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.

Do Not Give Up on God

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

What does it mean to give up on God? To give up on God is as good as walking out on God or walking away completely from God because you are convinced that God did not come through for you, will not come through for you. Beloved, the truth and reality is that God always comes through for His own even when the answer He gives is NO. You may not understand the reasons for His NO because you cannot see beyond now. But God sees beyond now to eternity and forever. He therefore has very cogent reasons for saying NO or even WAIT.

God loves you and has great plans including resources for fulfilling the plans He has for you. However, God unveils the strategies one step at a time and sometimes you may not even understand as some strategies may appear to be working against you. Take for instance the case of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his siblings. Unknown to both Joseph and his siblings then, slavery in Egypt was one of the steeping stones to actualizing Joseph’s global leadership goal. How about when he was eventually thrown into prison for no just cause? Unknown to Potiphar’s wife, Potiphar and even Joseph himself, that was the final rung on the ladder to the palace. Can you imagine what would have happened if Joseph gave up on God? He may have missed the coming glory which appeared elusive considering the very unpleasant circumstances he found himself in yet was very close. Just a little patience coupled with absolute faith in God and Joseph made it to the top.

How about King David of Israel? Severally, David could have given up on God on account of the extenuous circumstances that constantly assailed him such as the several threats to his young life by King Saul that rendered him homeless for years( he had to seek refuge in the land of the Philistines). When Saul eventually died, there was a long feud between David and the house of Saul until God eventually gave David victory and established him as King in Israel. How about his travails at the hands of his son Absalom, the treachery by his trusted friend Ahitophel; and the subsequent humiliation by Shimei (a close relation of the late King Saul who rejoiced at Absalom’s treatment of David); and who rained curses on David and pillaged him and his entourage with stones? In all of these, David did not give up on God. He was steadfast, stayed true to God and was eventually vindicated by God.

Unmask You

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

To succeed, the real you has to come to the fore. The real you is God’s original design of you created to fulfill His divine plans and purposes for your life. The following questions may guide you into identifying that you if answered truthfully.

• Whose dreams and visions are you interpreting and for what purpose?

• Whose ideas are you implementing and for what purpose?

• What drives you – your dreams and visions coupled with a desire to excel; or the desire to please and impress other people by deploying your energy and resources to service their dreams and visions while yours are left fallow?

• Do you desire greatness or servitude? The choice is actually yours. 

• Who is God to you?

• Have you identified your purpose in life or you are hoping it will fall on you like a bag of cherries?

• Do you have a trajectory for your life?

• What do you hope to be remembered for in the next ten years?

• What does the gift of time mean to you?

Divine Pathways to Fame 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

God is the One Who raises the poor and needy out of the dust, from obscurity and insignificance, dishonor and lack into limelight, significance, relevance, honor and wealth – Psalm 113 verses 7 to 8, 1^st Samuel Chapter 2 verses 7 to 10, Psalm 78 verses 70 to 72, 107 verse 41, 145 verse 14. Some biblical examples include Hannah, Joseph, Abraham, Daniel, Mordecai, Esther, Obed-Edom, Ruth, Rahab, Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, David,

God raises the poor out of the dust. David was an unknown shepherd boy in Israel, the least of his father’s sons yet God in His infinite mercy chose to make David king in Israel, and gave him national and regional fame as time progressed. Psalm 78 verses 70 to 72, 113 verses 7 to 8, 1^st Samuel Chapter 16 verses 1 to 13, 2 verses 7 to 8, and Isaiah Chapter 43 verse 19.

God raised Ruth out of Moab, widowhood without children and money, obscurity and who knows what else would have befallen her in Moab to become the wife of Boaz, a significant and well known man of substance in Israel as well as the mother of Obed, who fathered Jesse, the father of King David. Ruth Chapters 1 to 4. In essence, Ruth, the unknown Moabitess became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ – Matthew Chapter 1 verse 5.

Rahab also rose to limelight and fame by the grace of God after she sheltered and protected the two spies sent by Joshua to Jericho. The Rahab who was described as a harlot in Joshua Chapters 2 verse 1, 6 verse 17, 22, 25 is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus Christ as the wife of Salmon and mother of Boaz who married Ruth and fathered Obed, the grandfather of King David.

Esther, a Jewish captive and orphan in Babylon; living with her older cousin Mordecai became famous, royalty when she married King Ahasuerus, the then ruler of a vast empire that spanned Asia and some parts of Europe. Significantly, God raised her to fulfill divine purpose. It is also significant to note that everyone God raised out of the obscure situations and positions in life fulfilled divine purposes.

Divine Pathways to Fame 1

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of English defines fame, an uncountable noun as the state of being known and talked about by many people.

