The Leverage of Divine Favor 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. Proverbs Chapter 8 verses 34 to 35.

• The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus Chapter 12 verses 35 and 36, NIV, Women’s Devotional Bible.

Divine favor, a gift from God to His children is to be greatly desired especially by anyone aspiring to get out of the dust and ash heap positions of life. Esther was an orphan who lived with her cousin, Mordecai, a gateman at the palace in Shushan. Secondly, they were captives in the land. Their circumstances were therefore not very pleasant; an orphan with no inheritance from her parents, who lived with a cousin whose economic resources and standing were not substantial, and who probably had no social standing and privileges in the land. They were captives in the land yet they rose to very privileged positions in the land, had great social and economic standing not necessarily on account of anything spectacular about them but because of the workings of God’s divine favor in their lives.

The favor of God brings about acceptance. Esther was accepted by everyone. Please read Esther Chapters 2 verses 9, 15 to 18; 5 verses 2 to 8; 7 verses 1 to 10; 9 verses 3 to 11. The favor of God brings about promotion. Please read Psalm 75 verse 6; 89 verse 17, Genesis Chapters 39 and 41, Esther Chapter 2 verses 16 to 18. Divine favor gave Esther the throne in Persia.

Esther was neither the most beautiful maiden or virgin in the land, yet she emerged queen because God favored her and gave her favor before anyone she came in contact with. Esther Chapters 2 verses 9, 15, 17 and 5 verses 2 to 8. She became queen in a foreign land, chosen above the other maidens who participated in the search for a new queen contest. Beyond becoming queen, the favor of God in the life of Esther guaranteed unfettered access to and favor before the King so that eventually, Haman’s evil decree to annihilate the Jews  was countered by another decree which empowered the Jews to fight and defend themselves against anyone who rose against them. Divine favor helped to accomplish divine purpose. Additionally, divine favor also gave Mordecai the number two position in the land. Please read Esther Chapters 8 verses 1 to 2, 15 and 10 verses 1 to 3.

Cash in on Opportunities

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The blind man who sat by the road begging near Jericho understood the full import of cashing in on opportunities. He realized that certain opportunities do not present themselves every day. He therefore took ample advantage of the opportunity of Jesus passing by him because he knew that Jesus in His earthly ministry may not likely pass by him a second time. He therefore utilized the one time life opportunity of meeting with Jesus Christ to achieve a life time goal of receiving his sight. Significantly, the blind man was expectant that Jesus would give him back his sight. He also believed that Jesus had the power and would be willing to restore his sight. If only he could come near Jesus. Fortunately for him, the great opportunity came as Jesus traveled to Jericho.

The blind man could definitely not see Jesus and he probably had no one to lead him to Jesus. Rather than lament and hold a pity party about what he lacked, he chose to utilize what he had in great measure – his voice and mouth to great advantage.

But he could hear and so heard the noise of multitudes moving around him. He asked people around what the noise was all about and they informed him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. What an opportunity! Though he could not see, he could shout. Definitely, Jesus could hear him. So the blind man raised his voice and cried out for mercy to Jesus. Though people tried to restrain him urging him to be quiet, he shouted the more to gain Jesus’ attention. Significantly, Jesus granted him audience and his life time goal was achieved as his sight was restored.

Beloved, the hitherto blind man had little or nothing at his disposal to deal with the challenge of visual impairment. But rather than blame anyone or circumstances, he worked at getting out of the predicament which made him a beggar.

Divine Exit Doors 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

There are always divine exit doors out of what usually appears to be a dead end because God always has the final say and God always makes a way where there appears to be no way so that His name is always glorified. Therefore, there are no dead ends; not even when you are hedged in by the red sea and the chariots of determined to annihilate Pharaoh are in fierce pursuit. Pharaoh and his host thought that they had total victory; after all the Israelites had nowhere to run to; no seeming exit door out of where they were; between the red sea and his pursuing army. But unknown to Pharaoh, God always has exit points known to Him alone until in His infinite mercy, He shows the exit points to His loved ones. The sea which appeared to be a natural barricade against the children of Israel actually turned out to be the perfect exit point for them. God Who created nature intervened in the natural course of events and the sea gave way for safe passage to the children of Israel. Unfortunately that same sea not only barricaded the chariots of Pharaoh and Pharaoh; but it also swallowed them after the Israelites had crossed on to the other side safely. Please see Exodus Chapter 14 for the full details of this story.

Esau appeared to have been hedged in by the mistake of selling his birthright to his younger brother for a meal of pottage. In addition, Esau lost his father’s blessings because their mother Rebecca asked Jacob to outsmart Esau by pretending to be Esau in order to gain his father’s blessings. Additionally, Esau married heathen women and lost favor with his parents. What then were his prospects for making it in life? Apparently, none! But Esau did not give up and did not give in. He prevailed on his father to do something to redeem his situation. Isaac then uttered what appeared to be mere words. But fortunately for Esau, he took note of those words uttered and he became restless and broke the yoke of servitude to his brother. He also became economically and politically prosperous – he did not bow down to Jacob and he had an army of four hundred men in addition to numerous material things. Please see Genesis Chapters 27 and 33.

