Prayer 101: A short course on prayer

The purpose of prayer is not just to pray but to receive answers. We do not pray just for praying sake but to get our request answered. Therefore the effectiveness of prayer is not measured by the tenacity, loudness, length of time, but by the answers that we receive to our prayers. In order words we can only say that our prayer is powerful if has achieved the desired results. James 5:16 puts it more succinctly "... For the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much". It is effectual not when you have sweated, or spent a long time, nor anything but only when it bears the desired results.

So how can we attain this realm of effectual and result producing prayers? Prayers that make tremendous power available. Prayers like the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ in His days here on earth. There wasn't a single prayer that he prayed which wasn't answered. Oh but that was Jesus someobody would say. Yes but Jesus made it clear over and over again that this level is attainable. And has given us guidelines on how to achieve that realm of powerful, and result generating prayers. The Lord said a lot of my people are engaged in a lot of prayer activities but the results that they get is not commensurate with the amount of prayers being offered. Therefore he wants us to be know attain that realm of result oriented prayers. Hitherto you have not asked ask now that your joy may be full, the Lord wants our joy to be full.

Prayer is the process by which we take delivery of God's promises into the physical realm. The process of prayer is divided into four main stages and reasons why prayers are not answered usually happens at any of this four stages. If something goes wrong at any of the processes then that prayer is bound to have issues. For a prayer to be effectual and achieve its desired results then it must have passed through these four stages successfully.

These stages of the process of prayer are stated clearly in Mark 11:24"whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you have received and you shall  have them."

So the first stage is the the DESIRE stage. Every prayer starts with a desire, "whatsoever you desire when you pray..." It's the preliminary stage and very important well. Many prayers don't go beyond this point because it fail the DESIRE stage. Now when the Bible says 'whatsoever you desire' the question for some has been that does whatsoever really mean whatsoever? I mean does it mean anything at all whether it makes sense or not? If we read the amplified version of this scripture it makes us to understand the term whatsoever better ' whatasover we ask according to his will'
The Bible says in the mouth of two or more witnesses every word is established. 1John5:14 qualifies the whatsoever here "whatsoever we ask according to His will he will hear us' James 2 ' You ask and do not receive because you ask to spend it on your lust'

Many prayers are already terminated at the desire stage and other efforts to make it through the other stages are just efforts in futility. Then it seems like prayers are not really answered. Prayers where the desire is wrong is a failed prayer, it cannot pass through the process of prayer.

To ensure your prayer pass through the desire stage it must meet the following criteria:

(a) Is it something that God has already put in your power to do? E.g. you cannot ask God to move your leg for you when you have legs to walk by yourself. Praying for what God has already enable you to do has failed the desire test and will definitely not fly through.

(b) Is it something God has not put within the reach of man? Jesus said it is not for you to know the time and season which the father has appointed for the son of Man to return. So praying to know when Jesus will come back is a sheer waste time, because God has not given to anyone to know.

(c) Is the motive behind your desire wrong? James 2 says it all here 'you ask and do not receive because you want to spend on your own lust.

(d) Is your desire in line according to God's will? If yes then congratulations your prayers has passed the desire stage and can now move on to the next stage! What is the will of God? The will of God is the mind of God concerning us and are stated all over the pages of the convenant (Bible). Searching to know what His desire is concerning a particular situation before praying us a guarantee for answered prayers. That is when our desires aligns with his desires, He said when this happens we have such confidence that that prayer will be heard and answered. Glory to God!

The second stage is the ASKING stage. It's not enough to desire and expect answer to our desire. There's a general provision of God to all, you don't need to ask for these unless in extreme situations like famine or etc. More personal request will often be required for us to make demands or ask.

Asking stage has its own guidelines which if not met can also be responsible for unanswered prayers.

(a) The first thing we must realize about the asking process is that there a general template for prayers which Jesus gave to his disciples. He said to them after this manner pray "our Father, who hath in heaven..." So this a general template on prayer. Now Jesus gave this template in response to a question Master teach us to pray. Prayer is like when you file your petition in the law court. There are procedure for filing your case and I'd those procedures are not met the case will be thrown out asap. So also our prayer to God does not gain access if it does not meet criteria. God is a God of order. At mount Carmel before the fire the alter has been well prepared and laid out. The basic prayer model Jesus prescribed here is of the format WORSHIP - PRAYER - WORSHIP.

Whenever we worship God it is more for us to realize the might of the God we serve not so much to make God feel like a super King which He already is. God will have us worship more so that we can come to terms of who He is and know that who we are dealing with is not to be compared with our problems. To know that no matter what the situation is the God we serve is big enough to solve it all. For faith is required for our prayers worship will help us build up our faith as we pray.

(b) Another component of the asking stage is forgiveness. Unforgiveness is a major hinderance to many prayers today. Jesus said if you bring your gift to the alter and you remember that you have an ought against any brother, drop that gift and settle that thing before then come back and offer it. Forgiveness unlocks our heavens, while unforgiveness locks it. We cannot proceed into asking until we clear this part.

(c) the manner in which we ask also matters. And the Bible describes the manner or the attitude our asking should have at all times, which is fervency. Asking in prayer is like presenting your case in a court, despite the fact you have a good case you still need to skillfully and concretely state your argument to convince the court why you should be given the good judgement. Since Adam fell, the devil has become the prince of this world therefore he has the right to contest anything that is crossing from the realm of the spirit to the realm of the physical. Our Asking is not so much to petition God, but to give God a right of way in delivering your request.

