Invest in Value

                                          Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Value is the intrinsic worth of a person, an object, a place; a unique attribute which sets the person, the family, object or place apart from other people, objects and places.  When you understand value and invest in value, the full dividends of value accrue to you without you even requesting for the dividends.

King Solomon for instance truly understood the value of an intimate and fervent relationship with God that would foster his total dependence on God. So he worshiped God with all his heart as instructed by his father, David. Please read 1^st Chronicles Chapter 28 and 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 1. Solomon was subsequently blessed by God with divine wisdom which placed him several steps ahead of his contemporaries. Significantly, that great wisdom also translated into great and abundant wealth.

King David not only loved and feared God; he also invested in a personal relationship with God because he understood the value of an intimate and fervent relationship with God. Please read Psalms 16 verse 7, 27 verse 4 and 25 verses 12 to 14.

David chose God above silver and gold and God rewarded him with abundant blessings. He had many children, great wealth and ruled Israel for a long time; won several wars without being hurt; survived several evil plots and attempts against his life simply because he understood the value of an intrinsic relationship with God.

Give Yourself Mileage

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Seest thou a man diligent in his work, he shall stand before kings and not mean men – Proverbs Chapter 22 verse 29.

Ideally, everyone’s divine gift should create room for greatness and abundance for him or her if deployed in the right environment and before the right persons who would give the person mileage.

Therefore, always ask yourself if a relationship, task or utterance would take you to the divine purpose and plans of God for your life before investing quality time and resources in such relationships, task and utterances.

David was a skilful musician yet he did not play just before anybody. He played musical instruments before Saul and made the King happy. Though Saul became envious and attempted to kill David while he was playing the instrument for him; the point being made is that David played before kings and not insignificant people who would not give him mileage.

David also took on Goliath not only to deal with Goliath for insulting the army of God but also for the attendant benefits. Please read 1^st Samuel Chapter 17. David did not challenge a mere street fighter, an inconsequential person to a street fight. It was a fight for national honors on both sides where the winner was to become a national hero, as well as a beneficiary of many things from the King including becoming a son in-law of the King. Fortunately, David won the fight against Goliath and earned great mileage – a national hero as well as many other perks.

Joseph interpreted the dreams of the servants of Pharaoh but was also careful to remind the butler to remember him and recommend him to Pharaoh. Though the butler forgot, he was forced to remember Joseph when the divine opportunity and timing for Joseph to be celebrated came. Please read Genesis Chapters 41 for details.

Bridle Your Desires and Emotions

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Desires and emotions sometimes run amok and when they do, they carry with them consequences which are sometimes severe. That is why every child of God should ask help of the Holy Spirit in bridling their desires and emotions.

Shechem and his family were destroyed because Shechem could not wait to make Dinah his wife before defiling her.  Dinah’s angry brothers wiped him and his family out of the land of the living. Please read Genesis Chapter 34.

Simeon and Levi, the enraged brothers of Dinah killed an entire family and clan. They could not control their anger. Please read Genesis Chapter 34 verse 25. Much later, their father Jacob placed a curse on them.

Amnon was foolish and listened to foolish counsel. He raped his half-sister, Tamar and was consequently killed by Tamar’s brother, Absalom. Please read 2^nd Samuel Chapter 13 for details and caution in receiving and taking advice.

Samson was the most powerful person of his time. He did not have to carry weapons when about to engage hundreds of men in a fight as anything he touched automatically became a weapon with which he killed hundreds of men. Unfortunately, this powerful man lost all that power to a woman because he could not control his unbridled desire for Delilah. Consequently, he lost the great unction of God upon his life and died young. Please read Judges Chapter 16.

Ahab was condemned for coveting after Naboth’s vineyard and assenting to the negative methods Jezebel deployed in stealing the vineyard from Naboth. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 21. Covetousness for instance is sin, sin against God because it shows lack of appreciation for your God given gifts, person and blessings; lack of contentment and satisfaction for the blessings of God upon your life; uncontrolled greed for what does not belong to you; you want to own what belongs to someone else and like Ahab, you would do anything to get what does not belong to you. You sulk and you are unhappy over what belongs to someone else which you greedily lust after all day.

