Eternal Excellencies
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1 ETERNAL EXCELLENCIES
Copyright 2014 Kingfisher Publications. All rights reserved
ETERNAL EXCELLENCIES
BY
ADIELE VICTOR
2 ETERNAL EXCELLENCIES
Copyright 2014 Kingfisher Publications. All rights reserved
Copyright 2014 by Adiele Victor.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978-978-934-662-2 Kingfisher Publications Nigeria Email: Kingfisherpubs@gmail.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/eternalexcellencies Cover illustration 2014 Claudience Media House Website: www.claudiencemg.wix.com/claudiencemh Author Contact Email: Victor.adiele757@gmail.com Email: chineduadiele@ymail.com Facebook: Facebook.com/adielevictor9 Twitter: @adielevee Phone No: +234 703 691 348 8
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 7
CHAPTER ONE
THE BEST SEASON OF OUR LIVES............................................................................ 8
CHAPTE TWO
WHY DO PEOPLE SUFFER ........................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER THREE
BREAKING THE AMORPHOUS GLOBE OF MEDIOCRITY ........................... 31
CHAPTER FOUR
A DEFINING POINT........................................................................................................ 42
CHAPTER FIVE
THE DAYS AHEAD .......................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER SIX
BEYOND HUMAN ............................................................................................................ 77
CHAPTER SEVEN
ITS UP TO YOU ................................................................................................................. 89
4 ETERNAL EXCELLENCIES
Copyright 2014 Kingfisher Publications. All rights reserved
I dedicate this book to a true Excellency, my grandma Mrs. Constance Nkachu Ijoma-
Orji. You have left a standard, and your deeds would be told for generations to come.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
To the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has given me
the Holy Ghost, who has been the inspiration behind this book, I count it
an honour to be deemed a vessel fit for your use Great King.
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APPRECIATION
I would like to appreciate all those who have contributed to the success of
this book, to my dear friends and mentors. I say a big thank you.
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INTRODUCTION
You know, so many times we look at the future and feel so powerless; we
see all the people around us, and begin to wonder if we could do any
better, we see the great ones around us and also wonder if we could be
anything like them. At the end we come up with various theologies and
philosophies, we begin to say things like no one knows tomorrow or things
like the future isnt certain.
The next few pages of this book contain proven and tested truths that will
give you a positive look on life; tenets that assure you of a great tomorrow.
However, this book has not been written to just make you feel good, but it
lets you know your responsibilities and it drives you to pursue your course.
Just as Richard Bach said "Sooner or later those who win are those who think that
they can.", the most pre-eminent benefit this book will give you is its ability
to show you your matchless potentials and how you can activate them.
I would like you to grab my hands as we journey through the seven
chapters of this book, that will place you on the right track to making a
lifelong impact and I am positive that at the end of this book, you will leave
with the mind-set of a king.
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CHAPTER ONE
THE BEST SEASON OF OUR LIVES
The good old days this is the slogan common to most of the senior
citizens of any nation. Then they go ahead to talk about how they made so
much money, were so popular, had so many lovers, were so hot, so smart,
unbeatable and on and on and on. Then we begin to ask ourselves, how
come this guy is no longer who he used to be? The answer this fellow
did not make the best use of his youth.
TIMING
The best time of any mans life is his youth. When a man plays away his
youth, his chances of having a greater future is not so much of a reality.
The reason is very simple: it has been discovered that the great men of
today did not start their journey today. Success belongs to those who
prepare for it. So many times, people think success comes through luck;
they say God blesses some and leaves some others impoverished but we
have come to realize that in reality; who you are today is a result of who
you have either directly or indirectly chosen to be . When so many folks
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hear this, they begin to say I did not choose to be in such and such a
company; I did not choose to be unemployed; I did not choose to have this
bad luck, and so on. They begin to blame the government, their parents,
family etc. The foundational truth is that you are where you are because
you chose directly or indirectly to be there. Now, very seldom do people
ever choose to be poor. It is difficult to see someone who makes up his
mind to work towards failure but the big boomer is that majority of people,
the big bulk of folks spend their lives choosing indirectly to fail. One thing
you should know is that there are no neutral grounds; its either now or
later, yes or no, true or false, good or bad. So whenever you choose not to
do the good, you have indirectly in this context, chosen to do the bad.
