A JOURNEY THROUGH PURPOSE with Pastor Femi (Final Part)

The great men and women we celebrate today were simply ordinary men and women who discovered the unique purpose for their creation. They were men and women who found their course in life and sailed towards their destiny, even if it means sailing against the winds of criticism, persecution, rejection, traditions, status quo and people's expectations of them. Some of them were late in discovering their purpose, but they were humble enough to turn around from the wrong direction they've been walking to start a new journey; the journey of purpose.

Little men and women are people who just drift along the sea of life. They go wherever the winds of life carry them. They don't care about a course or a direction. They just live life as situations and circumstances dictate. They have no tangible purpose they are pursuing in life. They are men and women with little minds. No wonder their impacts are untraceable.

Are you aspiring for greatness? Do you want to make your life count for something after all? Do you want to be missed after you have gone by the world? Then, the journey starts by discovering the original purpose for your creation. Not the ones your parents, friends or societal influences created for you but the real motive behind your creation. And if what you're doing now is not what you should be doing, then, be humble enough to make a U-turn; change your direction. Better it is to endure a brief period of pain to make changes than to suffer a lifetime of regrets for the things you could have done. What joy is there in toiling to climb a ladder only to reach the top and realize that you climbed the wrong one?

I thank God for apprehending me and showing me the way to go. If He had allowed me to pursue my own selfish ambition as an accountant, I would have died in misery counting other people's money in a bank and would never have been able to make any real impacts. I would have been rich with cars and houses, but I would have died a miserable man. I never would have had access to the countless number of people that my ministry has been a blessing to. Some people somewhere are waiting for you too to get it right because their destinies are attached to your own. If you miss it they are bound to fail as well.

DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE

                God has finished everything about the creation of man; his intricate design and reason for being created. All that is left to be done for man to live as designed is to uncover the reason behind his creation and begin to walk therein. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” It takes a diligent search to uncover God’s secrets.

                Man’s purpose for existence can only be discovered in God. He is the Creator and thus, the only one who can accurately say the reason for the creation. The first step therefore, in discovering purpose is to ask the Creator. Proverbs 25: 2 quoted above talks about God concealing a thing and kings searching out all matters. In 1 Peter 2:9, we are called a royal priesthood, that is, we are both kings and priests. Therefore, as kings we have the royal power to search out all matters pertaining to our lives as far as the divine agenda is concerned.

                The best way to understand the working of a machine is to the manufacturer’s intention.  God is willing to guide us. We need only to ask Him for help. Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Our identity is found in God alone. When we fellowship with God in the place of consistent prayers and searching of His Word, He unveils to us His agenda through the revelation of His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9 - 12; Ephesians 1:15 - 20).  And I can guarantee you that the best place we can walk and work in, is in the will of God for our lives.

A JOURNEY THROUGH PURPOSE - with Pastor Femi (Prt. 2)

...continued from yesterday. 

WHY ALL THESE FUSS ABOUT PURPOSE?

                Why is the discovery of purpose so important? Why must I discover purpose to be great? Can't I just lay my hands on anything and succeed in it?

                Well, the truth is that you can venture into anything in life and still be rich and famous. The world will celebrate you as great by its own standard. But in the sight of your Creator, you would be a product that malfunctioned. You developed fault and so couldn't fulfill the original intention for your creation. If riches and material possession were all there is to greatness, then, even armed robbers and frauds would be called great men.

                True greatness is fulfilling the purpose for which God originally created you. The ultimate goal is to please the One who has created you. If Bishop Oyedepo had chosen to enter into any business apart from the ministry he was created for, he would still have been rich, marry and have kids. But where would the Covenant University, the fifty thousand capacity Faith Tabernacle (the largest single auditorium in the world) and the entire Living Faith Church had been?

                Had William Henry Bill Gates III chosen to go into the law enforcement profession like his parents had wanted, who would have given birth to the multi billion dollars corporation called Microsoft. Had Bisade Ologunde gone into the finance profession like he studied in the university, we would never have had Lagbaja, the masked one. You need to understand that living is not entirely about you. It is all about God and His purpose.

