It Pays to THINK BIG

While thinking big is subject to interpretation, it is crucial to employ the faculties of the mind, soul and body that helps in doing just that.

Many times I have heard people use a similar phrase in describing a haughty person saying "He thinks big of himself".
"So for those who are ignorantly modest, they associate lack of achievement with humility, lack of significance with modesty and lack of relevance with superiority."
I have been educated on the need to think big, and it is more than closing your eyes, and thinking (for some, sleeping).
When you learn how to think big, everything you get involved with almost automatically gets a “big” approach.
In fact, when you step into a role temporarily, your outlook in the role exudes your big thinking.

In a Daily Telegraph advert with the same heading “It pays to think big”, Jimmy Hendrix, Barack Obama and Richard Branson all featured. The images are showing exclusively days of small beginnings for achievers in their generation.

In his book, "Think Big", Ben Carson expounds the siginificance of thinking big as the foundation of a successful life.
Ben was the younger of two brothers whose lives, as young boys were heading in the wrong direction. Their mother (with very little education) turned their lives around by limiting the hours they spend watching TV, encouraging them to read - 2 library books a week and writing reports about the books. It didn't take long before the fruits were evident to all.
Labelled as dumb before, within a year, Ben was on top of his class. He went on to become a world re-known neurosurgeon, and in 1987 made medical histroy with an operation to successfully separate a pair of siames twins.

So I leave you with the "THINKG BIG" concept as laid out by Benn Carson.

Talent: Our Creator has endowed all of us not just with the ability to sing, dance or throw a ball, but with intellectual talent. Start getting in touch with that part of you that is intellectual and develop that, and think of careers that will allow you to use that.
Honesty: If you lead a clean and honest life, you don't put skeletons in the closet. If you put skeletons in the closet, they definitely will come back just when you don't want to see them and ruin your life.
Insight: It comes from people who have already gone where you're trying to go. Learn from their triumphs and their mistakes.
Nice: If you're nice to people, then once they get over the suspicion of why you're being nice, they will be nice to you.
Knowledge: It makes you into a more valuable person. The more knowledge you have, the more people need you. It's an interesting phenomenon, but when people need you, they pay you, so you'll be okay in life.
Books: They are the mechanism for obtaining knowledge, as opposed to television.
In-Depth Learning: Learn for the sake of knowledge and understanding, rather than for the sake of impressing people or taking a test.
God: Never get too big for Him.

Divine Destiny – “Too Ordinary”

Divine Destiny – “Too Ordinary”

In the past posts of this series, I have tried to assure you that you are talented, encouraged you not to be afraid, and enlightened you or the dangers of being busy doing the wrong thing.

However, in this post “Too Ordinary”, excuse me if I say, this time around, you are right, and I am confirming how simple, common, general and undistinguished you probably are.

Look around you; are you surprised to see that you look like every other person?
One head, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth, in school, at work, jobless, criticizing the money guzzling MPs in UK, concerned about the state of the economy, fearful of what the future holds and hustling through the remains of large scale redundancies.

Irrespective of your geographical location, you are one of billions of people that are driven by the domineering controls of pain, fear and greed.

I know you have heard of the uniqueness of your DNA, and although that in itself is meant to give you succour and assurance that you are somehow unique, but you quickly dismiss the idea because DNA seems to be more of a criminal discovery technique than an identity recovery technique.
The news is full of revelations on how crimes committed in the 19th and 20th centuries are being solved with the help of DNA.
In fact, to find positive uses of DNA in mainstream TV, Jeremy Kyle Show and Trisha Goddard Show seems to be the first points of call. You will hear about scandalous practises where paternity is constantly an issue.

In all, you have followed the crowd for so long, that you are lost in the crowd.
“I am just an ordinary guy” you say (or girl). The truth is, the people around you know as well.

