Getting sufficient starting momentum
Bible Reading: Acts 9:1-20
One of the challenges the Wright brothers had when they were trying to invent the air plane was that they needed to ensure that the planes had enough momentum to take off from the ground and remain stable in the sky. It was not easy for them to discover the forces and elements needed for this. Sometimes, we have similar experiences in our lives. We can see the height we want to attain, we have a sincere desire to attain it, but it is as though there is not enough energy in us to propel us there. What should we do at such times?
We can learn from Apostle Paul. He had one of the most fulfilling apostolic ministries in the world. Did you ever bother to know how he started? Many remember how he encountered God on his way to Damascus and how he became blind. Thereafter, Ananias placed his hands on him and he received his sight. Then “he went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God” – Acts 9:20 (MSG).
Is this not surprising? How did he just start preaching? Who taught him? Where did he get the doctrine, the boldness, the momentum?
The answer lies in the message God gave Ananias about him in Acts 9:11 (MSG) saying – “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying”. He prayed consistently for three days at the inception of his ministry.
When you are about to start realizing your God-given desires, do you also go for God-given strategies, drive and boldness?
Sometimes worshipping God amidst the initial confusion may just be all you need. Praying in the spirit while you ponder about the project is always effective. Your understanding is enlightened; your strength is renewed; God’s power at work in you is activated and sufficient momentum is generated.
– tope aladenusi
When you should leave the crowd …
Bible Reading: Matthew 16:21-28
We all have different approaches for generating the power we need to start something. Many are good, but some could be dangerous. One risky approach I have observed over time is the attitude of going to the crowd.
Some people live their lives based on … “majority carries the vote”. When they want to embark on a good course, they go around asking others – hey, I want to start this stuff, what do you think? And after consulting so many people, they eventually do what the majority said.
It is good to seek counsel from others but you should be careful about it because many dreams have died this way. There are so many things God will want you to do that you will not get the support of the crowd. Therefore, one of the greatest lessons you should learn in life is to leave the crowd when the time is right.
When our Saviour was about to die for our sins, he gave his disciples a hint of what was to happen. They all fought against it. But Jesus knew when to say ‘get thee behind me’.
Realizing your dreams will usually not be a community effort.
Have you ever seen a set of eagles flying? They rarely flock together. In a similar manner, those great heights you see in you may sometimes be achieved when you are left alone in ‘the lonely part of destiny’.
– tope aladenusi
| Paralyzing Bad Procrastination
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 11
Procrastination is putting off an action to a later time. It is natural for everyone to procrastinate to some degree but it becomes a problem when you keep procrastinating in a bad way. If you plan to tidy your surroundings early in the day and suddenly you hear the sound of a bomb blast around your house, it may be a good idea to procrastinate that action. That’s good procrastination – leaving less important things to attend to more important ones.
So procrastination can be as a result of many things, but when it keeps hindering you from starting the realization of your God-given desires, then it is a bad procrastination. One reason why most people do this is because they want to make a move only when all situations around them seems perfect and in line with their expectation. Any little challenge encountered along the way is just enough to let them think the time is not right to start a good course. A brother once confessed to me that he is passionate about being a teacher of God’s word, but his job and family issues are so demanding that he doesn’t even have time to read his Bible. But no matter what you are going through, you need to create time to start attending to the most important things of your life.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (GNB) says “If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything”. It’s like waiting for all the traffic lights to turn green before you move. In that case, you will sleep on the road. Traffic lights come in red, yellow and green and you have to be observant to know when a green light is facing you so that you can make a move. Many people are sleeping on their ‘productivity lanes’ just because all the factors they considered necessary to start a journey are not showing green lights.
Also, many procrastinate due to mental laziness. They are unable to properly organize the use of their time and the easy way out is to say … “I will do it tomorrow”. Most times, this tomorrow never comes or it comes too late. I’ve met many good Christians who are Professional Bad Procrastinators (PBP) and I hope you are not one of them. Their best actions are always reserved for tomorrow. But we live in an age where the phrase “tomorrow may be too late” appears to be more potent than ever before. You are only sure of today to some extent but you never can tell the challenges that tomorrow will present. Anything that can be done well today should scarcely be reserved for tomorrow except you have a counter instruction from God.
What’s happening to the good intentions you have for your home, your career, your ministry, your relationship, your business etc. Why not start doing something about them right now? Is your procrastination a good or a bad one?
Beloved, always say ‘NO’ to PBP.