                You can never be truly great outside your purpose. Therefore, make all diligence to discover yours. Let me quickly share a few things with you about the connections between your purpose and your life.

1. Your purpose is the only thing that will distinguish you from all other people on earth – The population of the world presently stands at around 7 billion humans. In a world as large as this, it is easy to get lost in the crowd. However, your purpose is the only guarantee you have to be different. Your purpose is your peculiarity. Failure to discover and live your purpose will get you lost in the crowd. And to tell you the truth, the world already has too many fakes and imitators. What it is yearning for now are people who will dare to be original.

In my calling as a pastor, I have come to discover that not all pastors possess a burning heart for the same subjects. Some burn for holiness, some burn for faith, some are passionate about leadership and nation building, while some others burn for the Holy Spirit anointing. We are all pastors but the purpose of our calling is not the same.  As it is in the spiritual business, so it is in every other field. Purpose can never be the same. Your purpose is your stamp of excellence.

Even when two people share a passion for the same subject, there will still be a nuance of differences between them. No two authors can write the same thing in the same way, even if they are given the same topics. No two singers can sing in exactly the same way, even if they are given a song of the same contents. The only thing that sets you apart in a world so full of talents is the discovery of your own specific purpose. Dare to be different. It is the only way for the world to feel your impacts.

2. Your purpose holds the key to your fulfillment – Cars, houses and other material possessions only bring happiness, which is temporary. I have seen and heard people in enviable professions complain bitterly about how frustrated they are about their jobs. They are not happy doing what they are doing. Why? They are not meant for it! They went into whatever it is they are doing now because of peer influence, societal factors or parental pressures. You can never be fulfilled outside the original purpose of your creation.

Years back, I read in the news papers about a man who resigned from a lucrative banking job to take up teaching appointment in a Polytechnic. I also watched on Today's Woman,  a TV show hosted by Adesua on NTA, how a woman who graduated with First Class in Chemical engineering and working with a multinational company resigned her job to start a furniture  making company.

Now, you might say they were foolish or being influenced by some unseen evil forces. But I say no! They simply resigned from what was not giving them fulfillment to enter into what gives them pleasure.

If only we would  just stop looking at life from the material possession angle alone and start looking at it from the point of fulfillment; doing what brings you joy. Too many people are living in absolute frustrations and angst in spite of jobs that is paying them huge salary.  Our materialistic mind set in Africa has made us place money above personal joy. That is not the way God ordained living. You are not meant for whatever does not bring you joy.

As a pastor, I enjoy what I’m doing. I am not physically rich yet but I can tell you that I'm fulfilled being in the ministry. There is an on-top-of-the-world feeling I always have every time I'm able to minister people, whether to a crowd or to an individual. I feel joy and energy flowing through me. I have never had a day of regret doing what I’m doing. But I'm not alone in this exhilarating feeling of satisfaction. Everyone who has found something to live for also can testify to this experience. You cannot find your purpose and not find joy and fulfillment, even if there are no immediate gratifications. Don’t run after just making a living but making a life. 

3. Your purpose is the only thing that keeps you going when circumstances do not encourage it -  I wish that I could tell you that things will run smoothly all the way through to the end but I can't. You must understand that in the pursuit of your destiny, you will face rejection, persecution, hardship, hunger, financial constraint, and a whole lot of other challenges that will come with the intention of stopping you from going on.

But your purpose becomes your motivation and driving force. It infuses you with energy that you can't find elsewhere. There is no motivation as effective as self-motivation. All the great men in history also had their own seasons of turbulence when they thought they wouldn't be able to make it through. In fact, many of them gave up on their dreams at one time or the other. But when they remembered the big picture of what they set out to achieve in the first place, they were challenged to return to their pursuit, they picked up strength again. Myles Munroe says, “Purpose is the source of personal discipline.” People who have found a goal to pursue are able to endure challenges more than those who have nothing to live for. This is why it is essential to discover your personal purpose. It is the only thing that keeps you going, even when the circumstances around does not encourage going on.