Take a Leap of Faith

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

You are no longer a toddler in Christ. Neither are you a teenager or young adult. You are a mature adult loaded with the word of God that always accomplishes purpose. Please read Isiah Chapter 55 verses 7 to 13, Numbers Chapter 23 verse 19, 1^st Samuel Chapter 15 verse 29. You are also filled with the Holy Spirit Who daily instructs you on how to use this great divine arsenal at your disposal. Please read Isaiah Chapter 28 verses and 48 verse. Therefore, do away with the baby steps and begin to leap, I mean great leaps of faith which you urgently require to take you to God’s heights for you.

Beloved, you have dwelt too long at the bottom rung of the ladder daily giving lame excuses which do not hold water anymore. The baby steps no longer befit your new status in Christ Jesus. Additionally, they are impeding your progress as they always slow you down. The last thing you need now is any slow paced movement as it cannot move you forward. It will only keep you in a non-progressive circular dance.

But giant leaps of faith based on the truth of the word of God that you are a royal priesthood, a peculiar person divinely wired to be a lender to the nations will push you up the mark.

Significant leaps, spiritually, physically, mentally, financially designed to take you to God’s destined heights for you are what you really need now. Prevailing circumstances may look like you are glued to a spot and therefore have no business moving; not to talk of leaping; yet beloved, God says it is time to leap from point A to Canaan if that is where God wants you now. God Who is your great Provider and Sustainer says He will make available all the resources you require to make the leap. Just follow Him at His pace and not yours.

Build Bridges - The Power of Relationships 3

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

It takes time to build a relationship but most often, people do not invest in maintaining a relationship. However, relationships like engines are meant to be oiled and serviced. Conflicts also arise in the process of maintaining a relationship.

Problems arise in relationships when needs are not being met and by the way, needs vary. There are spiritual needs, physical needs, emotional needs for affirmation, financial needs, material needs and a number of other needs. Even in Church, people come to Church to have their needs met and when their needs are not met, they bicker. Problems then are a wakeup call to the fact that needs are not being met in a relationship.

Ways to Maintain Relationships

Effective Communication – communicate your needs at all times. Do not take it for granted that the other person can read your thoughts. State your needs point blank so that your partner, friends or family members understand what your needs are. However, you also need to know and understand whether the persons concerned have the capacity to meet your needs. If they do not, then do not put pressure on them to give what they lack the capacity to provide. You may be shocked that some people lack the capacity to provide even spiritual and emotional support which ironically they drain from other people. They take it for granted that other people will always be there for them. They may not be selfish or wicked. They just lack the capacity to do so. Do not begrudge them.

As much as possible, avoid judgmental statements as they inflict pain. You can prayerfully and lovingly communicate the situation without inflicting pain. It is great to speak plain language so that you can easily clarify issues. It is not a village meeting especially in some parts of Africa where the elders speak in hard to understand proverbs which may further becloud the issue.

Avoid the blame game – honing on and magnifying other people’s mistakes to humiliate them. There are people who are endless faultfinders and who blame everything on other people. They never admit their mistakes. Learn to take responsibility first. Nobody in a relationship wants to be told that they are not good. Rather, take responsibility and resolve issues. Stop blaming other people and situations. While constructive criticisms are welcome in a relationship especially the ones which bring out the positive in peoples’ lives, it is instructive to not argue to win. Be tolerant enough to listen to the other person.

Make it a habit to always add value to the relationships in your life.

Build Bridges - The Power of Relationships 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

No human being is a self-sustaining island. Relationships are pivotal to success but significantly, relationships differ and are at different levels. There are relationships with fellow human beings at different levels.

