Wait for Abundant Harvests

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken [it].  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.  And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make [them] afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God [am] with them, and [that] they, [even] the house of Israel, [are] my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, [are] men, [and] I [am] your God, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 24 to 31.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians Chapter 6 verse 9.

Seeds, the planting of seeds always precedes harvests. Without planting of seeds, there cannot be harvests. Seeds stored up in a shelf, stashed away on account of greed; refusal to show love and kindness to a person as in the case of Onan who refused to raise up seed to his brother; fear of planting them because the ground is not good enough; deferring them to a better soil or season do not produce harvests because they are not planted on grounds chosen by God so that God can breathe His increase and multiplication upon them.

The law of harvest is predicated on planting. Please read Genesis Chapters 8 verse 22; 26 verses 12 to 14, Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 verses 1 to 6, Psalm 126 verses 5 to 6, Zechariah Chapter 8 verse 12 and Isaiah Chapter 30 verse 23. This is why the key to harvests is planting, planting seeds by the leading of the Holy Spirit. If for instance Isaac had simply dwelt in Gerar in obedience to God (Genesis Chapter 26 verses 1 to 6) without planting any seeds, there would have been no bountiful harvest which made him prosperous (verses 1 to 14). The seeds which Isaac planted diligently coupled with his obedience to God produced the bountiful harvests.

Jesus Came to Enrich You

Complied by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Break Free from Servitude

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

It is usually quite common for people to lose their identities. However, the likes of Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, Nehemiah, Job, Moses, Joseph and Paul did not lose their identities despite the challenges they experienced in foreign lands.  Please read Daniel Chapter 1, Exodus Chapters 2 and 3.

The biblical Issachar for instance was divinely wired to provide leadership and direction as well as influence in Israel. But because he saw a pleasant land, he submitted to forced labor and slavery.  How on earth does a slave provide leadership, direction and influence especially so in a land that is not his or her own? By returning to his or her own land and doing what God requires of him or her. Or s/he is sent like Joseph and because of the divine wisdom of God in his or her life, s/he is elevated form slavery and servant hood to royalty and leadership.

Unfortunately, this was not the case with Issachar because God did not send him to the supposedly pleasant land. In the supposedly pleasant land where Issachar submitted to forced labor, Issachar was a band of slaves but in his own land, he became the leader giving directions as ordained by God for him. Please read Nahum Chapter 1 verse 13, Isaiah Chapter 10 verse 27, Obadiah 17. Beloved, herein is wisdom. If you were serving as a slave because the pleasant land you opted to serve in no longer treats you well, then it is time to reconsider; NO MORE SERVITUDE/ I WILL ATTEND TO MY FLOCKS. Please read Proverbs Chapter 27 verses 23 to 27 for insight.  I also pray that the Holy Spirit will give you understanding in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

To start with, God is on your side; therefore He has blessed you with all it takes to create and make wealth happen in your own land. Please read Deuteronomy Chapter 8 verse 18. You may be working for or partnering with the Labans of this world who are determined to keep you in the ash and dust heap positions of life. But beloved, that is only a momentary fact because the truth is that God created you wealthy and blessed you with the capacity to always make wealth if only you will BREAK FREE FROM SERVITUDE AND TILL YOUR OWN LAND. Please read Deuteronomy Chapters 15 verse 6, 28 verses 11 to 13, 2^nd Corinthians Chapter 8 verse 9, 2^nd Peter Chapter 1 verses 2 to 4.

Be More Strategic 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Did Mordecai even in his wildest mental processes ever anticipate the antics of Haman? Was Mordecai aware that Haman would someday tow the path of annihilating the Jews?

For reasons that even Mordecai could not explain, he chose to enroll his orphaned but younger cousin, Esther in his care in the kingdom search for a new queen contest.  Significant and instructive is the fact that Mordecai instructed Esther not to reveal her race and nationality to anyone. Again, was Mordecai futuristic in his thinking? I believe he was being directed by the Holy Spirit; his mental processes already accustomed to being controlled by the Holy Spirit were simply responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, unknown to Mordecai, he was strategically, by the leading of the Holy Spirit placing Esther where God wanted her so that at the opportune time in history, Esther would serve the divine purpose of God for her life by being the one to speak to the King about the Jews because she was the only Jew who could gain access, significant access to the King at that point in time and in history.

Secondly, Mordecai also played a very significant and strategic role in the safety and deliverance of the King from untimely death in the hands of his servants Bigthan and Teresh who plotted to kill the King. When Mordecai heard about their plot, he reported the matter to Esther who the n informed the King.

Mordecai could have shared that information with anyone in the palace who could have probably used such information to advantage. But again, acting in divine wisdom, he chose to share the information with Esther which is quite strategic.

