without the Holy Spirit is like a container
without content which will always floats on water and cannot sink.
Different types of soil in the world and in God’s kingdom
In general, most plants grow by absorbing nutrients from the soil. Their
ability to do so depends on the nature of the soil. Depending on its
location, a soil contains some combination of sand, silt, clay and organic
matter. The make up of a soil (soil texture) and its acidity (PH) determine
the extent to which nutrients are available to plant. Soil texture affects
how well nutrients and water are retained in the soil. Clays and organic
soil hold nutrients and water much better than sandy soils as water will
drain from sandy soil. It often carries nutrients along with it. Silt soil
retains water well, but may drain slowly depending on the exact clay-silt-
sand ratio. Silt soil is much better than sandy soil when it comes to
retaining nutrients. Chalky soil is very alkaline in nature and consists of a
large number of stones. The fertility of this kind of soil depends on the
depth of soil. This kind of soil is prone to dryness and in summers it is a
poor choice for plantation as the plants would need much more watering
and fertilizing than on any other types of soil.
We also have these types of soil in God’s kingdom (Mathew 13:18-
23). Good soil (humility) holds nutrients and water much better than
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sandy soil (faith, obedience, belief…). The good soil is he who hears the
word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruits and yields in
one case a hundred times as much as was a sown, in another sixty times
as much, and in another thirty. The fruitfulness of a good soil is unlimited.
Organic soil is the best form of soil because it contains plant and animal
matters. When a soil absorbs it, it becomes fertile for seed to grow and
bears fruits. When you humble yourself as a believer to receive and
absorb the word of God, your land will become fertile, and yield fruits.
Rocky soil is a chalky soil that consists of large numbers of stone
which fertility depends on the depth of the soil. This kind of soil is prone
to dryness and in summers, it is a poor choice of plantation. This are
those who hears the word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy,
yet has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little
while) and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of
the word, at once he is caused to stumble (he is deserted and begins to
distrust and desert him whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls.
Sandy Soil. As water drains from sandy soil, it often carries nutrients
along with it like the seed sown by the roadside. Any one hearing the
word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one
comes and snatches it away.
With your fruitfulness you can become world food basket
(Becoming a blessing to the world).
“As for what was sown on a good soil, this is he who hears the
word and grasps and comprehends it. He indeed bears fruits and
yields in one case a hundred times as much as was a sown; in
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another sixty times as much, and in another thirty” [Mathew
13:23)(Amp)
When a farmer farms on a fertile land, the productivity will encourage the
farmer to multiply the seed, and when, the farmer multiplies the seed to
sow, the land could become a world food basket. In [Mathew 25:14-29] is
a story of a man who was about to travel and gave three of his servants
different talents. The one who he gave five talents traded with it and
gained more five talents, and the master said ‘you have been faithful,
trustworthy, humble, productive over a little, I will put you in charge of
much’. The servant who received two talents came forward to the master
and said, ‘you entrusted two talents into my hand, and I have gained two
more talents’; the master said to him ‘well done, you faithful, trustworthy,
humble and productive servant; enter into blessedness and rest of your
master’. The servant who received one talent also came saying , ‘master
I knew you to be a harsh and hard hearted man reaping where you did
not sow; I was afraid, and I went to bury your talent in the ground’; and
the master answered him, ‘you wicked, lazy, unfaithful, unproductive
and idle servant, you know that I reap where I did not sow, you should
have invested my money in the bank, and at my coming I would have
received what was my own with interest; so take the talent from him
and gave it to the servant who has ten talents; and he said, for everyone
who has, more will be given (for every land that is productive, I will sow
more seed); he will be furnished richly so that he will have more
abundance.’
A man’s problem can be traced back to his talents which he failed to
unleash. The master cast the servant outside in the darkness, where he
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will cry and gnash his teeth. Our Lord is not a wicked Master that will give
His servant a talent he cannot manage. When He gives a talent, He also
gives us the ability to manage it. It all depends on us, but if our heart
[land] is unyielding, if the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous
(unyielding) do?
‘When the very bottom of things falls out, what can a righteous
person possibly accomplish’? (11:3) (CEB)
The business God has with the righteous is to bless them, so that they
will become blessings to the world, but when our heart (land) is unfruitful
like the servant who refused to be productive, not even for the world, but
for himself, in (Mark 6:5-6).
