Invest in People

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The strength of a family, a Church, institutions, communities and nations are the people numbered with and committed to the family, Church, institutions, communities or nations. While brick and mortar as well as other resources matter, what really holds families,, institutions and nations together are the people. Therefore, primary investment should be in the people. Families, institutions and nations, who know and apply this supposedly secret; which indeed is an open secret are in the forefront of development and prosperity globally.  

The late Sam Walton invested in people thereby birthing the ever faithful missionary customers of Walmart, the dedicated staff of Walmart as well as the suppliers of commodities. Sam loved people and made it a point to always invest in people. The result was that people shopped at Walmart; the staff of Walmart enjoy working at Walmart and giving customers the most unique but satisfying customer experience. Suppliers also enjoy supplying or distributing their goods to Walmart. Why? They loved and appreciated Sam’s concern and love for people. Sam enjoyed making people happy and it is no surprise that people made him happy and are still making him happy several years after his exit from planet earth.

People matter to God and anyone who puts people ahead of personal desires and profits is a friend of god. God demonstrated His love for people by sacrificing His only Son for the salvation and redemption of humanity, so that humanity can be free of satanic slavery and entrapments. God’s love for humanity governed the decision to give Christ for the world. Please see John Chapter 3 verse 16. In like manner, a person’s love for people and the desire to add value to the lives of people; to give people a better and richer experience on planet earth should greatly inform the quality of services rendered to humanity; the quality of products produced for people in addition to the way we handle the earth and the resources God blessed the earth with.

Push the Boundaries of Excellence 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,  And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.Isaiah Chapter 62 verses 6 to 7.

You can be a praise in the earth. Therefore, do not give God rest; do not give yourself rest until you become a praise in the earth by the Spirit of God and the doing of the Lord. You can do this through the prayer of importunity as instructed by Jesus Christ in Luke Chapter 18 verses to 8, 1st Thessalonians Chapter 5 verse 17, Romans Chapter 12 verse 12. As you do so, God in His infinite mercy will give you the knowledge, understanding and wisdom that you require to always push the boundaries of excellence.

The multitudes sought and followed Jesus of their own volition. No one was compelled or coerced to do so. Please see Luke Chapters 8 verse 4, 9 verses 10 to 11. The question to ask is why did the people come from their cities, towns, villages and houses to seek Jesus even when Jesus severally sought anonymity and privacy by taking off to deserted places? The simple answer is that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Jesus had something of great value to offer them therefore like a city set on a hill, He could not be hidden regardless of where He was. The people took time and trouble to seek Him in order to be blessed by Him. 

Are you a city set on a hill? If yes, what blessings are you offering to people? Do your products and services bless humanity? Do you give counsel that brings about transformation in the lives of people? Do you speak words of wisdom or you consistently utter folly, wickedness, bitterness and resentment? Do your words and actions bring healing and health, encouragement, life, transformation and even inspire faith to people so that when people spend time with you and leave you; they are happy and fulfilled? Do your words and actions help people find their bearing in life so that when people spend time with you, they can take quality decisions which put them on the right track in life? The Bible records that the tongue of the wise promotes health (Proverbs Chapter 12 verse 18); uses knowledge rightly and the lips of the wise disperse knowledge (Proverbs Chapter 15 verses 2, 7) which explains why the Bible records that a wholesome tongue is a tree of life. 

Push the Boundaries of Excellence

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

God rewards excellent work that is done diligently with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is to say that excellent work is a function of working closely with the Holy Spirit as some Biblical examples like Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Bezalel and Oholiab as well as many others testify. 

Excellence is a culture of consistent quality that is devoid of haste whether in thought, speech and actions. People who operate under a culture of excellence are not hasty. They are diligent, thorough, knowledgeable, analytical, careful, patient, dependent on God and strive above everything else to please God and not anyone. Please see Ephesians Chapter 6 verses 5 to 9.

The boundaries of excellence are elastic. They can be stretched to as far as God wants them stretched. That is to say that they have the capacity to bring God’s best out of you, unleash your potentials, latent and active to the best use they can be put to. That is why an excellent minded person continuously stretches the borders of excellence; always improving on what has been done, continuously evolving. The late Sam Walton was always coming up with new and great ideas about making Walmart great. 

Excellence speaks loudly through the quality of the finish, the quality of materials used, the close attention paid to details, the cut and design, and what have you. Excellence does not do things just for the sake of doing things; does not render service for the sake of rendering service but to bring out improvements, enhance the quality of lives of people, build to improve on what had been done before on products and services. 

Prepare for the Future

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Every position you are in today is an opportunity given to you by God to effect future changes in your life. Please see John Chapter 9 verse 4. Therefore invest well by utilizing the opportunity of your present position to invest well for your future because every opportunity given to you is to effect a change. Every street they say is lined with gold but that gold can only be seen when your eyes are opened to see the gold.