Overflow

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

He daily loads me with benefits

My cup overflows in His paths of righteousness

The divine paths that daily drop His blessed fatness

I am blessed on all sides

Rehoboths to the left and right, backwards and forwards

He certainly loads His own with abundant blessings

Streaming from me to His own

Like the virtuous woman, I allow the flow

Recognizing that I am only His conduit

A divine blessing to bless other people

I am His vessel, receiving and passing it on

To ensure a ceaseless flow

Through me to God’s own

I am blessed to be a blessing

Overflowing my banks to many others

You are also His conduit

Blessed to bless.

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God is Good

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Goodness is a cardinal nature of God and His character. Please see Psalm 34 verse 8 and Romans Chapter 8 verse 28. God is good and causes all things through providence to work together for good to His children just so that His children accomplish divine purposes. This implies that some seeming negative experiences are actually stepping stones that enable you to stretch your potentials and become a blessing to humanity. Some difficult tests in different aspects of life are also designed to prepare and transform you until you become who and what God planned for you from the foundation of the world. Therefore, capitalize on and take advantage of both the challenges that assail you and the opportunities that show up through the challenges as they engender transformation. Please see Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11.

Do not give up or give in as capitulating will truncate the transformation process and you will never arrive at the desired destination. The Master of the universe is in perfect control of everything in the universe. He knows how to reverse everything for your sake. Israel went to Egypt for bread but when they left, they had an abundance of silver and gold. Please see Exodus Chapter 12 verse 31, Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 5 to 8.

In point of fact, if you can see the mind of God concerning you, you will be too amazed to ever think that God does not care about you. In fact, you will be trumpeting God’s goodness globally. Open your mouth and declare God’s faithfulness in your life. God is still faithful. He does not change. God can still furnish a table in the wilderness. He can change your situation suddenly. He can do much more than you could ever ask. It is not about what people can do but what God can do.

Steps to Greatness

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Everyone born of God is destined for greatness. The Bible is replete with regular people who received incredible greatness based on their relationship with God. Abraham became great and the father of nations on account of his relationship with God. King David attained greatness from being committed and faithful to God. King Solomon surrendered it all to God and was the greatest King of his time.

Even in history and contemporary times, we daily read about regular people like you and I who became great because God made them great. That same God, Jehovah, the El-Shaddai to whom all power belong is still in the business of making people great and you can be the next in line for divine greatness. Some of the ways in which you can become great by the help of God include but are not limited to:

Be careful what you watch, what you listen to and what you read as all these have a way of impacting mental processes. If you spend time reading about, listening to or watching videos on impossibilities, chances are you will think that there are always impossibilities on every step of the way. So like the lazy man described in the book of Proverbs, you will always see fierce lions in the streets and refuse to take the bull by the horn.

Be Strategic

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Do not expend energies running in wide circles that lead nowhere. Focus on a destination and decide on the best, fastest but godly and safest route to get there; right on time; God’s time. This calls for divine guidance from God. This also presupposes that you have ascertained the specified destination from God; therefore you know where you are headed but require a strategic roadmap.

Be strategically positioned in or at a location where people can easily access you. For instance, a hill is a conspicuous place, a vantage point because people can see what is on the hill. This is to say that you have to be rightly positioned where people can see you and reach you. Accessibility is therefore important – people should be able to see you.

Give empowering gifts. Empowering gifts empower people to become who God created them to be, enable them to achieve divine destinies. Therefore, you should love and enjoy teaching people to do things right.

The responsibility of a Christian is to solve problems for humanity and not only cater for his or her family’s needs. Joseph did. Daniel did. Esther did. Nehemiah did. So also are many historical and contemporary people that you have either heard about, read about, watched videos of and have even seen. The problems they solved moved them up in the ladder of life and wealth. The choice is yours. God has a place for you in the kingdom. Know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Develop your craft. Challenge the area of your limitation. Creative people always find ways to transcend the limits put on them. Learn if you have to learn and ensure you learn the right things.