The Bible says we are in the world but not if the world. Every delivery of our answers will be contested by the gates of hell and if we are not tenacious to enforce the victory that our Lord Jesus has given to us, the enemy may still want to take advantage. The ball is in our court. Don't forget Prayer is the process by which we take delivery of God's precious promises, not the process of giving us the promises. Because the promises has already been given. So the battle lies in taking delivery of those promises. This is the reason why we need to pay attention to the say we ask because there are skillful contesters of those requests.
Our asking must be filled with fervour, passion, tenacity and persistence. Because we know this thing is ours therefore we must not give in until it's rightly delivered to us. Daniel's prayers has been answered but the angel coming to deliver his answers was withstood in the heavenly realms.

Luke 18:1 "And He gave a parable unto this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint" KJV
Amplified version says "... that they always ought to pray at all times and not to give up and loose heart"
Message Bible says "... that they always ought to pray consistently and not to quit"

All these points to the fact that consistency, fervency or persistency is required in prayer/asking stage. Why? Because it is common place that at times when we have prayed we may not see the physical manifestation immediately and so we might tend to be discouraged and give up at that stage. Many truncate the process of prayer at this point and therefore do not receive the answer. One of the secret of prayer is consistency. Keep on asking until you receive, remain at this stage until you receive an answer.
"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."Heb. 10:36
Elijah got to this stage and it seems nothing was happening. His prayer was the model prayer used to explain the prayer that births results in James 5:16. His prayer already passed the first stage of desire, because his prayer was in line with God's will, But at the second stage of asking he seems not to be getting the desired results at once but what did he do ? He kept on praying until he saw the sign that it has been done.
Never give up! This is where the battle lies. Same happened to Daniel when he prayed God sent an angel to him but the angel was withstood in the heavenly realms, so Daniel did not get his prayer answered at once just like that, but what did he do? He likewise continued in prayer 21days, until his answers where delivered to him.

The third stage of the process of prayer is the BELIEVE stage. This is also a very crucial part of the process where many prayers get hooked. " ... believe that you have received and you shall have it." Now God did not just tell us to believe he told us exactly what to believe, how to believe and when to believe! Glory to God. The problem is that a lot don't believe, or don't believe the right thing or don't believe at the right time.

What to believe: believe that you have received them. Them here refers to whatever it is we have asked God for in prayer. For instance you are believing God for a baby, you need to believe that you have received that baby, you believe God for a car, believe that you have received the car. That is why specificity is important in prayer, your request must not be vague and ambiguous because by so doing you will not know exactly what to believe God for. Be specific, and then believe that very thing. When your faith in God matches your desire you create a attractive force to draw your answer from the realm of the spirit onto the physical. Unfortunately what we do instead is to worry about the process by which the request will come. Leave the workings to God yours is to believe God for the answer. In mathematics, there are many methods to solving a problem but get the same answer. Leave the method to God and believe Him for the answer.

How to believe: believe that you have received them: this implies that you believe that it is already done. This is type of believe that breeds confidence and eradicates doubt. This is the kind of believe that emboldens to begin to take action. Faith that speaks. This kind of believe changes you and everything about the situation. Ask yourself this if I have actually received this how would I act? Then begin to act it. Begin to say it. And begin to think it.

Thank you Lord I receive the answer to my prayer, I believe you have already done so I thank you and I glorify you in the mighty name of Jesus.

Blessed be God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. I believe I receive and I have it in Jesus name. Thank you Father. Com'on. From here you begin to declare the word of God concerning that situation and circumstances. Confess your believe, act your believe and see your believe. By so doing you give body to the spirit of your faith. And then you shall have it.

When to believe: "whatsoever you desire when you pray believe that you have received it and you shall have it". Now when to believe is not until you see the manifestation, He says here right when you pray believe. As you asking from the Lord ask in faith (James 1) your request is ladened with faith. You cannot be asking in doubt and expect returns on the investment of your prayer. Ask in faith. "Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace...' the right time to believe is as you approach God in prayer for he said " while they are yet speaking I will answer them"

So believe, and believe that you have received and believe right when you pray.

Final stage of the process of prayer is the RECEIVING stage:

" ... believe that you have received and you shall have them"
Hallelujah! You shall have them, now that's a word of assurance to rest on. He didn't say you may have them, he said you shall have them. In other words be rest assured that having followed the process of prayer as directed, you will definitely receive and see the manifestation of your answer.
Another important thing to note here is the implications of time in this statement, the word shall signifies future and future is just the next second away. The general idea God wants us to have here the ability to patiently expect that which we believe shall come into manifestation. Heb 10:36 "for you have need of patience after that you have done the will of God that you may inherit the promise."
"Follow them who through faith and patience inherit the promise"
"For the vision is for an appointed time and it will surely speak, with for it, even though it tarries, wait it shall surely come"

Many give up too soon. You must be able to believe God through into your manifestation. Wait for it! Expect it! Be alert and be on the lookout! Prepare for it! Why because you shall definitely have them.

Another thing the Lord is trying to tell us here is that we must have a sense of expectation, because we know we shall have them, therefore we must expect them. And when you are expecting something then you prepare for it, not by worrying and being anxious but by demonstration of your faith. If a visitor has promised you to come then you start making preparations to receive the visitor. Failure to do so shows you are not expecting the visitor or not ready to receive him/her. So when the visitor come when you are not expecting, you may not even know.
If you are not expectant at this stage the answer may come and you may not see or recognize them. Abraham has been promised children by God, in his waiting period he was sensitive to welcome visitors who happens to be angels and he was blessed thereof to receive his expectations.

Are you wait for an expectation, be sensitive, be on the lookout because it might not appear in the form you are familiar with, but if you are full of expectation you will be sensitive to discern it when it appears.

