COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING PART 3

THE COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING-PART 3

Earlier we started looking into the fundamental pathways to enjoying Divine blessings. We have been made to understand from earlier articles that God is pleased in our prosperity. 3 John 2 "that ye may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospereth".

We have seen that the Father will have us enjoy all that pertains to life and godliness. Luke 12:32 tells us that it is His good will to give us the kingdom. Revelations 5:10 talks about our reigning on the earth. We have been called as kings and queens. 

From all the scriptures above, we see that God is very much interested in everything that is good towards us. However, we must understand that it is possible for us to have this inheritance but still do not know how to access it. It's just like the story of a man who was in an airplane and as they were passing refreshments, He didn't take anything for the fear that it might cost him money. While others were taking and eating; though hungry, he just kept declining the offers. Once they got to their destination, He asked a face he had seen in the airplane, for where he could get something to eat. This man marvelled and told him that he had rights to everything served on the plane, as He had paid for it together with the flight ticket. Shocked, you may be! But this is how it is for so many of us. We don't know what is available unto us and even when we do, we don't know how to access it. Hence the need to go through this series. If you have not seen the previous articles, they are on our blogspot and Facebook handles, endeavour to check them out. God bless you.

In the words of Late Myles Munroe, "when the knowledge of a thing is not known, an abuse is inevitable". Take knowledge from a man and you have crippled him. The Bible says the ways of the foolish wearieth everyone of them for they know not how to go into the city. When you don't know a thing, you tend to commit errors and why? This is because you easily make assumptions. At the very root of assumptions is lack of knowledge. But I believe we all will obtain knowledge from here forward. Amen

We have considered two pathways i.e. Divine Obedience and Sanctification. We were made to see that Obedience to Divine instructions is what makes us rise as giants in life. Caleb and Joshua, of the twelve spies, rose to greatness because they obeyed (Num 14:24). 

The blessings of our Father Abraham that we appropriate on ourselves today were received on the platform of Faith filled Obedience. Obedience that was not ready to waver or shake under pressure. As Romans 4:20 will put it, "the Obedience that staggered not". If you want to go very far in life, pay attention to obeying God's voice. His voice is the only best way to live without errors. 

We were also made to understand that only the righteous are entitled to enjoying Divine blessings. Psalm 112:1-2 "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed". This is not to say the children of the world may not enjoy blessings but true kingdom riches are for God's beloved. When the sinners gather wealth, the Bible makes us to understand that it is so that, soon all they have will be taken from them ( Psalm 73:17). And why is this so?  the enemy is on the mission to steal, kill and to destroy. For a child of God, we have the edge of a defence against His woes but for those of the world, they are as a prey in the devil's hands. 

Today we will be looking at another COVENANT PATHWAY - SACRIFICE

The altar of sacrifice is one of the surest means of securing Heaven's blessings upon your life.  What is Sacrifice? Sacrifice is just giving unto the Lord that which costs you something. It is a step higher than your offering. Many times in the old testament, when the concept of Sacrifice was made mention of, we see God coming down mightily by Himself; we see Him visiting His people with strange orders.

In the book of Genesis 22, Abraham was to offer a sacrifice of his only son unto God and we saw how by simply doing this, God again revalidated His promises unto him. For Noah in Genesis 8:20-21 "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done"

By this sacrifice of His, God made a decree that He would not again destroy the world with flood. We are reminded that God will always remember our offerings and sacrifices.

Psalm 20:1-3 "The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

In 1 kings 3:3-5, King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings unto God and then that same night in Gibeon, the Lord visited Him and gave Him a blank cheque.

Sacrifice is one way the heavens open unto us. It is expedient that we know when we give unto the Lord, He gives back unto us. One may ask how then do we give unto God. We give for the things of the kingdom. We give time, materials, resources, our life anything that is worth something. All these are our sacrifices unto God. Men that have an understanding of this know that it is a very easy way to securing the blessings of God. Malachi 3:10"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it".

The Father is interested in the meat that will in turn return to you as a blessing. It is not God who is in need, we are the ones who are in need of Him. He has all He will ever require but for us to be blessed, we must do certain things. God delights in our offerings and more importantly our sacrifices.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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NURTURING A POSITIVE MINDSET PART 2

 NURTURING A POSITIVE MINDSET PART 2

How can we nurture a positive mindset?

No one is born with a positive attitude, it is something we can all learn and practice.

☮️Learn to say positive affirmations everyday.

 There is actually neuroscience research behind this, positive affirmations help shift your mind from negative talk, fear and anxiety. When you say and repeat a positive phrase to yourself, you feel motivated, it also helps boost your confidence and self-esteem. However, the only way for this to be effective is to practice it regularly and make it a habit.

Focus your energy on what you want in life and spend time thinking of ways to get it. This keeps you optimistic and helps build your self confidence.

⚧Acknowledge negative thoughts.

When it comes to your mind, process it and then shift the thought and create a new positive one. Remember, your mind has the capacity to only think one thought at a time, let it be a positive one.

☸️Learn from your mistakes and failures but don't dwell on them.

No one said it would be easy, but with a positive mindset, you're able to learn from your mistakes and move on. You're motivated to keep trying, to keep going even when it seems like there's no hope at all. You will eventually.

🔯Watch Your Language.

Many times, we are not aware of how much the use of language affects the way we perceive the world. If we are constantly complaining and making negative statement, we will believe them and will stop the positive cycle from growing into something bigger. The use of the languages focusses our attention and thought on specific part of the world, even shaping our personal identity. Then, the use of language is one of the most powerful tools at our hand to nuture our positivity. An appropriate use of language could shift our focus, keeping us aligned with success.

✡️Use the power of your smile and get surrounded by positive people.

 Possibly, one of the simplest ways to grow a positive mind is to smile more often. It can help to bring positivity in your life, making you more receptive and approachable to the eyes of others. When someone smile, they are unconsciously telling others how easy it is to talk to them. It might even help to change negative perception others might have about you. Smiling to others will attract those smiling to others too, i.e those that are also cultivating a positive mindset.

Remember, Once you replace negative thoughts with a positive mindset, you'll start seeing positive results.

Thank you for following through. You can also make use the comments box.

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NURTURING A POSITIVE MINDSET PART 1

NURTURING A POSITIVE MINDSET PART 1

It's personal development week, To God be the glory for the grace to write again this month. I implore you reading this to follow carefully as we journey through Nurturing a positive mindset in the development of one's personality.

Personal development can be anything that can help you go after your best self. One of the five areas of personal development is the mental state. It is all about growing your mind.

"Once you replace negative thoughts with a positive mindset, you'll start seeing positive results".

Willie Nelson

MINDSETS

The mind is the most powerful tools in humans. You have to nurture it daily by consciously thinking positive thoughts that will amplify your strengths, improve your well-beings and ultimately lead to a better life.

Positive mindset, means being optimistic about the world around you, and expecting that good things will happen to you. In contrast, a negative mindset indicates that you expect bad things to happen and struggle to perceive the world in a positive way.

