David Welsh was determined to be a lawyer. The only problem was that he had dyslexia, a learning disability that causes letters to appear exactly the opposite of the way they should.
In elementary school, David’s parents spent long hours reading his class assignments to him. He dictated his answers to them, and they typed them out. No doubt, many shook their heads at David’s dream to become an attorney.
David entered Westminster College and taped his classes on a recorder rather than taking notes. He typed all of his examination. David graduated from College. No doubt several shook their heads at his ambition to enter law school.
But David Welsh is a positive thinker. He entered the University of Tulsa Law School and recorded every lecture, listening to each again and again. He spent hours in the legal library reading his assignments, painstakingly working through them word by word. He dictated term papers and even dictated exam answers, all at his own expense.
David Welsh eventually made it as an attorney. Was it hard? Yes! Were there problems? Absolutely.
Many told him he couldn’t do it. But his dream was to become an attorney, and he was willing to do what was necessary to make that dream come true.
Are you still doubting the possibility of that dream of yours coming to reality? Read the story of David Welsh again. If you were this young man, would you have given up on your dream of becoming a lawyer?
If you pay a closer attention to the story of David, you will discover that what made it possible for him to accomplish his dream was his ability to communicate with others. You cannot rule out the power of communication if you really want your dreams to come true.
According to a wise man “Communicating when it really matters – with colleagues, at meetings, during disagreements, at negotiations – requires skills, thoughtfulness, and an ability to take responsibility for others’ understanding. Communication is not something that should be left to chance.”
Dear reader, do you want to master the art of communicating effectively? Do you want to stand out to be counted and be recognized? Do you want to position yourself for promotion to the next level? Do you want to be a leader and not a boss? If yes, then master the art of effective communication.
To our success!
Uju Onyechere
As simple as this question sounds, many of us do not have an idea of what we really want. At age 35, I had no clue. At age 40, I was beginning to have an idea, but I was all over the place. I was not sure. Now 6 years later, I am crystal clear what I really want. It might change later, but for now, I am not double minded. If you wake me up 2am in the morning and ask me what I want, I will tell you without blinking. I am tempted to tag the 15 plus years I wandered in cluelessness and financial wilderness – the wasted years. I have come to realize that they are not indeed wasted. Who I am today and the passion I feel about this subject is as a result of the pain of those years of going round in circles. I feel I have a duty to warn others that we do not have to wander 40 years (age 20 – 60) in the financial wilderness. There is a better and shorter route to our promised land instead of the traditional aimless wandering, retiring poor and wondering what our life is about. You may have noticed that a disproportionate number of retirees die within 10 years of retirement. Without a job, they start to wonder what is there to live for. Their job was their life, literally.
One amazing thing I have discovered is that when you know what you really want, you start to move towards it – often unconsciously. Scientists, psychologists, motivational speakers and folks in the personal development industry have all come to one conclusion – we move in the direction of our expectations. It should not be amazing, because the Bible stated clearly that the expectations of the righteous shall not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18, 24:14). If you aim for nothing, you will achieve it. If you are going nowhere, you will get there surely. If you don’t know what you want, you will have no clue what you will get.
When it comes to personal finances (as in other areas of our lives), we need clear unambiguous goals. It has to be explicit. You have to know what you really want, and why. How do you know when you get there, if you don’t know what you really want?
How do you see yourself in the next 5, 10, 15, 20years? Which city do you want to be living in? What kind of house do you want to live in? Do you have a clear picture? What type of car do you want to ride in? What income do you want to earn per month, per year? What will you do with the money? Which lives do you want to impact? What problem do you want to solve? How will the world become better because you achieved your goals and dreams? What impact do you want to make? How do you want to be remembered? What do you want written on your tombstone? At what age do you want to take a bow? How do you want to be at that age? – Bedridden? Using a walking stick? Overweight? Fit and agile? What do you really want?
God has given us the awesome power of imagination to create the future we desire. We have the power of memory to replay the past, and imagination to pre-play the future. Only humans have this ability. What are we using our imagination for? To imagine vain things?
We can literally use our imagination the way children use Lego blocks to create things – to create a compelling future, the future of our dreams. We have the power to declare things, and they will come to pass. We have the power to plan and get to work. We have the power to focus and persevere in the face of adverse circumstances. We have the power to rise up each time we fall. What more do we want?