Jesus was unable to perform much miracle in His hometown because of
over-familiarity. Because of over familiarity, sometimes we take God’s
grace for granted like the servant who did not trade with his talents. He
said, ‘I knew you to be a greedy man reaping where you did not sow’.
Pride and laziness is another factor why we fail to unleash our potentials.
When God wants us to start from level one, because of social stigma or
fear, we back out.
‘In the same way, I urge the youths to accept the authority of the
elders. Everyone, clothe yourselves with humility toward each
other. God stands against the pride, but God He gives favor to
the humble’. [1 Peter 5:5] (CEB)
God gives grace to the humble and humility comes before grace. We
grow in God’s grace. Grace is like fertilizer to a land; God’s grace brings
fruitfulness. Proverbs 18:18, says ‘Pride goes before destruction and
haughtiness before a fall’. A haughty spirit marches on and ruin comes
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after. Sometimes we think we know everything and reject the word of
God. Anyone who rejects the word of God is like a faulty foundation and
pride is a thorn to a seed. With humility, we are like a land where any
seed can grow. Humility brings God grace which propels our fruitfulness.
The origin of our unfruitfulness started from pride, disobedience, unbelief
and laziness.
God said “I stand against the proud and give grace to the humble;
blessed are those that believe, I will bless the works of your
hands”. All these attributes make our land unfruitful.
“If my people who are called by my name will humble
themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways (Pride, unbelief, disobedience), then I will hear
from heaven, and forgive their sins and heal their land (and
make them fruitful)”. (2Chrorintians 7: 14) (NKJV)
Anyone who hears the word of the Lord is called. The word of God is a
seed in our heart and its growth depends on how we nurture it with
humility faith, obedience. The word of God is a healer which heals us from
any disease that can make our land unfruitful. Pride, unbelief,
disobedience…, are diseases that can make our land unyielding.
Practicing Christ’s humility as believers
Jesus, knowing (fully aware) that the Father had put everything into His
hands and that He had come from God and was (now) returning to God,
got up from the supper, took off his garments, and taking a [servant’s]
towel, He fastened it around His waist, then poured water into the wash
basin and began to wash the disciple’s feet and wiped them with the
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[servants] towel with which He was girded. When He came to Simon
Peter, [Peter] said to him, “Lord, are my feet to be washed by you?
Is it for you to wash my feet”? Jesus said to him, “You do not
understand now what I am doing, but will understand later on”.
Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet”. Jesus answered
him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with (in) me”. (You
have no share in companionship with me). Simon Peter said to him,
“Lord, wash not only my feet, but my hands and my head too”.
Jesus said to him, “Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his
feet, but is clean, all over. And you [my disciples] are clean, but
not all of you”. He knew the reason why he said, not all of them were
clean. So when He had finished washing their feet and had put on His
garment and had sat down again, He said to them, “Do you
understand what I have done to you, you call me the teacher
(Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so for that is
what I am. If I then your Lord and teacher (Master) have washed
your feet, you ought (it is your duty, you are under obligation,
you owe it) to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you as
an example so that you should do (in your turn) what I have done
to you. I assure you, (most solemnly I tell you), a servant is not
greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to
the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed and
happy (fruitful) and to be envied are you if you practice them (if
you act accordingly and really do them)” (John 13: 3-17) (AMP)
Jesus got up, and took off His (Royal) garment, garment of a University
degree, garment of financial success, garment of political
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achievement…., and took a servant’s towel and fastened it around His
waist (taking responsibility to serve). It is our duty and we are under
obligation to serve one another as the Lord Jesus has set example for us.
A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is
superior to the one who sent him.
Quote:”Humility is like a fertile land for a seed; pride is like a thorn to a
seed”
That statement is all about humility. In the final statement, Jesus told His
disciples, “if you know those things, blessed, fruitful, happy and to be
envied are you if you practice them. With humility you are like a soil
where seeds grow.
“For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark NIV) 10:
45)
Jesus came to render selfless service and not for profit making, but based
on humility. It takes humility to render selfless service. Jesus bought us
with a price no man can pay, meaning that His motive was not a selfish
one, but for humanity. The best way to imitate Christ’s humility is to do
nothing for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better
than you. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch
out for what is better for others and to adopt the attitude that was in
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Christ Jesus. Though He was in the form of God, He did not consider
himself to be God.
