The Import of Associations on Success and Wealth

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The book of 1^st Kings Chapter 3 verses 1 to 15 gives an interesting account of how associations impact wealth and success.

King Solomon requested for wisdom and became wealthy as he consistently interacted with wisdom. His interaction with wisdom also led him to interact with highly skilled people who implemented projects profitably. For instance, the sustained profitable partnership with Hiram whose knowledgeable sailors knew the sea and sailed to lands where they could trade and bring in gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons which fetched in more money and more territory for King Solomon. King Solomon also hired highly skilled professionals from Hiram for the building of the temple. Please read 1^st Kings Chapters 5 verses 1 to 18, 7 verses 13 to 14.

When the temple was to be built, God recruited highly skilled professionals that He had trained and deposited with divine abilities; not only to do the work but also to teach other people to do the work in order to multiply the number of highly skilled professionals required to do the work. God gave these men, Bezalel and Oholiab to Moses and at the completion of the building of the tabernacle, the Bible records that Moses blessed them for doing the work as instructed by God. Please read Exodus Chapter 39 verses 42 to 43.

Let Your Nets Out for a Catch

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

To let out your nets for a catch implies action, that is to move; to do something, to ACT. Beloved, now is the time to do the right thing; the right thing at the right time because NOW, right now is the right time to catch the fish you desire for which you toiled all night without success. What makes right now the right time? Jesus is in your boat and He is the One Who released the prophetic word for you to go fishing now. Any other task and activity you are engaged in now outside of letting out your nets for a catch is a wrong activity at the wrong time. The only right and worthwhile activity to engage in now is to let out your nets for a catch. Significantly, the task of letting the nets out is an action activity which requires you to ACT, ACT immediately as in the case of the bedridden man at the pool of Bethsaida. Additionally, the nets Jesus asked them to let out had been washed and were drying in the sun. So Peter and his colleagues had to go get the nets from the shore back into the boat before pushing the boat out into deep waters and then letting out the nets for a catch.

How great and mighty is God, our God Who never fails. He made Peter and his professional colleagues bring back to life, to action what they had retired for the day; hoping to return to toiling again at night. But unknown to them, God had different plans for them – they would no longer toil all night with no results to show for their toil. Rather, they would engage in fruitful profitable labor while it was yet day and then transact business and then return home to rest at night with members of their families. It was no longer toiling fruitlessly at night, away from the love and company of their family members. It was now harvest time in the day and guaranteed rest at night.

However, you must push out into deep water; and let out your nets for a catch. It is no longer business as usual; the daily grind of just going fishing hoping that there should be some. It was now guaranteed catch, fruitful, profitable labor designed for multiplication, increase and abundance. No more frustration and probably anger and resentment at fruitless toils. It was now happiness, thanksgiving, joy because labor will always be fruitful, profitable and would always bring about multiplication, increase and abundance.

Make Wealth Happen – Esau and Jacob 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Born the same day by the same mother, they are the only children of Isaac and Rebecca. Though twins, nothing in their history except their birth and the fact that they both lived in the womb of Rebecca before making their dramatic entry into the world suggest so. From the Biblical accounts about the twin brothers, the usual closeness associated with twins is significantly noticeably absent. Secondly, Jacob’s treatment of his older and only sibling does not in any way speak of a loving brotherly relationship. Why, you may ask?

Jacob refused to share his pottage with his hungry brother Esau despite the fact that Esau pleaded with him to have some pottage to assuage his hunger. Jacob surprisingly took advantage of the fact that Esau was very hungry and negotiated Esau’s birthright in exchange for a plate of pottage. A rather famished Esau who had lost all sense of reason acceded to Jacob’s request and traded in his birthright for the plate of pottage.

Unfortunately, this was not a one off incident of Jacob trying to rob Esau of his firstborn blessings. He also went ahead of Esau to their aged father, Isaac to receive the blessings of the father. It is quite significant and instructive to know that Jacob was acting in tandem with his mother, Rebecca to deceive Isaac into believing that Jacob was Esau. Needless to say, they succeeded in deceiving Isaac as Jacob successfully masked his baby smooth skin with animal skins so that his skin would feel hairy to the touch like Esau’s.

Jacob’s supposedly success at stealing the blessings was somewhat short lived. The moment Esau discovered that he had been robbed of the father’s blessings; he took a decision to kill Jacob. But somehow, Jacob succeeded in fleeing to Padan Aram, his mother’s birthplace to live with his maternal uncle, Laban.