What is your dream?
What are your goals?
What do you really want?
God has given us a blank cheque to write what we really want, what have we written?
What have we done with our power to choose?
After all is said and done, the expectations of the righteous, whatever that is, will surely come to pass. It will become a self fulfilling prophecy.
-Usiere Uko is editor of www.financialfreedominspiration.com and author of Practical Steps to Financial Freedom and Independence – www.amazon.com/Practical-Steps-Financial-Freedom-Independence/dp/147006832X .
Why do you do the good things you do?
Whether we like it or not, this is a question we will all have to answer one day. It is an unpopular question that probes for the motives behind our actions. The reverse is the case these days. People talk only about the actions (what has been done) – “Oh! He gave a million bucks to charity”; “She has been moving across the Arab nations preaching the gospel for the past 7 years”; “That pastor is so nice, he visits all his members every month”; “that couple is so loving, they are always working together to bless lives”; etc. But God has made his position clear – “… I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart” I Samuel 16:7 (GNB).
Beloved, God will not reward us based on the size of the work we did for him; he will reward us based on the size of the heart with which we worked with him. 1Corinthians 3:13 (GNB) says “And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it”. I think a good question to ask here is – how does God measure quality?
Every week I try to compose an exhortation and send to subscribers of Christ Lifeline weekly devotional messages. I remember there was a week I did not feel like writing at all and I didn’t want to send any message. But it occurred to me that I have a reputation of posting messages on a weekly basis. I immediately composed a message and sent it. Guess what? I received numerous testimonies from people who were blessed by that message, but I knew afterwards that I was ranking very low in terms of quality. Why? My motivation for writing that week was just to sustain my reputation. I began to see more clearly why some pastors have said that on the Day of Judgment, many will be shocked.
Why do you do the good things you do? Is it to sustain your reputation; retain people’s attention; obtain worldly satisfaction; or to maintain an impression? Men may give kudos to the outward form, but God will look at the motivation behind the outward form. One key yardstick God will use to judge our works is elucidated in 1 Corinthians 13:3 (BBE) “And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me”. Hmm! The most arresting outward appearance without a corresponding inward compliance to the rule of Christ’s love is utterly useless.
Apostle Paul understood this principle when he said – “we are ruled by the love of Christ …” 2 Corinthians 5:14 (GNB). Beloved, let’s start checking our motives before we face eternity. Before we commence or continue racing on any “good lane”, let’s ask ourselves – what is my motive? Let the love of Christ be our motivation so that when our work is made manifest in the day of Christ, we will receive a reward.
– tope aladenusi
(Revelation 2: 4,5)
They raised their arms, swaying in tandem with the praise; I gnashed my teeth in despair.
They supped in the same table with Him; I ate the crumbs from their feast.
They beheld His glory; I couldn’t see past the veil on my face.
They jumped in joy; I mourned in sorrow.
What had happened to me?
I decided to quit.
The exit door was huge, but old. I could see the stain from the palm of the last man that used it. The mark was still fresh. How many had left through this door? How many came back? The story goes that it is easy to leave but very difficult to come back.
Heart hitting hard on my ribs, I grabbed the handle. A click, a hilarious shout! I retracted my hand and looked back. A beautiful young woman just came in through the small entrance door. I shook my head in shame. Such was the hilarious welcome-shout when I first entered the kingdom. Then, I was enjoying everything – the music, the worship, the fellowship. What had happened to me?
What happened to my zeal to serve the Lord at all times? What happened to my passion to please the king in all circumstances? What happened to my desire to do His will at all cost? Ashamed of remembering where I had fallen, I quickly grabbed the door handle and turned it hard. Then, everything became dead silent. No more worship, no more music – I was dumb-dead to everything happening inside.
A tap at my back and I turned. Standing behind was a man in white apparel.
“Why do you want to go?”
His countenance was full of care as He asked. His warm smile proved wrong my belief that nobody cared any longer about me in the kingdom.
“I’m no more useful here.” I kindly told Him.
He looked at me with pity. “It’s very cold outside,” He warned. “If you leave, you might not make it back. Stay with us. We love you.”