The King would believe Esther; secondly Esther had direct and immediate access to the King. Additionally, Esther would not betray Mordecai. Esther could be trusted to manage such information wisely. And when Esther informed the King, she also mentioned the name of her informant, Mordecai. When the matter was investigated and the plot was discovered to be true, Bigthan and Teresh paid with their lives while the safety of the King’s life was credited to Mordecai for future rewards. Significantly, it was documented in the royal records. At the appointed time in history, Mordecai was amply rewarded.

Beloved, being strategic is key to success in business and every other area of life. Being strategic means that you do not waste God’s precious resources.

Stretch Out to Expand

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

"Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the Lord. 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. 4 "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. 6 For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God. Isaiah Chapter 54 verses 1 to 6.

Lift up your eyes, open your eyes and look beyond where you are; your present location and circumstances to the divine possibilities, opportunities which God has blessed you with. They are all yours. Therefore, do not spare, do not hold back on resources required for the expansion. Stretch out as far as you can see. Please read Genesis Chapter 13 verses 14 to 18. Access and use plenty of resources for you are expanding to take over whole nations as well as resettle abandoned cities. Access resources, plenty of them, as much as you can get from everywhere.  The widow of the indebted prophet was instructed to borrow many vessels from everywhere and as she obeyed the divine instructions, her seemingly limited oil filled several vessels which were sold to pay off the family debt. Their family history of indebtedness was rewritten as they were no longer debtors. They had paid off their debts and had more than enough to live on for the rest of their lives. That can also be your testimony if you lift up your eyes to see the divine possibilities God has placed before you. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 1 to 7.

Do not be like the King of Israel who struck only thrice. 2^nd Kings Chapter 13 verses 14 to 19. Strike as many times as God gives you opportunity.

Lender to the Nations 7

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Wisdom of the Virtuous Woman 2

Back to the unnamed virtuous woman of Proverbs Chapter 31. She was a business woman who understood the dynamics of business. As a skilled designer, she could produce great clothing and accessories but those great clothing and accessories would amount to nothing if they remained unsold, shelved in her home. So what did she do? She took them to where they could be sold – she marketed them to people who would sell them off easily and who would pay for the clothes; not people who would owe her. She also took the trouble to take the clothes to where they could be sold. This was despite the fact that her clothes were well made and elegant – she still marketed them and advertised them.

Beloved, you may have created great products and services; you are endowed with great intelligence, skills, expertise and wisdom. But if these are not advertised and marketed to draw global attention to the rich divine deposit of God in you, you will just be a room champion unknown to the world but known to you and perhaps your family members and some nosey neighbors. Secondly, recall how Elisha instructed the widow of the indebted prophet to go sell her packaged oil in the public domain. She was asked to be quiet about the production and packaging process but was instructed to be loud in the marketing process – take it outside your home and sell – to the teeming buyers God has raised for your products. The widow obeyed and the family became debt free from money realized from selling the oil. Significantly, this was a family who had never earned money. They only borrowed and probably lived off other people’s generosity. But now they earned money from selling what had always been there in the house but which was never utilized for money making purposes.

It is also instructive to know that the virtuous woman had great confidence in her clothes which explain why she took them to the marketplace for sales. Beloved, do you have confidence in the products and services which God enabled you to create? If yes, then get them into the global marketplace as fast as you can so that you can make money from selling them. And if unfortunately you do not have confidence in the products and services you have created, then ask yourself some very pertinent questions – what is it that you do not like about the products and services? Did you create to divine specifications as the Holy Spirit directed you to create or you did a shabby job which you are ashamed of? Whatever be the case, the situation can be quickly and easily redeemed. Rectify what you do not like about the products and services and if you were hasty in your production process and left out significant touches that would create the perfect finish, then sit up. You have ample time and significantly great guidance by the Spirit of God to do a great job that you will not only be proud of but the whole world will be proud of and you will be celebrated globally and remunerated richly.

Lender to the Nations 6

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Wisdom of the Virtuous Woman 1

She loved her job – knitting and sewing and because she loved her job; she thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the job. This explains why she took extra care to shop for the best yarns and cottons. Why? So that she would produce quality clothing for her clients, her family and of course herself. Please read Proverbs Chapter 31 verses 12 to 13.

The Bible also records that she knows the value of her work and for that reason, she is always at her work station, unsupervised, first thing in the morning and is never in a hurry to leave. Lesson – she has great work ethics – commitment to her work. Knowing and understanding the value of one’s work, skill, expertise and talent is a precursor to how a person treats the work, skill, expertise and talent. King Solomon for instance valued his God given wisdom and traded it profitably, guarding it jealously, respecting it as a great gift from God to him. King Solomon prospered and made great wealth from the deployment of that gift. Royalty and the wealthy from the global village of his day shipped money and other gifts to King Solomon just so they could hear his wisdom.