4. Inside your purpose lie the resources that you need to be great in life – The late Nigerian ace comedian, Gbenga Adeboye a.k.a Funwontan, shot into lime light, not as a politician, finance or investment expert, medical doctor or pastor but as a comedian. You can't hear Gbenga talk and not laugh, even if all the problems of the world is on your shoulders. He is a multi-gifted man who could mimic any tribal accent and voice he wanted.

When asked in an interview, how he composed his jokes, he simply answered that he didn't write joke down on paper or worry about what he will say. But once he mounts the stage,  different ideas and concepts will begin to flow out from his mind. He didn't need to think too hard before he got ideas. There was no late president of this nation that has ever been given the kind of burial that Gbenga had when he died.

I am someone who strongly believed that not everybody can become bankers, engineers, architects, pastors or politicians. We are created for different purposes according to God's desire. However, whatever purpose for which God has deigned you, He has equally equipped you with great abilities to do it. You have great untapped potentials that I love to call God's resources inside you. These resources empower you to fulfill your purpose without any struggles. I don't struggle to preach. Wake me up in the dead of the night, I will preach, even without my sermon notes or a bible. Preaching is what I'm created to do. It comes natural to me.

Just as birds don't struggle to fly because their purpose is to fly and are equipped for it, so also, you shouldn't be struggling to do what God has designed you to do. If you're struggling to do what you're doing, it could be an indication that you're not meant to be doing it. Fulfilling your purpose should come to you as natural. You're like a well-oiled hydraulic, you operate without frictions. And as you do it, people begin to know you for it. It doesn't take long to enter into greatness once you discover and are doing what you are wired for.

Also, your purpose attracts the people that you need to you. When you begin to walk and work   in your  purpose, you don’t need to worry about how you will get the resources because God has placed the resources you need in the hands of some people and as you begin to carry out God’s assignment, such people will begin to locate you. When God gives an assignment, He also gives the resources to accomplish it. God is bound to sponsor whatever He commands. You have what it takes to fulfill it, if it is your life’s purpose.

5. Your reward is in your purpose – This is the point where our personal gratifications come in. You are not only fulfilled in carrying out your purpose but God also ensures that you are paid and well compensated for your work. Hardly will you see a man who faithfully stays committed to his purpose that didn't prosper. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest though a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” God is faithful and His Word cannot be broken.

   

                God is not a cheat. When He sends a man on a mission, He ensures the man is fully satisfied. Your greatness and your rewards is in the discovery of and commitment to your purpose. Mother Theresa, the mother of the poor in Calcutta, India, sat at the same table with world's most powerful men while she was alive. Had she chosen to pursue her personal ambition instead of answering God's call upon her life, she never might have risen to such a place of prominence in life.

I often wondered why people would pay exorbitant amount of money just to go watch Klint the drunk, Basket mouth, Ay and those other comedians. Wealth and fame are included in the package of purpose. When you discover your purpose and walk in it, you cannot but be rich and popular. They come as a byproduct of purpose fulfillment. People who don't care about God's purpose over their lives but are only after money will engage in all kinds of ungodly acts just to get it. But people who have found their purpose never pursue money. They pursue vigorously how they will fulfill their purpose. Then, money does not have any choice than to locate them. You cannot walk in God's plans for your life and be poor. It simply is impossible! 

5. Your purpose is the only thing that matters to God at the end of the day - John Mason says, “God holds us responsible, not for what we have but for what we could have, not for what we are but for what we might be.” When at last you stand before your creator to give an account of your stewardship, He will never ask you the number of cars you bought, the houses you built or the vastness of the wealth you acquired. Those are mundane, irrelevant issues. He will only ask you the degree to which you were able to fulfill the purpose for which He created you. He will want to know if you walked in your life mission to the earth or you got distracted by other things in the world and forsook your primary purpose of creation.