When you constantly think negative thoughts, your energy gets affected and your whole world is fueled by negativity. Not only that, negative thoughts tends to lead to negative speech, which tends to manifest in actions. Then we wonder "why things never work out for us".

Positive thoughts bring positive things. Have you ever heard of the Law of Attraction? Basically, it is based on the thoughts that our mindset has the power to bring us to those things that we think about. That's why it is so important to create positive thoughts and grow positive mindset. The way we respond to the challenges of life determines how happy we can get to be.

Positivism is an attitude. Unconsciously, we get to choose to be positive or negative, and we need to work towards our objective to become the version of ourselves we want to be. Also positiveness increases mental toughness.

Successful people have a positive mindset and attitude. They focus on what they want and how to get it. By doing this, the brain releases endorphins (feel good hormone) which give them a feeling of well-being.

In our next article we shall be dealing on how we nurture a positive mindset, it is one thing to posses a positive mindset and it is another thing to nurture a positive mindset. 

I hope you are blessed by this article, kindly drop a comment in the comment box below, your comment always prompt us to be better.

Thank you

The Impact Team.

Thank you

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THE COVENANT PATHWAYS TO DIVINE BLESSING

 THE COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING - PART 2

Praise God! Earlier this week we began a series on THE COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING. When we talk about pathways, there is always where a person is coming from and a final destination one is going. The destination referred to here is the Blessings of God that comes with doing everything His word instructs. To make journeying on this path worthwhile, one needs to take with him or herself those things that will help survival and also help us reach our intended destination; hence the need for this teaching.

We might have sometimes heard people say that a person is cursed or there is a curse afflicting him from his lineage. Yes, truly curses exist. But as real as the curses are, more real are the blessings of God to terminate such curses. Galatians 3:13-14 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith".

Since, we have been brought into a newer light, whatever happens to us in our family is not meant to be our portion by virtue of our new family. 1 Peter 2:9-10 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy".

You and I have now been translated into a new kingdom and have become heirs of God as Christ Jesus is. It is however important that we know this; we operate now in a realm of abundance. Revelations 5:12 says paraphrased "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom...."

One of the things Redemption offers us is these blessings we are talking about. Revelations 5:10 "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on this earth". One of the platforms through which we reign on earth is the access we have to heavenly blessings (Ephesians 1:3). But one thing we must understand is that knowledge is important. Hosea 4:6 "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". You might be in a family but if you do not have an understanding of the things that you are entitled to in the family; you will only be denying yourself of the blessings therein. You can never access them. 

Previously, we talked about the Covenant of Obedience. Today, we shall be looking at that and other Covenant practices.

Obedience is crucial if we must attain that great height which God has destined for us. Abraham believed God and obeyed His instructions, hence, he was greatly blessed. Till today, we still sing that Abraham's blessings are ours. Abraham's blessings are not for everyone but for those who will obey, and will take steps on every instruction. Job 36:11 "If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures". There is prosperity in obeying Divine instructions.

2. THE COVENANT OF SANCTIFICATION:

To be Sanctified means to live pure, holy and as the saints of God. You can call this the Covenant of Living A Sanctified life. New birth is a ticket to everything new. Verse 10 of 1Peter 2 says, "we were in time past not a people of God". This means there was a time we were never entitled to God's blessings; afterall Adam and Eve were sent out and since then the curse fell upon man to struggle and still not be satisfied. But Jesus Christ coming with the light of salvation came that he might restore us to that very initial plan of God. It is now up to us to take the salvation that He has offered unto us.

Therefore, one of the important paths to a world of unlimited blessings is through Redemption. God is in charge of the needs of those who are His and He is committed to also meetings these needs. Malachi 3:16-18 "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

God is telling us here that there is a criteria to benefit of his goodness: there is a criteria for Him to remember you. One is having the Fear of the Lord. And man cannot operate the spirit of the fear of the Lord except He first becomes saved and then sanctified. Looking into scriptures, all that enjoyed the blessings of God were righteous men; saints; men who followed God wholly and added nothing unto him. Abraham was a righteous man, Job was a just man, and we see how God blessed them greatly.

TO BE CONTINUED

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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THE COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING - PART 1

THE COVENANT PATHWAY TO DIVINE BLESSING - PART 1

How many of us know that by God's design of life for His children, He will have us blessed in whatever it is that we do? It is God's heartfelt desire that we enjoy blessings in whatever forms. The Bible made us to understand this in Genesis 1:26-28; "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth".

From the above scripture, we see clearly that God's plan for you and I is that we live a blessed life. He will have us enjoy Fruitfulness, Dominion, Multiplications, Breakthroughs and so on. But we must understand something, that there are infact covenant ways through which we secure these blessings upon our lives.

Note, it won't cost God anything to bless you and I. We are made to understand it is His plan already. 3 John 2; "I wish above all things that thou mayeth prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospereth".  It is His wish above every other thing. However, we must understand that for us to access these blessings of God upon our lives, there are certain things which we must do and certain things which we must not do. The former leads to blessings and the latter to curses. So journeying through the series, we will be unveiling the secrets to enjoying Divine blessings and I pray as God leads us this month, we will hearken unto every word He speaks in Jesus mighty name. Amen

Firstly, we must understand what Covenant is? Covenant is an oath of agreement that is made between two or more parties, built on clearly defined terms and binding strongly on all parties involved. It is a strong agreement and for us in this kingdom, it is between God the Father and us; and yes, we have Jesus as our intermediary. He is the one who pleads our cause before the Father 1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". Furthermore, we must pay close attention to this definition. If we say Covenant is binding, and we know from scriptures that our God is a covenant keeping God; (He said "my covenant will I not break nor alter the words that are gone out of my mouth" Psalm 89:34) then we should know that we as a person have our own part to play. 

In this covenant, whilst God will play His part as the covenantor, we as the covenantee must play our own part, ourselves. Another thing worth noting is, the covenant is binding as long as we remain under it. Yes, the Covenant is a strong agreement but it will only remain valid for us as long as we are under it's covering. This is scripturally outlined in the book of Genesis; we saw that God had made a covenant of blessings upon Adam in chapter 1, but because Adam fell short of this; he lost these blessings. Genesis 3:24 "So he (God) drove out the man, and he placed at the East of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned ever way, to keep the way of the tree of life". Hence, we must be fully aware of this. 

This is not to say the Grace of the Lord cannot help a man if he falls short; because we know now that Christ has died for man; man has received Grace from God. 2 Corinthians 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen! Yes, it is true we have the privilege of Grace. But Grace will not procure these blessings we are talking about, only fulfilling the demands of the Covenant will result to enjoying these blessings.

Now that we have been sensitized on the importance of the Covenant, what then are these covenant practices?

