Do Not Lose Your Identity 2

                                      Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Daniel was a very young man when he was conscripted into the court of King Nebuchadnezzar first as a trainee and later as a very important member of the court. Though Daniel outlived Nebuchadnezzar and other kings after Nebuchadnezzar such as BelShazzar, Darius the Mede and Cyrus, Daniel did not lose his identity as an Israelite. He refused to partake of the defiling delicacies of the King’s table and refused to stop praying to God even when a death sentence was issued against anyone who prayed to another god within thirty days. Daniel knew that Jehovah was and will always be God over all gods. So he ignored their threats and maintained his normal routine of communion with God. Though Daniel was eventually thrown into the den of lions, the Bible records that he was unscathed as the lions did not touch him. But when the conspirators were thrown into that same den of lions, they were immediately devoured by the lions. Please read Daniel Chapter 6. Daniel could have chosen to blend in with the people he interacted with; the people he was compelled to learn their language, culture and religion while he was in training for three years and most importantly while he was in service so he could probably be promoted. But Daniel chose to be Daniel, an obedient child of God and because he did not lose his identity, he prospered and was honored. But most importantly, Daniel’s refusal to lose his identity in obedience to God helped to entrench the worship of God in the kingdoms he served.

Do Not Lose Your Identity

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

 “Issachar is no better than a donkey   That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.  But he sees that the resting place is good And that the land is delightful. So he bends his back to carry the load and is forced to work as a slave.    Good News Translation

 “Issachar is a rawboned^[f] donkey lying down among the sheep pens.  When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. NIV

 “Issachar is a strong donkey,    crouching between the sheepfolds.  He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor. English Standard Version (ESV)

 Issachar is a strong donkey,lying down between the sheepfolds. He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.… Berean Study Bible

The Bible records in Genesis Chapter 49 verse 14 that Issachar lost his identity and mission in life to a pleasant land and the supposedly rest that the pleasant land provided. Unfortunately, Issachar became a band of slaves over a period of time. Issachar who was divinely designed to provide leadership direction and influence (2^nd Chronicles Chapter 12 verse 32) sold himself and his generation to slavery. Fortunately, God showed them mercy and restored their leadership role in Israel.

The Role of Excellent Communication Skills in Brand Enhancement

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Excellent communication skills open doors of abundance, influence, position, power and authority to people who have learnt to communicate excellently whether verbally or written or even through body language. Excellent communication skills are a total package comprising your choice of diction, tone, posture, grooming and dressence. All of these take constant practice as well as conscious effort to implement and improve upon what has been practiced. It is neither a one off activity nor a sprint.

Nabal is described as a very successful business man who had acquired considerable wealth and was referred to as very rich. Additionally, he was married to a very beautiful woman described as someone of good understanding. Despite all these successes, Nabal lacked communication skills and was consequently described as harsh and evil in his doings. Please see 1^st Samuel Chapter 25.

His caustic and very demeaning response to the messengers of David over a simple request to let them partake of his feast from the shearing activity attest to the fact that he had absolutely no communication skills. How? A polite no to their request would have been okay rather than the invectives on David who he referred to as not only a servant but a breakaway servant from his master and concluded that he would not share his food with men he did not know where they were from.

David was infuriated when his men reported back Nabal’s unguarded speech and embarked on a revenge mission that would have wiped out Nabal and his entire household but for the timely intervention of Abigail, Nabal’s very beautiful wife.

Exercise Dominion in Your Sector

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

If there is anyone that should succeed in any business, it should be you because Genesis Chapter 1 verse 26 says so. It is the will of God for you. This means that as a believer, you should be at the top because dominion is your DNA. You are made in the image of God.

There is no best business, place or profession or field. Every business has its successes and failures as well as the secrets that make certain people exercise dominion certain sectors and why some people do a sprint away from certain sectors. Your sector is your sphere of influence; an area where you authority rules. However, you require great skills and expertise to exercise dominion in your sector. If you do not have the skills and expertise, you either learn them or hire them as consultants. But most importantly, always apply the wisdom of God in whatever you do. It is the wisdom of God that will always give you the edge you need to exercise dominion in your sector. The wisdom of God is all yours for the asking if you care to – James Chapter

Additionally, and quite instructive is the need to apply yourself. While skills and expertise are great assets; skills and expertise without a corresponding grace to complete assigned tasks especially as directed will not place you at the top. If you do not complete tasks assigned to you, how then do you exercise dominion? An uncompleted building, art work or dress is never a master piece and cannot be showcased in any competition. Only completed buildings, works of art, dresses et al can be showcased and categorized as master pieces. Huram had the grace to finish tasks as directed. So also were Bezalel, Oholiab and the team of gifted artisans who worked with them – Exodus Chapter 38 verses 22 to 23, 39 verses 42 to 43.

Enhance Your Brand 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

A brand is the sum total of your true worth, capabilities and influence.  This includes your contacts – all the people you know that can support your brand. Your brand is wealth worth billions if only you know what to do with the brand.

The Presence of God is what you need to enhance your brand. To start with, you did not create your brand. God created you and your brand and He alone knows how you can enhance your brand. That is why you need His Presence in your life to enhance the brand. Besides, He designed that brand in you for a purpose and therefore knows best what you need to enhance that brand to suit the divine purpose for which He created that brand in you.

Jeremiah for instance was divinely designed as a prophet unto the nations and within the makeup of a prophet unto the nations are special characteristics required to function effectively in that brand. Jeremiah obviously had to develop and perfect those characteristics over time in order to be effective in that brand. To achieve this, Jeremiah had to depend on God completely to develop and perfect the characteristics that would enhance his brand as a prophet unto the nations.