Fulfilling this stages of the process of prayer guarantees results and a victorious prayer life. Most importantly, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to always lead us in prayer Romans 8:26 "for we do not know what to pray for as we ought to, but the Holy Spirit helps our infirmity" He helps us to achieve success through all the process of prayer thereby generating enough power to bring results.

Welcome to a victorious life of prayer always. Hallelujah!

PASSION

Passion is fire! It is the energy, the life and the drive of a vision. Without Passion a vision cannot take off, talk less of being fulfilled. Passion is the power required to overcome the inertia force of a vision. If you have dream but lacks passion, sorry the dream is already dead on arrival. A dream remains a wishful thinking and exists only in the realm of fantasy except there's enough passion to power it. 

All dreams and visions are subject a gravitational pull until there's enough passion to power it to overcome the force that keeps aground. Whenever an aircraft is about to take off, it requires the maximum power, energy to overcome the force that keeps it on the ground, gravity. It gathers its maximum momentum, power and all available resources to rise and lift into the air, to defy the law of gravity that keeps object on the ground. The bigger the aircraft, the more power it requires to take off. So also the bigger your vision the more passion you require to take off.

What is passion? Passion by its dictionary meaning is a strong and barely controllable emotion or desire. It is a strong and intense desire or enthusiasm for something. Some synonyms for passion are hunger, zeal, fanaticism, mania, fire 🔥... The Collins dictionary defines Passion as a very strong feeling about something or a strong belief in something. notice the consistency in the definition of Passion is the use of the adjective like strong, very strong, intense etc. In other words it is not passion until it is strong, very strong or intense. It is not yet passion until it burns within you because passion is fire. You can't say you have passion yet until it bites like hunger and keeps you on your feet. Passion pushes you out into another realm entirely. Passion is real it cannot be faked.

Do you see anyone achieving their dreams and aspirations in life? They are men and women of passion. All men have dreams but only few have the passion to sponsor their dream. The problem most of the time is not lack of vision but a vision that lacks passion.

Thomas Edison the inventor of the incandescent light bulb tried 199 times before getting it, only a passionate man can go that far. Martin Luther King junior risked his own life to pursue his dream. It takes only a passionate man to go that extent. Abraham Lincoln failed uncountable times in politics until he became one of the greatest President of United States; "passion"!

No one in his right senses will go after a wild bear and a ferocious lion to rescue a sheep from their powerful jaws, but that was David a man full of zeal and passion, no wonder God chose him above all his siblings. Notice it was that same passion that made him face Goliath and conquered the mighty giant. He said "the zeal of thine house has consumed me". David described his seeking God just as a wounded dear pants for the water to survive... is it surprising God called him a man after his  own heart? He sought God passionately.

There was someone who treaded the face of these earth over 2000 years ago and the world is yet to recover from his impact, his vision only lasted three and a half years but the impact is still as fresh today. Why? He was a man consumed with his mission, he said in a place "my meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me and fulfill it". You know who I am talking about, Jesus Christ!

Passion distinguishes visioneers from wishful thinkers. If your vision is yet to take off or struggling to remain afloat, you may want to check your passion level first. "Do you see a man diligent (passionate) in his business, he shall stand before Kings and not mere men". The question today is how passionate are you about that vision?

Here are some indication of a man or woman of passion:

- he believes strongly in his vision and the possibility of actualising it.

- he can see the end from the beginning and knows he can chart his course to that end.

- he is unstoppable; failures, disappointment, lack of resources, etc cannot stop him

- he is determined and resolute; he has made up his mind before beginning the journey

- he doesn't settle for less, not easily compromised

- he is willing to pay the sacrifice required to achieve his vision

- he is bold in the face of danger, calm in the midst of storm, strong in the heat of the battle.

- he is focused and not distracted

- he has a sense of urgency to achieve his dream, he is time conscious and doesn't squander time on frivolities, rather invests time in his vision.

- he remains positive about his goals and objectives; sees possibility where others sees impossibility, sees a way where there seems to be no way.

A man of passion believes all things are possible and to him that believes, all things are possible.

How to develop passion:

- Have a compelling vision that you absolutely believe in. This is the first and probably the most important step in developing a passion that is enough to actualise your dream. You may want to spend enough time at this stage to get that compelling vision clear because if you can't see it (on the inside), you can't see it (on the outside). You need to be able to believe absolutely in your dreams.
Spend time in research, fasting and prayers, meditation, planning and strategizing until the vision is real enough to compel you. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights before stepping out to accomplish his mission.

- Dream Big! Note a vision that is not bigger than you is just a task or an assignment. Your vision must be bigger than your present state and must outlive you as well. Expand your mind and see possibilities, remove limitations and dare to reach for the highest goal. You can if you believe you can.

- Write the vision down in a visible place where you can see it often and internalise it. Meditate on it till it becomes part of you. Hab. 2:1 "write the vision, make it plain upon the tables that he may run that reads it"

- Count the cost: Itemize the hurdles you need to cross or the sacrifice you need to pay to get there and strategize how to take down the hurdles one by one.

- Know your source of motivation. Identify the motivation behind your dream, this maybe the problem the vision will solve, the reward you will get from it or the people who will benefit from the vision.

- Identify your strengths and weaknesses, then leverage on your strength and master your weaknesses to accomplish the vision.

- Be ready to take risk, ready to get up if you fail.

- Deafen your ears to discouragement stay focused.

- Stir up yourself daily and keep the goal before you.