Remember, it is not about you at all. It is all about God and His plans. And one day, He will ask you. “For we all cannot but stand before the throne of judgment…” And God will never take it lightly if we fail in our purposes. Why? One, every resources and grace that He has deposited in us are a waste. Two, there are other destinies attached to ours. In fulfilling our own destiny, they are also lifted and helped to find their paths in life. Our failure means their failure and the failure of the destinies that are attached to theirs. And the ripple effect of our own failure goes on and on and on. You see success and failure have domino effects.

...to be continued!

A JOURNEY THROUGH PURPOSE - with Pastor Femi (Prt. 1)

What on Earth Am I here for?

From my years of extensive studies of the lives of men and women who have truly affected our world and who have made landmark achievements, I discovered that the number one common denominator that they all share is a strong sense of purpose. They were all men and women who discovered the very reason for their existence. Some discovered it early enough while others discovered it in later years, after years of wandering through life. But anyhow, they all discovered their purpose. This became for them, an obsession which they individually pursued, lived for and in some cases died for.

No man has ever risen into true greatness without first discovering his purpose. Someone once said that there are two most important days in the life of a man. One is the day he is born. The other is the day he discovers the reason for being born. All true greatness has its roots in the soil of purpose discovery. The day you discover the very reason you are born is the day you truly start to live.  Thus, a question that is very necessary for every young person who is aspiring for greatness to ask and diligently seek an answer to is “WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE TO DO?”

GREAT MEN WHO WILL NEVER BE

                Years back, I read an interesting story of a man who died and on getting to heaven met Saint Peter at the pearly gate. When he saw Peter, he became excited and began to ask him several questions relating to events on earth. He asked Peter who the greatest army general on earth was. And Peter replied by pointing to a man standing a few meters away from them. The man turned around to see the man Peter was referring to, and to his amazement discovered that the man was the street sweeper in their neighborhood who had died a few years back.

                With astonishment written all over his face, he turned to Peter and blurted out,

                “You've got to be kidding me! That man was never in the army. I know him well. He was just a street sweeper in my neighborhood.”

                Then Peter replied him with some sadness, “If he had joined the army, he would have become the greatest army general of all time. But he didn't join the army, so he never became what he was created to be.”

                 Now let's face it, I know that the story is not real. I guess it was just a story that a father told to his kids at bed time. But even with that, the story is a depiction of the sad reality about the life that many people live. There are several millions of people who were equipped with great potentials to affect their world but they never did. Great generals died as mere street sweeper. This is a sad reality.

IT'S ALL ABOUT PURPOSE!

Youths of the third world nations need to wake up, challenge themselves and discover their place in the scheme of things. The tragedy is not that we die but that great abilities die with us and in us daily. 

It pierces my heart every time I see the ways in which young people live. They can be seen everywhere in different shapes, sizes and complexions in all manners of clothes and hair styles. But from the way they live, the things they say and do, one thing that is very obvious is that they lack understanding of the reasons for their existence. And it is amazing that they also dream of becoming great someday when they don't even know what true greatness is or how they can attain it.

Like their elders, young people have mistaken greatness for buying exotic cars, building extravagant houses and attending every social event in town. This misconception of what greatness is has led them into all manners of dangerous and godless acts such as robbery, internet fraud, rape, murder, political thugery misappropriation of public funds. The end result is that the society they were created to influence and make better is now worse off. What a twisted fate!

If true greatness cannot be achieved without the discovery of purpose, what then is PURPOSE?

Purpose has been defined as the reason for the existence of a thing. Myles Munroe, defined purpose as the ultimate reason for the existence of a thing or a person. It is also the pre-determined end of a thing or a person. Purpose is the reason for the manufacturing of any product. No product was ever released into the market without a clear cut definition of what the manufacturer intended it to achieve. So much money, time, skills, risks and energy are invested into the process of production not because the manufacturer is looking for fun or just to look busy. There is a pre-determined idea of what he wants the products to achieve. Let’s take it deeper.

No manufacturer goes through the pains of production without first determining what and how the product is meant to perform, that is, its purpose or destiny. Also, the construction of a building does not start until the architect has finished the pattern of the building in his mind and transferred the finished image unto a paper which becomes the blueprint, by which the construction process is guided and judged.