“I gave you a new commandment that you should love one
another just as I have loved you, so you too should love one
another. By this all (men) know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another (if you keep on showing love among
yourselves”) (John 13:34-35) (AMP)
Jesus is the ultimate example of love and humility. He loved and
respected His followers in humility; He took the garment of a servant and
washed the disciples’ foot thereby leaving a blue print of humility for His
disciples. Love and humility is a proof that any man has had an
encounter with Jesus. In (Mathew 5: 16) (NIV), “In the same way, let
your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven”.
The son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all
creation, because all things were created by Him; both in heaven and on
the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible,
whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things
were created through Him and for Him. He existed before all things and
all things are held together in Him. Despite His personality, Jesus
displayed the highest form of humility. We may not be able to do
likewise, but we can at least imitate His kind of humility.
“He is the head of the body of the church, which is the
beginning, the one who is firstborn from among the dead that He
might occupy the first place in everything because all the
fullness of God was pleased to live in Him” (Colossians 1:15 -19)
(CEB).
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The personally and spirituality of Jesus is unthinkable. He occupies the
highest position in heaven and on the earth. Jesus could have come to
the earth and demanded that everyone worshipped Him all day and
night. He could have being the wealthiest man on earth with riches
beyond imagination. The Bible teaches us that He came to be a servant
(Mathew 20: 28). He became poor for us to be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9)
(NLT). You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he
was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by his poverty He
could make you rich. In His humility, Jesus Christ was willing to give up
His rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should
have a servant’s attitude, serving out of love for God and for others.
Every day we are expected to serve. Jesus is God, He is unique. Even so
as Christians, we are called by God to have His attitude of self –
sacrificing humility and love for others (Philippians 2: 8) (NLD).
Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on
a cross to fulfill the will of God. Jesus did it all not for self ambition, but for
humanity Philippians 2:4. Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interest of others. In seeking to imitate Christ’s
humility, we should have a genuine concern for the interest of others.
Looking at your interests is good; we should have an equal concern for
the interests of others. Instead of being selfish, we need to be selfless.
Quote:” A true friend gives sacrificially, Jesus is our true friend”
Selfless people are concerned with the lives of others. We become
involved in their interests by sharing with them in the good times
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(successes, blessings) and being there for them in the bad times (failures,
disappointments, sickness, death, poverty). Jesus was always there for
His disciples in teaching them, correcting and helping them to grow in
faith. We should also do the same in imitating Christ’s humility,
(Philippians 2:5) “Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus”
We should always remember the day we chose humility over pride; that
is the only way God’s grace and love comes upon us and gives us the
ability and desire to serve others to the glory of God.
The summary of the whole chapters are that, if you so humble yourself
under the mighty power of God at the right time He will lift you up in
honor. The best person to advertise a product is the person that has
consumed the product.
Peter had tested the humility of Jesus Christ and witnessed how God
exalted him. And he is now advising us to do the same.
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CHAPTER NINE
Wisdom, inspirational and motivational quotes
Short time thinkers don’t solve long time problems
Mathew Ashimilowo
A man’s fight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge
U.S Air Force
Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends
who listen to us are the ones we move towards. When we are listened
to , it creates us, make us, unfolds and expands
Shel Silverstein
I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better
Abraham Lincoln
The wealthiest people on earth are those who trade on
knowledge
Sam Adeyemi
Never walk away from failure; on the contrary, study it carefully
and imaginatively for its hidden assets.
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Michael Korda
It is better we fail doing something than excel in doing nothing
John Mason
The sun will stand as your best man. And whistle. When you have
found the courage to marry forgiveness; When you found the
courage to marry love Hafiz of Persia
A goal is a dream with a deadline
Napoleon Hill
The freedom to fail is vital if you are going to succeed; most successful
people fail from time to time, and it is a measure of their strength
that failure merely propels them into some new attempt at
success
Michael Korda
Pain is not wrong. Reacting to pain as wrong initiates the trance of
unworthiness. The moment we believe something is wrong, our
world shrinks and we lose ourselves in the effort to combat the pain
Tara Brach
It is better to be a lion one day than be a goat forever.
Elizabeth Hill
God loves you because of who you are, but He blesses you because
of what you do.
Mike Murdock
Hope is like the sun, which as we journey toward it, casts the
shadow of our burden behind us.
Samuel Smiles
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking
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William B. Sprague
Fortune favors the brave
Publius Terrence
Believe with all of your heart that you will do what you were made to
do.
Orison Swett Marden
Knowing is not enough, we must apply; willing is not enough, we
must do.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
When you wait, don’t just wait
When you, do you waste
When you walk, don’t just walk
When you do, you will go astray
When you run, don’t just run
When you do, you will stumble
In all you do acknowledge the instruction of God.
