Let the past remain in the past

Your past can be a hinderance to the glorious future that God has planned for you, if you allow it. You cannot afford to wallow in past defeats and allow those defeats to stop you from making progress. Remember that you an overcomer - 1 John 5:4; you are destined to win. Defeats don't define you. Rather turn them around into learning opportunities.  

Likewise you cannot afford to let the celebration of past victories to cause stagnation in your life. Thank God for the successes that you have had in the past. However there is much more that God has in store for you. If you refuse to move past your past successes then your ability to win more battles in the future is compromised.

Apostle Paul set the example. He chose to keep forging ahead rather stay in the past - Php 3:13. He knew that greater things lay ahead that what he had already experienced. Likewise you must not stop pressing in and pressing on so that you can lay hold of that glorious future that God has planned for you. Forget those things that have happened in your past so that you can claim new victories. 

Have an exceptional day!

Get busy doing what's important

As a child of God you are the only one who can tell others about Jesus. There are many people around you who are still unsaved. God sent His son, Jesus, to die in our place so that all men can be saved. This sacrifice is enough to cover everyone who has ever been born including those around you. Consider this: is there a reason why anyone should not be saved and go to Heaven? Wisdom says no in response to this question. So the wise thing to do is to get busy talking about Jesus.

It's always interesting to watch the response of believers to speaking about Jesus. I can contrast it with the passion with which people publicize and speak about their parties or trips to the club. However as a child of God, what we have is more valuable than anything in the world. Nothing in the world can compare to a relationship with God. It's high time that as believers we were passionate about telling others about Jesus, and spreading the good news of the Kingdom.

Scripture tells us that a wise man is a soul winner - Pro 11:30. If you are operating in the divine wisdom of God then you will see the need to evangelize. To be wise is to place what is important to God as a priority - Matt 6:33. It's time to get excited about winning souls. It's the wise thing to do!

Have an exceptional day.

Outstanding Results II

In Jos 1:6-7 God encouraged Joshua as he was embarking on his God-given assignment. Joshua had just been anointed successor to Moses. He had seen the challenges that Moses had in leading the Jews. It is possible that the size of the task appeared daunting to him. Joshua needed encouragement for the road that lay ahead.

In John 16:33, Jesus says that there will be trials and challenges along the way. However Jesus says that we should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. You see there is no situation that you will face that you are not able to overcome by the help of God - 1 Cor 10:13. When Jesus overcame, every one who identified with His victory also overcame. One of the keys to you overcome in every situation is by the wisdom of God. You must prioritize the wisdom of God - Pro 4:7 - because it is the principal thing. 

In 1 Sam 30 David was faced with a very challenging situation. Not only had he lost all his family and possessions but his men had lost everything too. How was David, their leader going to face them? His men must have blamed David because scripture says in 1 Sam 30:6 that they began to contemplate stoning him. What was David's response? David strengthened himself in God. In other words he encouraged himself in the Lord. 

David had seen the wisdom of God in manifestation as he killed Goliath, evaded Saul and won battles. He knew that if he could get the word of God for this particular situation then his victory will be manifested. 1 Sam 30:8 reveals this clearly. David asked God for the next step. How many believers would have reacted the same way in the face of such a major challenge and one of the lowest point of their lives? The reality is not many would. However God's expectation is that you will ask and seek for His wisdom in every situation.

David and his men eventually pursued the enemy, and recovered all that they lost plus interest. David obeyed the Word of God and therefore he was able to walk in the wisdom of God. He succeeded in the face of a situation that seemed insurmountable in the natural perspective. What situation do you find yourself in that seems so difficult? Strengthen yourself in God. Ask and seek His wisdom. He will grant His wisdom to you liberally. Just as David enjoyed, you will also enjoy your victory by the wisdom of God. Have an exceptional day. 

Prevailing Wisdom

God has given us His Word so that we can tap into His Wisdom. You see the wisdom of God can be found in His Word. According to scripture in Jer 8:9, the men who rejected the Word of God had no wisdom. 

As a child of God, the Word of God must be precious to you. You must create time to dig into the Word of God on a consistent basis. God told Joshua that as he spent time meditating on the Word of God, he will make his way prosperous - Jos 1:8. In other words, Joshua needed to meditate on the Word of God on a continuous basis in order to access and release the wisdom of God needed to succeed in all that he was called to do.