The Overtakers Unction

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The race is neither to the swift nor to the strong. Please see Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 verse 11, Romans Chapter 9 verses 15 to 16. The overtakers unction is predicated on obedience; in particular, prompt, willing and loving obedience to and for God. Elijah who ran on foot was able to outrun and overtake Ahab who rode on a chariot because Elijah was obedient to God. That explains why the hand of God came upon Elijah to outrun and overtake Ahab who rode on a chariot. The question then is how did Elijah obey God? In verse 1, God instructed Elijah to go show himself to Ahab and inform Ahab that God was going to send rain on the earth. Considering what had transpired between Ahab and Elisha in addition to the fact that the land had not experienced even a shower not to talk of rain in about three years, it was quite a tall order and scary task for Elijah to go tell Ahab that God was sending rain. Despite the risks, Elijah presented himself to Ahab, significantly not to immediately announce the rain but to initiate divine processes that would lead to the downpour. In the process, a good number of the prophets of Baal and Asherah, about eight hundred were executed. But more important, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord and then announced rain. While Ahab went feasting, Elijah stayed with God, bowed in intercession until there was a cloud. As Ahab scampered home in his chariot, Elijah attempted to run as fast as his legs would carry him. But the ever loving God Whom Elijah obeyed and served lovingly intervened. Elijah not only outran and overtook Ahab: not a single drop of rain touched him. The rewards of obedience, you may say.

Do Not Live a Lie

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Be truthful to yourself and other people in all that you do. God respects and honors people who are truthful. This is because truthful people can be trusted and depended on. You live a lie when you talk and act contrary to the image you present whether in private or in public. You also live a lie when you double speak especially when you claim to be a Christian. You live a lie when you try to impress people with borrowed resources just to prove a point that you are financially comfortable when in truth you lack.

You live a lie when you pretend to have a perfect marital relationship when in reality you live poles apart with your spouse even in the same bedroom and house. You do not speak to each other; do not express any form of intimacy and love. You live a lie when you borrow resources to send your children to supposedly exclusive schools so that you can be classed as rich or wealthy and then you pay unfortunately; albeit expensively for this lie in health issues that are a result of these lies.

You live a lie when you pretend to be a very nice generous and forgiving person in public especially in Church and your workplace while you are a terror at home to your spouse and children. Neither your spouse nor your children can access you or even discuss anything with you because you growl at the mere sight of them, use invectives that even members of the kingdom of darkness do not use on members of their family; and then you go further to pronounce curses on them. Beloved, it is time to repent.

Be You and Succeed

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Take off the silly mask and be yourself. Be the loving caring person you were created to be. Love gives. Think openness. Dream, love, do not give in to apathy. Joseph never stopped dreaming, never stopped loving. No wonder he emerged into the plans and purposes of God for his life

Be intimate with God, which is investing in a fervent relationship with God because that is the right thing to do. Do not pretend to be a Christian because your friends or family members are. Be a Christian because Christ died for you. Also, the one person you should know intimately is God who has power over everything. No one can stand against you when God is for you.

Follow through on God’s call for your life if you have the call of God. Do not imitate others in the quest for money. God is more powerful than money. Your present economic condition does not determine where you are going to. Rather, it is the call of God that you respond to that will take you to God’s ordained heights for you. The Biblical Joseph chose the call of God. He got to the top position and had money in abundance. Be the GIFT He created you to be to the world and bring His healing and blessings to all who you come in contact with. 

Do not pretend to be who you are not. Do not try to impress anyone. Be who you are. Be yourself. God assesses people on the basis of what He asks them to do.

Advance Like a Lion

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The lion is described in Proverbs Chapter 30 verse 30 as a n animal that moves with stately bearing, moving majestically. This is to say that the lion always walks majestically. It is also described as mighty among beasts and does not retreat before anyone or anything.

The lion fights through every opposition until victory is assured even if it has to devour the opposition. Please see Numbers Chapters 23 verse 24 and 24 verse 9.  

The lion is neither afraid nor disturbed by the noise of a multitude of shepherds when it roars over its prey. Please see Isaiah Chapter 31 verse 4.

The journey to self discovery, personal development, relationship management, wealth creation, grooming, ethics and values as well as successful Christian living is usually fraught with challenges that if well managed constitute stepping stones. Some of the challenges include lack of faith, doubts, self doubt, fear, confusion, worry and anxiety, poor self image, wrong conditioning, wrong environment, limiting mindsets, ignorance, negative past experiences, refusal to let go of the past, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, threats and intimidation.

To advance like a lion in the journey of life means that you have to comport yourself like royalty, moving majestically irrespective of what the circumstances are. Additionally, do not turn back in fear before anyone or situation or circumstance or anything. Let nothing intimidate you into retreating or surrendering. Always advance like a lion so that you are always exercising dominion as God ordained for you from the foundation of the world. Please see Genesis Chapter 1 verse 28, Psalm 110 verse 2. Do not be intimidated, afraid, or disturbed by any conspiracy or unholy alliances because God will cause all such conspiracies and alliances to self destruct in Jesus mighty name. Please see Isaiah Chapter 8 verses 9 to 12, 2^nd Chronicles Chapter 20, Numbers Chapter 23 and Lamentations Chapter 3 verse 37.