There is also the most important and significant of relationships which is your relationship with God. Spiritual relationships are more important than biological ones – Luke Chapter 17 verse 21, 23 verse 21. Relationship with God is critical. In this relationship, humans generally take it for granted that God supplies every need of theirs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. This is true. God has been and is still in the business of meeting the needs of humanity especially His own. However, God also has needs which He expects humans to also meet. One of such needs is to accord Him the respect He deserves from you as well as give Him quality worship.

Beloved, God is great and mighty in power and deeds. He created the entire universe and owns everything in the Universe and everything including you and I are subject to Him. Therefore, reverence and worship should flow spontaneously from our hearts to Him in quality praise and adoration. This gladdens the heart of God. Sometimes, challenges and what you consider competing priorities but which are not really priorities may becloud your mental processes and you forget or decide not to worship. Please repent and return to the place of deep reverential fear for God and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords to whom all honor, glory and power belongs.

Glow from Within

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Confidence Boosters/Beauty Secrets

The secret of a wonderful woman’s beauty, youthfulness is that she is always happy and because she is always happy, she radiates inner peace, joy and happiness which translates into youthfulness and beauty. I noticed this in the life of a woman I have known for more than thirty years.

I also noticed that she always glows from within, again, a function of the peace of God which she always chooses to radiate; irrespective of what the circumstances are. Surprisingly, I know quite a lot about her; her philandering husband who does not even bother to hide his indiscretion; the fact that she has only one biological child in a country where having dozens of children is a criteria for a community award and a goat slaughtering party for the woman concerned. Yet, this woman is always full of wide brimmed smiles and compassion for other people. She is always happy because she chose to focus on God and not the circumstances. Despite her age, there are no furrows or wrinkles.

Beloved, you can also glow from within if you always radiate the peace, joy and happiness of God for that is what translates into youthfulness and beauty.

Sarah, the wife of the biblical patriarch Abraham and mother of Isaac was described as beautiful because she had a clam and quiet spirit. The gentle and quite spirit was a result of her trust in God and the Apostle Peter refers to this beauty as incorruptible beauty. It cannot be tainted by anything. Please read 1^st Peter Chapter 2 verses 1 to 6, Genesis Chapter 12 verses 11 to 15.

Do Not Fear

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

For years, a particular person always spoke to intimidate me and terrify me into inaction, wallowing in fear and always terrified; afraid to succeed in life. I was always emotional and traumatic; having no self-esteem and self-worth. But one day in the afternoon, God exposed the person and the intent of the talk – get me afraid, worried, tensed up and believing that I will never succeed. But all these evil strongholds were destroyed as God made me understand that no one speaks and it comes to pass when He did not command it.

First, the Holy Spirit took me to the one verse of Scripture I read that morning – Philippians Chapter 4 verse 8. As I reflected on meditating on the truth, I realized that all the evil pronouncements against me and my loved ones as well as using evil words to try to chart the courses of our lives were a lie from the pit of hell which would never see the light of day because they are not the truth of the word of God.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what Goliath said to the army of Israel as the devil used him to torture the army of Israel mentally and by extension spiritually and physically for forty days and forty nights. The army suffered for this length of time because they believed the lies and evil report of Goliath against them, lies designed to incapacitate and immobilize them to a spot, neither moving forward nor backward.

But one day, Goliath and his lies collapsed like a pack of cards before David, a mere teenager who had never served in the army and who had never been to war. Why? Because David knew the truth of the word of God and refused to accept the lies of Goliath. Rather, David challenged Goliath and his lies with the truth of the word of God and in no time, that same day; Goliath vacated the face of the earth so that the people of God could enjoy peace and progress in their land. Please read 1^st Samuel Chapter 17 for full details.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what the older brothers of Joseph said about how Joseph’s dreams would come to pass. Though they attempted to kill Joseph which would have made their words come to pass, God foiled their plans and Joseph’s life was spared. Eventually, Joseph was sold to the Midianite traders who also sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Unknown to Joseph’s ten older brothers, they were instrumental to moving Joseph to God’s height, plans and purposes for Joseph’s life.