Enough of trying to make it on your own. Man was never designed to live by his own natural wisdom. Rather God makes His wisdom available through His Word so that you and I can live the life we were created for. Friend, be excited that you are not on your own. In every situation the wisdom of God prevails. As you access and apply the wisdom of God in all of your endeavors, you will enjoy tremendous success.

No More Limits

As a child of God you are righteous; justified with the ability to stand before God without any sense of guilt and condemnation. This is because the sacrifice of Jesus took care of every sin that you have or will commit. When you identified with this sacrifice, your old nature was replaced with a brand new nature. 

One of the benefits of being a child of God is that you now have access to the divine wisdom of God - Luk 1:17. Before you became born again, you only had access to natural wisdom. Natural wisdom is based on the  natural senses. By definition natural wisdom is limited because there is only so much man can know or discover by his own wisdom.

However the wisdom of God is perfect - Jam 3:16. This wisdom has no limits or bounds. This is because the source of this wisdom is God. God is all-knowing and can be present everywhere at the same time. He existed before time began and continues to exist outside of time. He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.

Friend get excited because now there is no more limits on you. You don't have to be stranded or confused. You don't have to struggle to make progress. Your Father in Heaven has made His wisdom available for you. It will take the wisdom of God in order for you to fulfill your destiny. Prioritize this wisdom - Pro 4:7; it is the principal thing. Ask God in faith for His wisdom - Jam 1:15-16 -  and He will surely grant it to you. You were made to rule and reign in life by the wisdom of God - Dan 2:21-22. 

Wisdom that makes a difference

True wisdom only begins when you begin to respect and revere God - Pro 9:10. Fear in this scripture refers to respect, reverence and honor. Without respect and honor for God and the value of His wisdom you will continue to go back to natural wisdom. However where natural wisdom is limited, the wisdom of God has no limits. Where natural wisdom can fail, the wisdom of God is perfect and has a 100% success rate - Jam 3:17. 

Friend learn to respect God and place His wisdom above all other forms of wisdom. God has made His wisdom available. The first step to accessing His wisdom is identifying with the sacrifice and victory of Jesus. Then you must seek out the wisdom of God in prayer and in His Word. Allow God to lead you through the Holy Spirit and don't rely on your natural wisdom. 

As you walk in the manifested wisdom of God you will enjoy outstanding results. Others will marvel as your life becomes remarkable. 

Have an exceptional day!

Wisdom Leads to Success III

God desires that you live a glorious life; He always wants the best for you. This is why He stores up His wisdom and hides it away for your benefit - 1 Cor 2:7. He does this so that the enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy - John 10:10 - will not gain access to this wisdom. 

The wisdom of God can be accessed by a child of God. As a child of God the Holy Spirit dwells on your inside - 1 John 4:4. The Holy Spirit is a teacher and a revealer; He specializes in revealing the deep things of God to the children of God. 

Friend allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of God to you. As you read the word of God be conscious of His presence. As you face situations be aware and listen for His promptings. Then follow His guidance and apply the wisdom of God. You will enjoy a 100% success rate. 

Have an exceptional day!

The right relationships are important for your success

God has ordained certain relationships for your destiny. You must remain sensitive to those relationships and treat them as treasure. According to scripture in Pro 13:20, if you walk with wise men you will be wise. It if you are surrounded by fools you will walk in foolishness which results in destruction.

Friend you need the company of wise men in order to fulfill your destiny. There will be times is your life when you need the right word to encourage you. Other times you will need the right word to know what to do. If the people around you or in your company are full of Godly wisdom then you can be sure that the right words will be spoken in the right situation. On the other hand if those in your company are not full of Godly wisdom, the advice that you will get will take you off course in life.

So you must choose your friends wisely. This is an ongoing process. From time to time evaluate whether those who surround you are the relationships that you need for your destiny. Your future is too important to be subject to the wrong relationships based on sentiments.

You are equipped to love

When Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment in the law that God gave Moses, He responded by saying, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself" - Matt 22:37-39. Jesus said that the law is summed up in these two commandments - Matt 22:40.

You see Jesus was essentially giving every believer the blueprint for a successful life. As a child of God if you live a life governed by the God-kind of love then you will walk according to the God's Word and expectations. In scripture this was likened to a debt: the only debt you are allowed to have forever is to love others - Rom 13:8.

Make a decision to love others in spite of who they are and what they have done. This is God's instruction for us. God Himself demonstrated this by giving His only Son at the time in order to redeem you and I. You are made in the image and likeness of God - Gen 1:26, and with the Holy Spirit on your inside you have the ability to love just as God loves - Rom 5:5.