Unfortunately, the lazy owner of the vineyard in Proverbs Chapter 24 verses 24 to 30 had no knowledge, understanding and value of what God blessed him with. So he left it to rot through his negative attitude and behavior of making excuses for his body; getting extra sleep and rest which his body did not really require. He left the vineyard unattended to and after a while, he lost the vineyard – the walls which cracked a little and were not attended to; the cracks had widened and the walls had collapsed – they were broken down and open to all kinds of prey. There was no more protection of unrestricted access to his vineyard – anyone and anything could walk in.

Always Request for Seeds

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Every seed is a potential great harvest but the potential great harvest can only manifest when the seed is planted. Therefore, do not destroy your harvest by eating the seed. Rather, plant the seed so that your great harvests can manifests. This is because harvest is always guaranteed when seeds are planted.

It is the will of God for His children to always access seeds and plant them in the right places by the leading of His Spirit. This is because seeds rightly planted are the gateway to abundance and wealth. That is why God makes the earth to yield seed to the sower; and bread for the eater. Please read Isaiah Chapter 55 verse 10. This is further reiterated in the book of 2^nd Corinthians Chapter 9 verse 10 – God supplies seed to the sower; increases the sower’s store of seed. What this means is that the sower always has seeds; abundant seeds to sow. Abundant seeds planted appropriately translate into abundant harvests.

Beloved, God always multiplies and compounds seed especially seeds that He directs you to plant where He wants you to plant them. And sometimes He also tells you where to reap the harvest. Peter was asked to launch out into the deep. Isaac was asked to plant in Gerar. Abraham was asked to go sacrifice Isaac at Moriah. Though Isaac was not sacrificed, God not only provided a sacrificial lamb, He pronounced generational blessings on Abraham.

In some other cases, seeds could be money. God also multiplies and compounds such seeds. To enlarge your coasts financially, you have to plant financial seeds by the leading of the Holy Spirit. As you do so, God moves wealth from all over the globe to transfer to you. Please read Isaiah Chapters 45 verses 14, 1 to 3; 60 note verses 5 to 14, and 17; 61 verses 5 to 6 and 1^st Kings Chapters 4 verse34; 10 verses 14 to 15, 22 to 29; 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 9 verses 9 to 28.

Therefore, plant money at any opportunity and platform you have to plant money. The seed planted will always grow, multiply and compound to your account. The planting of money is and should never be a one off activity. Sustain it by and through prompt obedience to the Holy Spirit and you will always harvest more than enough money to lend to the nations. Please read Luke Chapter 6 verse 38.

How God Blesses the Work of Your Hands

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

One of the ways in which God blesses the work of your hands is by blessing you with divine wisdom to do the work excellently and better than anyone else so that you end up working profitably. Please read Isaiah Chapters 48 verse 17; 28 verses 23 to 29, Genesis Chapter 41 verses 14 to 49, Daniel Chapters 1, 2 and 5. This also includes exceptional skills and abilities to always do excellent work; and because excellent work always attracts attention, especially from eminent people, it is always handsomely rewarded. Please read Proverbs Chapter 22 verse 29.

By sending rain and other resources in the right quantity and at the right time so that planted crops grow, blossom to produce abundant harvests. Please read Leviticus Chapter 26 verses 3 to 9, Deuteronomy Chapter 11 verses 10 to 15, Joel Chapter 2 verses 21 to 26, Zechariah Chapter 8 verse 13, 10 verse 1, and Isaiah Chapter 30 verse 23.

God also blesses the work of your hands by watching over the work of your hands, to protect you and the work of your hands from destructive processes and persons that would have made you to labor in vain. Please read Deuteronomy Chapter 11 verses 10 to 12. This is what the Bible refers to as rebuking the devourer in Malachi Chapter 3 verses 10 to 12.

God gives unusual and uncommon intelligence to excel above other people; to solve problems which other people cannot solve so that you are greatly sought after and handsomely rewarded. For example, the Prophet Elisha resolved the issue of the problematic water of Jericho which made the ground barren and was causing death by bringing in God’s healing unction on the water. Elisha put salt in a new bowl and cast the salt at the source of the water (prophetic action) and then spoke the mind of God concerning the water    (prophetic declaration of healing and life and fruitfulness from the water). Beloved, the Bible records that the water remains healed to this day; according to the word of Elisha he spoke. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 2 verses 19 to 22. God blessed Elisha with great problem solving skills and used him severally to solve many problems in the lives of the people of God in Israel.

Huram was unusually gifted with the ability to make beautiful designs on buildings. He not only worked for King Hiram; he was also recruited by King Solomon to work on the temple in Jerusalem as well as Solomon’s famed palace.

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Be More Strategic

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Slow down and observe. Running in wide circles doesn’t always achieve our grand designs. Often a little concentrated effort close to home can produce the greatest results. Truly, in God’s arithmetic, a little bit often does become a lot. Evelyn Knapp.

Do not run in wide circles for the fun of it. Make conscious deliberate efforts to be strategic. To be strategic means that you attend to what is a priority. This also implies that you know what your priority is. This is because your priority is different from priorities as your priority takes care of other priorities; that is, if you know your priorities and focus on your priority at the expense of everything else. If you actually know what your priority is, then every other thing which attempts to compete with your priority is actually a distraction which should be ignored or attended to only when it is convenient that is if it actually needs attending to.