Move Up Higher 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

You carry sunshine – in the love, enthusiasm, optimism, joy of the Holy Spirit, comfort, encouragement as well as the unshakeable faith in God to always come through for His own which you share. Do not allow anyone or circumstances to cloud your vision and dampen your enthusiasm and love for the people of God.

Sunshine brings joy, warmth and happiness to lives and people. Continue to radiate that sunshine. Continue to share the love, enthusiasm, optimism, joy of the Holy Spirit, comfort, encouragement, faith in God. Continue to strengthen the people of God by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Continue to carry your sunshine and let go of rain clouds and thunderstorms and lightning strikes. You do not need the rain clouds and thunderstorms. You need your sunshine.

Significantly, you are the only one who can make other people place a high value on you. You are also the only one who can make people look down on you. Therefore, surround yourself with people who have a revelation of you; that is people who know and understand the divine deposits of God in you; who appreciate those deposits and value them. They are the ones who will truly appreciate you and remunerate you accordingly. Pharaoh and his court had a revelation of who Joseph was. They wasted no time in making him the Prime Minister of the land despite the fact that Joseph was a foreigner who was hastily brought out of prison to stand before Pharaoh that morning. Nebuchadnezzar had the right revelation of Daniel and his three friends. He rewarded them accordingly. Significantly, your intrinsic value in Christ Jesus should define your self-worth, value judgments and relationships.

Move Up Higher

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

When God called Abraham, God blessed Abraham alongside his wife Sarah and blessed him and increased him. He became the father of many nations and increased on all sides, spiritually, physically, mentally, materially and financially. Please read Genesis Chapters 12 verses 1 to 9, 13 verses 1 to 4, 24 verses 34 to 35, 12 verses 10 to 16 and 20 verses 1 to 8.

Divine enlargement is progressive – Proverbs Chapter 4 verse 18, Genesis Chapter 26 verses 12 to 14; righteous life, patience, diligence (smart and hard work), Genesis Chapter 29 verses 15 to end, 30 verses 1 to 31, 32, 33. See also Psalm 115 verses 12 to 14, 80 verses 9 to 11. Increase, progressive increase is of God. The will of God is for you to grow from one level of grace, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, parenting, marital relations, and financial, spiritual, physical, mental and material increase to another. That is why the word of God says that the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former. Please read Haggai Chapter 2 verse 9; and that the path of the righteous is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day (Proverbs Chapter 4 verse 18).

Beloved, you have not seen your best days yet. The glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former. Please see Haggai Chapter 2 verse 9. Therefore, do not relax on your oars. Get moving towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Please see Philippians Chapter 3 verses 12 to 14. Move up higher, beyond what you think is the core of success but which is actually just the beginning of success, in point of fact, baby steps to success.

This is just the beginning. You have not seen your best days yet, your great victories yet. There is so much more to come. Real success is ahead, waiting patiently for you. But you must be willing to move beyond the present successes you are dancing around so that you can get to the pinnacle of success. No seasoned fisherman who fishes for sharks goes fishing in a lake just as no seeker of diamonds looks for them in a cassava farm. Stop looking for diamonds where you are presently. Seek diamonds where they can be found. Therefore, take the required leap of faith which you urgently require to move higher into the plans and purposes of God for your life.

Paint the Future

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The future is not an unnamed date; set far away from you by billions and zillions of seconds and minutes. It is not in hundreds, thousands and millions of days which appear far away from you; probably hiding in the stratosphere. Beloved, the future is TODAY, in point of fact, NOW.

The future is therefore what you draw or paint into the beautiful canvass which is either sitting or standing in front of your right now. The future is NOW; THE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS AS WELL AS RELATIONSHIPS WHICH YOU PLANT INTO IT NOW; and not tomorrow or a later date which you assume or hope will not show up soon.

The future is NOW; asking you to take a quality decision, act positively in the light of the truth of the word of God which you know. Please read Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11. The future is NOW; asking you to seek knowledge to break down and destroy the mountains of ignorance holding you down.