I wish I can say that you are not ordinary, but you tell me, what becomes of you after you die?
If you are poisoned, will you not lose your life?
If you fall ill now, is there any hope for you, save the decision to remove ‘life support’.
Are you worth any more than the pipes, and inhaler stuck to your face? Tell me, are you?

Your usefulness is as far as your breadth can carry you. When you die, you become useless.

Isaiah 38:18 -19 (NIV)
For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness.Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.

The bible even describes how ordinary life, your life can be:

1Peter 1:24 & Isaiah 40:6-8
For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall...”

I may not be able to capture the thoughts going through your mind now; however, I can add this one to it.

How about me? I mean myself, the writer of this post. Do you think I am ordinary too? Would you like to ask me? If you have just asked me that question, then my answer is:

NO!!!!! --------------- I am not ordinary, in fact, I am extraordinary.

If I am poisoned, I will not die. {Mark 16:18}
I should not fall ill. {Exodus 23:25 - 27}
If I eventually die, I am part of an elite group of people who are transformed to reign with God. {2 Timothy 2:12}
I live a different life. {Galatians 2:20}

Are you tired of being “Too ordinary”?
Fed up with the status quo and not content with letting every other thing take control your life?

Then allow me to introduce you to Jesus.
Knowing Jesus will bring peace into your life and a sense of belonging.
In time past, I was lost, hopeless and ordinary, but all that has changed:

1 Peter 2:9 (AMP)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. [emphasis mine]

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT)
Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy

Living an extraordinary life is living above limitations, and I invite you to join me and many others who are already enjoying this life.

If you are reading this and you are already living that life, then pass this on to as many people as you can who need a change of Destiny.

If you are reading this and you have an idea of what I am talking about, but you have not surrendered your life to God. You are still trying to do things your way, find your own answers, and by your acts continue denying the existence of a great God.
It is time to stop, and acknowledge that it is only a matter of time before you steam runs out.

I grew up with my parents telling me how unique, special and one of a kind I am. They showed me in the bible that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. They believed I am unique and I believed it too. Generations before them also believed in that uniqueness, but alas, it took science this long to verify that we truly are unique.

Are you still basing your existence on scientific proof?
You may not live long enough for science to find out, but there is a short cut. All you need to know about yourself is in God’s word (The bible).

You don’t have to stay on the level of the ordinary; you can be transported to the horizon of the extra-ordinary. You are not just unique, you are special.

I would encourage you to let it all go [the hardship, the toil, the pains, the hurt, the fear and the ridicule] and let God fix your brokenness.

Say this prayer with sincerity, accept Jesus into your life and enter into divine rest.

“Jesus, I thank you for your love shown towards me in dying for me, resurrecting to give me hope and making me a candidate of a new life promised to all who believe. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that I accept you as my lord and saviour. Come into my life and refresh my existence. Amen”

If you have said that prayer, CONGRATULATIONS, you are BORN AGAIN. Your Spirit man is now awakened and this begins the process of the regeneration of your mindset so that the devil will no longer cheat you again.

Get in touch with a local bible believing church to share your experience and get support as you start to fulfil your God given “Divine Destiny”.

You can also message me on facebook, call me or text me on 07874156104 if you need any help as you grow in God.
God Bless you.

tobyMacLose My Soul

Music Video Codes By Music Jesus.com

Divine Destiny - Too Busy

"Divine Destiny - Too Busy"

In this fast paced world that we live in right now, being busy has almost become the norm for everyone. From school days to university days to office days to every other day, everyone seems to wish that the day is longer than 24 hours.

To be busy is to be actively or fully engaged or occupied. So when you are too busy, then you are ‘too’ all of the above.

We probably know some people who claim “they are too busy to eat” [I say and do that sometimes], but we also know that, lack of food is detrimental to the sustained functioning of the human body. Hence, being too busy to eat is not a good idea [fact].
In fact, if you are busy doing anything, a balanced diet should be one of them.