Joseph utilized the opportunity of his present position in prison to prepare for his future by being kind and compassionate to his fellow prisoners, obedient to the leadership of the prison. Additionally, he interpreted the dreams of the baker and butler of Pharaoh who were also imprisoned in the royal gulag. Coincidence you may say but I dare to say, divine arrangement for the future God promised Joseph. Any position you find yourself in may be an opportunity which though disguised as a challenge or even an affliction is for a purpose. Joseph’s case is instructive as it buttresses Scriptures in Romans Chapter 8 verse 28. Joseph became a slave in Egypt not because the family lacked the resources to care for him but because his brothers sold him into slavery because they envied him. They capped up their wickedness by deceiving their father that Joseph was probably killed by a wild animal after dipping Joseph’s cloth in the blood of an animal. Also just when Joseph should have shouted hallelujah, it turned out that it was not yet uhuru as Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph and Joseph was thrown into prison albeit, events orchestrated by God to bring Joseph before Pharaoh. Instructive and significant is the fact that Joseph took advantage of the opportunity of every position he found himself in and became great. You can also do same.

Birth the Divine Ideas

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Divine ideas are ideas given to you by God to bless humanity with; either as products or services which add value to the lives of people in order to enhance the quality of lives that they lead and live. Additionally divine ideas help you to excel above your peers, propel you into relevance, wealth and honor but that really is not the primary objective of divine ideas. The primary objective of divine ideas is to enhance the quality of lives of peoples and the nations; to bring about positive transformation. Joseph for instance was blessed with the divine of providing the solution to mitigating the impending famine which threatened not only Egypt but the nations around Egypt. Joseph’s divine idea staved off the famine and many lives were saved. That same idea birthed the culture of saving from surplus harvests, building up storage facilities to house the surplus harvest as well as developing techniques to preserve the surplus produce from rot. Additionally, the divine idea of Joseph also created employment opportunities for many people such as the people who built and maintained the storage facilities; people who transported the harvested produce from the farms to the storage facilities, people who treated the harvested produce for preservation, people who sold and managed the books as well as other jobs that were created.

A single divine idea from Joseph, a former slave and prisoner transformed the economy of Egypt; ensured food security globally so to speak and gave Joseph honor, power and affluence. A single divine idea gave rise to economic boom in Egypt and Egypt became the food basket of the world, earning income from several nations who bought food from Egypt. This means that an idea can be turned into a big business, a business that transcends you to create jobs and wealth for many people. Beloved, what is or are your divine ideas? What has been deposited in your heart to transform the peoples and nations of the world that you are unable to unearth; or possibly cannot unearth because your mental processes are cluttered with what should not be there. All that clutter is crowding out, obscuring real wealth and blessings to humanity. Have you ever taken off time to identify them and process them so that you can be a blessing to humanity and in the process attract wealth, fame and honor to yourself?

You are endowed and blessed with great ideas that will richly bless and transform humanity. In addition the ideas are divinely designed to propel you to the realm of limitless overflowing abundance. However, you need the Holy Spirit to help you unlock and implement the ideas. How willing are you o spend quality time with the Holy Spirit so you can hear Him clearly, ask the pertinent questions like Mary the mother of Jesus Christ did, get the  right understanding and divine partners to work with so that you can hit the ground running? Is the Holy Spirit dear to you and is His presence more important to you than all the voices and seeming attractions beckoning to you? Is the Holy Spirit your final authority? Then create room and time for the Holy Spirit. Do not crowd Him out of your thoughts, emotions, time, relationships and activities.

Make God Your Source

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

There is a correlation between the fear of God and wealth especially generational wealth. The biblical characters Who served God with a true and sincere heart made God the source of their daily provision and wealth. They trusted God and subsequently amassed wealth by the Spirit and leading of God. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jabez, Job, David, Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Jehoshaphat, Solomon and Hezekiah are some examples.

You cannot experience and enjoy the God of divine provision if you do not trust Him to provide for you. Please see Psalm 23. The Biblical King David always trusted God to provide for Him and he enjoyed God’s unfailing divine provision at all times. Please see Psalms 34 verses 9 to 10 and 37 verses 25 to 26.

If you know and believe God; and always ask from Him first; then you will never have to beg people to meet your needs as God will always direct people to work you in your favor.  This is because God will always direct people to give to you; surprisingly even before you ask from God sometimes. That is why you must do away with any dishonest methods of making money. If you think you cannot be rich through honesty, then you do not know God and the word. The Bible records that God gives you the power to get wealth in Deuteronomy Chapter 8 verse 18. Severally, God has made this happen in the lives of people and He is still making it happen.

