STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN 2016 (3)

“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18)

The Christian life and experience are likened to the growing intensity and brightness of the sun as the day progresses from dawn to the splendour of the noonday. The difference however is that whereas the intensity and brightness of the sun wanes as the day progresses into night, the Christian experience is expected to continue to grow stronger and shine brighter as we grow older in the faith. The spiritual experience of the wicked is the very opposite of that of the righteous. The Living Bible captures the contrast beautifully, “the good man walks along in the ever-brightening light of God’s favour; the dawn gives way to morning splendour, while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark” (Proverbs 4:18-19). What should be responsible for the disparity in the life experiences of the righteous and the wicked?  Has it got anything to do with the choices each of them makes or are they just living out their different destinies?  It is my considered opinion that their choices have more to do with their spiritual experience than their destinies.  Whereas impunity is the lifestyle of the wicked, humility is that of the righteous. The wicked chooses to live in utter disregard to God and shuns accountability to Him (Psalm 10:13).They  live as if God will not call them to account and as a result spend their life time stumbling through the dark alley of confusion and failure.  But, “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart” (Psalm 97:11 NKJV). Ungodliness is utterly wasteful in all of its ramifications.

Righteousness is going to become very marketable because God is its promoter.  He will enjoy peace in the midst of turmoil. “For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom” (Psalm 1:6 LB). The godly orders the course of his life by the Word of God. He ardently desires and daily prays for God to guide his every step–“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 NLT). The righteous recognises the superior wisdom of God and humbly submits to the guidance of His Word. He hides the Word of God in his heart both to cleanse him from sins and to preserve him from going off the right track. He daily feeds on the Word of God knowing that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).  Listen to the wisdom of God: “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT). Bread or food in general represents the reward of our labour. Recall Paul’s charge to the Thessalonians to the effect that he who does not work should not eat (Thessalonians 3:10).  When the Bible asserts that people do not live by bread alone it implies that human labour or effort alone does not fully account for our success in life.  Having a lot of money and plenty food to eat without any regard to God is a hopeless failure.

The foundation of true Christian life is faith in the Word of God. As we daily receive nourishment from the Word of God, we grow and mature in our spiritual experiences. We grow from the slave mode to friendship mode in our relationship with God. Our Lord told His apostles, “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:15 NLT). Progressing from slave mode to friendship mode in our relationship with Christ is the implication of our light shinning “ever brighter unto the perfect day.” A slave only does what the master orders him or her to do. Friends can reason together and weigh options before deciding on a line of action (Genesis 18:17-33). A friend can be a confidant to the master depending on the level of intimacy their friendship has attained. God wants to relate with us as friends and not merely as slaves. Friendship with God is what will enable us to live under a cloudless sunshine that knows no gloom. Our path will be illumined with increasing brightness of God’s glory as we grow into deeper intimacy with Him. The “perfect day” will dawn when we awake in His likeness. I therefore boldly confess with the Psalmist, “As for me, I will see your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness” (Psalm 17:15 NKJV). Let us then in obedience to the Word of God, “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them (you)” (Isaiah 3:10 NKJV).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN 2016 (2)

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV).

There can be no greater secret of success than for God to order one’s step day by day. When God is your guide, you can never go astray. I recall an old chorus that used to be popular among Christians years ago. The lyrics are as follows: “The Lord knows the way to the Promised Land, all I have to do is to follow. Strength for today, smiling all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow. The Lord knows the way to the Promised Land, all I have to do is to follow.” When you are going to a place you have not been before, you would certainly need a good map, a good navigator or a good guide. The surety that you will get to your destination depends on the accuracy of the map/navigator you have or on how well your guide knows the way. A few years ago I was going to preach in our church in New Haven, Connecticut in the United States of America. I flew into John F. Kennedy airport in New York and a brother had to come and pick me from the airport to Connecticut. Unfortunately, the navigator he had in his car malfunctioned and kept us running around in New York for a long time without finding our route to where we were going. At one point, after being thoroughly frustrated, he had to discard the instructions of the navigating machine and asked people to direct us. To succeed in 2016, you must get a good map/navigator or a guide that can give you accurate direction to your destination otherwise you will not get there. 