Me? Those pleading and caring words hit me hard. Am I still loved the way I am? I couldn’t believe it. Shaking terribly, my hands slipped off the door-handle and I fell down on my knees. With tears running down my cheeks,
I promised the King of kings that I would return to my first love.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Rev. 2:4,5)
– okenna igbokwe
| In the midst of a world marred with foolishness and disobedience, people hating and maligning one another, we were misled by others and slaves to evil desires. Our lives enthralled in wickedness
We hated others and they hated us. -emeka ofia |
They passed
Dropping their coins
Each one
Today was good
At times was real bad
That I couldn’t get some food
Yet I wondered
And pondered
On how I could get yonder
To the ripple of the water
I tried again,
Telling each one of my plight
Yet they all felt fine
By dropping some dime
Then……
He passed by
Not pleasant to the eyes
So why make the cry
But he asked
Would you like to get to the well?
What a question
Maybe he would help I thought
Finally someone to show some love
So I wailed
Telling my tale
Of how I seemed so late
Just to get to the fountain
I seemed to say
Could you stay?
And help me to the way
Just to the fountain
But what love the master displayed
“Stand up, Pick up your mat and walk” He said
And I was healed
Shocked and pleased
I wondered
Not about the law
But at such love
Which didn’t wait for me to ask?
WHAT AWESOME LOVE
– Dr bolaji akanni
Have you ever wished you were born rich with the silver spoon? I use to wish that. I felt my rich friends had an easier start in life and were exposed to better opportunities and had a certain future. I wished I had that kind of life.
But God made me see things differently and today I am always glad to have been born without the so-called silver spoon. Most great men in all sectors of life were born lowly. Tomorrow’s great men and women will be those with little beginning.
That’s how God operates. 1 Cor 1; 26-27 “for consider your calling brethren that there are not many mighty, not many noble; but God HAS CHOSEN the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to shame the strong and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen the things that are not to nullify the things that are”. God gave that passage life to me. Right from the beginning mighty men were born weak, rich men were born poor, wise men considered foolish. Those that became were those that were not. That’s God way, higher than ours. Samuel overlooked David for he was youngest, God made him king. Great kings should be born in the palace; Jesus was born in the manger. He was from Nazareth where no good thing could come out. God showed differently. Moses was taken from the river. Joseph was the youngest and had more troubles, and he became a prime minister in a country where he wasn’t a national.
I am sure you remember Samson, but do you remember his parents. They were lowly people. How about Elijah, Elisah, Job who was the richest man in his time…do you know where they came from? How about Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Mandela, Ford, …just name them. Where did they start form, where did they come from? How about President Obasanjo?
It’s Gods way. A little one shall become a thousand (Isa. 60.22) and beggars will be taken from the dung hill and made to sit with the best of princes. When men are weak and lowly, Gods strength is made perfect.
Are you poor today, you will be made to confound the rich tomorrow. I tell you it is more certain that the poor child will be wealthy than it is that a rich one will still be wealthy tomorrow.
Despise not the days of little beginning. Glory in it. God moulds great men out of trying situations. Your poor background is not a disadvantage. It is your great advantage. Put your trust in God. Though men will trust in chariots and others in horses let your boast be in the lord for the race is not to the swift and the battle not to the warrior neither bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability. God makes the difference. Nothing else. God in you, the hope of Glory.
You can become wealthy from where you are.
-emmanuel aladenusi
Years back when I was a jobless graduate, God taught me concerning wealth. The revelations were tremendous. I like to share two with you.
MY LIFE DOES NOT DEPEND ON WHAT I AM PAID AND WHAT I AM PAID CANNOT MEET MY NEEDS.
It’s funny the way deceit is sown in cycles. Economists discovered and teach that man’s needs/wants are insatiable and that there have to be a formula for allocating the little/scarce resources between our needs. The economy however suggests to us that there is a level of income you attain where you will be free from want and have just anything you want. Another theory advocates that wants/needs grow to meet up with income.
The question is just how much is enough to satisfy you? For me in my jobless state, fifty thousand bucks monthly was more than enough to satisfy my dreams. Today that’s very insufficient. Rockefeller a famous philanthropist who gave out millions annually to charity was asked, “just how much money is enough” he replied “just a little more”. Whole nations make budgets worth trillions and still record a deficit. Men and women that have amassed millions still can’t sleep for fear of making more money. The most ferocious businessmen are still the richest men. More money did not bring rest. Many of the world richest men and women are broke today.