When someone believes that God blesses some and leaves others
impoverished, this kind of thinking leads to total irresponsibility. Where
folks leave everything up to God, Nature or Life, they play away their
youth with such ideologies as, Why dont I just have all this fun now; if I
dont do these things now when else can I do it?
Another funny thing is that, people have come to believe that whatever
will be, will be. This is the biggest lie of all times.
The only things that happen to us are the things that we make happen.
Nobody was born out of whatever will be, will be . No woman sits in her
house and just gets pregnant and no student passes an exam without
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preparing for it. The only people that get a desired output are those who
put in the required input.
Now, we have established that if anything meaningful is going to come out
of anybodys life, it is going to be a product of that individuals input but a
very undisputable fact of life is that there is that factor called Timing.
No matter how much passion you have for piloting, at the age of 65 you
cannot and will not be permitted to fly a plane. No matter how skilful a
footballer is, at the age of 30, you are already considered old. If you want to
build a great company or enterprise like Apple.Inc whose founder started
at 21, or Google whose founder started at 25, you ought to have started by
now. Our youth is the best time for us to start anything we want to do.
Before we even go further, I want to give you my own definition of a
youth. Many people have their own definitions so I will do no injustice to
give you my own definition. My own definition of a youth is one who has
the ability to make choices regarding the direction of his life; one who is
still energetic and flexible in movement.
This definition tells a lot. Though there is no age bracket to it, if you can
make spontaneous changes which wouldnt harm anyone, you are a youth.
One could be married and still be a youth and one could be single and not
be a youth. The hallmark of youthfulness is strength and flexibility. How
you know that you are going past your youth is when you discover that you
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cannot just do things because of their implications on those to whom you
are committed.
Flexibility of the youth happens to be its greatest benefit but unfortunately,
so many folks tend to misuse this. They get to experiment with so many
vices; drugs, all forms of sexual immortality and so on. But just as flexibility
can be misused it could also be properly invested. Sadly, majority of people
are of the other side of those who misuse their youth
From my study of great men and their brands I was astounded to find out
that nearly all of them started building their brands in their early days. I
would like to espouse you to some of their stories briefly.
We see a man who at the age of six, made his first sales profit of five cents
by selling 6 packs of Cola which he bought from his grandfathers grocery
store. At the age of eleven, the same man purchased his first three shares.
At the age of 17 he had already made about $5000 by selling newspapers. It
is no surprise that at age 78 he was ranked the worlds richest man, and is
currently the second richest man in the world. This is the story of Warren
Buffet. Business.
Next is a man who began programming at the age of 13. Together with his
friend Paul, he ran a small company called Traf-O-data and sold a
computer to the city of Seattle that counts traffic, while he was yet an
undergraduate. He wrote a version of *the programming language BASIC
for the MITS Altair microcomputer. Today the company Microsoft which
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he founded at the age of 21 has become a household name; Bill Gates
Technology.
Aliko Dangote: Nigerias richest man, Africas No 1 and the worlds no
50th richest man started selling boxes of sweets to his schoolmates right
from primary school. He started the Dangote Group as a small trading firm
at the age of 20. Most companies and houses in Nigeria and most of Africa
were either built with or contain Dangotes products.
There are many examples of these people: Tiger Woods, Abraham Lincoln
and so on. Most of these men started in their younger years. The truth
you are getting too old is a statement constantly made by a great
preacher. Remember we are talking about becoming an Eternal Excellency.