1. The Covenant of Obedience: Obedience is vital if we want to enjoy God's blessings upon our lives. The first man, Adam did not obey God's instructions in the garden of Eden and this made him lose his God given inheritance. We have so many in the Bible who out of Disobedience stopped what God was doing in their lives; Another is King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1-35. In this chapter, God had told the king that he would not take of the spoils of the Amalekites and that he would not spare anything of theirs; but the children of Israel did contrary to this. Verse 10-11 says "Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying; It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night". Verse 26 "And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel".

Over and over again in the scriptures, we see that God taketh pleasure in us keeping His commandments and following after his instructions. Obeying instructions is what makes for the rise of Giants in this kingdom. Everyone who is successful today, and who has made it through the God-kind of way, will have you know that they never joked with Obedience. Obedience is crucial. The same way it is in the natural realm; if you want to move up the ladder in your career, you have to obey the instructions of those ahead of you, because they are the ones who have seen the very place you intend going - in the kingdom, following after God's instructions is important if you want to go far in life. Obedience is Key.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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THE LEADING MENTALITY - PART 2

THE LEADING MENTALITY - PART 2

Last time, we embarked on a series "THE LEADING MENTALITY". We discussed how the Greeks and the Romans form the basic culture of Leadership. We started looking into the four philosophies of leadership but we will explain them in the article today.

Four Philosophies of the Greek?

1. Leadership is a product of Natural Endowments: The Greek believed that before one can qualify to be a Leader, one must possess certain characteristics for us to be a leader. However, if those characteristics are not found, then they believe one is created to be a slave. Hence, what you think about yourself doesn't matter. The Greeks will study you and if those characteristics are not found, notwithstanding your degree; you are simply an educated slave.

2. Leadership is a product of birth traits: The Greeks also believed that for one to be a leader, one must have certain traits. If those traits are not found in you, then you are a slave. These traits included; sharp pointed nose, thin lip, fair skin and blue eyes. Thus, according to the Greek, if you do not have any of these traits, then you are a slave.

3. Leadership is a product of Providence: The Greek also believed that one is a leader by providence. Providence simply means that you are chosen by a god i.e. an higher religious authority. This practice was common among the traditionals worshipers. So, if you are not chosen by gods, then you are destined to be a slave. 

4 Leadership is a product of Charisma: The Greek also believed that you are a leader if you are charismatic. Charisma simply means "the gifts of the gods". The gifts are flamboyant personality, ability to speak or an extrovert spirit. Hence, if you don't have these gifts i.e you don't talk, you are quiet, then according to the Greeks, you are a slave.

When the Romans dominated the Greek, they studied and adopted the Greek theory of leadership. They ruled the world with these philosophies. The Romans believed that since they dominated the Greek, then they were the gifts of the gods. If you are not a Roman then, you are automatically a slave. That was the reason for the statement "if you are in Rome, you don't do what you feel like; you do like the Romans". 

The Romans were so powerful that no country was able to destroy them. But they destroyed themselves through sexual immorality.They were not destroyed by invasion but by disintegration. Everyone struggled for power and started to create several kingdoms. 

Therefore, countries like France, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Britain etc are origin of the Roman kingdom. These countries colonized other countries in the world. Thus, it can be said that colonization is the expansion of Greek Leadership philosophies.

I hope we can now see from this point why the African continent is seen as a slaves. If you still can't; here is an explanation. 

When these countries came to Africa; all that they saw were attributes of slaves e.g dark skin, small nose etc..

In the next part, we will be looking at Jesus' Mentality of leadership which is the genuine kind of Leadership.

To Be Continued...

The Impact Team

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ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - PART 3

ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - PART 3

Did you know that High Self-esteem is a frame of mind that lets you celebrate your strength, challenge your weakness and feel good about yourself and your life?.....

"Persons of High Self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else". 

High self-esteem

^High Self-esteem is a positive and healthy self-esteem. People with this type of Self-esteem accept and value themselves. It is known to be positive as it manages to make the person satisfied with their lives. Does this imply that there will be no barrier or wall to be sealed? Absolutely not, but the confidence in oneself and the courage to face any problem that may arise makes everything more easier.

^Believing in yourself and trusting in who you are is what characterizes people who possess High self-esteem. However, this doesn't make them arrogant nor do they feel better than anyone else. They just have the security necessary to avoid letting negative circumstances and events throw them off balance

^But even among those with high self-esteem, there are people who can indeed be thrown off-balance, i.e. they are not able to constantly maintain this High self-esteem.

Here are some other Characteristics of High Self-esteem:

♦️High amount of self respect, 

♦️Acknowledging compliments, 

♦️Self-love,

♦️Focusing on your strength,

♦️Never comparing yourself to anyone.

Ways of building Healthy (High) Self-esteem?

Self-Esteem is strongly related to how you view and react to the things that happen in your life. Suggestions for building Self-esteem include:

♦️Talk to yourself "positively" – treat yourself as you would your best friend. Be supportive, kind and understanding to yourself. Don’t be hard on yourself when you make a mistake, simply make corrections.

♦️Challenge "Negative self-talk" – Everytime you criticise yourself, stop and look for objective evidence that the criticism is true. (If you feel you can’t be objective, then ask a trusted friend for their opinion.) You’ll realise that most of your negative self-talk is unfounded.

♦️Don’t compare yourself to others – Recognise that everyone is different and that every human life has value in its own right. Make an effort to accept yourself, wants and all.

♦️Acknowledge the positive – for example, don’t brush off compliments, dismiss your achievements as ‘dumb luck’ or ignore your positive traits.

♦️Appreciate your special qualities – Remind yourself of your good points every day. Write a list and refer to it often. (If you feel you can’t think of anything good about yourself, ask a trusted friend to help you write the list.)

♦️Forget the past – Concentrate on living in the here-and-now rather than reliving old hurts and disappointments. Do not lean unto them.

♦️Tell yourself a positive message everyday – Buy yourself a set of ‘inspirational cards’ and start each day reading out a new card and carrying the card’s message with you all day.

♦️Stop worrying – ‘Worrying’ is simply fretting about the future. Accept that certain things you cannot always see or change, and try to keep your thoughts in the here-and-now. Instead of worrying, think positively a solution.

♦️Have fun – Schedule enjoyable events and activities into every week.

♦️Exercise your body – It is such a good boost to the brain for all kinds of things but especially in combatting depression and helping you to feel good. Your targets need to be step-by-step, such as "starting with a walk round the block once a day", "enrolling at a local gym class" or "going for a swim".

♦️Be assertive – Communicate your needs, wants, feelings, beliefs and opinions to others in a direct and honest manner.

Practice the above suggestions every day. It takes effort and vigilance to replace unhelpful thoughts and behaviours with healthier versions. 

Give yourself time to establish the new habits. Keep a diary or journal to chart your progress.

Things to remember

•Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself.

•Everyone lacks confidence occasionally but people with low self-esteem are unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time.

•It takes attention and daily practice to boost a low self-esteem.