A mans worth is not his bank account. A mans dreams is not achieved nor hindered by his net physical worth. What we chase and get monetary wise will never meet our needs. Never! Jesus taught the rich not to trust in UNCERTAIN riches but to put their trust in God who gives us all things richly to enjoy. Money has wings and will surely fly. Praying and working all your life in other to meet your wants/needs will end in frustration.
There is a higher level. At that level God supplies all our needs not according to our income, but according to his infinite riches in glory. At that level God is our own shepherd and is responsible directly for our provision. At that level we cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. Earn millions but never forget that God is the supplier of your needs. God in your little is having abundance and without God in your abundance, you have nothing. Hallelujah. Why is that a better level?
Which will you choose? I give you a billion now and that’s all or I give you nothing but allow you access to an account that has enough to supply whatever you need, whenever you need it and wherever you need it all the days of your life. I will choose the regular supply. That means if I am trapped in the desert like Haggai, a well will be dug for me; that means if I am in the cave like Elijah, ravens will be sent to me; that means if I find myself in the wilderness for as long as forty years, manna will come directly from heaven; that means every rock can produce water for me if I get thirsty; that means instead of looking at my oil (salary) like the widow of Zeraphat, I can keep pouring (spending) on His instruction and fill as many jars as I have (meet as many needs as may arise). That means whatever I get is protected and shielded from devourers. That’s my greatest confidence in finances. The understanding that at every point in time my needs have being known and prepared for beforehand by the most high.
It is the blessings of God that makes rich and added no sorrow. Glory! I can do all things. Equal to any task because God supplies my needs directly.
-emmanuel aladenusi
| David wondered and pondered
Could God really consider Righteousness apart from the worker Ooh!! How blessed that man is forever To whom God would declare all over “Behold my righteous one”
Now I pondered Could God really declare Such to a man who had not works to share Ooh!! How blessed that man is forever
But then I found such a man Ooh!! Weep and howl for he didst not know I cried and screamed For God had made A gift of his righteousness Not to be worked for Not to be prayed for For His Son paid it all When he died on the Cross
Now to all Who would only believe Is God making this call Rejoice ooh man Stand up from the dust For righteous we stand Because of him who died I said, “Righteous we stand’ Because of him who died
– bolaji akanni
|
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
I don’t know why I’m writing or talking about this, this week but I know one thing is for sure, God wants to put an end to the lies that have been going on in someone’s mind.
In Relationships, especially marriage relationship we often experience one storm or the other. Sometimes this might be little things which we make a big deal of (most times because we don’t have challenges).
Sometime ago, my husband told me this “I don’t have any major issues with you, it’s just this little ones that keep appearing here and there”.
And you know what if I can be sincere with you, this so called little things drive me to the edge at times. Is it because they are just little in his eyes and larger in mine, No! It is because I allow the devil taunt me, I listen to the voices in my head and they push me further and further away. I’m sure a man reading this will say it’s a feminine thing. No it’s not! Sometimes the reason we over react and have a fight is this. It happens to both men and women.
The devil’s strategy from the beginning of time hasn’t changed. See Gen. 3:1-5. I find this passage very interesting because it’s the first illustration in the Bible that shows us this strategy and secondly it happened in a family setting. And this had an eternal consequence which you and I bear today.
It was the first family, Dad had gone to work as usual leaving mum around at home to tend to things. Sure dad passed an instruction to mum, the master said “do not go near the tree” but then the enemy came drawing mum’s attention once more to the tree (Gen3:1-8) of course naturally she refuses because she has instructions not to go near the tree. But the devil persisted, explaining the details of the effect of action though an half truth which is equally a lie. And just as we Christians behave these days, Eve had a second thought and in her mind she said “It’s not really bad after all”. Before we knew it Eve had eaten the fruit and taken it to Adam and all creation had fallen.
The devil’s greatest weapon which he uses to drag us down is the power to convince us to see things his way. He pushes us to doubt, fear, regret our decision to go into our relationship/marriage just because of a present challenge.
I believe this is a word for now for some. Never give up, especially to the married ones, refuse the enemy’s word.
Believe what God says concerning marriage, this is the only TRUTH that matters.
God bless you.
– lola ezeifeoma