We have to be busy though; we have to be doing something.
Apart from the insanity that boredom and stagnancy can bring, you should be aware that the devil finds work for idle hands.
A step into making sure the devil is not using you is to be doing something [hoping that thing is not the devil’s work]

Jesus also said in Luke 19:13 “....occupy till I come” [more on that later]

The pressing question is what are you busy doing?
Are you too busy doing your 9 – 5 or 6 - 6 job that you ignore the things that really matter in life?
Are you too busy doing coursework and writing exams when you should be playing free kicks on the football pitch and restructuring your education around your football career?

Are you too busy on the phone, too busy sleeping, too busy playing, too busy talking, too busy partying or even too busy thinking, in expense of fulfilling your destiny?

Are you too busy doing the wrong things?

Scientifically, work is done when a force moves a body a certain distance.
If you carry a load weighing 10kg (100N) on your head, and you stand stationary, the amount of work done by you is zero.

Work done = force x distance moved (100N x 0 = 0)

To be a little bit lenient, let’s say your scalp compresses by 0.5mm (0.5 x 10-3m) under the influence of the load, then:

Work done = force x distance moved (100N x (0.5 x 10-3m) = 0.05J

If you now squat a distance of 1m and back up again with the load on your head, then your work done is approximately 200J.

Question!!!!!
Is there a reason for carrying that load on your head?
Do you know the purpose, because recognisable work is done when the force moves a certain distance and accomplishes a purpose or better put achieves the right result.

Are you covering the distance that leads to fulfilling your Divine Destiny?

Martha and Mary are busy individuals who engage in a lot of things.
In Luke 10, the bible tells the story of Jesus and these two sisters.
Martha was too busy making ready and putting all things together to be a good hostess that she couldn’t sit down with Jesus.
Almost in the same way, Mary was too busy sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening, that she couldn’t help Martha out with the preparations.

Martha voiced out her concern saying “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Jesus will not be fooled by this singular concern of ‘lack of help’ so He responded
“"Martha, Martha ...you are worried and upset about many things..."

Many things!!!!! I thought it was just one thing, but Jesus knew better and finally He said
"But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

What are you busy doing?

Proverbs 22:29 (AMP)
Do you see a man diligent and skilful in HIS BUSINESS? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

It is not about being diligent and skilful alone, it is also about “your business”. Are you doing your business or you are busy with someone else’s.

Luke 19:13 says “..... Do business till I come”. Another translation says “...occupy till I come” and when the master came, he asked of the servants according to each person’s business.

Have you ever wondered that the servant that didn’t do any business [who hid the mina] probably helped one of the successful ones, either by giving ideas, being a critic or just giving encouragement – not minding his own business!!!

We have to be occupied, not just because it is good, or it keeps the devil away, but because Jesus said we should.

In my last two posts:
‘Too untalented’ assures you that God has given you the required capabilities to fulfil your Divine Destiny.

‘Too afraid’ elaborates on the gigantic nature of God’s plan for your life and the importance of knowing that fear (cowardice or timidity) is not in your nature/being [2 Timothy 1:7]

In this post, the admonition is to keep busy “Doing the right thing”.

What is the right thing you may ask, what has God planned for me to do on this earth?

I am currently on that journey with a “Purpose Driven Life” course which will finish in 5 weeks. If you want me to share my experience, please let me know.

In conclusion, God is happy when you do His will, so why not say this prayer to Him:

“God, if you are there and you really care, please show me my purpose on earth, because I want to be busy doing the right thing.”

Divine Destiny - Too Afraid

Following on from my last post “Too Untalented”, I am hoping that you have been encouraged and motivated to begin the process of finding out and using your talent to glorify God.

Remember this series is about day to day hindrances to walking in Divine Destiny.

“Divine Destiny – Too Afraid”

http://www.robertamsterdam.com/prodi_scream.jpg


I am very tempted to start by saying “fear is the opposite of faith”... Ooops, did I just say it???...