- Understand your role in the vision and stay within your role. Trying to do so many things that you are not cut out for burns out your passion quickly. Delegate, consult and assign where necessary.

- Apply wisdom: passion without wisdom destroys. Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding.

- Learn from fore runners. Get a mentor. Learning from someone who has done it before makes success cheaper. Follow them who through faith and patience inherit the promise. Heb

- Evolve with your vision. Update, unlearn, learn and relearn. Children of Issachar excelled because they had understanding of the times.

- Challenge yourself. Raise the stake each time you conquer a goal to keep the fire burning. Apostle said I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, I press forward towards the mark of the high calling. Gloating over the success of yesterday is the greatest passion slayer.

- Last but not the least, if you must  develop your passion it must start NOW. Now is the time!

God bless you as your embark on the fulfilment of your life goals, visions and aspirations.

See you at the top!

Martha's Matter

"What mattered to Martha did not really matter after all"

"Martha, Martha you are worried and careful about many things; but only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen that good part and it will not be taken away from her" Luke 10:41

Martha meant good but her goodwill was not God's will. She has a good heart but was not after God's heart. She thought what she was doing was most important but not she did not know it was less important in God's sight. She was quite busy, but not accepted. Her efforts were out of sync with God's plan.

Martha's matter is a serious matter because how would she have known what was most important to God at that time. She just did what she was expected to do normally. Come to think of it we can't really blame her because many of us would have done same. What she did is logically correct if we are to judge fairly. From the eyes of natural man she has done the right thing, i.e. to take good care of her guest. We then did the Lord still blame her for trying to welcome him? How has she erred in trying to welcome the man of God? In fact it was Mary should have been blamed for not giving her sister a helping hand at that instance. Surprisingly, Mary was the one commended to have done the right thing. Hmmm...

Please follow me carefully, because Martha's matter is a very serious matter; it is instructive, insightful and profound as simple as it looks. It means that there are many "good things" that many are involved in, that are not accepted in God's sight. That there are many heroic feats some are involved in that are not so from their maker's point of view. It means many are involved in fruitless efforts, and there's nothing more frustrating than fruitless effort, a thankless deed, or wasted time. I don't want to imagine that this is the life of many today, because the thought of that alone is scary. That someone would have laboured all his life only to be told that, what he/she was involved in was not the right thing. May that never be our portion in Jesus name. And please let's remember that God is not sentimental as in to say, 'oh okay because you have laboured hard even though it wasn't the right thing, you would still be accepted anyway'. No no no! (Refer to the message "God is not sentimental" on this blog).

"What shall it profit a man who gains the whole world and loose his soul in hell?" Does this sound like Martha's matter? Another  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am like a sounding gong and a clanging cymbal..." Another case if Martha's matter; this is more like an head of prayer unit who's is wicked to his neighbours.

Beloved one thing that the Lord makes clear here is that Christianity is not about activities, but a matter of relationship. God prioritizes relationship over activities. Christianity is rested on relationship with God and man. 2Cor. 5:16 "Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself, through Jesus Christ and has commited unto us the ministry of reconciliation." See that? it's all about relationship.

It's not about what you do or what you don't do, it is more of who you are dealing with. It's about knowing and being familiar with the person that you are involved with. How else can you know a person's mind except you are in relationship with the person.

The principle the Lord Jesus Christ is establishing here is simply that YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD IF YOU DON'T KNOW HIM. The God you don't know, you cannot serve, else you might as well end up like Martha. What mattered to Martha did not really matter after all. If you know him then you serve him better.
"Awake unto righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God I speak this to your shame" 1Cor 15:34.

"..Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her". Mary chose rather to be with the Lord than to be preoccupied with trying to please the Lord. Because by being with the Lord she will know him and how to please him. Mary chose relationship over activities, and that cannot be taken away from her.

David was a man who lived a new testament life in the old testament. He had a strong relationship with God, he always sought to know God so much that God Himself called him a man after his own heart.
In Ps. 42:1 he said " As the deer pants after water brooks, so my soul pants after Thee O God."
Ps.63:1 "O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thrists for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."
Psalms 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple."

David was an incurable seeker of God. A God lover, a man after God's heart. That is the hallmark of men and women that had gone far with God; a formidable relationship with God. Time will not permit us to mention all these great men of God starting from Abraham (who was referred to as friend of God), Moses who spoke with God as a man speaks to his friend, and our grand example Jesus who is also our role model, whose entire mission is to come and bring us into a sonship relationship with God. He said in a place "I and my Father are one". Jesus entire life and ministry was centred around his relationship with the Father. He talked much of the Father to the extent that the disciples once said show us the Father.

John 4:24 "the time is coming and now is that they that worship the Lord shall worship Him in Spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him" God is seeking for relationship not just activities, He seeks for our heart and not just our act.

Jesus said that the two greatest commandments is to love God with all your heart (develop an intimate relationship with God) and love your neighbor as yourself (care about people as much as yourself).

Great people of God, let's snap out of a life full of activities and start a journey of enduring relationship with God, only then will our activities make the desired impact. Seek His heart first and you will surely get His hand. God is not a taskmaster nor a slave driver, he is a Father and he wants to relate to us as sons. Let your service to him be predicated on a solid relationship, only then you can bear fruits. He said if you abide in me and I abide in you, then you will bear much fruits, relationship with God is the key to fruitfulness. John 15:16.

No doubt that many Christians are still like Martha full of activities without a relationship, it's time to come out the kitchen and sit at his feet to hear him and know him. To receive his love and return the love, to know what his heart desire is concerning you.
"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."Ephesians 3:17‭-‬19

I welcome you into a fulfilling life in Christ Jesus.