The biblical Daniel for instance knew and understood his priority. He therefore focused on his priority and refused to be distracted by the intrigues of the men who were jealous of his success. The result was that his priority took care of other priorities. Please see Daniel Chapters 1 verses 8, 9, 17; 2 verses 17 to 19, 46 to 49, 4 verse 18, 5 verses 11 to 14, 6 verses 1 to 10, and note verse 10, then 25 to 27.

The Apostle Paul also knew and understood his priority. He focused on his priority and was able to ignore all the distractions targeted at making him lose focus. Please see 1^st Corinthians Chapter 9 verses 23 to 27, Philippians Chapter 3 verses 7 to 15.

Streamline priorities positively for Christ and focus on God’s priorities for your life. I recall when the Holy Spirit said to me that I was too diversified. I had to ask Him to help me streamline my priorities and He did. Significantly, I still request such help of Him for sometimes, I want to eat an armful when all I really need is what my spoon can get into my mouth.

Lender to the Nations 5

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Israelites asked for and received articles of silver and gold as well as clothing from the Egyptians on the eve of their departure from Egypt because God gave them favor before the Egyptians. They blessed and enriched the Israelites with wealth that they did not labor for. Please read Exodus Chapters 3 verses 21 to 22, 11 verses 2 to 3, 12 verses 35 to 36, and Psalm 105 verses 43 to 45. God also made the Israelites to inherit the land and labor of the nations, the original inhabitants of Canaan. Please read Genesis Chapter 15 verses 13 to 14.

In the book of 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 20, the Bible gives an account of how King Jehoshaphat and his army stumbled into great wealth left behind by the combined three allied forces of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. The Bible records that the loot was so much that it took the Judean army three days to cart away the loot.

God made the Syrian army to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses; in point of fact, the noise of a great army which made the Syrian army conclude that the King of Israel had hired the armies of the Hittites and Egypt against them. So without thinking, without bothering to inquire if this was so, they fled; leaving behind their well stocked camp intact with the food supplies, gold and silver articles as well as clothing and other materials designed to make the siege last forever until the Israelites succumbed to them as a result of hunger. Unfortunately for the Syrian army, God showed up as the Man of war, always strong and mighty in battle and the Syrian army took to their heels; abandoning their well stocked camp which was discovered by the four lepers who took a decision to surrender to the Syrian army. God is awesome. He used the four lepers to direct the people of Israel to the great abundance He prepared for them overnight in response to the words spoken by Elisha. Please read full details in 2^nd Kings Chapter 7.

Lender to the Nations 4

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

 …only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. Deuteronomy Chapter 15 verses 5 and 6 NKJV.

And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy Chapter 28 verses 11 to 13. NKJV

Articles of Gold and Silver as Wealth

In the Bible, God always blessed His children with articles of silver and gold as well as other material resources associated with wealth – purple robes and linen, exotic and rare spices. Beloved, rare spices and other resources, exotic clothing, silver and gold which were not common, expensive jewels such as crowns, rings, bracelets, necklaces and chains, and precious stones were symbols of wealth and royalty. Significantly, they still are and will continue to be such.  

Only recently, God opened my eyes of understanding to the significance of articles of silver and gold; gemstones, royal and exotic clothing as symbols of wealth and royalty. He also let me know that He has been blessing me with these items but I have never given thought to the value of what I own, some of which I discarded cheaply, threw away or put in the mission bag. Significantly, some of these things came cheaply, free, I never asked for them. And you know what, some of you reading this have also been blessed by God with these resources, but maybe, like me, you did not pay attention to them. Or even maybe, you have no idea what value they possess. So you probably treated them cheap and insignificant. But again like me, I believe that God is giving you an opportunity to make good use of these resources so that you can become the lender to the nations that He created you to be.

A number of biblical persons received gifts of articles of silver and gold as well as rare and exotic items of their day which made them wealthy. They include:

King Solomon received numerous gifts of articles of silver from many people, including royalty from other lands and these constituted some of his wealth. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 10 verses 23 to 29 and 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 9 verses 1 to 9. 1 Kings Chapter 10 verse 14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

1 Kings Chapter 10 verse 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.        

Lender to the Nations 3

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Life can sometimes be very ironic and sure throws pleasant surprises when least expected. A people assumed to be without the strengths and capabilities to make wealth stared wealth in the face. Abundant food, silver, gold and choice clothing in large numbers! What a great find! They did not waste a second. First they satisfied and dealt with the hunger pangs of many days; all the while keeping very vigilant eyes on the silver, gold and choice clothing which they carted away for themselves and hid in safe places. The questions to ask would be and should be – were the lepers right in helping themselves first to the silver, gold and clothing; and why hide them in safe places from the people of Samaria? Did they also need these items? Was the daily sustenance of food not their top most priority?