Ok, let’s take it from here. Fear, acted out, is an emotional response of some sort to danger or possibly threat.

The concept of fear is broad and cuts across all disciplines as it is widely regarded as one of the innate emotions that we possess as humans.

However, for this series, I am concentrating on the fear that is responsible for you not achieving your Divine destiny.

This fear often expresses itself in anxiety [fear of something that is yet to happen, or anticipation of a future occurrence].

To be more direct, a very familiar phrase is “What if I fail”?
Some fearful positive thinkers say “What if I don’t succeed”? Claiming they don’t use the negative word “fail” – a ‘half full glass’ mantra.

Many successful men and women in the world today will tell you that “trying is the first step towards fulfilment”
If you do not try, then you do not have any probability to succeed. So we say the probability to succeed with a fear of trying is zero or better put, I say:

“To stop trying is to have failed.... because you can never succeed without trying... It’s like football... you cannot win a game by not scoring... you may not loose... but you will not win."

– Emmanuel Onitiju

Notice I did not say ‘to not try is to have failed’, rather ‘to stop trying...’
I know you have tried, are trying, and still trying, and until you breakthrough, then don’t give up.
During a Sunday sermon, my Pastor shared the story of Abraham Lincoln (learn from failure), and, what courage the 16th President of USA has to continue trying again and again without giving up.

A search through the word of God – ‘the Bible’, gives examples of people who were ‘too afraid’ when it came to fulfilling their Divine Destinies.
Sometimes this feeling of fear comes from our feeling of inadequacy, but have you seriously thought about it?
You will always feel inadequate because, God almighty, the creator of the universe wants to do something and he has chosen you.

It is high time you stopped feeling and start participating, stopped thinking and starting acting, stop fearing and start believing. – Emmanuel Onitiju

What excuses have you been giving, that is feeding your “too afraid” state of mind?
Moses said he is slow of speech
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was very old
Jacob was a trickster
Rahab was a harlot
Zaccheaus was too small and you may be too big
This is what the bible says:

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

The Greek word translated timidity or fear is “Deilia” meaning cowardice and that is the only time the word occurred in the New Testament.
The person that you really are [a Spirit being] does not have cowardice in the makeup.
Do you know why these are given Spirits? Because God knows that in yourself [flesh] you are limited in what you can do, so you are expected to maintain a connection with the Spirit so that Love, Power and Sound Mind can become alive in your life.

I am now confident enough to say “fear [in context] is the opposite of faith”
Divine Destiny is the blueprint of God for your life.
God’s plan for your life is gigantic; so much so that it is only Him, working through you, can make it happen.
I am tempted therefore to say that because the plan is so big, it is natural for you to be afraid, but that is not true.

Fear (grk: Deilia) is not in your nature, therefore it is necessary that we walk in faith as we press towards the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Arise and step forward to be counted, you are taking what is yours, and nothing can stop you.
“Stop being too afraid... start being tuned in faith”

Divine Desitny - Too Untalented

In my church, the month of May is our month of “Divine Destiny” and I am posting a 4 Part series on the same topic, however, dealing with physical day to day limitations that inhibits our climb to achieving our God given destinies.

Check this American Untalented video and see talent - not singing....

TOO UNTALENTED

If any work/project is to be done, believe me, there must be resources available.

Simply put: lack of resources = abandoned projects.

When people say I’m too untalented [or good for nothing, useless, waste of space etc] the next question is to ask them, is that a fact or fiction?

WHY?

I believe there can be people who are untalented!!!!!!!!

Now before you stone me, accuse me of blasphemy or close your browser (as if it has been possessed), just give me a few minutes to explain the predicament of untalentedness, if anything can be called thus.

Matthew 25:14 – 30, tells the parable of the talent, describing what the “Kingdom of heaven is like”.

All the servants were given talents according to their abilities. To the first servant, he gave 5 talents, to another, 2 talents, and to one just 1 talent.