No matter how many times you have been hurt you are called and equipped to rise up and love again. Arise and shine as you express the love of God. Have an exceptional day!

Happy Father's Day - A Celebration of Fatherhood

Happy Fathers Day! Fathers are often criticized and maligned, and rarely celebrated. It's interesting that as important as fathers are society focuses more on pointing out the bad fathers rather than celebrating the great fathers. It's time to tip the balance because fathers are so important in society.

Let's start from the beginning. Fathers are meant to be the foundation of the family and to develop the potential and gifts of his children. Every male man was created with a seed of fatherhood in him. Irrespective of whether he has physical children every man has the potential to exhibit traits of fatherhood.

Consider that the male man was created first; before the female. God gave the male an assignment to tend and to keep - Gen 2:15. As a father the male is called to instruct his children - Pro 1:8-9 - with love and without provoking them - Eph 6:4. Fathers are called to raise up their children in the ways of God - Pro 22:6.

God has already given us the blueprint for fatherhood. Love is one of the roots of great fatherhood - Psa 103:13. God loved us so much that He gave what was most precious and valuable to Him so that you and could be redeemed from the enemy - John 3:16. It is love that drives a father to discipline his children - Pro 13:24.

Today many of the issues in society e.g. crime, lack of honor, degeneration of moral values, etc., are as a result of poor or absent fatherhood. There is a lot of absent or inadequate fatherhood. Even when fathers are present they are not fulfilling their roles consistent with God's Word. It is time for fathers to rise up and take their rightful roles in the families.

As you celebrate Fathers Day today make a decision to align yourself with God's purpose for fathers. If you are not a father commit the fathers around you into the hands of God; that they will succeed in their roles as fathers. Once again, Happy Father's Day!

Remain Committed to Your Assignment

The Bible records in Acts 10:38 that Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and consequently with power. This anointing was for a purpose. Further in Acts 10:38, it is recorded that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. It is clear that Jesus understood that the anointing upon Him was not just for Him but it was for Him to complete His assignment; He remained focus on His assignment.

When you become born again, after accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your spirit was recreated and the Holy Spirit began to dwell in your spirit - Jn 14:16-17 & 1 Jn 4:4. The Holy Spirit embodies the power of God. God knew that for you to accomplish all that He has called you to do, you will need the Holy Spirit. Furthermore according to 1 Jn 2:20, you have an anointing from God by virtue of the Holy Spirit.

This gift of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent anointing is not just for your personal life. They have been given to you so that you can accomplish your assignment. However in order to maximize the power and anointing of God, you must remain focused and dedicated to your assignment. Jesus did not detour from His assignment. he stayed the course in spite of temptations and potential distractions. It was clear to all those who were around Him that He was on a mission to fulfill His destiny - Luk 2:49. Make a commitment to stay focused on your assignment and with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will accomplish all that you we called to do.

Power for Outstanding Results

You have the capacity to generate great power for outstanding results. According to the word of God in Jam 5:16 when a righteous man prays according to the will of God and inspired by the Holy Spirit, he triggers the release of divine energy. This divine energy has the creative ability to accomplish much more than you think or imagine - Eph 3:20. Jesus illustrated this several times in His ministry.

It's time for you and I to do great exploits - Dan 11:32 & Jn 14:12. One of the keys to accomplishing these great exploits is consistent, persistent, vigorous and committed prayer based on God's Word.

Take Your Rightful Place in Dominion

Mt 21:19.

In the beginning God created man to have dominion over the earth and all that is in it - Gen 1:28. God placed man in charge of this planet. Man gave up this right to dominion to the enemy when Adam committed the first sin. Thank God that Christ came up to restore us back to a right standing with God - Gal 3:13. We now have that right to dominion again.

Christ illustrated this to His disciples in Mt 21:19. We have the ability to shape our world through our words. So start creating your world consistent with the Word of God.

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior today, let's remember that He came not just for us to accept Him but also for us to live a victorious life on earth.

Learn to Thank God in All Things

Php 4:6. 

Worry and anxiety are enemies of progress. They are an expression of doubt in God's ability to deliver you out of a situation. Paul encouraged the church to take their specific requests to God in the place of prayer and to top it off with Thanksgiving. Before that he told them to cast aside worry and anxiety. He did not say give thanks for all things but rather give thanks in all things. God is only the author of good; He is not the author of evil. 