Keep it in mind, that it is difficult to escape from Inflated and Low self-esteem. If you are among the people who have High Self-esteem, even if you occasionally give in to instability in certain situations, Congratulations! You are so much closer to achieving the happiness and satisfaction in life that will make you feel blessed.

THE END

THANK YOU

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ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - PART 2

ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - PART 2

"Needing to talk badly about others indicate low self-esteem. That means, "l feel so low that instead of picking myself up, I have to cut others down"

Did you know that while everyone lacks confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem are always unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time?....

Earlier this week, we started the series on the role Self-Esteem in self or personal development. Today, we will consider another type of Self-esteem.

Low Self-Esteem

^Low Self-esteem is an unhealthy Self-esteem. People with low self-esteem generally lack confidence about who they are and what they can do. This type of Self-esteem mostly affects one's personality development.

^People with low Self-esteem often feel incompetent, unloved and inadequate. They are consistently afraid about making mistakes or letting other people down.

^A major factor of Low Self-esteem however comes from your own mental state. Your inner voice or the thought in your head could be constantly telling you that you are not good enough or do not worth anything. 

^Negative thinking is generally linked to low Self-Esteem.

Below are some characteristics of persons with Low Self-esteem:

♦️Sensitivity to criticism: If you have a low self-esteem, you may be extra-sensitive to criticism, whether from others or yourself. You see it only as reinforcing your flaws and confirming that you are incapable of doing       anything right.

♦️Social withdrawal: Declining invitations to go to a party, or meet up with friends; canceling scheduled plans last minute; and generally not wanting to be be around others are signs of low self-esteem.

♦️Hostility: For someone with low self-esteem, lashing out or becoming aggressive towards others is a defense mechanism. If you feel that you are about to be exposed or criticized, attacking whosoever might criticize you can be a sign of low self-esteem.

♦️Fear of trying: People with low self-esteem may doubt their abilities or worth and therefore avoid challenges.

♦️Fear of judgement: Avoiding activities that involve other people because they are afraid of being negatively judged. People with low self-esteem feel self conscious and stressed around others and constantly look for 'signs' that people don't love them.

♦️Relationship problems: For instance, a person with low self-esteem may tolerate all sorts of unreasonable behaviors from partner because they believe they must earn their love and friendship. They believe they cannot be loved by others.

♦️People with low self-esteem have moments of euphoria when everything is going right for them but when things start to go bad, their Self-esteem drops very quickly.

Other characteristics of persons with low self-esteem can be seen as;

•judging themselves inferior to peers

•using negative words to describe themselves such as fat, ugly or unlovable.

•not believing a person who compliments them.

_"Everyone lacks confidence occasionally, but people with Low Self-esteem are unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time. It takes attention, daily practice and a conscious effort to boost this low self-esteem"_

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Impact Team

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ROLE of SELF-ESTEEM in PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PART 1

ROLE of SELF-ESTEEM in PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PART 1

We all know that "Self-esteem comes from what you as a person think of yourself, not what other people think of you".

But did you also know that Self-esteem is not dependent entirely on one thing or a set of thoughts. Instead, it is made up of your view of all the things that define you as a person including your personality, accomplishments, talents, capabilities, background, experiences, relationships, physical appearance, as well as how you perceive others to see you?...

Self-esteem plays a critical role in shaping the Personality process. The term "Self-esteem" is used to describe a person's overall sense of self worth or personal value. 

^Self-esteem is important for Personality development because it heavily influences people's choices and decisions. It serves a motivational function by making it more likely that people will take care of themselves and explore their full potential.

^Our self-esteem shapes our personalities and makes us the person we become. People with healthy self-esteem are also people who are motivated to take care of themselves and to persistently strive towards the fulfilment of personal goals and aspirations.

^Self concept  is related to Self-esteem, and people who have good self-esteem have a clearly differential self concept. When people know themselves, they can maximize outcomes, because they know what they can and cannot do.

^We must understand that our self-esteem is so important as well to our emotional health, and that the feeling of liking and respecting ourselves is the foundational principle of success and happiness. It is vital for us to feel fully alive.

^Self-esteem and Personality directly influence on each other.

There are majorly 3 types of self-esteem. 

♦Inflated self-esteem (Negative)

♦Low self-esteem  (Unhealthy)

♦High self-esteem (Positive or Healthy)

This article will be revealing more about Self-esteem to us as we continue in the series.

*Inflated Self-esteem:*

^Self-esteem is one of the most important chapters in Self- development (Personal development); however it is very difficult to find the healthy and positive balance of a strong Self-esteem in the reality of life. If we do not have a proper guidance, we can distort self-love through an inflated self-esteem which is based on "ego" and "superiority". If self-love is egoistic, it is called an Inflated self-esteem. 

^Inflated self-esteem provides false expression of both our abilities and our worths. It can contribute to present a wrong image of us to the world and people around us.

^People with inflated self-esteem tend to think of themselves as being better than other people and are always ready to underestimate others.

^Inflated self-esteem is actually a very negative type of self-esteem because it prevents people who possess it from forming meaningful and healthy relationships.

^People with inflated Self-esteem are characterized by their inability to listen to others and criticize themselves.

Below are some characteristics of persons with Inflated Self-esteem.

 

♦Urge to be right in all decisions. In reality, people who have inflated self-esteem suffer a great deal, because they have an urge to be right in all decisions.

♦People with inflated Self-esteem are not capable of correcting their own errors and as such, they are constantly blaming others.

♦They tend to undervalue others, adopting hostile behavior towards them.

♦They do not fore-see the risk of their actions. When there is an excess of Self-esteem i.e. Inflated Self-esteem, there is an inability to detect possible risks just because the person thinks nothing can affect him/her and that he/she has solutions to everything.

♦They like to be praised. People with inflated Self-esteem will always show their weaknesses to those who praise them. When they meet a person who enjoys their stories and bragging (at least for a while), they feel their ego is satisfied and let their guard down.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Impact Team

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LIVING PURPOSEFULLY - PART 2

LIVING PURPOSEFULLY - PART 2

Earlier this week, we started looking into the topic "LIVING PURPOSEFULLY". We understood that there is more to living life, and that is Living Life with Purpose. We were made to understand that the things we do today, the decisions we make today largely influence our tomorrow. In this 2nd part of this series, we will delve further into this topic.

Ephesians 5:17 AMPC

[17]Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

We will remember that in our last month's article, we were told that our Purpose is found in God and only Him can reveal it unto us (Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose").

Therefore, a wise and prudent man who seeks to fulfill Purpose is one who first seeks to understand his purpose. For so many people, finding their Purpose has not been the issue afterall, the Bible says ask and it shall be given (Matthew 7:7); the major problem most people have is that they lack an understanding of what their Purpose is. Moses was a typical example of this. Moses knew without any shadow of doubt that he was called to be a deliverer to the children of Israel. But he didn't know the "how?". He had the zeal and the passion but He lacked the knowledge of how to go about it. This lack of understanding of "the how" made him to misuse his potential and he ended up killing a man (Exodus 2:11-22). A man living a life of purpose is one who takes time to ask God everyday for "the how" he is going to fulfill purpose that day and put his potentials to good use. 