The talent(s) that you have are a reflection of your ability.

“Do you want to know how good you can be? Then, check how good you already are.”
- Emmanuel Onitiju

The first servant had 5 talents, traded with them and in return, made another 5.
The second servant had 2 talents, traded with them and made another 2
The third servant dug the ground, hid the Lord’s talent, and was bold enough to vehemently show his rejection of the task the master gave him.

Vs 28 “Therefore, take the talent from him......”

At a particular point in the life of the 3rd servant, he became untalented.
Initially, the servants never knew they had talents until the Lord of the house revealed it to them.
After the revelation, the servants assumed the role of taking care of, nurturing and growing the talent until the day of accountability. However, due to the 3rd servant’s handling of his talent, it was taken away from him... and he became untalented.

I hope by now, you are in deep reflection of the possibility of becoming untalented, but before you put yourself down, or jump for joy that your suspicion about you being untalented is now biblically proven, it is important that you understand the process of becoming untalented.


1.) Firstly, you have to have found your talent.

2.) Secondly you must have underperformed, been wasteful and not made “ANY” returns on your talent, and

3.) Thirdly the Lord of the house must have come back to make you account for the talent(s). Until these happen, you CANNOT be untalented.


You will be glad to know that if you are reading this, you are not dead yet, and if Jesus has not come, there is NO WAY you can be untalented.
It is true you may not have found it yet, but that you don’t have any talent is false.

Now that it is established that you are talented, and your talent is an indicator of your ability, then your ability is necessary to achieve a certain goal.

1 Peter 4:10 – 11
“As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ABILITY which GOD SUPPLIES, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever Amen

Your talent(s) and the corresponding abilities are for the glorification of God.

Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

And in John 15:8
“When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honoured and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

Jesus said, bearing fruit which glorifies the father makes us His (Jesus’) followers.
All through Jesus’ life, a constant theme that is at the forefront of his mission is to do the will of His Father, so that the father might be glorified in the Son.
In other words, Jesus’ endowment i.e. talents were all used to help him fulfil the will of God on earth.
In order to achieve His aim on earth, and accomplish the deeds of His “Divine Destiny”, Jesus applied his talents and corresponding abilities to fulfil the will of the father.

Jesus has called us to be his followers, and also made it clear that as we follow him, our purposes in life are different.

Mark 8:34
“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”

Your cross is your cross, hence the uniqueness of your talent(s) according to your ability.
There is a plan fashioned by God for your life, and He has given you the combination of resources that you would need to make it.
Using your talents bring glory to God as you apply them to the purpose for which they were given.

Divine Destiny is the blue print of your life made by God.

If you want to bring glory to God, you need to do His will, doing his will means walking in Divine Destiny.
Divine Destiny calls on the provision of your talents and the ability that God has given you.

All that will be thrown away if you “hala, shout, whisper, mutter or think that you are not talented.”

You are talented... and you need to use those talents to glorify God.

If you want to be untalented – simple – bury your talent and wait for Jesus to come back. ------------- Now I know you wouldn’t do that... right?

The word is “Let your light so shine....that they may glorify your Father”

IOU (Obedience)

Obedience

1 John 5:3, John 14:15, John 15:10, Genesis 35:1, 7

The main aim of this teaching is to alert you to the fact that ‘obedience’ is not a choice. I know this may sound very untrue and hard to grasp, but it is my aim that, to the best of my knowledge, I would be able to make things clear.

Concept 1: Free will
Free will is simply the ability for us, humans, to choose our actions. And it is a gift from God. God gave us the ability to choose what we want to do. Irrespective of situation or circumstance, however, there are other reasons why we don’t just choose things. In every human, free will is present and ultimate. Free will is above every other of our choices.

Concept 2: Choices
Apart form the influence of free will; we (humans) also have a lower level of decision making called - choices.
In this context, we choose without necessarily drawing from the power of free will.