The future is NOW; asking you to forget an unproductive past which is weighing you down spiritually, mentally and to an extent physically so that you can focus on the great and new things which God wants to do in your life. Please read Isaiah Chapter 43 verse 19.

The future is NOW; asking you to kill procrastination, and laziness as well as giving of excuses so that you can be productive; to fruit and multiply into abundance.

Look Around You/Within You 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Beloved, I pray that God in His infinite mercy and compassion as well as love and great grace will open your eyes of understanding to see what you have to see either around you or within you so that you can speedily and effortlessly move to your next level in Christ Jesus in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The disciples of Jesus Christ were looking too far for the food resources required to feed the multitudes.  While they worried about where to source such resources at such a time of the day in the location they were at; they were unaware that Jesus Who was with them is also the God Who always multiplies and compounds resources for His own. Unknown to them, the seemingly little bread and fish available to them where they were; were more than enough food resources to feed the multitude. The disciples did not have the revelation of Jesus Christ as the One Who always multiplies and compounds resources for His own. The left over baskets opened their eyes of understanding to the immense resources and capacities at their disposal.

Peter probably understood this well when he had to source for the tax money from the mouth of a fish and not from anyone. It was from his regular trade and significantly from the mouth of a fish. He did not even have to take the trouble of looking for a buyer for caught fish. The money he required was patiently waiting for him in the mouth of a fish. All he had to do was catch the fish - make the effort to go where the fish was and get it out.

The four lepers who attempted to surrender to the Syrian army who besieged Samaria is a classic example of people who knew where to go seek the resources they were after. What they wanted was just around them and rather than starve to death, they chose the option of surrendering to the Syrian army. Fortunately for the lepers, the army of Syria had fled the scene of occupation and were no longer a threat to both the people of Samaria and the lepers.  Rather, their bountiful supplies which were targeted for a long siege were now the property of the people of Samaria and the four lepers.

Look Around You/Within You

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

God will never position beyond your reach what you need to succeed. That is to say that God positions your needs within your reach so that you can easily access them with ease. That way, you do not go searching in the stratosphere for what you need that is lying within your easy reach either inside of you or within you.

Hagar was in dire need of water for her son Ishmael who was about dying of thirst. But it appeared as if there was no water anywhere particularly so when they were in the desert, specifically the desert of Beersheba. So, Hagar decided to look away from her supposedly dying son. Just then God intervened and opened Hagar’s eyes; not to a skin of water, jars of water, but a well of water, more than enough water to last them for a life time so that they would no longer have to worry about the need for water to sustain them and keep them alive. God is certainly faithful as He supplies the needs, every need of His children according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Please read Genesis Chapter 21 verses 8 to 21.

The widow of the indebted prophet alongside her husband and her two sons lived in a land where other people made money and their bills. But the indebted prophet and his family never seemed to access money for their basic needs except by borrowing and unfortunately, they had come to the nadir of borrowing with the death of their father and husband. The seemingly unsympathetic creditor had an accurate record of their debts and knowing that the supposedly breadwinner who lived a life of indebtedness was gone; and so also the supposedly means of paying off the debts; the creditor sent word to Mrs. Widow that he was coming to collect her two sons for debt slavery.

Alarmed, the widow cried to Elisha for help. What financial assistance could Elisha possibly give to the widow considering that he was a prophet; and neither a farmer or business person! But Elisha had a great divine idea that would transform her life and those of her two sons. Though they had lived in that land all their lives and they had never made money, Elisha’s divine idea was about to show them how to make money, more than enough money to pay off their debts as well as own more than enough money to live on for the rest of their lives.

Master Your Emotions

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Drop dead weights. You do not need them.

People who are blessed with problem solving skills should master their emotions. They should endeavor to be in perfect control of their emotions. That is to say that their emotions should be totally handed over to God for safekeeping so that their emotions do not get in the way of service to God and humanity. That way they can and will always function effectively in the deployment of their problem solving skills to humanity.  Jesus Christ is the classic example. The Apostle Paul is also a good example. So also is Joseph. Despite the hurts from people they loved served, they continued to bless humanity by deploying their gifts for the service of humanity.

