God Hates Idleness

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

To be idle is not to be engaged in any productive process. Please see Proverbs Chapter 19 verse 15. God hates idleness because idleness is destructive (Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 verse 18); idleness is equivalent to slothfulness and laziness which always bring about destruction, in point of fact, is great destruction. Please see also Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 9 and 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 3 verses 10 to 13 where the Apostle Paul cautioned against idleness.

Furthermore, the book of Proverbs Chapter 14 verse 23 throws ample light on forms of idleness such as idle chatter, the kind of chatter that does not lead to spiritual, physical and mental benefits; does not add to knowledge, does not bring in income, does not add to spiritual and physical and even emotional well being. Additionally, wandering from house in aimless visits with no productive purpose behind the visits is wandering as the outcome of such visits is usually idle chatter. Also, practitioners of such idleness end up as busy bodies rather than productive fruitful people.

God hates idleness. He engaged the idle laborers in productive processes by providing employment opportunities to keep the idle people busy in productive processes. These ones were idle because they were not hired to engage in productive processes which explains why Jesus hired each one of them that were at the market place; those in search of jobs. It is instructive to note that these people were not idle people because if they were idle people who enjoyed being idle, they would not have been at the market place, a place where people in search of employment opportunities went to be hired. They were not deliberately idle like the widows described in 1^st Timothy Chapter 5 verse 16; nor those who chose idleness and idle chatter as a way of life. Please read Matthew Chapter 20 verses 1 to 7.

Wisdom for Seed Planting 3 - The Wayside Heart

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The wayside heart is grossly unprepared for the gospel. Consequently, it cannot process the gospel which explains why the seed of the gospel planted in it is carelessly trampled upon and devoured. In like manner, business and money making ideas, products and services taken to the wayside ground will automatically fizzle out, the products and services will be treated as scum, disdained, rejected and if you have no idea who you are and what the quality of your products and services are; you will lose confidence in yourself, your ideas, products and services and will not have the confidence you require to multiply and compound your resources to wealth and success and be the blessing God created you to be to humanity. Why is that so? Because you took what is of value to a ground that is not prepared for value, does not know value, appreciate value and is therefore not receptive to value. What happens? That value is trampled down and devoured.

Partner with Sound Minds 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Sound minds delegate. It is strength to delegate when you should. Jesus Christ delegated to His disciples. He sent them to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead. The Apostle Paul delegated to his mentees. Delegation speeds up processes and saves time, a much limited resource. Additionally, you can achieve so much through delegation.

A sound mind knows when and how to initiate processes that move an organization; or businesses forward. The Bible describes Abigail as a woman of good understanding. She had the God given wisdom to manage Nabal and all of his character flaws; including his great love of wine and feasting. She could tell when he was drunk and always refrained from discussions with him (1^st Samuel Chapter 25 verses 36 to 37). She was indeed a wise woman who did not allow Nabal’s foolishness to affect her and impact her life negatively. Abigail knew how and when to speak to him.

This is clearly demonstrated in her response to the servant who reported the incident between Nabal and the servants of David. Rather than complain or moan or wait for Nabal to arrive, the Bible records that she made haste to appease David and his men in order to save Nabal, herself and the entire household. The depth of her good understanding is revealed when she meets with David. First she bows to the ground in greeting David and then takes responsibility for Nabal’s offense. She apologizes and thanks David in advance for not avenging himself. She also tells David that God would avenge his enemies. She then presented her gift. She also begs David to remember her when God has avenged all his enemies. David was overwhelmed. What sane man would continue on the journey to annihilate Nabal and his household after Abigail’s great performance? None I believe but perhaps a Nabal.

So David thanked Abigail for her advice and received the gifts. By kind words and actions, Abigail saved her entire household from destruction.

Give Your Way to Wealth

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The power to get wealth is preceded by the power to lay down. It is impossible to provoke giving without the power to lay down. . You must first lay down before you receive. This is the secret of increase. Increase your giving and you will increase your capacity to get wealth. Every seed you sow always multiplies and compounds. There is a progression – as Isaac sowed in the land, he kept waxing great, growing from one level of greatness to another.  The possible outcomes of giving include unanticipated progress to the next level. GIVING therefore INCREASES INCOME;, GIVING CAN WARD OFF DANGERS. Please see Malachi Chapter 3 verse 11.

In Deuteronomy Chapter 16 verse 17, the Bible instructs believers to give according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you. No one should appear before God empty and you give from what God has blessed with you. This implies that God will always bless you but He also expects a worship portion from that blessing through the giving of tithes and generous offerings in His house. Please see also 2^nd Corinthians Chapter 8 verses 1 to 7.

Soul winning Births Wealth

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Soul winning is not struggling for positions but service to humanity – Luke Chapter 24. It  is about doing good to the people. You are a soul winner when lives are positively impacted for Christ. The gospel and not personal lives or wealth should be preached. Jesus had vision, mission statements and a clear job description – Luke Chapter 4. Jesus did not act independently. He acted on the father’s instruction based on the divine mandate he received. The presence of the Holy Spirit is Who you need to minister. If God is in it, then go ahead. Soul winning is not about crowd, it is about impact. The primary reason for Pentecost was for believers to become effective witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pentecost was therefore designed for believers to receive power to become witnesses to God on a global scale To witness is to give evidence or be an evidence yourself, in this case proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the lives of believers.  That is why the Holy Spirit was given to believers.

Jesus gave procedural instructions on how to bear witness of Him. First, from your home, in your community, nation and then on a global scale so that if you are effective witnesses at home, then you can succeed outside. To be an effective witness, your lifestyle should reflect the nature of Christ. The world out there does not see Jesus physically. They see Jesus through you (Acts Chapter 4 verse 13, John Chapter 1 verses 40 to 46). The world around you needs to see the character of Jesus in you. Your qualitative lifestyle – changed lifestyle in appearance, talk is a proof that Jesus is raised and is a tool for evangelism. There must be a clear difference in the behavior patterns of believers and unbelievers. We should live lives that other people can copy. What people want to see is the proof of your encounter with Christ (Romans Chapter 2 verse 24). It is one thing to proclaim the resurrection and another to reflect the glory of His resurrection. There must be a difference between a believer and an unbeliever in their lifestyles. This is what the Apostle Paul meant in 2^nd Corinthians Chapter 3 verses 1 to 3. Our lifestyles commend and recommend people to Christ. You are the Bible that those who have no access to the bible will ever read. Therefore, you must live the Christlike life. Jesus lived the life he preached and Jesus was teaching through His lifestyle. 1^st Corinthians Chapter 4 verse 16. Paul did not preach a single message. But the manner in which he handled the viper attack made the people refer to him as a god. Wherever you are, you are an open Bible that people need.

If your lifestyle does not support evangelism, then it is a blasphemy. As Christians, we are expected to live exemplary lifestyles that glorify God (Matthew Chapter 5 verse 14). Your lifestyle is the beginning of evangelism (Acts Chapter 1 verse 1). Some of us wear character masks (2^nd Thessalonians Chapter 3 verse 16). It is possible for a child of God to be a negative witness.