Reorganize Your way to Wealth

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Reorganize your schedules – schedule times for quality fellowship with God, daily prayers, Bible reading and study, fasting, praise and worship. Also create time for additional study on your industry to broaden your knowledge base as well as access network and collaboration opportunities. Also, schedule quality time in enabling business environments to meet with business associates to network, exchange ideas and even take decisions to partner with them. These are not things you jump out of bed to do. You organize your schedule such activities so that your schedule is not haphazard but proactive, meetings with people and activities are scheduled to achieve divine purposes because they are planned and therefore outcomes are expected.

Value and Respect Time

What you do with the time allocated to you on a daily basis, whether by investing it or frittering it speaks volumes. Time invested translates to success, wealth, fame, honor, accomplishment of divine purpose while time frittered unfortunately leads to poverty, shame, dishonor and humiliation. The sad story of the young man devoid of understanding Proverbs Chapter 24 is more than enough instruction in the wise management of time. Blessed with a beautiful vineyard to manage, the young man opted to fritter time and left the vineyard to decay. If he had any value of time and respected time, he would have known that time lost is hardly ever recouped and significantly the consequences are dire. If you respect time, and invest time like the Biblical Joseph and the many historical and contemporary success stories the world parades, your name will also make that list. Significantly, you will become a positive reference point to many generations simply because you valued time, respected time and invested time. May God in His infinite wisdom give you the grace to value and respect time. Ironically, time is freely given by God to everyone and significantly in equal amounts. So it is what you do with your own share of time that makes the difference.

Reorganize Your Wardrobe

Clothes either open or close doors. Your appearance should therefore open the right doors for you; that is grant you unrestricted access to the right business partners, business organizations and relationships. The onus then is on you to decide whether your wardrobe will open the right doors for you or not. Take time to observe and note the dress code and ethic for your industry and constituency before investing in a wardrobe that will open the right doors for you.

Break Up Your Fallow Ground

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The expression, “Break up your fallow ground” (Hos. 10:12; Jeremiah 4:3) means, “Do not sow your seed among thorns”, i.e., break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the soil was careful to “break up” his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the field of weeds, before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, “Break off your evil ways, repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will have room to grow and bear fruit.” https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/fallow-ground.html

An untilled land is also fallow ground especially if it is left fallow on account of laziness or frittering time in activities that have neither eternal nor financial value. Please see Proverbs Chapters 12 verse 11, 28 verse 19, Hosea Chapter 10 verse 12, Jeremiah Chapter 4 verse 3, and Hebrews Chapter 6 verses 7 to 8.

In Luke Chapter 13 verses 6 to 9, Jesus Christ talked about the landowner who wanted to cut down the unproductive fig tree that was using up ground space without producing anything. The question then is why use up the ground and not produce anything, especially what is of value to humanity? Why own a ground and keep it fallow when it should be productively engaged to produce what is of value to humanity? That would be akin to what the wicked lazy servant, the servant who refused to trade his talent did. He refused to be productively engaged with the talent in his hand that would have multiplied resources to bless humanity. He was punished with eternal damnation, called wicked and lazy. Is it then possible that refusal to work the ground given to one by God can lead to eternal damnation? Is it also the same thing as willful destruction? Please see Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 19, Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 verse 18.

In Proverbs Chapter 12 verse 11, the Bible refers to the person who follows frivolity as a person devoid of understanding while a person who tills his or her land will have plenty of bread. This is further reiterated in Proverbs Chapter 28 verse 19 (plenty of bread for land tillers as well as abundant provision for clothing, land ownership, food and general maintenance. Please see Genesis Chapters 26 verses 1 to 14; 30 verses 25 to 43, Proverbs Chapter 31 verses 10 to 3. And poverty for those who follow frivolity). Following after frivolity and sowing among thorns is akin to laboring in vain, frittering time in non productive activities that do not yield any benefit; have no value whatsoever whether on earth or in eternity; akin to time wasting activities. Activities that have no eternal value, which do not impact people positively for God and the good of humanity are frivolous activities and can also be likened to sowing among thorns.

Beloved, take time off to evaluate your present activities and relationships to ascertain whether you are impacting people positively for God (eternal value); and the general good of humanity. Otherwise, you are engaged in either frivolous activities or you are sowing among thorns. Your real wealth are your treasures laid up in heaven; the souls harvested into the kingdom on account of your giving, your prayers, Bible teaching and counsel, encouragement, care giving and evangelism. Therefore seek ye first the kingdom of God so that every other thing will be added unto you. P;ease see Matthew Chapter 6 verses 33, 19 to 21.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/olivesfamily

http://www.amazon.com/Uyoyou-Christiana-Charles-Iyoha/e/B00JLO15SM

http://olivescitychurch.churchonline.org/

https://olives-university.eduongo.com

kuyoyou@yahoo.com

Grow Your Business

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Your business given to you by God is your key to overflowing generational financial abundance.  To grow your business, you must invest in the business. You have to invest time, your expertise, financial as well as other resources in the business. Your talents as well as other gifts will have to be invested in the business.