Apostle Paul was a different case. After his encounter with God, he asked a cogent question in Acts chapter 9:6 "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?...". It was this question that prompted God to give him instructions as to how to go about the business of his calling. Moses learnt this lesson the hard way after 40 years. When he encountered God again and He told him how he wanted to use Him to deliver the Israelites, he asked specific questions as to how he was to carry out the assignment.

Exodus 3:13 "And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?"

And God began to download the strategy of how he was to go about the business of the Israelites' deliverance and emancipation to him. 

What about you? Yes, you have a sense of your purpose but do you know how to go about it? Do you care to ask God every morning when you wake up "Lord what will you have me do?" 

Your assignment is divided into small parts and bits of which you must accomplish some everyday. A man who must live purposefully everyday is one who knows what to do and how to do it.

Knowing is the "WHAT"

Understanding is the "HOW"

Understanding your assignment breaks it down into daily tasks and activities. You know what to do part time, what steps to take per time while having the goal in view. Understanding your Purpose and knowing what it takes will help you realize the need for daily guidance. It helps you organize your day and wake up early to seek God's face for each day's plan.

Be led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew he came to save the world, but pending the time he would eventually die on the cross, there were things He needed to do daily. Marriages he needed to attend, blind eyes he needed to open, sermons he needed to preach at the synagogues, cities and villages he needed to visit, disciples he needed to appoint and a lot more. This activities summed up His destiny! No wonder he woke up a great while before dawn (Mark 1:35) just to seek God's face to know how to go about it. Once again knowing the "How" of your purpose is very important.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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LIVING PURPOSEFULLY - PART 1

LIVING PURPOSEFULLY - PART 1

We thank God for another opportunity to bring to you another teaching on PURPOSE this week. In last month's Purpose article titled, "MY PURPOSE MY POTENTIAL", we saw how Purpose gives birth to Potentials and how important it is for us to put our potential to work as this is the only way we can impact our world. We were reminded on how important our Purpose is as we know many destinies and lives are attached to it. I sincerely hope that you were able to put those instructions into practice so that we wouldn't just be hearers (Readers in this case) only, but we will be doers of the word.

This week we will be considering what exactly the life of purpose is and how we can live purposefully everyday of our lives.

Purpose as we have previously defined, is our reason for living. It is the "WHY" of our lives. It is the objective for which we have been sent into this world to accomplish. And if you have been following us for some time now, you will remember the five (5) questions every man must ask himself. They are:

✓Who am I your identity)

✓Where am I from (your source)

✓Why am I here (your purpose)

✓What can I do (your potential)

✓Where am I going (your destiny).

We have also been told overtime that our destiny is not a destination but rather a journey. It's not a place you get to but the path you take towards getting into that place. Contrary to what many folks today think, everyday of your life is as significant as the next. The sum total of the decisions you make everyday determines the quality of your life. The decisions you made yesterday have a part to play in your today; in the same vein, the decisions you make today will impact on your tomorrow. Make right decisions today, enjoy the fruits tomorrow. Make wrong decisions and you will be paying for this tomorrow.  

It is therefore expedient that we consider how we can live purposefully everyday thereby fullfiling God's agenda for our lives.

In a bid to fully understand this, we will be referring to Apostle Paul's teachings on Purpose because he was one of the men who ran with Purpose in the scriptures. For a man to say, "I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith (2 Timothy 4:7); He sure has something to say about Purpose.

We will therefore be referring to some of his teachings on Purpose in the book of Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians 5:15 (AMPC)

[15]Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people)

TO BE CONTINUED...

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THE PRAYING CHRISTIAN PART 2

 THE PRAYING CHRISTIAN - PART 2

Hallelujah! It is the second article of the series. In the beginning of the series, we were made to understand that God will have men pray and also pray the right way. In the book of Matthew 6; Jesus was teaching the disciples on the need to pray and how to do so.

Today, we will be looking at Prayer and the need to have a prayer altar.

What is Prayer and why must we pray? 

We must have heard a couple of times that Prayer is a communication between God and man. But the complete definition for this is that Prayer is communication for anything and in any situation; for whatever  and in whatever situations whether it be pleasant or unpleasant". You do not have to feel good to pray. You don't have to expect something from God before you pray. The blessings that you desire do not have to be the reasons why you pray. Prayer is Always; in and out of seasons. In one of Smith Wigglesworth's quotes, He said, "I don't often spend more than half hour in prayer at one time, but I never go more than half an hour without praying".

Yes, there are a lot of definitions to prayer but what validates every definition is the communion that exists between man and God, and between God and man (Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly"). 

Prayer is a "two-way" spiritual relationship. Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me and I will answer you, and shew you great and mighty things which thou knowest not".  Many times we only say the words without waiting for the response. Prayer is you talking to God and God talking back to you.

Prayer is us talking to God, letting him know our requests. Philippians 4:6 "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God". 

It is very true that God knows everything about us - our wants, needs and desires but He will have us ask Him. In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus knew that the man Bartimaeus was blind but still in verse 51, he asked what He would do for him. Therefore, we must ask. God wants to give you your miracles but He wants you to first pray. Why, one may wonder? Take for an instance, a child who keeps asking his father for something before it is done and another who gets it done without even asking; the former would appreciate the giftings more than the one who gets it without asking. Matthew 7:7-8 "ask and ye shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened". Verse 8 "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened". There is no doubt that there are certain things you need not ask for, you just walk into them by virtue of right, but at certain times, you must pray to receive certain answers.

God knows you have power in your tongue, so He wants you to command certain situations and not just do them for you. It is not necessarily your words that bring it to pass but the same way God is bound by the words of his mouth, he is also bound by our own words. 1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil".

Prayer is us having access to God's will and also having knowledge of His purpose. Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law". One way by which we access the will of God concerning our lives is through prayer. Through prayer, we catch revelations on His will and plan for our lives. Jeremiah 1:5 ""Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations".

You will not have to live a  meaningless life or take futile journeys on earth if you are a person of Prayer, and if before every move, you seek to know what God is saying. Through prayer, you have access to what God wants to do with your life and is doing in the season and seasons to come. There was a time in Babylon when the King dreamt and could not find an interpretation to the dream (Daniel 2), but Daniel together with his co-labourers went to seek the face of God concerning the matter and they were found of Him. Daniel 2:28 "But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king what shall be in the latter days".

Through prayer, we enjoy sweet revelations. 

Prayer is gaining access to what his thoughts are for us. Isaiah 55:8 -9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts". Therefore, if the thoughts that will make us do not belong to us, then we must move closer to the one who has all in his hands. To know the way a person thinks, you have to literarily be in a close relationship with him or her. When we pray, we grow in our relationship with God and as a friend who we are close to, He lets us know per time what his thoughts are for the situations of our lives. Genesis 18:17 "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do". In the new testament as well (Acts 1:24); when the disciples needed to know the mind of God for Judas' replacement, they had to go before God and He revealed this to them "And they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen". Verse 26 "And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles".

