Stretch Out 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

An eagle which fraternizes with chickens all the time loses its ability to soar and will at best fly, an extremely difficult task for the eagle whose wings are designed to soar and not fly. Beloved, you have been standing very tall but unfortunately you did not know it and made the mistake of attempting to stoop. Quickly undo the mistake and keep standing very tall as you are not holding your ground, defending your territory but you are also actually sending out word that there is no room for competition because you have actually grown beyond competition.

You are already an institution, an intimidating force to be reckoned with, respected, valued, significant and relevant to humanity. It is therefore time to move on in life so that you can be more beneficial to humanity and be truly celebrated.

You have had the luxury of interacting with quality people and institutions and when you have the luxury of interacting with quality players in any endeavor of life, you develop as a player in that area of life. Not only do you work from an intelligence perspective, you also develop an uncanny instinct, the ability to smell opportunities and utilize the opportunities to great advantage. Doing this as often as possible can make you an expression of family, institutional, community, national and global pride. Significantly, this can be achieved through deliberate and measured diligent growth in about every area of life which is why you must make the effort to interact with quality players. Therefore, hone your gifts so that you can excel and stand before kings. While it is true that low gifts and great anointing produce results, the truth is that the results are not permanent. This is because there is usually no organization, no systems, and no institutionalization that will give permanent results. This is also true of great gifts and low anointing as they also produce results that are not permanent. But great gifts and great anointing equals great results and permanence. Significantly, both have to be developed.

Stretch Out

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The parable of talents is illustrative of what people who recognize the worth of their talents or divine gifts can do to multiply and compound their talents or divine gifts to bless humanity and themselves. The man who was given five talents multiplied the talents. So also did the man who got two talents. But the wicked servant who received one talent chose not to work his talent.  Rather, he buried the talent. He was therefore unproductive and not a blessing to himself, family, humanity or even His master. Beloved, a one talent person is already disadvantaged and therefore has no business burying the gift. Rather, s/he should hone the gift and move on to other gifts. Yet the most dangerous thing most one talent people do is to bury their gifts when in reality they should develop five talent efforts so that they can match up with the people who have five talents.

Five talent people and five talents efforts is God’s preference. This because five talent people always make five talent efforts to serve divine purpose and bless humanity. They are selfless people who live for the common good. David was a five talent person. Mary the mother of Jesus Christ was a five talent person. The prophetess Deborah was a five talent person. She accompanied Barak to war and God gave Israel victory. She did what she did for the common good. It was not about her. It was for Israel, the people of God. Nehemiah was a five talent person. That explains why he rose from the position of butler to governor of Jerusalem who blessed the people with his personal resources. The little boy who brought lunch to the crusade, five loaves of bread and two fishes was a five talent child. He blessed humanity with his lunch pack. Jesus is a five talent person and I dare to say that you are a five talent person.

The Biblical Joseph for instance was born a five talent person but unfortunately was living with a one talent family and probably attending a one talent school and taught by a one talent teacher; that is if there were schools then. But somehow, God intervened in the affairs of Joseph and organized him out of the one talent family and environment. Though Joseph also ended up in a one talent family in Egypt, Potiphar’s wife’s sinful advances to Joseph moved him out of a one talent house to prison, a two talent world until Joseph’s eventual move to a five talent world, the palace.

The Leverage of Favor 3

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. Leviticus Chapter 26 verses 3 to 5, 9 to 10, NIV, Women's Devotional Bible.

Mary the mother of Jesus Christ was highly favored. That is to say she had tons of favor from God. Please see Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 to 37. The Bible records that Mary found favor with God and received grace to become the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Mary was an unknown young woman from the linage of Aaron (Luke Chapter 1 verses, 5, 36) who was betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David. But Mary achieved global fame, honor and eternal security in Christ Jesus because she was highly favored by God. Please read Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 to 30 to birth the Lord Jesus Christ. The favor of God upon Mary elevated Mary above her peers.

Beloved, you can be suddenly elevated above your peers by the favor of God upon your life if only you will allow God take charge of your life. Mary was a chaste young woman; she was engaged to be married but was suddenly found to be with child – pregnant outside of wedlock. Joseph considered putting her away but rescinded his decision after God spoke with him through His angel. Please read Matthew Chapter 1 verses 18 to 25. Beloved, the circumstances were not pleasant for Mary, a young unmarried woman pregnant; not even by her fiancé. But God intervened and Joseph did the right thing.