Shalom...

CONFIDENCE

A couple of years back i saw a young man on a live TV show who was describing how he rose spectacularly from grass to grace in a brief period of time. During the program he announced an upcoming success seminar which he had organized, there he promised to share the secret of his success. Trust Nigerians, many people quickly paid to enroll for the seminar as expected and I also registered as well.

On the seminar day, the hall was packed full (tell me who doesn't want to succeed afterall). After taking time to tell us a fascinating story of his life and how he rose to be who he was then, he was ready to divulge the 'secret'. Everyone listened with rapt attention, I can literarily feel that atmosphere was tensed with suspense, those who brought out their pen motioned to capture the secret on paper immediately, some people at this point had put on the recorder on their  phones. In short we were all ears, ever so ready to grab and run off with this powerful secret that transformed the life of this young man.

This man happened to be one of those speakers who derive joy in suspense(lol), so our young multimillionaire further heightened our suspense, with some delay tactics, a little bit of digression, some motivation, more testimonies of his millions and then he finally said it... Yes he eventually divulged the precious information we have all been expecting. And this is what he said was the secret of his success...            
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CONFIDENCE.

As simple as it may sound, Confidence is a critical component in the success equation that even God himself reckons with it. It is a success prerequisite and indeed forms one of the criteria for success. Let's quickly draw some inference from the Bible.

Remember the popular story of the twelve spies who gave a report about the land of promise which God gave them, recall that there were two factions of ten against two when the report was rendered? And the difference between the two sides was simply CONFIDENCE or the lack of it.

When he took over from Moses, Joshua was admonished and instructed several times by God  that in order for him to be truly successful, he must remain courageous (Confident). Jesus knew that upon his exit, His disciple would not be able to continue the work of the gospel to do lack of confidence, because when Jesus the source of their confidence had ascended on high, they've all gone into hiding. This was why he particularly told them to wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with power of the Holy Spirit, then they can and will have that confidence enough to be witnesses of Him throughout the whole world. No wonder one the first thing that people perceived about the disciples after the baptism of the Holy Spirit was their boldness (confidence).

Even in our age you would agree with me that people would rather do business with someone who is confident, employers prefer confident employees, ladies would rather date a confident man... Importance of confidence cannot be over emphasized. In the journey of success you can't afford to leave home without CONFIDENCE.

What is confidence? and how can one gain this confidence?

Confidence is a deep rooted feeling of assurance in something, someone, a system or an ideology. The Oxford dictionary defines confidence as being certain of one's abilities or having trust or faith in people, plans or future.
Another word for confidence is trust, faith or assurance.

So how can one get this confidence?

Confidence can be gotten in two ways or better stated, confidence is of two types; Acquired Confidence and Developed Confidence.

As the name implies Acquired confidence is the confidence that that is gotten from another source; which can be someone, system, something or from an ideology. In order words this confidence is not something you worked at but simply gotten from another source where it has already been worked for. A unique feature of acquired Confidence is that it dies or waynes off immediately the external source from where it was acquired doesn't exist again, or faulted or compromised or proven wrong but it's relatively easy and quick to obtain.

For instance when you gain confidence because of a message you heard, a book you read, a promise from someone, a testimony you heard or witnessed from someone, the effectiveness and efficiency of a system etc. That type of confidence can be categorised as acquired Confidence because it is totally reliant on the source it was gotten from and it feasles out or reduce drastically if the source is tampered with or no longer there.

If someone's confidence is based on a rich uncle or a rich parent and peradventure something happens to that the uncle or parent passes on, that confidence will surely be affected and fear might set in. Fear is the opposite of confidence.

If the confidence is based on a theory or ideology which is later proven wrong, then that confidence will surely feasle out. There was a time it was believed that the earth is flat, but this theory was later proven otherwise. Anyone having Confidence in the previous theory ceases to do so automatically on this realization.

Acquired Confidence is good and easy to gain but the the source of that Confidence matters a lot. Because all it takes to destroy such confidence no matter how great it is, is to take away the source or destroy the source. No wonder the Bible says "put not your trust (confidence) in man whose breath is in his nostrils" (Is.2:22 NIV). Three main reasons why one should not build his confidence totally in man; Man is limited, Man is fallible and Man can die.
Man as a source of confidence is prone to these three things. Some people built their business around a government policy and are totally dependent on it. But the day government decides to change the policy will also mark the end of that business. Talking of Acquired Confidence.

Acquired Confidence is not being discouraged  as we cannot do without it and we need  it from time to time. It is the acquired  Confidence that makes us to trust in God and His word for instance. It's a good type of confidence which comes by trusting and believing in the source. Therefore the source of an acquired confidence should be verified and assessed so as to know what level of confidence one can repose in such.

The second type of confidence is Developed confidence and this is the type of confidence that is born out of personal development, competence or personal experience. It's something we work at to build overtime, by learning, training, apprenticeship etc. and iyalready become a part of you. It does not depend on any external source.

This confidence is innate. An experienced engineer that has worked on solving a particular problem over the 10 years cannot fret or jitter if he has to solve that same problem again, even in a new environment.

They brought someone possessed with a demon to Jesus and Jesus casted the demon out immediately but his disciples could not before then. So they asked him "why could we not cast him out and Jesus answered and said because of your unbelief (acquired confidence which was shaken at that point) then he said further this type does not go except by prayer and fasting (personal spiritual development).

Developed confidence can also be referred to as self confidence it's a confidence that the source is within the person not externally dependent. That is why some training are priced high because once you perfect the skill it becomes part of you as long as you do it. Developed confidence seems more stable than acquired confidence and cannot be easily affected like acquired one. However it has its own downside as well.