You are probably not experiencing that financial abundance because you are working your business as God would have you work it. You also have to appreciate the business and celebrate the business. You are possibly not paying full attention to working the business because you consider the business insignificant, something to while away time, to put some food in your stomach when actually that business is divinely designed to give you overflowing abundance that will span generations if Christ tarries. Celebrating that business and obeying God fully will bring in the desired full yields that would birth exponential increase and overflowing financial abundance from the business. Unfortunately, you probably assume that running around and celebrating the businesses of other people while yours lies fallow when it should be blossoming is what will give you overflowing financial abundance. Beloved, you are wrong. You should stop that circular dance that takes you nowhere and do something smart and profitable with your business.

Use Your Disadvantages to Advantage

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

A very wealthy chief tax collector named Zaccheaus wanted to see Jesus. But he had a challenge. Multitudes always thronged around Jesus and because Zacchaeus was of short stature, it would be a herculean task to see Jesus standing. Despite the challenge, Zacchaeus was undaunted. He was determined to see Jesus and no one would stop him. So he put his creative juices to task to come up with the best possible way of seeing Jesus despite his height advantage. He spotted a sycamore tree ahead, quickly ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into the tree just so he could see Jesus.

God noticed and Jesus also noticed for it was not a coincidence that Jesus looked up at the tree and saw Zacchaeus. Jesus also asked Zacchaeus to hurry up and come down from the tree so that He would visit with Zaccheaus. The Bible records that Zacchaeus hastily came down from the tree, received Jesus joyfully and most importantly, Zaccheaus received salvation. What constituted a challenge that could have hindered his divine encounter with Jesus actually turned out to be a stepping stone as Zaccheaus creatively navigated his way out of it. His strategic position on top of the tree made him a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Please see Matthew Chapter 5 verse 14. Jesus saw him, the multitudes saw him and he became the cynosure of all eyes when Jesus asked him to come down from the tree so He could visit with him.

Speed Up the Processes

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

To speed up processes, you require specific clear directions from God. Once the specific clear directions are followed through, you gain speed, achieve instant success because you actually hit target right on the spot. You would no longer experience delays on account of wandering, confusion that ultimately lead to stagnation and non arrival at divine destination.

Do not major on minors. In point of fact, refuse to major on minors. Define your majors and give prime attention to majors. Throw out or completely ignore for now any minors which do not in any way advance your majors as they could be the distractions that you do not need right now. Simply put, reappraise your priorities.

Work hard at evolving by continuously improving your performance to enhance your brand and whatever it is you do.

Evaluate present knowledge base, expertise and other resources to determine if you need to quickly upgrade. Ideally you should always be upgrading.

Evaluate your present relationships and associations to see if they are in any way relevant to your major goals.

Partner with people, organizations and nations who invest quality time in profitable activities. Do not partner with people who love pleasure and spend quality time in pleasure loving activities rather than profitable labor. There is a link between poverty and pleasure. Please see Proverbs Chapters 23 verses 20 to 35, 21 verses 17 and 20. If you partner with who love sleep and pleasure, how fast and far can you really go? They will not only slow you down but may ultimately stop you from getting to destination. What do you do? Go as fast and far as God would have you go.

God Will Settle You

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ - eternal and glorious plans they are! - will have you put together and on your feet for good. 1^st Peter Chapter 5 verse 10.

God still settles His people and He will settle you in Jesus mighty name. To settle means to give rest, put an end to a matter, dispute, issue, disagreement, bring you to a point of rest. To be settled means that wars must cease in your life. Please see Joshua Chapter 23 verse 1. Because God had given Joshua rest, Joshua aged gracefully. Only God can bring about rest for anyone because God knows how to make wars to cease. Please see Psalm 46 verses 9 to 10, Deuteronomy Chapter 8 verses 7 to 10.

One can enter into rest financially, maritally, medically, etc. God demonstrates divine settlement through divine surplus. God wants to take you to a position of divine surplus. There is a breakthrough coming to you that is intended to settle you. In 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 1 to 7, the Bible records that God settled the widow of the indebted prophet. The yoke of financial poverty and indebtedness was destroyed in her life. She was settled financially and her sons were free of debt slavery.

Though Naomi suffered losses in Moab – she lost her husband and her two sons, God settled her through Ruth. However, it is instructive that Naomi took a great quality decision to return to her roots. That singular action brought about restoration and divine settlement for both Naomi and Ruth. Please read the entire book of Ruth for greater insight.

Beloved, this implies that one of the keys to divine settlement is to return to your roots, your first love, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If you do this sincerely, God will sort you out, open your eyes of understanding to where you missed it and help you make amends that will bring about the restoration and the settlement. The widow of the indebted prophet also returned to God by crying to the prophet Elisha for a solution.