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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THE PRAYING CHRISTIAN PART 1

THE PRAYING CHRISTIAN - PART 1

Happy New month people. I want to welcome everyone into a joyous month filled with glad and good tidings. Amen. It is a new week and another time to journey together on a flight that will forever change our lives. My prayer is that everyone receives from this series fresh insights and an insatiable desire to pray. Amen

The topic for this new series is "THE PRAYING CHRISTIAN". I want to admonish everyone that we stay connected throughout the series, so as to enjoy all that is available for us.

As a way of introduction, there are a number of scriptural references that tell us of the need for prayer. Let us take a look at few;

Matthew 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name".

Luke 1:10 "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense"

Luke 18:1 "AND he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint".

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing"

In the Old testament as well, we see instances that showed Prayer isn't just a New testament covenant. 

1 Samuel 1:10 "And she (Hannah) was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore".

Job 42:10 "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before".

From the scriptures above, we understand that it is important that we pray. Even today, many understand that they must pray whether by virtue of them belonging to a praying ministry or a church, but only few understand why we pray. Only few understand the rudiments of Prayer. Moreso we understand if the purpose of a thing is not known, its abuse is inevitable. This is why so many pray and when it looks like there are no answers forthcoming, then they quit praying. But as someone who has  more deeper understanding, you know that when you pray, you must receive answers.

Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them". Verse 23 "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith".

Nevertheless, we must understand that there is a way we pray a prayer that gets answered and if we must pray effectively, this must be well understood. We must understand that Prayer is not a once and for all engagement; it is something you have to be consistent with. 

Acts 2:42 "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and *in prayers*".

Prayer is a force that has the capacity to change whatever situation but it does not operate according to the dictates of man. Prayer speaks to God more than it does to us, hence, the answers that stem from it have everything to do with God's own times and seasons, not our own times and seasons. Thus, when it appears as though, it is delayed, what do we do, we keep on praying. 

Luke 18:1 "we ought to pray and not faint". 1Thessalonians 5:17 "pray without ceasing". John 16:24 "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full".

The latter part of John 16:24 should always be the end result of our prayers. There is no doubt that at certain times, when we pray, we receive answers immediately but at certain times, it might not be as immediate as we had it earlier. This does not mean God is not in the mood to answer us but we must learn that we cannot limit God to a certain way and manner of doing things. The same God that gave you an early answer is the same God that gave you an answer which (to you) appears to be delayed. However, we must know something, that there is no delay with our God. He gives you what is best for you, and at the time that is best. To you it may appear as though it is delayed, but He is telling you that now is not yet the time. The Bible makes us know that He has the times and the seasons with Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11); so He knows the right time for you.

To also buttress this; at times, God may be using what appears as a delay to us as a means of building us. Those times while we wait for the answers are not necessarily wasted times but He (God) is actually in the process of preparing a fertile ground for the seed He is to plant in us. You can understand this in this manner:

We all know that there are some seeds that require Loamy soils to grow and there are others that require Sandy soil. What happens if a farmer plants the seeds meant for a Loamy soil on a Sandy soil. As many may know, the characteristics of both soils differ; hence, the planted seeds may not do well. Therefore, it is not only important that the seeds be planted, but that they be planted on good grounds.(Read Matthew 13:3-23 The Parable of the Sower)

Verse 7-8 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:8 But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold".

Therefore, it is imperative that we understand this so we can learn to continue till we receive our desired miracles. Pastor E.A Adeboye in one of his teachings, said and I quote "if God had answered all my prayers the very first time I asked, I would not be as deeply involved with Him as I am today". And this is actually very true. Brethren, let us then understand that as much as we pray, we must learn to also persevere till our desired results come. 

TO BE CONTINUED

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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THE LEADING MENTALITY - PART 1

 THE LEADING MENTALITY - PART 1

This week, we begin a new Leadership series and I advise every one to follow closely on the series, because this will help us understand the root of Leadership and the Leading Mentality.

Firstly, we will begin with a talk about the history of Leadership. As Leadership, there are certain facts that must be understood that will explain the philosophy of Leadership. In the 1st century, there were two powerful nations - Greece and Rome. The Greeks were known for their intellectual prowess; they documented the systematic studies on human behavior. The Greeks invented most thories we now use in Leadership today. For an instance, the democracy policy that the world has adapted today was invented by the Greek. The common trait present amongst the Greek philosophers then was that they were thinkers. Great philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They were known and are still referred to today as Great thinkers.

The Romans, on the other hand were well known for combat; they had strong military forces hence they were able to attack the Greeks and conquered them in 146B.C. Although the Romans conquered the Greeks but they never destroyed their library (one would want to think it was because of their wealth of information stored in these libraries, the Roman soldiers struck). They (i.e. the Romans) took these libraries and adopted the theories of the Greeks.

After the invasion, the Romans began to think like the Greeks. The Romans were the first country to rule the world. The Roman Empire was Rome's greatest achievement held together by the military power of one city. 

Now let us look at certain philosophies of the Greek people.

Four Philosophies of the Greek?

1. A leader is a product of certain endowments.

2. Leadership is a product of birth traits.

3. Leadership is a product of Providence.

4. Leadership is a product of charisma.

TO BE CONTINUED.

THE IMPACT TEAM

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UNHEALTHY COMPARISON PART 1

 UNHEALTHY COMPARISON PART 1

Theodore Roosevelt -

                "Comparison is the thief of Joy"

It is Personal development week, and here are some truths which are fundamental to developing one's personalty.

Social comparison is one of the most ubiquitous features of human social life. This fundamental tendency of man to look to others for information about how to think, feel, and behave has provided us with the ability to thrive in a highly complex and interconnected modern social world but all things must be done in moderation.

📝Humans tend to compare themselves to another, because they perceive they are not doing as much as the other person is doing.

📝Unhealthy comparison is toxic and damaging. It reduces one's self worth, and distracts you from the set goals you have written down to achieve. 

📝When you compare yourself with another person, you are simply saying you do not have any strength, ability or talent.

📝 Remember, you do not have the same opportunity, education, or experiences(the list of things you do not share with others is endless) as the other person.

📝When you compare yourself with someone else whom you think or believe is ahead of you, it leaves you feeling dejected, sorrowful and depressed.

📝Comparing yourself with someone else is destructive and leads to negative talks. 

However, comparing you with yourself is the better, because you are comparing your yesterday with your today which is necessary because it will motivate you to grow and develop in the areas where you need to. This is one form of Healthy comparison.

How can you do this?

📝You could ask yourself some questions to reflect on where you are today; after answering them, you can compare your current state to the future you, which will help you set relevant personal goals. Doing this is healthy unlike comparing your journey to someone else's journey which isn't fair.