Iyodan Peter
To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is
that which says, leave no stone unturned.
Edward Bulwer Lytton
If you would create something, you must be something
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can
accomplish.
Sam Walton
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Give the world your best and you will get the best from the world
Abraham Lincoln
You can’t dominate the world until you are dominated by God
Bishop David Oyedepo
A person, who is specializing in buying stolen goods, will one day
buy goods stolen from his own house.
Wole Soyinka
When you become a slave to righteousness, every other thing
becomes slave to you.
Iyodan Peter
Until you choose knowledge, the struggle continues
Apostle Gbenga Igbafen
The defense knowledge gives is stronger than the one the greatest
forces on earth can give
Iyodan Peter
It is better we fail in doing something than excel in doing nothing.
John Mason
Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy and wise
(Benjamin Franklin)
It is better to be a student for one day, than to be an illiterate
forever.
Iyodan Peter
Investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
Benjamin Franklin
Always remember that God never sees any of us as failure, He only
see us as learners
John Mason84
The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is
capable of receiving.
Albert Einstein
Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that
you want.
Jim Rohn
Always bear in mind that your own revolution to success is more
important than any other thing.
Abraham Lincoln
The most dangerous man on earth is the man who knows whom he
is.
Pastor Christ Oyakhilome
Transformation is a product of applied knowledge.
Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what
it takes to sit down and listen.
(Winston Churchill)
Excellence is to do a common thing in on uncommon way
Booker T. Washington
It is a great thing to do little thing well
Anonymous
The fact that you are born is a proof that you have something to
offer the world.
Pastor Success
Those who do nothing today, end up being nothing tomorrow.
You are born naked, but not empty
Socrates85
A man is a hero, not because he is braver than anyone, but because
he is brave for ten minute longer.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mercy is the constitution God uses in judging us; His court is the
high court of grace, His judgment is based on love, He is the chief
judge of righteousness.
Iyodan Peter
Heavenly treasure is a strategy; those who understand it survive.
Iyodan Peter
A room without books is like a body without a soul
Marcus Tullius Cicero)
If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything
Malcolm X
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a
few drop on yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which
difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
John Quincy Adams
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because
we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the
cake.
Bob Hope
The greatest discovery of all time is that person can change his
future by merely changing his attitude
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Oprah Winfrey
With humility, you are like a soil where any seed can grow.
Iyodan Peter
Knowledge is a shield, but ignorance is like a conflict that can make
a man become a refugee even in his fatherland.
Iyodan Peter
Trying to succeed without setting a goal is like playing a football
match without a goal post.
Pastor Sam Adeyemi
The only mistake is the one from which we learn nothing
John Power
The blessings of God is like rain that falls 24 hours; those who have
open heart receive it
Iyodan Peter
Righteousness is the foundation of every sustainable wealth
{Money, good health, job, peace…}
Iyodan Peter
A good tool improves the way you work; a great tool improves the
way you think
Jeff Duntemann
Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they
become actions. Watch your words, they become actions; watch
your actions they become habits Watch your habits, they become
character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny
Lao Tze87
History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they
have exhausted all other alternatives
Abba Eban
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s
character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.
Albert Einstein
People cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to
lose sight of the shore
Andre Gide
A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big
enough to take it all away
Thomas Jefferson
Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the
public and have no self
Cyril Connolly
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, it is the illusion
of knowledge
Daniel J. Boorstin
We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing;
action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates
action
Frank Tibolt
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If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of
yourself; what isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us
Hermann Hesse
Science is organized knowledge; wisdom is organized life
Immanuel Kant
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Isaac Newton
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Lao Tzu
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of
changing himself
Leo Tolstoy
The highest proof of virtue is to possess boundless power without
abusing it
Lord Macaulay
Love thy neighbour as yourself, but choose your neighborhood
Louise Beal
It is more important to know where you are going than to get there
quickly
Mabel Newcomer
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole blind
Gandhi
I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying
Michael Jordan
Doing the best of this moment puts you in the best place for the
next moment 89
John Mason
If you don’t know where you are going in this life, people we lead
you to where they are going
Ac cab
You can’t know grow until you learn what you don’t know
Rev. Dn. Obi
If you want to get to the top, you must be awake when others are
asleep
Ken Saro Wiwa
Life is a teacher, the more we live, the more we learn
Anonymous
A big head with an empty brain is a load to the neck
Arch Bishop Ben Idahosa
If you focus on result, you will never change, but if you focus on
change, you will get result
Jack Dixon
The dept of your maturity determines the height of your marriage
Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo
Do not marry beauty that fades away; instead marry a friend, a
sister and a mother that faded not.
