Take on Your Goliaths in 2020

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Goliaths are bullies. Bullies intimidate to terrify and silence their victims into inaction; which was exactly what Goliath succeeded in doing against the army of Israel; an army that had prepared and set out to go to war against the Philistines. Simply because an intimidating looking Goliath showed up and threatened them, this all powerful army of God was immobilized by fear. For forty days and forty nights, they allowed Goliath to insult and intimidate them into action as they daily listened to his threats, until; unfortunately for Goliath, there arose a David in Israel.

David was a mere teenager, a shepherd boy who had never been to war, had not been enlisted in the army and trained in the art of war. Besides, he did not have Goliath’s intimidating stature – a giant who towered above others and was schooled in the art of war.

Nevertheless, David was infuriated by the words of Goliath and returned the challenge – he would fight Goliath and destroy him; not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. The widow of the indebted prophet was appalled by the thought of her sons going into debt servitude. She also took on the Goliath of indebtedness that was about to bring on the humiliation and shame of debt servitude in their family and the family was spared the shame and disgrace. Please read 1^st Samuel Chapter 17 and 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 1 to 7.

Beloved, you can also take on your Goliaths no matter how intimidating they look; and experienced they appear to be. Refuse to be caged in a vicious cycle by their threats and imposing stature. You can navigate all that by working with superior knowledge, wisdom and understanding by the Spirit of God just as David and the widow of the indebted prophet did. Like the Apostle Paul instructed Bishop Timothy, you should study to show yourself approved to God and your industry and business partners. That way, God will fill your heart with the requisite knowledge and wisdom to take on your Goliaths successfully. Please read Hebrews Chapter 5 verses 11 to 14, 2^nd Timothy Chapter 2 verse 15, Isaiah Chapter 11 verses 1 to 4, 10 verses 27, 9 verses 1 to 7, Nahum Chapter 1 verse 13 and 1^st John Chapter 3 verse 8.

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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.

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.

How to Give careful Attention to Your Flock

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Your flock are your divine gifts given to you by God for you to prosper, make an impact in the lives of people and be a blessing. Your flock may appear inconsequential to you because you may not immediately know the true value. You may reason like the widow of the indebted prophet that it is only a jar of oil. But beloved, that jar of oil solved the problem of indebtedness that would have taken her two sons into debt bondage. In like manner, the full potential of your flock may not be apparent until you pay considerable attention to your flock. The Biblical Joseph paid considerable attention to his flock and rose to become Prime Minister in Egypt.

But the young man described in Proverbs Chapter 24 verses 24 to 30 refused to pay attention to his flock and suffered losses. Rather than work his land, he kept giving excuses – his body required more sleep, more rest when other people were working. His refusal to work at a season of working the land cost him his vineyard and he became poor. He gave excuse, procrastinated and suffered poverty. The lame man lived at Bethsaida for thirty eight years because he always had the perfect excuse – he had no one to put him in the water when the angel stirred the water. So even when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole, the lame man gave excuses. Fortunately for him, Jesus had compassion on him and he was made whole.

Beloved, the consequences of not giving careful attention to your flock include losses and destruction as in the case of the young man described as void of understanding in Proverbs Chapter 24 verses 30 to 34, 18 verse 9 and Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 verse 18. Therefore always give careful attention to your flock.

God in His infinite mercy and compassion promises to bless all the labor of His children. Therefore, PAY CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION TO YOUR GOD GIVEN FLOCK. How, you may ask?

Know the exact number of your flock, how many they are, their backgrounds, the state of your flock whether they are in good shape or not. This will inform the kind and quality of care which you will need to provide.

It is also important to know your flock by name. Jesus knows His disciples by name. Please read John Chapter 10 verses 14, 27, Proverbs Chapter 27 verse 23.

Brand your flock by stating their values and benefits. Also brand their total look and appeal to give them the right positioning globally, nationally and locally.

Allow God to Enrich You

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

A gift or present is different from a bribe and should be received with thanksgiving especially when God leads people to bless you with gifts. A number of Kings as well as other prominent people in the Bible received financial and material gifts from the people God made them to interact with. These gifts translated into personal wealth for them. The Apostle Paul commended the Church in Philippi for supporting him financially. Please read Philippians Chapter 4 verses 10 to 19, Galatians Chapter 6 verse 6 and 1^st Corinthians Chapter 9 verses 1 to 27.

Quite significant and instructive is the fact that Jesus Christ received gifts from people who supported his earthly ministry. Please read Luke Chapter 8 verses 1 to 3. However, He did not demand the gifts. The people willingly brought the gifts. This implies that the people God sends to bless you with gifts usually do so without compulsion. They simply respond to the promptings of God to bless whoever God leads them to.

The prophet Elisha also received gifts. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 42 to 44 but when it was inappropriate to receive gifts, he declined to accept the gifts as exemplified in the case of Naaman. Beloved, this implies that not all gifts should be accepted especially when God says not to accept such gifts. There are times for receiving gifts and times for rejecting gifts. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 5 and Genesis Chapter 14 verses 1 to 24. God by His Spirit always guides His children into receiving and rejecting gifts since He knows all things.

A good number of the wealthy people in the Bible received presents and gifts from people, Kings and Queens which they translated into personal wealth. Kings Solomon, Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah are some examples. So also is Abraham. Additionally, they earned income from other activities. They did not rely on the gifts alone. King Solomon traded. Please read 1^st Kings Chapters 10 verses 21 to 29, 9 verses 26 to 28.