Beloved, herein is wisdom. The four lepers daily begged for sustenance at the city gates and always got pittances. If they got anything substantial, then begging would not be a daily grind at the city gates. So with this one opportunity designed to help themselves out of the daily grind of begging, they did a great job of it, securing their future. Besides, who would remember them when it was time to share that great bounty among the citizens of Samaria? And to think that there was a great stampede when the people of Samaria discovered the food. Fortunately for the physically less endowed but richly endowed wise four lepers, they had taken more than their fair share of the booties and hidden them for safe keeping away from the people of Samaria. Beloved, this great testimony of the four lepers illustrates that any form of incapacitation and challenge is no excuse from hooking up to God and connecting to His divine power in you to get wealth.

The four lepers responded to promptings by the Holy Spirit to go the camp of the Syrian army so that they would be the ones to inform the King and the people of Samaria that the siege was over. This is because none of the people of Samaria, including the army and the army chief were willing to step a foot outside the city gates for fear of the Syrians. But the four lepers who concluded that they had nothing to lose in the process of going to the camp of the Syrians gained a lot such as favor wealth, what they did not labor for coupled with the prestige of being the ones who reported freedom and deliverance from the siege. Their power to get wealth was the obedience and swift response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – first to go the camp of the Syrians; secondly to help themselves to some of the wealth of the Syrians as well as and broadcast and thirdly to broadcast the good news to the King and his court; thus benefiting humanity. They were a blessing to the people of Samaria despite their physical challenges and the discrimination they suffered.

Lender to the Nations 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Silver and gold as well as items of silver and gold are mentioned severally in the Bible. Significantly, the connotations of articles of silver and gold and their relationship to wealth, prominence, significance, relevance, affluence, influence, promotion and royalty is further attested in the Bible. Please read Genesis Chapter 13 verses 1 to 2. Several wealthy biblical personalities such a Kings Solomon, David, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat were blessed with gold, silver as well as numerous articles of gold and silver. In many respects they were lenders to the nations as they owned and controlled great wealth.

Wealth is of God, comes from God and to as many people who are willing to receive the wealth from God. Please read Deuteronomy Chapters 8 verse 18, 15 verse 6 and 28 verses 11 to 13 and 2^nd Corinthians Chapter 8 verse 9. Ironically wealth does not drop on anyone like a bag of cherries. It has to be earned through divinely endowed abilities which range from divine wisdom, knowledge, understanding, uncommon skills and expertise, brute physical strength as in the cases of Goliath and Samson, etc. All of these however have to be traded for and multiplied in the marketplace. In the light of these, it is possible that certain people would to some extent be excluded, either by the personal restrictions and limits which they place on themselves or by societal restrictions and limits.

The unnamed four lepers of Samaria fall into this latter category. They could not engage in economic activities on account of their physical disabilities as well as societal restrictions and limitations which forbade them from participating in the marketplace of economic activities. In essence, they appeared to lack the power to get wealth. So they confined themselves to begging on a daily basis for sustenance at the entrance of the city gates of Samaria living on the mercy and generosity of passersby.

How to Manage Life Transforming Information for Profit

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The place of information management in accessing wealth, prominence and prestige in the land is very strategic. The person or people you share life transforming information designed to uplift you out of obscurity into limelight; out of poverty into wealth; out of the ash heap and dust positions of life to sit with royalty, with is very important. The Bible instructs that anyone diligent in his or her work stands before Kings and not unknown people. It is therefore important that you identify significant people; either kings or people highly connected to Kings to share such information with.

The four lepers who sat at the entrance gates of Samaria received the good news first because they responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit speedily so they were the first to know that the siege was over and there was abundance in the land as prophesied by Elisha. After helping themselves to the bounties of siege and a war they could never have fought in even if they volunteered to, they shared the information with the King and his court and by extension, the people of Samaria. The lepers did not labor for their wealth. Access to the right information and being at the right place at the right time paved the way to the wealth the lepers accessed. In essence, they inherited the hard and maybe smart labor as well as wealth of other people. Significantly, they were careful who they shared the information with. They ensured that the information got to the King but not after they had used the information to better their lot. Rather than rush off to inform the King or the people of the city of Samaria when they first got to the camp, they kept the information to themselves and helped themselves to great booties before sharing the privileged information with other people.

Beloved, you can also access the right information by the Spirit of God. Access to the right information by the Spirit of God is also God’s way of empowering His children to get wealth.

The biblical Joseph interpreted the dreams of the baker and the butler; people who were well connected to Pharaoh; who had the ears of Pharaoh; who had direct access to the King and could recommend him and his services to the King. That was eventually what happened when Pharaoh had his troubling dreams which all the wise men and magicians of Egypt could not interpret. The butler recommended Joseph to Pharaoh and the moment the connection was made, Joseph by the grace of God was at his optimal best and impressed Pharaoh and his court beyond their wildest imagination. Joseph stood before a great king and other significant members of the court and on the same day, Joseph was divinely promoted from prisoner to Prime Minster.