📝Another form of Healthy comparison is to look at the lives of significant others who are successful in that which you are embarking upon. You are looking up to them, not to feel embarrassed, dejected or sorrowful but to gain wisdom from them. Remember, we can only see far if we climb on the shoulders of those who have gone far.

📝Having good role models to compare yourself with is an Healthy form of comparison. Once you discover these persons, study their lives and grasp what it is that appeals to you from their lives.

📝Lastly, remember that you also are a role model for others as well. When you develop yourself, they too can also benefit from this. Though personal development talks about your personal self. What you do with yourself goes far towards affecting other people.

Thank you.

The Impact Team

To be continued.

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LIVING BY GRACE PART 3

LIVING BY GRACE - PART 3

This week we began a teaching series titled "Living By Grace". To walk in Grace and live by Grace is a must for every believing child of God. A man working in Grace is too endowed to be stressed by life situations. This does not mean life challenges will not come; they will for everybody according to God's word in John 16:33; but a man enjoying Grace is not stressed by them. He has God working for him. Since the beginning of the week, we have looked at so many pivotal points. Today, we will further look into the manifestations of this Grace.

What are the workings of GRACE?

7. GRACE secures access to a world of unlimited possibilities:

To a man working and living by Grace, everything works together for his good. You cannot carry God and life situations will refuse to bow. Psalms 114 :1-8 is an account of what happens when a child of God carries God. Verses 3-4 "The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs".

Everyone who enjoyed the workings of Grace in the Bible had access to these Divine possibilities. Doors are not shut to a life living with Grace. Joseph in Potiphar's house (Genesis 39), Esther (Esther 2) in the king's palace. 

Boldly declare this words "I receive Grace that makes for Greatness" Amen!

8. GRACE guarantees access to Revelation:

Ephesians 3:2-3

"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words"

A life working with Grace is that which God reveals secrets unto. There are many mysteries in the kingdom that God will have us know and that through Grace we are empowered to know. 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3 "call unto me and I will answer thee, and shew you great and mighty things which thou knowest not of".

One thing Grace does is that it unlocks for a man living with it access to Divine secrets and access to secrets means a glorious life.

9. Grace of God empowers to live a Holy life:

God's grace is sufficient to lift us from death and sin and to endow us with eternal life. It is sufficient to change us, transform us, and perfect us (1 Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you").

Grace is sufficient to enable you to fully realize your divine potential as a son or daughter of God. Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith". 

Titus 2:11-13 now summarizes it up 

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Through Grace, we are redeemed to live a holy life.

10. GRACE guarantees access to live the Overcomer's life:

There is a life of victory through Grace. A life of seamless breakthroughs in all aspects of life. The victory is sweatless and sweet when Grace is at work.  Grace is that force by which we prevail over life situations. Grace empowers to overcome sin. It empowers to overcome the challenges of life. 2Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds". Grace is having God in your race and by so doing, you are guaranteed to be a conqueror over those opposing situations. Grace carriers always have and enjoy victories.

11. GRACE guarantees us access to the help of God in difficult situations:

The Bible in Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

One of the many workings of Grace is that through it, we have access to Divine help. It must interest you to know that a person living with Grace cannot be stranded. There is always help in Zion, all you just need to do is ask the Father for it. The scripture in Hebrews above says when we come to this altar of Grace, we must do so boldly and we will have the help we need. To enjoy the Grace of God is to see and enjoy help at different areas and scopes of your life. God is our help (Psalms 121:1) and if we must be helped, we must seek to carry him.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE IMPACT TEAM

Building men and women of Excellence...

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LIVING BY GRACE - PART 2

LIVING BY GRACE - PART 2

Earlier this week, we started a series titled Living by Grace. We have been made to understand that life is not meant to be navigated without the Grace of God. We were also made to understand that there will always be a difference between a life with Grace and another without Grace; and amongst other things, Grace helps a man to fulfil destiny. Today we will look at what it means to work in Grace.

The Gospel of Grace is what every man needs to hear; that we are not condemned of the Father but he has given us the ability to enjoy of Him, Grace. The gospel of Jesus Christ is as a matter of fact the gospel of Grace. John 1:16-17 "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ".  Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; and the unmerited favor of God.

What therefore are the workings of Grace?

1. Grace brought unto us the redemption from sin:

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

John 1:16-17 makes us understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves from sin is the gospel of Grace. Romans  5:1-2 paraphrased "...by whom we have access by faith into this Grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God".

The scriptures above make us understand that one of the workings of Grace is that we are no longer accountable for the sins we have committed in time past. We are saved and by the Grace of God.

2. Grace is given to us of the love of God:

One of the benefits we enjoy when we are in love with God is access to unusual dimensions of Grace. In 2Corinthians 8 where Apostle Paul talked about the grace bestowed upon the Macedonian church, we are made to understand that these people were lovers of God and the interest of His kingdom (verse 4, 5). Being in love guarantees access to certain Fatherly blessings. Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". Now we can boldly lay claim to this because of God's Love.

3. Grace focuses on God and not man:

 Remember the story of the harlot in John 8 when a certain people came to the master accusing a woman of the very act she was caught in. Jesus's response to the crowd was that if any of those accusers were without sin, they should cast the stone. With no one, he said unto her in verse 10-11 "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more".

The Grace of God does not look at your inadequacies or weaknesses as a person but shows you that you are made perfect even in that weakness. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me".

GRACE again does not condemn. It does not look at your infirmities but on God's ability to render you whole when you come unto Him. We must know that our accusers will always want to come but we should trust in the Grace that we have received.

4. Grace makes a man earn that which he does not naturally deserve:

 This is one manifestation of Grace. As Grace is defined, man is undeserving of it. Queen Esther enjoyed grace and she became the wife of the King (Esther 2:17) Joseph in Genesis 39:4 found grace in Potiphar's house and he made him overseer of all He had. Grace enthrones a man with no qualifications for the throne. It gives unto a man that, which is not supposed to be his by earthly standards. It cuts out all earthly protocols. It raises the lowly and gives them a place among Kings. Hence, no man can live without Grace because the blessings are just too much to live without.

5. Grace is the basis for our Christian identity:

 Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God, I am what I am". Man is able to answer the question of who he is, what he is or why he is here on Earth, by knowing the Grace made available unto him. Apostle Paul did not stop with the above in verse 10, he went on to further state what that Grace upon his life meant and why He needed the grace. There is a grace that helps a man identify with his purpose, there is a grace for that assignment and even when we fall short and situations try to challenge this identity, this call or this assignment, we can boldly call unto Grace for help (Hebrews 4:6).

Also, when we know we are saved through grace and not according to our works, our mentality becomes changed to certain things that try to challenge our salvation but we must know that Grace is no ticket to live a life of unholiness and ungodliness (Romans 6:1).

6. We live by the Grace of God: 

Man must understand that Living is only by the grace of God. Psalm 3:5 "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me". Our sustenance is of God and by the Grace He bestows unto us. We are sustained through the sustenance of His Grace.  God does not only want to save but wants to sustain us throughout our work and walk here on Earth. He will not only have us start the race but also finish and end it well. Therefore to do that, He knows we will require Favour, Grace and strength. The Father knows we can only live the way He wants through empowerment with His Grace. Acts 20:32 "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified".