– tope aladenusi
|
The miracle seed called ‘nothing’
Bible Reading: II Kings 4:1-7
God always gives a miracle seed to everyone and it is usually not beyond what you have and where you are. I could say that a million times. What you need to start the journey to where you want to be is something you already have or somewhere you are already positioned. Our problem most times is that we underestimate those things. This problem started thousands of years ago as we can see from these two real life stories:
- “… A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets had cried to Elisha, saying, My husband, your servant, is dead … And the lender has come to take my two children to himself for slaves. And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me. What do you have in the house? And she said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a pot of oil”. II King 4:1-2 (LITV)
- “… And going out, Jesus saw a great crowd and was filled with pity toward them. And evening coming, His disciples came near to Him saying, The place is deserted, and the hour is already gone by. Dismiss the crowds, that going away into the villages they may buy provisions for themselves. But Jesus said to them, They have no need to go away. You give them food to eat. But they said to Him, We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish”. Matthew 14: 14-17 (LITV)
Here are some lessons we should learn from these stories:
– the miracles they desired started with what they already had. The widow had a pot of oil and Elisha later gave her instructions on how to convert it to surplus. Jesus’ disciples had access to five loaves and two fishes and He taught them how by appreciating what they had (giving thanks), they could feed multitudes with it;
– the widow and Jesus’ disciples made the mistake that most believers of today replicate by saying they had ‘nothing’;
– the definition of ‘nothing’ to most of us is actually ‘something that we have underrated’. We should pay attention to the undertone that usually accompanies the word “except” after we have said ‘nothing’, because history has proved that those things are capable of changing a person’s state. For example, some say I have nothing except the anointing; my wife is good for nothing except that she is faithful; nothing except a mere diploma; nothing except a good friend; nothing except a pretty smile; nothing except a convincing ability…
Years ago, a brother told me that he had nothing except for the fact that people trust him so much. After some time, he came up with a business idea and started discussing it with these people. Guess what happened? They all gave him money to finance it without any collateral or evidence. All they said was ‘repay me at the agreed time’. Today, he is a millionaire.
Beloved, what are those things you have that you call ‘nothing’? Identify them and think of how to start realizing your dreams with them. They are starting blocks to make you get what you want and reach where you desire to be.
– tope aladenusi
| Start with your miracle seed
Bible Reading: John 2:1-11
Why do we plant seeds instead of fully grown trees? Why do we erect houses block upon block rather than just depositing a magnificent building into the ground? Why did Jesus start with twelve disciples even though he desired to impact the whole world?
Great endings are usually products of small beginnings. The bible says “And though your start was small, your end will be very great” Job 8:7 (BBE). My Christian brothers and sisters love to quote this verse, but most of them don’t start realizing their dreams because they have fallen into the trick of the devil that says … “if only you can have more, then it will be appropriate for you to start”. More money, more connections, more people, more anointing, more love, more more …
So they keep saying “if only I have more, I will start now”. But kingdom principle says … “if only you start now, you will have more”. I remember when we started our internet outreach, we had just ten subscribers. Today, the number of subscribers we have in a day is more than our total subscribers at inception.
It is grave diggers that start from the top and keep digging downwards. Great things usually start small and keep growing. Jesus’ lifestyle showed us that you are permitted to start small as long as you do not remain small.
Some people think you do not have faith if you start small. I wonder what they will say about God who brought forth the 6 billion people on earth through two people – Adam and Eve. What a beginning! Compare two to six billion and you can imagine the abundance that is waiting for you when you start.
To start small means to start with what you have and from where you are. Have you been offered a small job? Start with it. You live in a jungle? Start from there. You have just 3 followers? Start with them. You’ve got only 10 million bucks? Start with it. God always gives a miracle seed to everyone and it is not beyond what you have and where you are.
Don’t join the company of men who keep wishing they started climbing the success ladder from the top. Start with what you have and from where you are, and you are already on your way to the top.
– tope aladenusi |
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 2
It is commonly said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, but many never take this first step. If our actions could match up with our intentions, then the world will be a better place. I hear of great ideas, lovely plans, fabulous dreams, superb intentions … but it’s a pity we cannot be blessed by your intentions until they are translated into actions.
Some people say “at 20, a man thinks he can save the world. But at 30, he begins to think of how to save part of his salary”. I totally agree with this statement if and only if it was referring to unbelievers. Every Christian has been configured by God to impact the world in a unique way. You should not zero yourself down only trying to make ends meet all the days of your life.
Those dreams that begins to crescendo when you are/were approaching 20 years can witness a ‘Rest in Peace’ if you do not make a move. Even Jesus Christ got to a point in life when he had to step out to actualize his vision. John 2:11 (GW) says “Cana inGalilee was the place where Jesus began to perform miracles…”
God told Moses in Deut. 2:31 (NIV), ““See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.””. Wow! I love this verse. God began a work in the realm of the spirit and later instructed Moses to begin its realization in the realm of the physical. Oh! I wonder how many good things we have missed just because we did not fulfill our own part of the deal by …Starting.
Your dream home, dream company, dream ministry … dream life may become a nightmare if you do not start doing something about it now. Many of us have studied; we have prayed; we have been led … but it is high time we began to act.
Starting Power is a series of message that will be coming your way in the next few weeks. It will propel you into success and assist you in realizing your God-given desires.
– tope aladenusi