                God, the ultimate manufacturer, did not go into the making of man in such a detailed, unique and grand style just so that He could be called a Creator. There is so much more in God's mind than the title of a Creator.  There are visions in God's mind that He wants translated into the physical. There are ideas and plans He wants executed. So, He created man and wired him in such a complex manner, different from all the other creations, so that man could bring His mind to reality. I guess you're still confused about this purpose thing. Let me make it clearer to you.

Every man was created, whether already born or not yet born, to do a certain work which the mind of God had conceived. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his (God) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” There is an assignment that God specifically created us for as individuals. There is a picture in the mind of God that He needs someone to translate into the physical. That is the purpose for the creation of man.

                In his book Ideas Rule the World, Sam Adeyemi, explained that God, if He had wanted to, could have created everything we see around us today; the cars, airplanes, computer systems, the sky scrapers, televisions, telephone etc. All these things were in His mind back then. He could have created them all at the time of the first creation. But He didn't! What He did was to create man and blew His breath into the nostrils of the man – thereby transferring His Spirit, Mind and Abilities into him, so that he could become a co-creator with Him. Isn't this an amazing revelation that, humanity shares in the creative ability of God?

This may be a bit hard for our finite mind to comprehend. Could you, please pause a moment, close your eyes and imagine the world as it could have been back then in Genesis chapter one and two. No telephones, television, cars, schools and all the other amenities we now have. Now, bring your mind back to our present world. Consider the cars in their different designs and abilities, the magnificent buildings, the telephones, TV sets, aircrafts, the super computers and several other wonderful inventions. Imagine how primitive, odd and cumbersome the world would have been without all these things.

 Now come to think of it; all of these wonderful inventions we are talking about were not done by God directly but by men, who discovered their destinies and purposes of existence.

-              Great researches and discoveries have been made.

-              Billions of songs have been composed.

-              Innumerable numbers of books have been written.

-              Buildings of unbelievable heights have been built.

-              Millions of great speeches and sermons have been written.

All by men!

                Can you imagine what our present world could have looked like if those men and women had not discovered who they were and what they existed for? Consider what would have happened to us today had they chosen to live without purpose, vision and commitment to God’s purpose for their lives as we of today have chosen to live. Then, consider what the world would look like tomorrow for the coming generation if we fail to change the way we live today. Every man has a place in God's agenda for the world. Every man has a slice of assignment in transforming the world to what God had in mind. But it takes discovery of personal purpose to fit in.

                Greatness begins with the discovery of personal purpose. Dr. Myles Munroe said, “Your value (self-worth) as a man is found in the revelation of your personal purpose.” This is a truth that everyone who has ever risen unto greatness discovered. They knew they were on earth as part of God's great plan. They knew they were here on earth for something bigger than mere existence and they vigorously pursued the discovery of that reason. That single reason was all they lived and died for.

                One major reason why many people on the surface of the earth live miserable lives is because they fail to find, live and walk in the purpose of their original creation. Destiny is the key to fulfillment. In case you still have not gotten the point of this chapter, let me share with you, a deep revelation about the significance of you creation to the survival of the earth. I call the 400 million sperm concept.

THE 400 MILLION SPERM CONCEPT

                Science has revealed to us that when a man and a woman engage in sexual intercourse not minding where they hold it, whether in the car, bush, hotel or a shack, between 100 and 400 million sperms are released when the man releases his semen. Each of these millions of sperm is a potential baby as they all carry the nucleus required to fertilize the egg in the woman's ovary. As soon as they are released, the millions of sperm all start to swim towards the ovary of the woman. However, only one is really needed for fertilization.1

                So, this means that when your dad and mum came together to have you, your dad sent out an army of sperms (about 400 million), all racing toward your mum's ovary. But only one of them was really needed. However, because of destiny and God's purpose, one of those sperms was empowered to outrun the others and became the first to enter into the ovary and that was the one that became the baby. Guess who that one was. Yes, you! God chose you from among 400 million potential babies and caused you to be born.