Apart from being sanctified, we need the word of Grace. God’s sustaining Grace is the power that keeps us going when we feel like giving up?  Have you ever felt like giving up?  Sustaining Grace gets you through that.  It helps you make the right choices when you really want to make the wrong choice.  

TO BE CONTINUED...

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LIVING BY GRACE PART 1

 LIVING BY GRACE - PART 1

Hallelujah! This week we shall be delving into the topic "Living by Grace". We will understand what it means to live a life of Grace as well as how to. There are many truths we will be UNVEILING through the help of the Holy Spirit even as we journey through this school of the Spirit. Therefore, be at alert and enjoy the series.

One thing we must first understand is that the Grace of God is accessible to all but there is need to learn and understand how to access it. 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work". 1 Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus...". 

Ever wonder, at times you earn certain things you feel by all standards you do not merit. Yes, this can simply be described as the working of God's grace upon your life. Queen Esther enjoyed this unmerited favour as she became Vashti's replacement of all the maidens (Esther 2:17 "And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti).

We need to understand that in God's kingdom, there are Mysteries that are unveiled unto us by the Spirit of God (Matthew 13:11). One of such mysteries unveiled is that of the Grace of God. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:10 and Apostle Paul's message unto the church at Corinth; "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me". 

This verse was preceded by Apostle Paul telling how undeserving he was of the blessings which was now upon him and how his election was of Grace and we see from scriptures the many exploits He made in ministry. The Grace of God is a must know and a must to be enjoyed by every one who is come unto God through his son Jesus Christ (Philemon 1:3, 2Corinthians 13:14, 2Peter 1:2)

What then is the Grace of God?

Grace is all spiritual blessings that reside in heavenly places in Christ. Grace is a gift from God. Grace is God's ability made manifest in the life of a man. In another definition, Grace simply means God in your race. Life as have been created by God cannot be lived outside this Grace of God. In one of Apostle Joshua Selman's teachings, he said "Life has been wired to function in such a way that men will only live up to the fullness of Christ through the agency of GRACE".

There will always be a difference between a life operating with the grace of God and a life without it. The Grace of God in a man's life is what makes him merit that which is not his by the measures and standards of man. Grace brings the heavenly measures into the things that are earthly. It breaks the standards and protocols created by the laws of men bringing the laws of God to manifest. All these and many more are the explanation of what Grace is.

While it is important to know that Grace is given to man by God and it has been said to also mean "Unmerited favour", we must understand that there are certain fundamental requirements to operating in it as well. One way to illustrate this from God's word is that we are saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8 "For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast"). Though the above is true, but man must still confess with his mouth and believe in God with his heart to truly be saved (Romans 10:9-10); and then man must also continue to work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). 

Another very important fact about the Grace of God is that it cannot be understood by mere wisdom or knowledge of man, hence Apostle Peter in 2Peter 3:17-18 "...But grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". How can we explain man having lost connection with God after the fall in Genesis 3; God still would have him saved and come into the knowledge of His truth (1 Timothy 2:4). God will have him saved and this, by sending him God's only begotten son. Therefore, only a born again, spirit filled child of God can understand clearly the manifestations of His Grace (1 Corinthians 2:14). 

In the ministry of Jesus Christ and also the apostles, it became more clear to us why the Grace of God is very important. Not much attention was paid to Grace in the old testament as it was in the new testament. The New testament preaching after the resurrection of Christ came fully fledged on the Grace of God. Why is this so? Because it is important that we understand it better to approach it better. Certain things will never be clear to us, certain mysteries of the kingdom will not be revealed except by Grace Ephesians 3:2-13 (See the book of 2 Corinthians as concerning Giving). In this kingdom, there are mysteries that lead to the revelation of other mysteries, one of such is the mystery of GRACE. If there was something spectacular about the preachings and teachings of Apostle Paul, it is on this concept of Grace (1 Corinthians 15:10, Romans 12:3). 

There are however important truths to know when it comes to living a life of Grace. One of such is that Grace is of God, and given to man from God and by Him. Philemon v3 "Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ". Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every one of us is given grace...".  But just as it is given, there are things to do to enjoy it's full benefits. Just as we have to walk in faith to enjoy the blessedness, and walk in the love of God to receive all the rewards, we also have to abound in Grace. 2Corinthians 8:7.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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MERCY IN PURPOSE DISCOVERY - PART 3

MERCY IN PURPOSE DISCOVERY - PART 3

In Judges 6:12, we see that an angel of God appeared unto Gideon telling him who He was. One may wonder, why did the angel have to tell Gideon who He was. This is because there is a reason to understand who you are. Having the question of "who you are" answered is important to knowing "why you are here" on Earth.You must understand that until you discover who you are, you may not find out why or what you are here for. (Your question of Purpose). Angels may not appear to you to tell you who you are as it was the case of Gideon. But God through the Holy Spirit,  makes us to know who we are when we submit to prayer and study of His word. We are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit; and He is ever ready to let us in on any thing we ask of the Father. 

After the angel told Gideon who he was, Gideon was still questioning the angel. This is just like many of us today; some have found out who they are but still do not believe and so question God. When God gives us a vision or a plan, we find it hard to believe; this may be because it sounds or looks bigger than us. We  must understand that God's plan will always be bigger than you, and that is why you need to tap into His grace to fulfil it. This was the case with Gideon.  After Gideon questioned the angel, He didn't answer his question but gave him an instruction to go and fulfill his Purpose. And we see again at every point, Gideon still had excuses on why he couldn't fulfill the plan of God; and we see the word of God through the angel coming to him again and again. It is not wrong to ask questions when we need more understanding and clarity; but we must be ready to receive whatever responses we get and this might come in form of answers, instructions, responsibility, etc. We must just be willing enough and ready to do all that is required of us.

Hence, we see the word of God, a very important tool to actualizing His purpose for us here on Earth. Gideon had too many questions and He got them answered. You may have questions which you need to have answered. You can get these answers either directly as God did unto Gideon; also through visions and dreams; through praying and fasting; through diligent study of the word of God.

Like Gideon, God gave him instructions, but he was waiting for a sign. God showed him these signs to confirm the word he had received, but not everyone may get the opportunity of a confirmation after the instruction. If you are still waiting for a sign to move towards what God has called you into and it's not coming, you may wait till eternity because the Bible make us to understand that only an evil and adulterous generation demands for a sign other than that which is given (Matthew 16:4). The greatest sign which is Jesus Christ of Nazareth has been given. To He is the word of the Father to us (John 1:1) When you receive God's plan for your life, settle down with it, study your Bible and books relating to the vision and keep on praying for direction. 

You will come out in flying colours in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

Pls if you have any questions, kindly reach us on our Facebook page @The Men That Lead. God bless you. We believe you have been blessed so far. 

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