Our text reveals God’s commitment to guide those who would trust Him for direction. The Hebrew word translated “good” in this verse is geber, which does not mean “good” in English. The word implies “a conqueror or hero.”  The idea God wants to communicate is that even the strongest among us would fail if he does not have God on his side as his guide.   Any form of human power, strength or ability will not take us any closer to the success we desire this year unless we consciously lay them at the feet of our Lord and yield to His guidance. The book of Proverbs exhorts us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths “(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV). This is the way we must go this year. There should be no half measures. We must trust God with all our heart because being smart will not avail us much. Permit me, even at the risk of being repetitive, to share the Message Bible rendering of this scripture. “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”  To receive direction from God, one must have to wait on Him to hear His instructions. Sometimes we are in a hurry to wait to hear God before making decisions on issues. This year we must learn to wait patiently for Him even if He tarries at speaking. He is fully committed to showing us the way to go. “The LORD says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8 NLT). God knows the best way to achieve the best we can achieve in life. It makes good sense to let Him lead us.

God delights in the person who allows Him to order his or her steps. One’s “step” implies the course of one’s life; the trajectory that life is meant to follow.  As the pilot sets the trajectory of the plane in flight or as the driver determines the direction the car should follow, so does God want to determine the course of our lives. There can be no better way to please God than to let Him set the course of your life and lead you along that course. In this way, He takes total responsibility over you and if for any reason you stumble along the way, He will be handy to steady you. Perchance you slip and fall; He will pick you up and put you back on the path to success. The key to all these is prayer. You must decide to spend more time in prayer this year than you ever did before. God most commonly reveals His will and counsels to people when they are bowed in prayer. When He visits you secretly in your prayer closet, He will manifest you publicly by the level of breakthrough He will bring your way.  A great and happy year awaits us, but we must let God lead the way.

May the Lord bless you with clear direction as you look up to Him for guidance this year in Jesus name. It shall be well with you. 

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN 2016 (1)

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15 NKJV).

In this simple sentence, Paul arms us with one key secret we need for success in 2016. The word “circumspect” means watchful and discreet; cautious, prudent. In other words, to walk circumspectly requires us to walk wisely and discreetly. To be cautious and prudent. To appreciate the full import of what it demands from us, let us see the different ways other versions rendered it. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” The “Contemporary English Version” says, “Act like people with good sense and not like fools.”  Then “The Message Bible” put it snappy and sharp, “So watch your step. Use your head.” What all these imply is simply that one needs a lot of wisdom to experience a major breakthrough this year. Wisdom is knowing what God would have you do in any given circumstance.  The biblical equivalent of the believer in the 2016 Nigeria is Isaac in the land of Gerar (Genesis 26).

There was famine in the land and every worldly-wise person was moving to where to find sustenance both for the people and livestock. Isaac contemplated migrating to Egypt but God stopped Him and promised to prosper him in the land irrespective of the prevailing famine. Here is the testimony of the breakthrough he experienced.“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him” (Genesis 26: 12-14 NKJV). Here are some conclusions we can draw from this. The atmospheric condition does not determine the yield of ground, the grace of God does. The state of a nation’s economy does not determine the amount of money that gets into your pocket, the grace of God does. Isaac sowed in that land. Which land? The land ravaged by fierce famine. He reaped in that year a hundred fold. Which year was that? The year of famine! In this year that the worldly-wise have described as a bad year, God will grant you more prosperity than you have ever experienced in your life in Jesus name. Isaac became so prosperous that the people became envious of him. People will become envious of you when they see the blessings of God upon your life in 2016.

                However, Isaac provided for us a clue to the secret of his success in a very distressed economy, like ours.“Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father” (Genesis 26:2-3 NKJV). He paid attention to the word of God and obeyed His instructions. Isaac’s decision to go down to Egypt in order to escape the famine could be compared to human efforts to solve his problems apart from God. It surely would require more faith to live in a land of famine than to live in a country that has plenty of food. But is not living by faith the very life God called us to live?  This year, we must endeavor to live by faith and not resort to any approach that would undermine the glory of God. You must prioritize prayer and study of the word of God if you must make it though this year with a testimony. You must decide to give more time to the work of God this year than you ever did before. You must not withhold your first fruit and your tithes or reduce your offerings as a means of raising more funds for family needs.  That would be equivalent to going back to Egypt. The faith alternative would be for you to intentionally increase your tithes and offerings as a testimony that you depend on God and not on the state of our national economy to prosper.

It is very necessary to make up your mind upfront to take a bold stand for God in every sphere of your life. God has more for you than the devil or the world can ever muster against you. Prioritize your relationship with God over every other consideration that you may face you this year. Walk circumspectly and do not fall prey of the enemy’s antics. God will deliver on all His promises, even the one He made to Jesus.  If He could perform the promises he made to Abraham to Isaac, you should have no qualms trusting Him to fulfill the promises He made to our Lord Jesus to you. This is going to be a good and exciting year for all who would place their faith in Christ. Welcome to 2016, our year of fulfillment.