                Does this not tell you that there is more to your life than mere existence? Can you not understand that the One who chose you from among the others has a purpose for your life? It should ignite in you a fire that you carry in you, something that this generation needs? Why must it be you and not another sperm? Is it not because God wanted you born for an assignment on earth? Why is it so difficult for you to understand that you are very crucial to the fulfillment of God’s agenda for the earth?

                I wonder what the world would have looked like without men and women like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Martin Luther King jr., William Henry Bill Gates III, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Obafemi Awolowo, David Oyedepo, Sam Adeyemi, Myles  Munroe, Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehinmi, Fanny J. Crosby, Hellen Keller and a host of others.

                We could exhale and thank God that these men and women were born, not because of their beautiful cars, exotic houses or fancy clothes. But because of the great impacts they have made on our world, the light they brought into our darkness, the changes they made and the legacies they have left us. These have all come. They saw (some are still seeing) and they have conquered (some are still conquering). It's our time.

...to be continued.

BECOMING GOD'S BEST

                                                     BECOMING THE BEST:
       Understanding Biblical Principles for Becoming All that God Created You to Be - Part 1 

                                                        Philippians 3: 12 – 16

INTRODUCTION

There is a purpose behind your creation; a reason why you are created, designed and configured in the exact way you are – sex, height, temperament, talents and abilities – Jer. 1: 4, 5; Isa. 49: 1; Psalm 139: 13 – 16.

No man/woman exists by accident. We are all deliberately created to be SOMETHING in particular for which God created us. There is an assignment, a work that each one of us was created to do – EPHESIANS 2: 10.

However, it is sad to say that many of us come to the earth and return to our Creator without ever fulfilling God’s purpose for our creation. Let me tell you that it is not enough to live but to live and fulfill God’s expectations for our lives. By creation and design, you were meant to be the best in whatever you lay your hands upon – DEUT. 28: 8. You are not created for mediocrity. You are not created for failure.
Whether you are in business, career job, Christian ministry, marriage or educational line, God’s plans for you is to be the best, at the top always. God’s plan is for you to become the best; the best parent(s), spouse, business person, teacher, student, pastor etc.

WHY?

1.    Your creation is UNIQUE – GEN. 1: 26 – 28; PSALM 139: 14. When it came to the creation of man, God didn’t do it the way He did the others. For others, He spoke but for man He called the Trinity together and specially fashioned man.

2.    The Spirit that dwells inside you is not an ordinary spirit. It is the Spirit of excellence – DANIEL 6: 1 – 6; GEN. 40: 37 – 40.

3.    The God you serve is not an ordinary God. He is an excellent God.

It pains my heart whenever I see Christians, children of covenant, living pitiable and miserable lives. The houses we live in, the environment we live in, the jobs we do and our condition of lives are pitiable. For your information, no child of God is a creature of pity. We are a people to be envied and emulated and not a people to be pitied. Consider Isaac in GENESIS 26: 12 – 14. His life became envy to the Philistines. And brethren, we as Isaac, are children of promise – GALATIANS 4: 28.
  
The questions now are:
•    Why are many children of the covenant living such pitiable lives?
•    What does it take to live the kind of life that God has ordained for you to live?

I.    THE GENERATION OF IGNORANT GODS
                  –  PSALM 82: 5 – 7

•    Why are many children of God, covenant children, living such pitiable and miserable lives? Is it because that’s the way God wants it to be? Or what?

In PSALM 82: 6, God made a strange but powerful declaration concerning all His children. He called us “gods.” And when Jesus came, He made reference to the same passage [JOHN 10: 34].

Ha! How could the Bible call mere humans, clay, gods? Isn’t that blasphemy? Well, the truth is God cannot lie. If He called us gods, we must be gods indeed. He said the same thing to Moses in EXODUS 7: 1. So, we are gods indeed!

After God molded the clay in the at the time of creation, the mold was just a lifeless entity; a cadaver. But then God breathed the breath of life into the cadaver and it became a living being [GENESIS 2: 7].