It is this dimension of choice that I say obedience is not based on.
Obedience is not something you choose whether to do or not, obedience is part of the make up of life.

It will be clear in the course of this teaching that our perspective of obedience affects our disposition towards it.
As long as we think obedience is a choice, we put ourselves in a position to choose for or against it.

Example:
As an engineer, we design a lot of things, including lifts. For every lift designed, there is a maximum capacity (i.e. load it can carry). This is boldly written in the lift. This warning requires obedience, and you really do not have a choice on whether to obey or not. The limit is part of the design of the lift. (Obedience is part of the make up of life)
If you disobey, you will face the consequences, (i.e. lift being stuck or get broken, endangering lives). However, you should know that the consequences of disobedience were not designed with you in mind. You were not the reason for the stated punishment.
The punishment also was part of the design.

When God told Adam not to eat of the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden, God was not trying to test Adam or put him in a risky situation. That instruction was just part of the design of the garden. And surely there were consequences for disobeying.

The laws of a nation are put in place not because they are looking for people to jail, but because that is the design for a peaceful nation for all the inhabitants.
In fact, if you obey, you are not doing anyone a favour; you are only doing your part in making the design work.
Your parent giving rules about certain things is their way of making your life better. It may not be right, but once you know obedience is not a choice, you can work your way backwards and find the ultimate design for that situation.

Concept 3 – Better than sacrifice

1 Samuel 15 vs. 22: “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. Adam disobeyed and the sacrifices of animals could not restore the relationship with God.
The sacrifice of Jesus brought us back to God – those who are willing.

When you acknowledge that God is the creator of the universe, then you will realise that whatever He tells you to do is part of the ultimate design.... and obedience becomes part of the package.
When can you disobey?

Ø When it is not part of the ultimate design.
Ø When it goes against God’s will.

In conclusion, obedience is a short cut to gaining other’s trust.

IOU (INTEGRITY)

INTEGRITY




Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. (OALD)
Integrity is the basing of one's actions on an internally consistent framework of principles.

Integrity is a personal choice. However, as humans and as Christians, our integrity has to be based on God’s laws.
In simple terms, I will define integrity as

“Godly principles that we choose to live by individually and consistently”

Integrity makes people respect you.
One of the reasons (amongst many) that people are bullied either as adults or young adults is because they are too simple.
People will carry you the way you carry yourself.
If you present yourself as unserious, disrespectful and abusive, people will react to you just like that.
In short, without integrity, people will walk over you.

How can we obtain integrity?

Draw a Line, then draw a second line – Be conscious of your limits. The first line will tell you the things you would like to do or not do in other to become a man or woman of integrity. The second line on the inside will serve as a safety margin to help you stick to your principles .

Become aware of choices – Head or tail do not work, make conscious effort to choose right in accordance to the principles you want to live by.

Accountability – You can’t do it all alone. Find someone you can be reporting to, to help in the times of trouble. It will help you stay on track.

Indicators of Integrity

The golden rule: “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you” (Luke 6 vs. 31). Integrity requires you to understand the need for consistency in warfare (daily living). As written by an author, knowledge and imagination are required to work this rule. Firstly, you must know the effects of your actions, and secondly you must be able to put yourself in the position of the recipient and ask yourself “can I take what I have just given”

Size does not matter: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Luke 16 vs. 10). Are your actions in small matters or small environments the same as those in bigger ones? When you are alone and no one is watching do you still do the things you proclaim as good? Or you are like a chameleon that changes to the colour of the environment.

YES = YES: Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5 vs. 37). A confused soldier is on his/her way to defeat. Likewise, if you, as a soldier are giving false information or confusing the people around, then you are just whiskers away from defeat because very soon no one will believe whatever you have to say.

Living a life of integrity is a must for us believers, albeit it may be hard, but the battle is always on and more importantly, God’s grace is sufficient.