Beloved, pray that God in His infinite mercies will help you to always stand before kings and significant people so that by His Spirit, He will seat you among princes in the land. Please read 1^st Samuel Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8, psalm 113 verses 7 to 8.

Can you imagine what would have happened to Joseph if he shared the information with someone else? That person would have taken the glory which rightly belonged to Joseph and Joseph would have probably remained in prison for the rest of his life. Beloved, what you do with the life transforming information God blessed you with either makes or mar your chances to the top. If you share the information with right people, you are made. But if you share the information with the wrong people, you remain at ground zero. I pray that will not be your portion in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The Power of Right Connections

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Participation equals inclusion while non participation amounts to exclusion.

Esther participated in the search for a queen contest and God gave her victory. Her participation in the search for a queen contest made it possible for her to be planted in the palace as queen to King Ahasuerus in the kingdom. If she had not participated in the contest, she would not have won and be planted in the palace. The implication is that she would have missed out on divine purpose by refusing to participate in the search for a queen contest.

Participation gives you platforms to connect with people whether socially, politically, academically and economically. As you participate, you meet and interact with people and in the process connect to people God designed for you to interact with in order for you to achieve purpose. You are not Moses who has to be at the backside of the desert for forty years. Moses had to be at the backside of the desert for a divine purpose and if your purpose differs from that of Moses, then you have no business being at the backside of the desert.

The Mindset of the Wealthy 3

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The unnamed virtuous woman of Proverbs Chapter 31 verses 10 to 31 was a successful wife, as well as a mother no doubt. Besides, her husband was a man of substance considering that he sat with the elders at the city gate. That should have been any woman’s pride in her days. After all, she owned a home provided for by her husband yet the Bible records that she was not an idle woman. Economically and socially, and even spiritually, she was profitably busy. In today’s world, she would be described as a fashion designer, and a very successful one at that. But her success as a fashion designer did not get to her head that she had peaked. Rather, the success she experienced as a fashion designer who supplied sashes to merchants did not get to her head and make her complacent. Rather, it made her more diligent and committed to investing in other areas of the economy. She took profits from her fashion business into purchasing a field to grow a vineyard – a source of raw materials for wine production. What an amazing woman, with the great mindset of the wealthy, the people who truly understand the difference between bread and seed. A typical bread eater would happily fritter the profits from the fashion business in to bread eating (physical bread, entertainment, additional clothes and accessories that are not even needed) but the seed sower that she was, she ploughed the profits into a different sector of the economy thereby multiplying her income streams as well as sheltering her financial resources by investing in different sectors of the economy. That is the mindset of the wealthy, invest, reinvest, diversify investments, multiply income streams and associate with like minded people and not bread eaters.

Isaac was the heir of Abraham, a very wealthy man. Please read Genesis Chapters 13 and 24 yet Isaac did not become complacent despite inheriting so much wealth from his father. Isaac kept working to accumulate more wealth (Genesis Chapter 26) until he became very wealthy and even when he was already very wealthy, he did not stop investing. He dug up more wells despite the contention by the Philistines over the wells his servants dug.

The Mindset of the Wealthy 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

God also endowed Solomon with great descriptive powers so that he could describe plant life, including plants and trees which were not even native to Israel. He had great descriptive powers coupled with vast knowledge which kept his very attentive audience spell bound; willing to come back again and again to hear him speak. Additionally, this same audience spread the word about Solomon’s great wisdom, vast knowledge base and understanding like wildfire. Any wonder his fame spread.

King Solomon topped these up with the divine ability to teach – transfer knowledge and wisdom resources to other people. Please read Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 verses 9 to 13. He was a great communicator. Solomon was indeed endowed with the tongue of the learned – Isaiah Chapter 50 verses 4 to 5; an instructed tongue, clearly instructed by God to speak peace, life, comfort, healing, deliverance, knowledge to take away ignorance from the lives of people held captive by ignorance (Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 2), understanding to people whose lack of understanding made life difficult to understand; and wisdom to the foolish so they could become wise, truly functional and successful.

King Solomon also knew how to take advantage of divine opportunities and platform. The people who came from all nations to hear his wisdom alongside his own people whom he ruled were great assets. So he invested his wisdom in them; and also partnered with them to do business. Hiram, his most trusted and respected ally was one of his greatest business partners. Together, they ruled the sea with their trading fleet of ships alongside their seasoned sailors who knew and understood the sea and sea routes as well as where to find gold, silver, choice spices and other great articles of trade. This way, King Solomon made money every second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year. Are you still surprised that he was the richest man of his days!