If developed confidence is not well managed it can breed arrogance, pride and over confidence. Because you know something well enough or very good at a particular thing can lead to overbloated ego and as you know pride goes before a fall. Samson is a good example because of his gift and innate ability that God gave him he got intoxicated with his power and refused divine instructions which later became his downfall.

To be truly successful and last therein, there must be a combination of acquired and developed confidence. It takes the the two to build a lasting success, having only one type is a lopsided confidence and the consequence will soon catch up.
David was someone who demonstrated the combination of these two types of confidence and therefore one of the most successful king. While he relied totally on God (acquired Confidence) he was also very skilful at what he does and surrounded himself other exceptionally competent people during his period of reign as the king of Israel.

When David brought down Goliath he used these two types of confidence to finish Goliath. His dependence on God to give him victory and his own competence through his experience and skill (sling shot) to take the giant down.

I had a friend who went for an interview at a time but was not selected despite the fact that he was almost the best candidate for the job. Why? No not for lack of confidence, he was a very confident guy, but rather his confidence was lopsided; a one way confidence which was entirely based on his competence (developed confidence). So he was perceived as being arrogant and proud therefore he couldn't get the job. He learnt his lessons and quickly balanced his Confidence quotient which made him to secure a job the next opportunity.

So you see brethren, confidence is critical to success but it must be well balanced. Acquired confidence alone is just like faith without works. It's like a student that believes God will make him to pass examination without studying, his confidence will definitely fail him in the day of exam. Also developed Confidence alone is equally not suitable because it breeds pride and arrogance; ask King Nebuchadnezzar.

2Pt.1:5-8 "add to your faith virtue..." It takes more than our acquired confidence of only faith to all round success, he said "add to your faith..".  It's more like add to your acquired confidence, developed confidence (competence).

However these two types of confidence have similarity in building them, which is practice or repetition. It takes constant practice or repetition to build both the acquired and developed confidence. Rom. 10 " so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God".
Likewise Heb 5:14 "But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
So hearing in Rom.10:17 signifies continuous hearing to build our faith or acquired confidence. While the phrase by the reason of use implies constant practice.

Therefore in order to build these two types of confidence, practice is paramount, the more you practice the more you increase the level of your confidence.

By acquiring and developing our confidence path to our success in life, career, ministry and  family is clearer and sure. You shall succeed in Jesus name. Amen.

Selah.

PLAN YOUR EXIT!

In the early days of my career, I had a boss who really inspired me in a lot of ways. He once said something that stuck with me up until now. It was during one of those offline moments when he was talking to I and my colleagues in a relaxed mood after the day's work. Sharing with us some of his past work experience, he'd said this as he rounded up his talk "... when you get to a place, one of the things you do from onset is to PLAN YOUR EXIT."

It was much later that I had a deeper understanding of this statement and the Holy Spirit ministered to me more. It is such a profound statement that will not only aid our success in life but also guide the way and manner we live. Although at time, it was in relation to our job/career that the statement was made (planning how and probably when you will leave an organisation), nonetheless the application of this truth is vast and greatly rewarding.

Planning your exit is important and necessary because your exit is the surest event that will take place in any organization, situation or circumstances that you may find yourself. Whether you like it or not a time is definitely coming that you must exit. In an organisation any other event like promotion, salary increase, change of department, additional responsibilities, transfers etc., may be uncertain, but one thing that is as sure as ever is your EXIT. Either planned or unplanned it will definitely take place one day, even if you are the founder of the organization.

"...your exit is the surest event that will take place in any organization, situation or circumstances that you may find yourself..."

Exit is an inevitable event that everyone without exception must go through. Therefore it is only wise to acknowledge this, but even wiser is for one to PLAN for it. The organization or employer is fully aware of this fact that is why they have created a policy to plan not only the intake of employee but also their exit as well.

Planning your exit involves two phases, the NOW and THEN or the CURRENT and FUTURE or the HERE and the HEREAFTER.

- The first phase is the NOW/CURRENT phase which signifies your present position. Planning one's exit does not translate to loosing sight of the present, but rather it reinforces the fact that the present situation should be worked on more than ever.vit means the current state should not be toyed with not taken for granted because it is what determines how our exit will turn out eventually.

Permit me to use Jesus Christ as our grand example not for religious reason but because this is one person in the history of man who thoroughly planned His exit right from the beginning of his ministry and we can see the results till date.
In John 9:4 he said "I must work the work of Him that sent me while it is day, for the night comes when no man can work".
Eph.5:16 says "making the most of every opportunity for the days are evil". The knowledge of our exit should propel us to put in the very best of our effort on the NOW.
Ecc.9:10 " ...whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave where you are going".
Ecc. 12:1 says "Remember the Lord in the days of your youth (NOW), before the evil days (EXIT) come..."

So planning for one's exit in the NOW phase means that every moment is to be cherished and judiciously utilized, doing the right thing and not to be trivialised. It means a qualitative use of our time and opportunities because the time of exit is coming when those opportunities present now will no longer be there!
So how do we make the best out of our present to prepare for our future?

1. Set goals on what you plan to achieve while you are presently working. It also means to define your life purpose or assignment from onset and work tirelessly at it. Have a motivation to work for now and give it your all before the exit comes. Jesus had this mindset when He declared his life mission openly reading from Is.61:1 and he pursued His purpose with passion from thence forth. Knowing your calling or purpose can come by any of the following ways
      - By divine revelation
      - By discovery of natural abilities
      - By what you have passion to do.