Iyodan Peter
What you hear determines what you think; how you behave
determines what you will become.
David Oyedepo
A believer without the Holy spirit is like a container without its
content, it will always float and cannot sink in the word of God
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Iyodan Peter
As human wants are unlimited, so also God’s promises are
unlimited
Iyodan Peter
Knowledge is a fork lift that can lift a load ten times of its size; ignorance
is vise visa Knowledge mounts up our wings like the eagle; ignorance is
vise visa
Iyodan Peter
What you don’t know (your ignorance) is your greatest enemy
Iyodan Peter
Blessings we enjoy daily; and for the most of them, because they are so
common, most men forget to pay heir praises.
Izaak Walton
Get the pattern of your life from God, then go about your work and be
yourself.
Phillips Brooks
If there were not God, there would be no atheists.
G. K. Chesterton
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If you believe in the Lord, He will do half the work- but the last half.
He helps those who help themselves.
Cyrus. H. K. Curtis
Try first thyself,
And after call in God;
For the worker
God Himself lends aid.
Euripides
Heaven and earth stands for those who stand for righteousness
Peter Iyodan
The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers
Deepak Chopra
When you are in a bright light, everyone follows you; but when you
are in darkness, even your shadow will not follow you.
Anonymous
Wilderness of life becomes a permanent space where there is no truth,
the unfolding light of the word of God; where there is no shepherd to lead
the way.92
Peter Iyodan
We are like a written book; God is the author, we are the editor.
Peter Iyodan
We become a vessel of honor (carrier of God’s glory) if we are like clay
(being humble) in the hands of the potter.
Peter Iyodan
CHAPTER TEN
PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
BIBLICAL PROVERBS
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes; there is more hope
for a fool than him
Don’t run too far, you will have to return the same distance.
Even a fool, when he holds his peace, he is counted wise
Great men are not always wise
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He that walks with wise men shall not be destroyed. (Proverbs
13:20)
It is more blessed to give than to receive
He who ignores discipline despises himself , but whoever heeds
correction gains understanding (proverbs15:32)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t rely on your own
intelligence, know Him in all your paths, and He will keep your
ways straight [proverb 3:5-6](CEB)
Better to be patient than being powerful; better to have self control
than to conquer a city [proverbs 16:32](nlt)
Where there no vision the people get out of control , but whoever
obeys instructions is happy [proverbs 29:18(CEB)
The fear of the Lord [is] the beginning of knowledge[ but] fools
despise wisdom and instructions [ proverb 1:7]
HEBREW PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
A rich man has no need of character
Physician, heal thyself
He that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well
Time heals old pains, while it create new ones
Mary for money, my little sonny, a rich man’s joke is always funny
Poverty is a wonderful thing, it sticks to a man after all his friends
have forsaken him
The court is most merciful when the accused is most rich
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GERMAN PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
Begin to weave and God will give you the thread
Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
Monday is the key day of the week
To advice is easier than to help
God gives the nuts, but He does not crack them
The greatest step is out the door
Even the lion has to defend himself against flies
To change and change for the better are two different things
Charity sees the need not the cause
No answer is also an answer
Envy eats nothing but it’s own heart
Forever is a long bargain
It is better to trust the eyes rather than the ears
Who has never tasted what is better does not know what is sweet
In the morning of life, work, in the mid day give counsel, in the
evening pray
One must either be the hammer or the anvil
Fair flowers are not left standing along the wayside
Office without pay makes thieves
Always something now, seldom something good
What little Jack does not learn, big John will never
Towards evening the lazy person begins to get busy
A man trying to sell a blind horse always praises it feet
Prudent men woo thrifty women
An old error is always more popular than a new truth
Today must not borrow from tomorrow
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To aim is not enough, you must hit
When fortune knocks open the door
The wise person has long ears and a short tongue
GREEK PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
Think with the wise, but talk with the vulgar
Painless poverty is better than embittered wealth.
A miser and a liar bargain quickly
A truth spoken before its time is dangerous
A heart that loves is always young
Kindness begets kindness
Gray hair is a sign of age, not of wisdom
Who ceases to be a friend never was one
The beginning is the half of every act
Act quickly, think slowly
AFRICAN PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
However long the night, the dawn will break
A dog knows the place he is thrown food.