Fame comes by consistently doing the work God assigned you the way He wants you to do it, where He wants you to do it, where He wants you to do it, when He wants you to do it and for whom He wants you to do it. It is the work that is done, albeit the quality of the work that God uses to bring about the fame. It is not jumping or running around other people who are conscientiously and diligently doing their work; engaging in idle chatter and frittering time. It is investing time, God’s precious time in the work God calls you to and has taken ample time to equip you for through His divine deposits of your unique gifts, talents, skills, expertise and divine connections. It is the impact of your work that brings about transformation in the lives of people that ultimately dovetails into fame. It is true that God is the author of fame and blesses His children with fame. However, that fame comes about by doing exactly what God wants you to do. 

Fame and honor comes by doing what God requires of you in the way He wants it done, when and where He wants it done and to whom He wants it done for and not necessarily how you want it done, where and when you want it done and whom it should be done for. God is the Only One who has the capacity and capability to order your steps into fame, wealth, and honor as you walk in divine purposes and timing as you work for God, do your work as unto the Lord. Fame is a function of your total and prompt obedience to God.

Who could be more famous than Jesus Christ? Nobody. How did He become famous? By doing what God asked Him to do in the way and timing and specific places where God asked Him to do what had to be done and by reaching out to the specific people God wanted Him to reach out to. Jesus Christ did not set out to be famous – Philippians Chapter 2 verses 5 to 11. Rather, He always set out to do what God required of Him and in the process, fame and honor followed him – John Chapter 4, Mark Chapter 1 verse 28, John Chapter 9 verse 4.

Always Negotiate Tomorrow

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Always negotiate the future. Tomorrow is the future. The future is where you are headed which is why the future should always be the focus of your negotiations. The past is gone and should not be part of the negotiations. Joseph negotiated the future in his negotiations with Pharaoh. Daniel negotiated the future.

Negotiating Skills – Worth and Value

Esau and Rachel had no negotiating skills which explain why they always negotiated bread and not divine destinies. Their lack of self-control over bread deprived them of the ability to negotiate from a position of power. No matter how famished Esau was, he should have exercised self-control when he realized what Jacob aimed for – a birthright in exchange for a pot of stew – that was enough wake up call to stall negotiations. But Esau in addition to lacking self-control had absolutely no idea of who he was – the first born; and therefore did not know his worth and value as well as that of the birthright. He therefore traded what was of divine value and worth for temporary satisfaction. He repeated the same absolute lack of value and worth in his second negotiations with Jacob. Rather than refuse the gifts as well as insist on providing protection and security for Jacob (these actions would have given Esau an edge over Jacob as they would have kept Jacob in his place, in fear of Esau and never daring to be first born), Esau capitulated to Jacob’s superior argument and became indebted to Jacob. If only Esau knew his worth and value, that Jacob was afraid of him and his men and that Jacob’s life depended on his generosity. But Esau had no idea of who he was and his worth and his value. This infers that any negotiator worth his or her salt should know his or her value and worth or the value and worth of what s/he holds as bargaining chips. That sense of value and worth will be a constant reminder not to trade in value and worth for temporary relief or satisfaction. Also, a seasoned or skilled negotiator should always exercise self control so as not to get carried away by the temporary relief that may appear to be the solution in the heat of negotiations but is indeed no solution as Esau learnt after trading in his birthright for a pot of stew and as Rachel probably learnt after trading in her husband and her right of intimacy with him that night for mandrakes.

Wisdom Promotes

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The God advantage is enough for you to overtake. All you need is the combination of divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding. There is a link between wisdom, knowledge and understanding (the difference between right and wrong) that helps one to make right choices); knowledge to drive out ignorance.

Wisdom is having a keen insight into life and the ways of dealing with life’s issues; an understanding of practical skills of life. It is also conduct that is orderly and morally upright. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore devote time to acquiring wisdom. The blessings of wisdom include promotion; that is being lifted above your contemporaries; honor which translates into respect; favor which translates into goodwill and preferential treatment; glory which births radiance and beauty. The pursuit of wisdom is therefore critical.

There are two kinds of wisdom, earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom (James Chapter 3 verses 13 to 18, Matthew Chapter 11 verse 19). Earthly wisdom is the natural way of doing things. One of its key attributes is that it is self seeking, envious and jealously competitive, and does not celebrate the talents and victories of others. It is always creating confusion and disorderliness. It cannot stand order. It is boastful and seeks to be recognized.

Heavenly wisdom is not dubious, has no hidden agenda and can be trusted. It is peaceable – live at peace with all men, gentle in disposition, tolerant, merciful, produces good fruits and results. It is sincere, no hypocrisy or lies.

Wisdom brings promotion that is not dependent on age, education, expertise, experience. Rather, it is dependent on God. Daniel was ten times better because he operated with the wisdom of God that God blessed him with. He received astronomical promotion.