"...the time of exit is coming when those opportunities present now will no longer be there!"

2. Planning your exit in the CURRENT phase should also cause you to make provision for your absence, that time of exit when you no longer be in the scene for one reason or another. We must realize that our life purpose is always bigger than us as individual. We cannot do it all because we are limited as men. Therefore impacting someone's life positively, mentor, coach, train and disciple those who will carry on that legacy, biz, mission etc in your stead. Abraham's mission was to be a father of many nation but he gave birth to only Isaac as the only child of promise. Isaac carried on the mission in his stead having instilled the values and tenets from Abraham. Isaac also passed this on to his sons and so on till the time of our lord Jesus Christ when we all can become children of the promise by faith.
The reason why the gospel of Jesus Christ is till in existence today was that Jesus made adequate provision for his physical absence right from the beginning of his ministry by discipling a team of followers who will carry on the work in his stead. He replicated himself in others. Never depart from the present position you are now with all the skills, knowledge and abilities God has blessed you with. This life is a continuum (continuity) not a competition, transfer it to others to carry on. Jesus said greater works shall we his disciples do. He wasn't after being a superstar in his generation, but he was rather after making superstars out of his followers. A good leader will always be confident that the work will be done whether he/she is there or not. Why? Because he/she has invested in the followers long and well enough to trust them.
Prov.13:22 "A good man leaves inheritance for his children's children"
why? because he (good man) planned his exit and therefore deemed it fit to invest in the next generation.

Now don't get it twisted, the Bible is not only talking about physical and material inheritance here but also and much more intangible and spiritual inheritance. What inheritance did Jesus leave with his disciples? Is it gold or silver? Lands or houses? No It's the Holy Spirit by which they where also able to carry on and fulfil the assignment given to them. Material inheritance are good but the lasting inheritance you can leave for the next generation are the intangible ones, like wisdom, faith, training and development, instilling good values, helping others to stand on their feet, a good legacy etc.

Prov.13:22 "A good man leaves inheritance for his children's children"

You are only a true success when you have been able to birth success in another, else your success fizzles out once you are no longer there. But when another successful individual can boldly make reference to you as the reason behind their success, you are a success indeed. Planning for your exit is investing in others.

- The second phase of planning for your exit is the THEN/FUTURE phase i.e. preparing for the next stage after the exit. When we talk of exit, exit does not imply an extinction rather it is a transient state that leads to another phase. Exit in itself is an entrance to another stage or realm. And don't forget exit in this context does not only imply death, exit generally means leaving where you are for another place. Therefore planning your exit is to adequately be prepared for the next level.

"Exit in itself is an entrance to another stage or realm."

One must be sincere enough to ask real life questions like "what next after this?" And begin to make concise plan for what is ahead. So that when the exit comes you are prepared to enter into the next stage. Remember the parable of the ten virgins (Matt.25:1)

This is mistake many people make when a sudden change of life event like the loss of a job happens and they are not fully prepared for it. Remember exit will always happens so be prepared to move to the next stage when it does happen. You may need to save up, create extra means of income, develop new skills, acquire more certifications, build networks,  etc. Just be ready and don't be taken unawares by and exit event. Those who do this do not suffer the pains of unprepared exit, but they leverage on their preparedness and enjoys the gains of the exit.

"Remember exit will always happens so be ready to move to the next stage when it does happen."

The exit phenomenon is inherent in areas of our life therefore it must be a way of life for us who desire to live a fulfiled life (abundant life). However the ultimate exit of all is our exit from this planet earth, it's the surest exit of all  times and cannot be taken for granted. We all therefore must be prepared for this exit applying all of the above points. This exit as well is an entrance into another realm and only those who are prepared will know it for good.
The good news is that God has made all the provisions for this final exit through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ and all we have to do is to believe in him and accept him.

Say the following prayers to prepare for this exit now, for no one knows the time of their ultimate exit.

"Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me and giving your only begotten Son Jesus as a sacrifice for my son's so that I will not perish but have everlasting life. I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and I confess Him as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus name I pray" Amen.

God is NOT sentimental

Many believers have mistaken God's mercy for God being sentimental. In fact most times when believers are laying claim on the mercy of God, a more critical look will reveal that they are simply and unknowingly expecting God to be sentimental. There seems to be this subtle confusion between His mercy taken for sentimentalism and it's so done out of ignorance. 

Perhaps It would not have mattered much whether we mistake His mercy for sentiments or not; but it matters a great deal because this misconstrued idea is costly and ladened with many dangerous consequences.

It is this erroneous notion that has kept many believers living below God's expectation, while some are currently in a cycle of disappointments and questioning the faithfulness of God, some other Christians due to this ignorance are in a particular undesirable situation for a long time with no end in sight and maybe the most alarming of the consequences is the fact that many are under the guise of God's mercy but are actually on a highway to hell!  

This is the reason why this message is  coming your way this day, to help someone to overcome this ignorance barrier (my people perish for lack of knowledge) and begin to enjoy the fulness of God's kind of life (the abundant life). Jesus said "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free".

First off, we need to differentiate between the mercy of God and God being sentimental. While the two may have the same outward feel, there's a world of difference between them intrinsically.

Mercy is rooted in the nature of God, it's a prominent characteristic of our Heavenly Father by which He freely relates with us despite our short comings. A good number of scriptures attest to this fact:

Ps. 103:8 "the Lord is merciful and gracious...". 

Vs 17 "the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting...".

Ps 136 "... His mercies endures forever more".

Ps 100:5 "... His mercy is everlasting..." 

Ps 101  " I will sing of the mercy of the Lord". 

