Take Vantage Positions 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Cities do not happen on hills by chance. They are deliberately, purposefully, consciously and strategically planted, built and set on hills for specific purposes or reasons ranging from protection, security, visibility, etc. whatever be the reason,  the import is that cities are set on hills purposefully and by choice.

A hill is a conspicuous, strategic and vantage location that gives visibility to both people below the hill and those on top of the hill. Those below see the city on the hill easily as opposed to other nearby cities on lowland. And for those on the hills, they can easily see intruders, predators, competition, enemies and have sufficient time to prepare to repel such attacks.

The essence of a product or service is to impact and bless people by adding value to their lives. And when people discover this, they will definitely seek the product or service. But if the product or service is buried in a hideout, an obscure, inaccessible terrain, how does the product get to the people? How do people access the product or service? Therein lies the wisdom of setting cities on hills so that they will not be hidden. Joseph was thrown into prison, hopefully to obscure him into oblivion so that his lights would stop shining. Joseph chose the path of making prison a hill. He shone his lights as brightly as prison allowed him and prison became a launch pad, a springboard to global limelight, relevance, significance and dominance.

Beloved, make the effort to shine your lights as brightly as God would have you shine them wherever God placed you to shine them. That way, you will leapfrog whatever limitations and barriers that the enemy attempts to place in your path. This is not to say that you should sit docile and passive; refuse to make conscious, deliberate purposeful efforts to build and plant on a hill for global visibility. It is your responsibility to do so but trust God.

Take Vantage Positions 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

13 “You are the [a]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery]. 14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew Chapter 5 verses 13 to 16.

God set you on a hill? Are you on the hill? Joseph was born for global leadership but he was born and raised in Canaan until circumstances that would be considered negative but albeit positive moved him to Egypt, the place of global leadership where his divine IPs were accepted, relevant and made him significant and dominant.

What dreams were there for Joseph to interpret in Canaan, the jealousy and envy of his siblings that had snowballed to hatred and death wishes for him? Canaan was no place for him at that point in time for him because it was not the hill God set him on. . Egypt was and God took him there; and he was celebrated because his lights shone as they ought to have shone, and significantly where they should shine; and people saw the good works of Joseph and glorified God for filling Joseph with His Spirit to bless humanity.

Beloved, I have no idea where you are presently but if it is not God’s hill for you, then you need to move urgently to where God wants you to bless humanity. If it is a place of strife and contention, I advise that you get out of strife and contention into God’s plans and purposes for your life. Do not be embroiled in fruitless mental processes, utterances and activities that do not lead anywhere and do not promote.

Strategize Your Way to Wealth

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Sometimes, a great mental paradigm shift is required for anyone desiring wealth to get wealth. This is because certain mindsets that are contrary to wealth production have to be discarded so that the mindsets that allow for wealth production are internalized and utilized for wealth production.

For instance, if you are blessed with the gift of strategic thinking that enables you to think, think through issues, analyze them to come up with solutions, then you are a strategist who should be productively engaged in strategizing issues. This is more like operating the gift of wisdom; a problem solving skill which is a gift from God that you are blessed with. Your task, job and responsibility is to strategize the solutions and not necessarily immerse yourself in the tasks. Joseph supervised the work of collecting and storing up the abundant harvests. He did not plant the crop, work the land, harvests the grains, bag the grains, transport the grains, and build the storehouses. Other people carried out these tasks taking instructions from Joseph. Joseph did not swamp himself in activities that would clog his mental processes, major tools he required for strategizing. He delegated the non strategizing processes to other people and concentrated on developing strategies - thinking and analyzing and in the process expanded the development plan to include the government land use act, sale of food to other nationalities to generate additional income for Pharaoh.

A strategist who does not delegate non strategizing processes is headed for oblivion. That was why Jethro advised Moses not to wear himself out in judging the people alone as he could actually delegate those processes to other competent people in the community.

The prophet Elisha never engaged in non strategizing processes. He always delegated, issuing instructions that only total and prompt obedience to provided solutions to those who needed the solutions. He instructed the widow of the indebted son of the prophet to go package oil - albeit in borrowed vessels. She obeyed and the long term siege of financial challenges that was fast becoming a trans-generational problem was solved.

Leverage Strengths and Opportunities

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Your strengths constitute your competitive advantage; the divine edge you have over your competition. That is what separates you from the pack to give you advantages, edges, leverages, that you can always use to outbid and outshine your competition. Identify your strengths and the value of your strengths.

Opportunities on the other hand are platforms for you to showcase your strengths and be financially rewarded for your strengths. Opportunities could be created, identified or they could just come your way. Whichever, it is your responsibility to find them and take advantage of them.

The Apostle Paul took advantage of the interest shown him by the Epicureans and Stoic philosophers in Athens to preach the gospel. He was careful to refer to the inscription of the unknown God and centered his message on who God is and how God should be worshipped, Acts Chapter 17 verses 18 to 34. Make hay while the sun shines.

In Jesus’ discourse with the woman at the well in John Chapter 4, Jesus took advantage of the opportunity at the well to lead the woman to God. You can and should create a demand for your goods and services. After the woman found salvation, she became a powerful mouthpiece of the gospel that brought the men of Samaria to Jesus and consequently, the entire community to Jesus as they begged Jesus to stay with them.

In 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verse 7, the widow of the indebted prophet was instructed to – “Go sell the oil”. Go and search for the people who need the oil and sell to them and even if you have identified the people, take the goods and services to them. Do not wait for them to come to you. As they see the products and you the seller, they will buy.

No More Limits

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Limitations are meant to stall progress, restrict movement in the short term  and in the long term eliminate or overrun.

The walls of Jericho coupled with its well secured gates represented a blockade, barrier that was spiritual and physical, as well as mental, and constituted an opposition, a very fierce one to the progress of the children of Israel from Egypt to the land of Canaan. The gates were locked against the children of Israel and that became a major limitation, in fact a barricade against progress to the Promised Land. But those walls came down by the power of God as the children of Israel received divine strength to bring down the walls. Praise, shouts of joy brought it down and the children of Israel moved on after Jericho was burnt to the ground. Please see Joshua Chapter 6.

No more limits in Jesus mighty name. That wall had placed a limit of proceed no further but God destroyed that limit because He alone can place or set limits on people, individuals, families, communities and nations. Therefore, any limit by anyone was subject to God’s sudden destruction and would always be destroyed by God.

Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir were determined to overrun and eliminate Judah. Praise to God by the Israelites and the three nations turned against each other and eliminated themselves; leaving abundant wealth to the Israelites. Please see 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 20.

Locking up Paul and Silas in Philippi was meant to hinder the preaching of the gospel but unknown to those who brought accusations and charges against them as well as those who locked them up, that was an open door, in fact a very big and effective one for the preaching of the gospel as the keeper of the prison and his entire household were saved. Please see Acts Chapter 16 verses 16 to 40.

 What God is saying is that the satanic barricades and limits are down, completely destroyed for free, safe and unhindered passage to His heights for you in Jesus mighty name.