But wait a minute!

Why did God went through the pains of breathing into the man? He could just have commanded the airs from the four corners of the earth to enter into the man, just as He did in EZEKIEL 37: 9, with the dry bones.

The revelation here is that what God breathed into man was not ordinary breath. It was what the Hebrew Old Testament called “ruah” – which means Spirit. So, in essence, what God blew into man was not air, but His Spirit, His life, mind, power, essence, divine nature and resources; the very qualities that made Him God. We thereby became partakers in the divine nature [2 PETER 1: 3, 4].  If we carry Godlike nature in us, I guess that makes us gods like the scripture says.

Perhaps you’ve not gotten the gist yet. Let me put it this way. We know that the offspring of a goat is a goat, not a dog. The offspring of a monkey is a monkey and not a lion. Guess what, an offspring of God can be nothing other than a god. Glory to Jesus!

What does this mean?

It means that the ability of God is in us. We can think, talk, live, command, rule, lead and do things just as God would do it. In fact, He made us gods on earth to rule earth on His behalf [GEN. 1: 26 – 28]. This Godlike nature was operational in Adam when he named all the animals that God had created and God didn’t see the need for any alteration, because the names that Adam gave them were the same names God would have given to them had He conducted the naming ceremony by Himself  [GEN. 2: 19, 20]. Now, think about this. If Adam, who lived under the old covenant, could operate in the capacity of a god, how much more then can we, who are living under the new covenant, ratified by the blood of Jesus, operate as gods.

Now, if we have been made wonderfully like this, why then, are we living an average, dirty, useless and unpleasant lives? Why are gods suffering like mere men?

The answer: Hosea 4: 6.

IGNORANCE is the number one root cause of all our suffering.

•    Ignorance of who we truly are. Most of us don’t understand our true identity and make up. Even the above revelation about our divine nature will sound like blasphemy to many. But that’s who we truly are.
•    Ignorance of the divine abilities that have been deposited inside us by God. We have great creative abilities which we never know exist in us yet. They are the untapped potentials which, if properly maximized, could lead us unto great heights.
•    Ignorance of the God we call our Father. If we understand who God is, then we will know that there is no limit to what we can achieve with Him, for Him, in Him and through Him.

So...

In PSALM 82: 6, 7, God declared even though I created and wired you with the abilities of gods, yet you will die like mere men. You will suffer the same things that mere mortals suffer. Why? We failed to understand our divine nature and live as expected. Ignorance, v.5.

Permit me to tell you that the life you are living now is not God’s best for you. You are living far below God’s design for your life. Your Godlike abilities have been relegated to the background, and you are now living, thinking, talking and doing things like mere men. If only you will rise up and embrace your true divine nature, you will see how great your life will change.

II.    NOTHING CAN STOP YOU, EXCEPT…

There are many things we hold on to as excuses/reasons for our failure to live the life God designed for us to live: (1) Low education qualification, (2) Poor family background, (3) Poor economy of the nation, (4) Nobody is willing to help, (5) We’ve tried and failed, so we’ve stopped trying etc.

But I dare say to you that none of these things have the power to stop us from becoming all that God has designed for us to be. Testimonies abound of people who were affected by all these things and even worse conditions, and yet they broke through and fulfilled purpose, even people with severe physical disabilities.

Nothing has the power to stop you from becoming God’s best, except your mind - PROVERBS 23: 7a.

Too many of us have built strongholds of limitations in our minds. We created unbelief and mountains which have kept us from reaching out and exploring opportunities that lies around us. You see, the truth is that there is no mountain powerful enough to limit us except the mountains we create in our minds. Nothing can limit, stop or hinder you, like your mind. You can never grow or go beyond the capacity of your mind.

God created you for the best and to be the best of His creations. However, there is the possibility of dying as an average person. A mediocre.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing on Seven (7) Toxic Mentalities you must get rid of if you want to become all that God has created you to be. Don't miss it for anything. God bless you.