Time and space will not allow us to quote hundreds of scriptures affirming the mercy of God and that our God is indeed a merciful God.

Rom. 9:16 "...it's of the Lord that shows mercy" 

Eph. 2:4 "... God is rich in mercy". 

James 5:11 "... tender in mercy".

From Genesis to revelation the mercy of the Lord is well pronounced and established.

Ex 34:6-7, when God passed by Moses in a cloud of glory, there was a proclamation declaring who God is "the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious keeping mecy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity... but by no means clearing the guilty..."

Now this is a firsthand information about who God is coming from God Himself, it is not a man's opinion. And guess what? God has not changed and cannot! Mal.3:6. The first attribute God declared about himself here is mercy! But he quickly adds by implication that His mercy is not being sentimental and cannot be taken for granted i.e. eventhough He is merciful, God will recompense the wicked even to the third and fourth generation.

By definition mercy means compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone who deserves punishment. The Greek word for mercy 'eleos' also means compassion or pity. On the flip side, sentiments is an exaggerated or self indulgent feeling of tenderness, sadness or nostalgia. It's being emotional or overemotional.

Most times when some people seems to hope for the mercy of God seem not to get it, they might just be expecting God to be emotional to them and answer based on that emotion. That's why you hear a prayer like "God please look at my condition and answer me, or God please see my tears and answer me..." As much as God is compassionate and loving, it would really help to get it straight that He is not in any way overruled nor manipulated by our emotions! 

This is where many Christians are getting it wrong and some have even backslided because of this ignorance. Let's take a few biblical examples to buttress this truth.

Cain became envious of his brother Abel because he was expecting sentiments from God, that God should still accept his offering even though it wasn't the best, at least he gave something (can someone relate with this?). Do you know what God told him Gen.4:7 "why are you angry?... If you do well, will you not be accepted?..." Note that Cain did not bring a bad or terrible offering, he just brought something that's just okay. But Abel was deliberate about His offering he took time to select the best. God made it clear there are no sentiments here if you have also done well God would have also accepted your offering. 

Hannah was coming to Shiloh for years and yet did not get what she was looking for. I would have supposed that God should have had 'mercy' on her and consider her several years of coming to Shiloh at least to answer her. But that never happened for God is not moved by the paraphernalia neither is He a respecter of persons.

Until that day when Hannah chose to be resolute and insisted on her miracle, she tarried in God's presence  Was God not merciful? of course he is, but not sentimental. A careful study of Hannah situation revealed that at some point she was simply expecting her husband to answer her not fully trusting God. 

The point here is that God will not just hand it over to you because you are crying, or because you are the most senior or because of your years in church Heb11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God. It doesn't matter how long we cry or complain, the best God will do is to send his word of faith to us to redirect us from crying to exercising our faith.

Jesus was at a village and it was recorded that he could not do mighty works because of their unbelief. Were there not sick people there? Were they not people in pain and agony, some would even have been crying, but guess what, as compassionate and as powerful Jesus Christ is , he could not even help their situation because of their unbelief. 

Mercy of God answers to our faith and absolute trust in him. Ps.103 said his mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (trust, reverence and obey) him..."

Our God is not a respecter of persons, if you are willing and obedient you stand to benefit the dividends, but if not, sorry . you don't. No matter who you are, how long you've been in the church, your position, your association, family background, your tears, your pains etc. This is why it appears God is unfaithful to some Christians. We expect God to see how long we've been in church to answer us. That's why a newbie who's full of faith and fire is getting more result than many of us who have been accustomed to the message and God's presence and take it for granted.

Brethren God loves you and he is more than willing to bring you out of that circumstances, for he delights in the prosperity of His servants. The real question is are you obeying him to do what he has told you or simply expecting him to be sentimental. He sent His word and delivered them from their sicknesses. His word is the ultimate. Let your faith be based on what he has said to you not on emotions.

Shall we sin that grace may abound? Some people particularly indulge in sinful lifestyle but believe God is a merciful God and will continue to condone their sinful lifestyle as long as they are asking for forgiveness. Yes you are right God will forgive you but are you repentant? Meaning you are willing to confess and forsake that lifestyle. Prov.28:13.

The message of grace is not a license to sin rather it's an empowerment to live above sin. Rom.6:14. Devil deceives some Christians even church leaders indulging in sinful lifestyle and blasting in tongues assuming God is sentimental probably because of their offering or because of their commitment in church their sinful lifestyle will be overlooked without genuine repentance. Jesus said on the last day many will come and say Lord Lord! did I not plant several churches and mentored many pastors, cast out devils in your name and organized big crusades where many souls were saved? Guess what Jesus will say to these so called generals in the church " depart from me you workers of iniquities, you were busy sleeping with church members all these while despite several warnings, you visit brothel anytime you are out of town, you divert church fund for personal and selfish gains, abuse their spouses, refused to say the truth and deliver the message I sent you" He said such people will be casted into the outer darkness, lake of fire where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth" why? because they mistook the mercy of God for sentiments! 

Do you know what even some people believe that God cannot be that mean he doesn't really mean what he is saying there (mentality of God being sentimental will actually cost some people there eternal destination). God is not mean, He is merciful but at the same time NOT moved by sentiments.

This message is coming our way not condemn but God want us to know that he loves us so much and has prepared the best of things for us in this life and even hereafter but we cannot access them based on mere sentiments. God's mercy is quite different from sentiments and we should not be deceived.  

Wake up from this deception and start enjoying the fulnesss of God for you; find out what the new convenant in Christ has made provisions for you and begin to access it by raw faith from today.

Shalom.