The Leverage of Favor 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 1 to 8.

Favor has leverage when it is from God. Otherwise, it is the whims and caprices of human beings which is not sustainable. But the favor which comes from God has leverage because God uses it to accomplish divine purposes through the favored one. S/he has unlimited, unrestricted access to whatever resources are required to accomplish divine purpose; is sheltered, safe and secure in God and by God from all the flying darts of the enemy.

Divine favor is aromatic, has pleasant smells which explain why anyone with divine favor is always warmly and lovingly received by people, families, institutions, nations and governments. Divine favor also guarantees access to God, the blessings of God as well as to people and whatever resources are required to achieve divine purpose. Please read Deuteronomy Chapter 33 verses 13 to 29 and Isaiah Chapter 60 verses 10 to 11.

God in His infinite mercy encompassed Joseph with uncommon favor such that even while in prison in a foreign land, the divine favor of God encompassed Joseph. The keeper of the prison left everything to Joseph’s care just as his erstwhile master Potiphar left everything in his care when he served under Potiphar before he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and unjustly put in prison. But despite being in prison in a land where Joseph had no one to speak up for him in his favor, the Bible records that God was with him and gave him favor before the keeper of the prison. Beloved, the Presence of God in the life of a person is also a contributory factor to being encircled by divine favor. Please read Psalm 5 verse 12.

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.

The Power of Divine Leverages

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Is it possible to move from the dust and ash heap positions of life to positions of influence, in point of fact, great influence, power, wealth and fame through divine leverages? Absolutely!

Divine leverages are leverages bestowed on a person by God for the purpose of achieving divine purposes. The Bible records in Acts Chapter 7 verses 9 to 10 that God was with Joseph, delivered him from all his troubles and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all his house, that is to say that Joseph was next to Pharaoh in the political organogram and power sharing structure of Egypt. Please read also Genesis Chapter 41 for further details.

Joseph was not a citizen of Egypt, had no claims to earthly royalty, was not even a palace guard or cleaner yet he showed up at the palace once, in point of fact, just once and he became a great power broker in Egypt because divine leverages were working for him.

Get Rid of Mental Clutter 2

 Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Pay rapt attention to what God is saying and doing in your life now to increase you and elevate you above your peers and enemies into the rightful position and privileges He ordained for you from the foundation of the world. Therefore, ignore what the devil and his cohorts are doing and focus on what God is doing. Refuse to be emotionally bound or attached to the evil they are speaking by the demons ruling them. People filled with the Holy Spirit of God do not say words which dampen the spirits of other people to make them sad or unhappy or even develop zero to low self esteem. It is the devil who does that and he does it through people who are willing to be his agents of verbal abuse and destruction. Beloved, you are not one of the victims of such people because you are spiritually and mentally empowered by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Therefore, focus on God and give Him thanks and quality praise for what He is doing in your life. Also, focus on the blessings of God in your life rather than what you think or know the enemy is doing. The enemy will always attempt to clog your mental processes with his lies which God does not allow to see the light of day because God loves you and cares for you. Please read Numbers Chapter 23 verses 19 to 23, Isaiah Chapter 8 verses 9 to 10.

There are people who do not see any good in other people as well as everything around them. They complain about the sun, the moon, the grass, the animals, the water bodies, the government, the media, religious institutions and religious peoples and leaders. Refuse to entertain such people who always have a litany of woes irrespective of who they are. The more attention you pay to a litany of woes, especially from people infested with litanies of woes each time they open their mouths, the more cluttered and clogged your mental processes will be. This is because you will be mentally processing their litanies of woes rather than the faithful promises of God to you in the Bible. I therefore strongly advise that if people do not hang around you to share life transforming information with you, what the Bible refers to as iron sharpening iron, then reconsider spending quality time with them. Life transforming information will move you up the ladder of success while gossip, bad mouthing of other people behind their backs and general complaints will only help to clog your mental processes. Stay away from such discussions and people. You do not need them.