It takes a man or woman who has absolute faith in God to give praise and thanksgiving in the midst of the most challenging circumstances. Paul and Silas knew that God would deliver them. Acts 16:25. Jehoshaphat knew that God would win the victory for him and his people. 2 ch 20:21. Before feeding the 5000 men plus women and children, Jesus gave thanks knowing that the Father will provide. 

In all these instances any anxiety was cast aside. Rather thanksgiving was offered unto the God with outstanding results following. You and I can have similarly great results but we must stand in the face of trials and offer thanksgiving to God in the midst of the situations. 

God Loves You

Mt 7:11.

God cares for you affectionately and watchfully. His love for you can't be comprehended naturally. If natural man can care for his children so much that he gives them gifts. How much more will God give us the good things that we ask for. He loves us so much that He only gives us what is good for us.

As a child of God, your job is to trust God and cast your cares. Trust God to provide for you supernaturally.

Choose Life not Death

Rom 8:6.

If you are God-inside minded and conscious of the life of God inside you then it will reflect is your words and actions. There will be no room for carnality.

When you are carnally minded then your results will tend to death, corruption and in the direction of the curse Deut 30:19. This is why many lives appear to be stagnant devoid of progress.

It is God's desire that you enjoy supernatural victories consistently but you must put off carnality.

Lasting Success

Allow God to lead you into lasting success. Pro 16:1-3.

Pro 16:1-3 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established.

There is a limit to how much planning you can do. Everyone can identify with this. Recall when you tried planning for an event or for an upcoming situation. Did you try to make a list of all the different outcomes or situations? Were you able to identify every single scenario? If you have never done this, you can try this scenario now. You will find out that there is a limit to your reasoning ability. This is because you cannot possibly know everything.

Even when you bring together a large group of people for this exercise the group is still limited in its ability to know everything. In fact there is a critical number of people. Beyond this number, the effectiveness of the group begins to diminish rapidly. God is the only person who can be everywhere at the same time. He is the only person who knows everything. This is why He is the only person who can identify all the relevant scenarios for any given situation.

The NLT translation of Pro 16:1 states: We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. If you are seeking the right answer or the right outcome you must learn to commit your plans, tasks and projects into the hands of God. You must allow God to lead you into the right solutions.

Today make a decision to turn over everything that you are responsible and accountable for into the hands of God and watch Him turn everything that you do into a success. ...another excerpt from my latest book.

What is Leadership?

A lot of people confuse leadership with titles. A title does not confer leadership on anyone. Many of the greatest leaders who have ever lived started leading others before they ever got a title. The greatest leader of all, Jesus did not have a formal title. He did not introduce Himself as Pastor, Reverend, Prophet, etc. You can be a leader at any level in any organization. The true measure of leadership is the ability to influence. 

Leadership is akin to the navigation system in many cars that surveys the land and considers various options before deciding on a route. The navigation system seeks to influence the driver it does not dominate the driver and force him in a particular direction. The best navigation systems also consider potential obstacles and sources of delay (e.g. traffic), and they navigate around these. They are constantly calculating the best route. Even when the driver strays off the pre-determined route they do not halt the car suddenly rather they re-calculate the route and proceed to get the driver back on track. This is one of the best illustrations of leadership. ...an excerpt from my latest book.

A Lifestyle of Worship

Worship is a frequently practiced activity. The Bible lets me know that you and I were created for the purpose of worshiping God. You see it was always God's intention that man should live through worshiping Him.

Worship is more than just songs; worship is a lifestyle; a lifestyle continually submitted to God. The dictionary defines worship as 'adoring and reverent honor, and homage paid to God'. God's desire is that you adore Him, honor Him and pay homage to Him continually.

Worship is laying aside your life and bowing your desires down to God so that His will can be done in your life. Your seed, service, dressing, speech, actions, etc. can be acts of worship to God.

Worship does not change God. Rather worship benefits the worshiper. God promises in His word that if you dedicate your life to worshiping Him, He will promote you.

1 Peter 5:6 (NKJV)
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

Exodus 8:1 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

God does not just desire any type of worship, He desires sincere worship. There are numerous conditions that are necessary for true worship. In this article I will address 3 of these things.

3 Things that must be Present for true Worship
1. State of your heart.
The state of your heart is important for true worship. Your heart must be set on the love of God. You must have a revelation of God's love in order to truly worship Him. This revelation will cause you to love Him in return. And when you love God, you will desire to worship Him sincerely.

Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)
37 Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

2. Reverence.
Hebrews 12:28 (NKJV)
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Serve as it is used in the scripture above is from the Greek word 'latreuō' which means worship. In this scripture the Bible specifically qualifies your worship with the words reverence and godly fear. This is not a reference to fear as we commonly define it but rather it is a reference to deep respect. There can be no sincere worship of God without a deep respect of Him.

Your reverence for God is borne out of a revelation of who God is to you.
Who is He to you? Who has He been to you? Has He healed you? Has He delivered you? Has His presence is your life resulted in peace? God has been all these to us. The least we can do is to acknowledge Him through our worship.

3. Consecration.
You must be consecrated to God in order to truly worship Him.

John 4:24 (NKJV)
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God wants your whole life: spirit, soul & body, to be consecrated to Him in worship. You cannot do this unless you are consecrated to God.

Matthew 4:8-10 (NKJV)
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Jesus illustrated consecration to us. He was consecrated to God and laid down his flesh in order to accomplish His God-given assignment. This was an act of worship.

In order to really worship God you must be committed to a life of worship. There cannot be true worship until the state of your heart is right, you have a deep respect for God, and you are consecrated to Him.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive article on worship. Rather it is meant to start you on the path to discovery on the topic of worship. I trust that you have been stirred up in the area of worshiping God. I believe that as you commit yourselves to a life of worship, God will show up on your behalf like never before.   

The Shepherd's Model of Leadership

One of the most fascinating models of leadership that I have come across is the shepherd's model. When you think of examples of leadership, the shepherd rarely comes out at the top of the list. However there is much that we can learn as leaders from the leadership model of the shepherd.

 When I think of a shepherd the following attributes come to mind: loving, patient, sacrificial, skillful, wise, caring, courageous, guide, strategic thinker, diligent and faithful. These are all attributes that a truly great leader should possess. The dictionary defines the word shepherd as "A person who protects, guides or watches over another person or a group of people". Synonyms of the word shepherd include: coach, counsel, lead, mentor, pilot, guide, and tutor. It is clear that when you dig into the true meaning of the word shepherd you will see several desirable traits of truly great leadership.

One of the greatest examples of a shepherd-leader was King David. The Bible tells us that David was a shepherd before he became king over Israel. David trained to become king by first becoming a shepherd. It was in those days tending sheep that David developed the heart to become a truly great leader. Even though David had the capacity to lead, as we all do, he had to develop his gifts before he could deploy them.

The biblical account of David's life in 1 Sam 17:34-37 describes some of the training that David underwent as a shepherd.

1 Sam 17:34-37 NKJV
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a zlion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  
35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  
36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”  
37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

David's account of some of his experiences as a shepherd illustrates some of the leadership attributes that he had to develop and display in the execution of his role. As a shepherd David had to be a guide and a pilot in order to lead the sheep away from danger and to green pastures where the sheep could feed and be nourished (v34). It took love and courage for him to risk his life in order to protect his sheep (v35). It took strategic thinking for him, to devise tactics for defeating the bear and the lion (v35). David then acted as a coach and mentor to the rest of the army by illustrating to them the link between his successes as a shepherd and the impending defeat of the Philistine - Goliath (v37).

Psa 78:70-72 is another account of David's time as a shepherd.

Psa 78:70-72 NIV
70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;  
71 from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.  
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. 

It is interesting to note that in Psa 78:71 the word shepherd was used to describe David's kingship over Israel. The scripture in Psa 78:72 leads us to believe that David developed great skill as a shepherd; David's leadership of the nation of Israel was described as skillful. He had to have developed these skills in his previous role as a shepherd. God allowed David to serve in the role of a shepherd over sheep in preparation for his role as shepherd over Israel. God guided David to develop the skills and display the attributes needed to eventually become king.

 David was one of the greatest leaders that ever lived. He oversaw the expansion of Israel and the defeat of numerous enemies. However his apprenticeship began as a shepherd. In your journey to becoming a truly great leader you can look unto David's leadership development as a shepherd, as an example of what it will take to develop into a truly great leader. Also note that God's guidance and David's relationship with God (1 Sam 17:37, Acts 13:22) were instrumental in David's emergence as a truly great king. David ultimately accomplished everything that he was created to do (Acts 13:36). Likewise, you can become the great leader that God created you to be.

I look forward to reading your comments and questions.