Break the Ceiling of Self Imposed Limitations

Written by Uyoyou Charles-Iyoha

Self imposed limitations are the limitations a person, a family, institution, community or nations imposes on themselves to limit them from progressing to God’s very best plans and purposes for their lives. Moses for instance tried to place limits on himself when God called him at the burning bush. First, he gave the excuse of being an inconsequential person to stand before Pharaoh; not only to demand the release of the children of Israel from Egypt but also to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. When eventually God assured Moses that He would be with him, Moses gave yet another excuse of being a person of a slow tongue. God also reassured him that He would be with his mouth in addition to teaching him what to say. Beloved, is Moses not forgetting something here? Was the God Who created him and Who chose him and promised to be with him not capable of addressing whatever issues he had with his mouth? Just like the rest of us, Moses displayed his human frailties by showcasing his weakness, thereby imposing personal limitations on himself with the excuses he gave. God however overwrote the limitations and excuses and still made Moses go to Egypt and accomplish the task of standing before Pharaoh as well as bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt.

How did Moses come about the limitations? He was looking at his fleshly capacities and not the power of God that was fully behind him and was with him all the way. Why was he afraid to stand before Pharaoh? After all, he was raised in the palace of Egypt as royalty and had stood before Pharaoh before! Why was he suddenly conscious of the fact that he stammered? The circumstances of life that Moses had experienced were responsible for the limitations he imposed on himself. He was a fugitive running from justice in Egypt – he killed a man and could be tried for murder and that had significantly impacted his status as he lacked the princely power and robe to stand before Pharaoh. So as far as Moses was concerned, he was an insignificant person before Pharaoh. But unknown to Moses, God had made him a great man before Pharaoh and he could literally bring Pharaoh to his knees if only he knew that God was with him over and above Pharaoh and everyone else that appeared to matter in Egypt. Please read Exodus Chapter 3 verses 1 to 2, please note verses 11 to 12, 4 verses 1 to 17, note verses 10 to 15.

Gideon also tried to impose limitations on himself by highlighting his origin – he was the least in his father’s house and was from the weakest clan in Manasseh. But God overwrote the excuses and told Gideon that He was with him and would always be with him. This implies that Gideon’s lineage and genealogy did not really matter. What mattered was the Presence of God in the life of Gideon. Please read Judges Chapter 6. In like manner, Moses’ past and disabilities were inconsequential to the plans and purposes of God for his life. What was consequential, important and relevant and significant was the Presence of God in his life, the life of Gideon and anyone God calls to implement and accomplish divine purpose. Background, etc which could constitute personal limitations are inconsequential. The Presence of God is what matters.

The prophet Jeremiah was afraid of God’s call upon his life and gave the excuse of being a youth; a self imposed limitation based on cultural practices and prejudices. Who was a mere youth to speak to the nations as a prophet of God. God overwrote the personal limitation Jeremiah placed on himself on account of cultural prejudices. God promised to be with Jeremiah. Beloved, please note that the emphasis is on the Presence of God, not a great age, not who knows you or your family as being from the largest or strongest ethnic group in the land or the biggest, strongest or richest nation in the world. Please read Jeremiah Chapter 1 verses 1 to 10, 1^st Corinthians Chapter 1 verses 25 to 29.

The Mindset of the Wealthy

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The wealthy always strategize on earning, investing and reinvesting the profits in other profitable ventures and even when they spend money, it is on investment pieces; pieces which would earn additional income beyond the purchase value and price in the future. They could be great works of art, unique and beautiful jewelry, great clothing, shoes, bags, houses and homes, quality décor, quality silver ware, you name it. King Solomon is a classic example. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 10 verses 1 to 29. Though he enjoyed great peace all through his reign and received tributes from the nations his father had conquered and who were subject to him, the Bible records that King Solomon was a prudent business man. He was always investing and trading gold, horses, spices and whatever fetched good money in his days. He owned a fleet of trading ships at sea, controlled horses and chariot trade along Israel’s border; in point of fact, he had a monopoly of the trade – he bought horses and chariots from Egypt and sold to all their neighbours such as the Arameans and the Hittites. Additionally, King Solomon earned income from his God given wisdom as the people who came to see him in order to hear his wisdom brought quality gifts such as gold, silver, clothing. These further enriched King Solomon. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 4 verses 29 to 34.

King Solomon’s Wisdom

What Solomon did with his God given wisdom.

He spoke three thousand proverbs, a great feat if you ask me. This is because he was mentally busy in a positive way. Additionally these proverbs ere written down and passed on as wisdom to several peoples and nationalities as well as generations beyond King Solomon’s immediate generation. This was what people came to hear. Significantly, Solomon did not keep the wisdom to his chest. He shared the wisdom with people through speaking about in well organized speaking sessions. Beloved, this implies that you can share whatever wisdom God endowed you with at speaking events such conferences and training, seminars, on YouTube, GodTube, Television and as podcasts. Additionally, you can write down the wisdom and publish as books in any of the publishing formats. Dramatize the wisdom as films and documentaries. Do not for any reason keep the wisdom to your chest or hide it in the ground like the wicked lazy servant or share it among people who cannot reward you like the poor man whose wisdom saved the city from a very strong king who besieged the city yet the poor man was despised because he did not have financial muscles. Beloved, ideally and in about all the biblical examples I know of; the divine deposit of God’s wisdom in the life of his children always brings about untold wealth and honor. Please read 1^st Kings Chapters 4 verse 32; 10 verses 14 to 29 and 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 9 verses 13 to 28.