Blind belief is dangerous. Luyia, Western Kenya
Bad dancing does not break an engagement. Luyia, western Kenya
A dog that steals sells its body. Luyia Western Kenya
The pillar of the world is hope. Kanuri proverb ,Nigeria
A tree that is not taller than an ant cannot shade you. Kanuri
proverb, Nigeria
When your mouth stumbles, it is worse than the feet. Oji proverb
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Hold a true friend with both hands. Kanuri proverb, Nigeria
Rising early makes the road short. Wolof proverb, Senegal;
Do not follow a person who is running away. Kalenjin (Kenya)
There is no bad patience. Knapper, Swahili
A donkey knows no gratitude. Knappert, Swahili
The orphan does not rejoice after a heavy breakfast. Cape Coast,
Ghana
People know each other better on a journey. Plaatje
Do not tell the man carrying you that he stinks. Sierra Leone
You suffer from smoke produced by the fire wood you fetched
yourself. Luhya
Be on the alert like the red ant that moves its claw wide open.
Uganda
The elephant never gets tired of carrying its tusks. Vai, Liberia
By coming and going, a bird weaves its nest. Ashanti, Ghana
Nobody tells a child who the mother is.
Luck fetches fine wood for those who have no axe.
CHINESE PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
If you what happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness
for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a
fortune; if you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.
To believe in one’s dreams is to spend all one’s life asleep
Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend’s forehead.
With true friends … even water drunk together is sweet enough.
There is only pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.
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A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
One generation plants the trees another get the shade.
One joy scatters a hundred griefs.
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.
A book holds a house of gold.
A dog won’t for sake his master because of his poverty; a son never
deserts his mother for her homely appearance.
Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it.
Dream different dreams while on the same bed.
A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.
Fight a wolf with a flex stalk.
Flies never visit an egg that has no crack.
Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu.
Kill a chicken before a monkey.
Lift stone only to drop it on your own feet.
A bird in your hand is worth more then 100 in the forest.
Different flower look good to different people.
To cultivate a tree, you need ten years; to cultivate people, you
need one hundred years.
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will
come.
Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces
of gold. He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not
ask remains a fool forever.
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FRENCH PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
A father is a banker provided by nature.
Love makes time pass; time makes love pass.
When we cannot get what we love, we must love what is within our
reach.
Men count up the fault of those who keep them waiting.
Nothing is as burdensome as a secret.
Patience is better but its fruit is sweet.
Wait until it is night before saying it is has been a fine day.
Write injuries in sand, kindness in marble.
A bad bush is better than an open field.
An old rat is a brave rat.
Who spits against the wind spits on his own face
Who is angry must be pleased again.
Don’t bark if you can’t bite.
A dry cough is the trumpeter of death.
The eye of the master does more than both hands.
He who never climbs, never falls?
There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.
A healthy man is a successful man.
JAPANESE PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
Deceive the rich and powerful if you will, but don’ insult them.
The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.
One kind word can warm three winter months.
A man in love mistakes a pimple for a dimple.
Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.
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Fall seven times and stand up eight times.
Vision without action is a day dream; action without vision is a
nightmare
AMERICAN PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
Count your losses and let your profits run.
Don’t change your horse while crossing a stream.
All is fair in love and golf.
Those who sleep with dogs get up with fleas.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
The secret of life is not to do what you like, but to like what you do.
No matter how bad a child is, he is still good for a tax deduction.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
The early bird gets the worm.
Some will, some don’t, so what.
From small beginnings come great things.
ITALIAN PROVERBS AND OLD SAYINGS
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same
box.
He who is not impatient is not in love.
There is no robber worse than a bad book.
Beware of one who has nothing to lose.
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He that flatters you more than you desire either has deceived you or
wishes to deceive.
Often he who does too much does too little.
He who knows little quickly tells it.
The right man comes at the right time.
The buyer needs a hundred eyes; the seller but one.
The best way to get praise is to die.
If the wife sins, the husband is not innocent.
Moderate profits fill the purse.
Where gold speaks, every tongue is silent.
Voice of one, voice of none.
The rich never have to seek out their relatives
After the ship has sunk, everyone knows how she might have been
saved.
He who knows little knows enough if he knows how to hold its
tongue.
BUDDHIST PROVERBS
* Storms make oaks to take root
* He who hesitates is lost
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear
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