Innovate to Leapfrog

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Holy Spirit gives the ability to be creative, innovative and enterprising. Believers have more potential to make more money if only they will ask from God. This is because the Holy Spirit who resides in every God fearing and obeying believer is the One Who gives illumination for innovation. He gave Joseph the fourteen year plan for ensuring food security in Egypt.

There had been surplus harvests in the past just as there had been famines in the past. In the days of Abraham, there was a famine. In point of fact, it was famine that made Abraham move from Bethel to Egypt. But for the intervention of God, Abraham would have lost his beautiful wife, Sarah to Pharaoh. Fortunately, Abraham was enriched and left Egypt. Please read Genesis Chapter 12 verses 8 to 20. Yet another famine made Isaac, the son of Abraham want to move from Gerar. But God instructed Isaac to stay on in Gerar despite the famine. Isaac stayed on and God gave him the requisite wisdom to innovate on existing best practices that leapfrogged the famine in the land.

Isaac was subsequently enriched, in point of fact, so rich that the Philistines envied him. Isaac did not run away from the challenges in the land. Rather, he innovated on existing best practices to circumnavigate the challenges in the land. He was successful. This implies that challenges are sometimes stepping stones. Please read Genesis Chapter 26.

Refuse to be Idle

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

God hates idleness because idleness often leads to or results in sinful actions and utterances which do not add value to the life of anyone; to the kingdom of God and do not bless God. A number of biblical case studies attest to this. The highly immoral wife of Potiphar had far too much time on her hands. She began to seek ungodly entertainment because she had absolutely no idea of time and the value of time. If she did, she would have made herself useful to her fellow women particularly the less privileged ones and children. Instead, she capped her folly by telling lies against Joseph who refused to fritter time with her in sin. Please see Genesis Chapter 39.

Jezebel – murderer and idolatress, liar, (1^st Kings Chapter 21 verses 1 to 25); Herodias – murderer and adulterer, (Matthew Chapter 14 verses 1 to 13); Delilah – hypocrite, deceiver, betrayer, and liar had far too much time on their hands; they did not know and understand the value of time so they frittered time in sinful activities which led to the death of many innocent people.

Also, if you compare the widows described in the book of 1^st Timothy Chapter 5 verses 1 to 16 to the widows of Zarephath, Prophetess Anna (Luke Chapter 2 verses 36 to 37); the wonderful mothers of Timothy (2^nd Timothy Chapter 1 verse 5); Mary, the travailing mother of John Mark who opened up her home as a prayer cell for kingdom work (Acts Chapter 12, Romans Chapter 16 verse 6); the very beautiful and hospitable women who supported the ministry of Jesus Christ (Luke Chapters 8 verses 2 to 3, 23 verses 55 to 56, 24 verses 1 to 11); the industrious and artistic women who prepared materials for the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness ((Exodus Chapter 35 verses 25 to 26); the wise mother of Moses who ensured the safety of her son and nurtured him in righteousness (Exodus Chapter 2); wise Priscilla in Acts Chapter 18 verses 1 to 3, Romans Chapter 16 verse 3 and of course the very industrious but unnamed virtuous woman of Proverbs Chapter 31 whom the Bible describes as someone who does not eat the bread of idleness, you will discover that anyone who does not know and understand the value of time will fritter time in activities which have no eternal value.

The Value of Time

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Time is one God’s divine investment on humans which like other divine investments such as skills, talents and expertise demands a return, in point of fact a hundred percent and over return on investments. Time properly utilized or invested translates into mental and intellectual prowess, divine health, academic and economic achievements, spiritual growth, parenthood and as many successes as you can think of. Time promotes and uplifts if time is properly and promptly deployed into divine purposes.

An idle person has absolutely no regard for time because s/he does not understand the value of time. S/he does not know and understand that time is a gift from God, a divine resource distributed to everyone equally for the actualization of divine purpose. Time should therefore not be frittered in idleness such as excessive sleep, rest, chatter, gossip, jesting, outbursts of anger, indecision on issues or actions to be promptly taken and acted on (Proverbs Chapters 19 verse 15; 14 verse 23, 6 verses 6 to 11, 24 verses 30 to 34, 21 verse 25, 1^st Timothy Chapter 5 verses 1 to 16, note verse 13. Time should not be frittered in giving of excuses for not investing time and other resources when you should. Please see Proverbs Chapter 22 verse 13, Mathew Chapter 25 verses 1 to 46 for the very interesting and revealing accounts of the wise and foolish virgins as well as the faithful and unfaithful servants in the parable of talents. It is rather unfortunate that while the wise virgins invested time by planning ahead, the foolish ones frittered time and were consequently barricaded from the meeting with the bridegroom. How do I know that they frittered time? Perhaps you should ask them what they were doing while the wise virgins were taking extra oil in their lamps. That would settle the issue of whether they frittered or invested time. Significantly, the wicked, lazy and unprofitable servant chose to fritter time. What exactly was he doing while his master was away? Did he look for any kind hearted master to serve since he considered his master a heartless person who reaped where he did not plant? Rather the wicked servant chose the path of wickedness by hiding the talent in the ground. Beloved, which is easier to do; banking the talent or digging the ground to hide the talent? He just did not want to be a blessing to anyone. He preferred to just fritter time because time meant nothing to him. He chose the path of idleness.

The Power of No

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The word NO is one of the most empowering words that you need to use sometimes if not most times. Saying NO may not make you a people person but the truth is that you were not divinely designed to be a people person and people pleaser. God designed you to please Him so that in pleasing Him, you become a blessing to the people He designed you to bless other people. 

Saying NO TO WHAT IS NOT PRIORITY, does not have eternal value empowers you to focus on what is priority and focusing on what is priority empowers you to accomplish God’s divine objectives for you. It also empowers you to quit the vicious circular dance referred to as busyness or what I dare to call the rat race of life which keeps you eternally engaged in fruitless and unprofitable activities that lead you nowhere. Apart from the fact that such activities are fruitless and unprofitable, they drain you spiritually, physically, mentally, financially; and sometimes impact your most prized relationships such as the relationships between you and God; you and your family negatively. Scrutinize such activities thoroughly to determine whether they are divinely ordained for you otherwise you delegate them to someone else who is divinely assigned to carry them out, that is if they have eternal values. But for those activities which are bereft of eternal values and tantamount to fruitless and unprofitable activities, a sheer waste of God’s rich deposit of time and talents as well as expertise in your life, beloved, the sensible thing to do is to thrash them in the bin where they belong. This frees up quality time for you to focus on what is priority so that you can allocate prime time, attention and resources to what is priority. 

Saying No to what is not priority also gives you speed. This is because as you focus on what is priority and give priority prime attention, your efforts translate into accomplishments. 

Saying No to what is not priority also gives you favor before God and humans. Why and how? You are focused on divine tasks and focus on divine tasks gives favor before God Who assigned you the tasks and Who will also instruct your fellow human beings to favor you. Esther focused on the divine task of representing the Jews before King Ahasuerus. God gave her favor before the King and the Jews were spared annihilation. Please read the book of Esther for details. Joseph enjoyed uncommon favor from Potiphar, the Keeper of the prison, Pharaoh and his court because he focused on divine tasks. When he was focusing on non divine tasks in his homeland, he attracted envy and hatred which fortunately took him to the place of divine tasks, albeit in what you may refer to as negative circumstances. But the positive outcome of those supposedly negative circumstances was great. Please read Genesis Chapters 40 to 41.