Beloved, drop dead weights. You do not need them. This is because they will either slow you down or immobilize you, especially emotional dead weights which always have an unusual capacity to ground people completely. Some emotional dead weights include resentment, envy, bitterness, hatred, jealousy, vindictiveness. You do not need any of these. Aside from blocking and hindering the free flow of the Holy Spirit in your life, they also stifle creativity by dampening your enthusiasm for life, productivity and what have you. They make you an unhappy negative person who always spews perversion; a person that people want to avoid because almost all of your utterances are loaded with sarcasm, invectives, ill will and negative utterances including curses. You will be an unpleasant person that nobody wants to stay around.

Build Bridges - The Power of Relationships

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Bridges connect communities separated by water bodies to one another and as they connect, a lot happens. Commerce blossoms, social relationships and networks are formed and sometimes, members of such communities come to depend on one another.

Beloved, you need bridges to connect. No single individual is a self sustaining island. At different points in time in life, you will always need the support of other people be they family members, friends, colleagues, neighbours, community members, citizens of your country and global citizens considering that the world has become a global village.

Unfortunately, some people do not know how to build and sustain bridges. The building of bridges may be easy especially the bridges that are easy to construct. But such bridges usually do not last as they are not durable. The durable bridges take longer time to construct and are also expensive to maintain.  To build a durable bridge that will help to sustain the numerous other bridges you will require in life, you may need to urgently reverse the present order you have been working with especially if the bridges.

How, you may ask? As simple as reciting ABC! Spend quality time with God before spending time with other people. No one is as important as God to you. Connect to and with God before connecting to other people. When you do this, you are saying that you recognize God as your helper and God is indeed your helper.

Beloved, your help comes from God and not man. Though God sometimes uses humans as channels of His divine visitation to help you, God is your helper and not humans. Joseph was helped by God and not necessarily the butler. God orchestrated the events that made Pharaoh troubled enough to seek for someone who could interpret the dreams. The wise men of Pharaoh’s court were unable to interpret the dreams. But Joseph did and effortlessly. Additionally, Joseph proffered the solution to the problems posed by the interpretation of the dreams. To start with, Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams (finding solutions to challenges was a gift from God (Genesis Chapter 40 verse 8, 41 verse 16) and because Joseph always gave the glory of the gift to God and always used it for divine purposes, God brought Joseph before great people (Proverbs Chapters 18 verse 16; 22 verse 29, Psalm 75 verses 6 to 7. Please see also Psalms 20, 121, 124 verse 8; 2^nd Kings Chapter 6 verses 26 to 27.

Pathways to Global Influence and Impact

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Influence flows from impact while impact flows from adding value to the lives of people. Adding value to the lives of people flows from serving the purpose of God for your life because it is in serving the purpose of God for your life that you enrich the lives of the people you are called to serve. Actually, your life is also enriched as you enrich the lives of other people which explain why to a very large extent, the quality of your life is the positive impact you make on humanity.

The Biblical Joseph for instance could dream, great big dreams. But until he started interpreting dreams, he was a dreamer who was sold into slavery, a servant of Potiphar and much later a prisoner. But it was the ability to interpret dreams that took him out of prison to the palace. If Joseph had refused to speak up, to care about his fellow prisoners and refused to interpret the dreams of the baker and the butler, he would have probably died in prison, unknown and unsung. But because he deployed his gift to enhance the quality of lives of his fellow prisoners, the value of the gift was enhanced and qualified him to stand before Pharaoh so the gift could be deployed for the service of the global community of his day. Joseph ensured food security for more than seven years and became a global brand and household name.

Beloved, it is instructive that continuous deployment of your gift to serve humanity actually enhances the value of your gift. Therefore, take a quality decision today to deploy your gift for the improvement of the quality of lives of other people and be a blessing with high value gifts which qualify you to stand before kings and not mere people.