Process the Divine Ideas

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Ideas are treasures especially when they are the types of cutting edge ideas such as the ones King Solomon, Joseph and Daniel had. Please see 1^st Kings Chapter 5 verses 29 to 34 as well as Proverbs Chapter 21 verse 220, Psalm 119 verse 130.

While it is great to birth he divine ideas, it is greater and wonderful, actually inspirational to process the divine ideas. This is because processed ideas are treasures which become tangible assets. But when ideas are not processed, they die off just like seedlings and babies that are not properly cared for die off. While processing may be tasking, it is worth all the resources at your disposal because ideas properly processed and harnessed rule the world.

Ideas are usually intangible assets at conception but they take on flesh to become tangible assets as they are thoughtfully processed. Ideas, particularly positive ideas are blessings from God. Please see Deuteronomy Chapters 8 verse 18, 14 verses 22 to 29, 15 verses 4 to 6, Malachi Chapter 3 verse 10. The Holy Spirit is the Author of divine ideas. Please see Isaiah Chapter 11 verse 2, Exodus Chapters 31 verses 1 to 6, 34 verses 25 to 26, 30 to 35; 36 verses 1 to 4, 8; 38 verse 22, 39 verse 43, Daniel Chapters 1 verses 17 to 20, 4 verses 9 and 18; 5 verses 11 to 17; 6 verses 1 to 3; 1^st Kings Chapters 3 verses 5 to 14, 26; 5 verses 29 to 34; 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 9 verse 23, 1 to 8.

Empire building does not happen in an instant. Ideas which become empires do not happen in an instant. They are progressively processed to become empires. When you receive a divine idea from God, you can start processing the idea by first thanking God Who in His great love and mercy to you gave you the divine idea. Thereafter, reflect on the idea and explore the diverse ways in which the divine idea can become a blessing to you, humanity as well as serve the divine purposes of God for your life.

That explains why you should give the idea form/shape and light. The divine events of creation in Genesis Chapter 1 are great examples to learn from. As you give it form and light, the shapes begin to appear and if you do not like the shapes or they are not perfect, you can then commence perfecting the shapes. Life is about evolving and it takes understanding from and by the Holy Spirit to process divine ideas to profit.

Delegate Your Way to Wealth

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Delegation, the task of assigning tasks and responsibilities to other people is major task that everyone in leadership should master and do at all times. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of someone always delegated tasks to his disciples. They went to buy food while He spent quality time with the woman at the well. That time spent with the woman at the well resulted in the great revival in the city of Samaria that saw their people surrendering to Christ. The Apostle Paul, Moses and Joshua also delegated.

Moses learnt about the principles of delegation in leadership from his father in-law, Jethro, who taught him the principles of delegation. Prior to learning from Jethro, Moses spent hours on end judging the people of Israel in the wilderness. It was a time consuming process which drained both Moses and the people physically, spiritually, emotionally and who knows, maybe spiritually. It also took time away from other profitable activities that could have been carried out within that time frame as both Moses and the people had to spend several hours; perhaps on a daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly basis. Jethro observed this cumbersome and tiresome process and counseled Moses aright on the principle of delegation he had learnt and applied successfully as the Priest of Midian. Jethro served as priest and so communed with the deity served by the people of Midian before interacting with the people of Midian. From his counsel to Moses, it is apparent that Jethro had intermediaries he delegated to who interacted with the people directly. Fortunately for Moses, he listened, learnt and internalized as well as implemented the principles. That singular action freed Moses and gave him ample time to invest in quality fellowship with God. He spent forty days alone with God, and repeated another forty. This is aside of other times he spent alone with God. These sessions with God gave him the success blueprints he used in leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and the wilderness.

When you delegate, you free up quality time to invest in high value tasks. This is not to say that the tasks you delegate are low value tasks. Rather, you are assigning tasks to competent people who are likely to spend less time in implementing and completing the tasks as well as raising leaders. This also explains why you as a leader are saddled with the responsibility of giving direction and letting your people do the rest. If you immerse yourself in the work, you will not be able to give direction and if you do not give direction, you will not be able to raise leaders who will assist you in the work. Can you imagine what would have happened if Moses alone built tabernacle; or Bezalel and Oholiab alone worked on the tabernacle! It would have taken forever to accomplish the task. That explains why God empowered Bezalel and Oholiab to also teach other artisans what to do. That way, they would both raise more artisans not only to speed up the work but to also lighten the workload for all concerned. That was exactly what Jethro was saying to Moses in Exodus Chapter 18.