You are not going to make a great edifice without a deep foundation, and
you do not broadcast your foundation; you do not build your foundation
when you are under the spot light. This fact is very evident in most
developing countries where you see presidents who have very poor
leadership capacities and very high grammatical error tendencies. The issue
is not that they do not want to learn leadership skills or grammar. Rather, it
is that by that time, they are expected to have learnt it. But, you see its easy
to note the cheap flaws of those on television, but many folks in their
respective offices are also guilty of this. Most of the top executives
developed themselves when they had fewer things bothering them during
their youth; which is the best time to break and form habits. Like a wise man
once said, The playboy of today is the Casanova of tomorrow. It is a
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popular saying that the child shows the man. The question is this: what
kind of person have you positioned yourself to be?
Dependence vs. Independence
I would like to draw a parallel between two of lifes phases; dependence
and independence. Basically, dependence talks about ones reliance on
someone else for support i.e. parents, family, government etc. whereas
independence has to do with ones ability to cater for oneself without
external support. It is apparent though that in our country, you hardly have
an independent person who does not have somebody depending on him.
Most youths fall into the dependent class, though there are some who are
in the class of the independent; nevertheless, most of the younger youth
fall into this class. I want to contrast these two periods to you and by so
doing, show you how to harness your period as a dependent.
Time Factor
While you are in the dependent class, you most assuredly do not work,
hence, you have time; free time, time to think, to learn, time to make all the
necessary sacrifices you need to make and stuff like that. I remember
during my Industrial Training while working with some young employees,
one of them was talking about some skills he would had loved to acquire ,
but he could no longer pursue such programmes due to his work schedule.
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It then dawned on me that so many young people today are preparing to
have lots of regrets later in life.
Shock Absorption
One of the many benefits of the youthful days (dependencies) is that we
have many people to help us absorb shock (losses and pains). This is a very
important factor because assuming you start up a business while a student
in school, and you make use of your monthly allowance, if you should
incur a loss, the worst thing that would happen is that you will wait for
your parents or guardians to send you another sum for allowance. But
when you are in the class of the independents, every wrong investment you
make will not just affect you, but those who are dependent on you will also
be greatly affected.
What do you have to lose if you make a mistake? If you want to be a
musician, start singing; if you want to be a business tycoon, start doing
business; if you want to be a preacher start preaching; if you want to be a
writer, start writing. Have you thought about it? Why did Warren Buffet
start selling at 6? Why did Bill Gates start programming during his teenage
years? It is all because they knew what they loved and started at it till they
became masters at it. It is only practice that makes perfect. You do
not learn maturity, you only become mature. To be a master in
anything, you need more than knowledge, more than skill, more than
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formal training you need experience, and that comes with time, so why
dont you start now?
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CHAPTER TWO
WHY DO PEOPLE SUFFER?
Now I want us to look at a very serious, but most often unattended
question Why do people suffer?
First of all I want to ask you this question: do you believe a whole bunch of
people are suffering? Well, I dont know about you but in my locality you
dont have to raise your head too far, just look outside the window of your
house or your car, and then you see it all; a whole bunch of people
suffering. I mean, not just suffering but I mean really suffering. For
example, you can see a man pushing a trolley loaded with up to twelve to
fifteen gallons of water, not because he wants to build his muscles, but this
guy could carry that gallon for up to twenty to a hundred meters just for an
unbelievably small amount of money. In my opinion, that is called
suffering. If this was all suffering was, you could say it is so easy to know
those who are suffering, but I tell you in the corporate world, there are
those who work in their offices from sunrise to sunset and at the end of
the day, they have just enough money to take care of their families. They
then experience medical challenges which will cost them all they have
earned and return them to a state of being broke. I dont know what you
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may call this, but I call it suffering. Now you know that to pay your tax is a
social responsibility to the nation but I have met men, whose gross income
will not be able to take care of themselves and their families and yet, they
still cannot escape tax. They have to pay it. Then I ask you the question
again- are people suffering? Maybe I should help you by giving you some
definitions of suffering.
One definition of the word suffering means to put up with something
painful or unpleasant. Another definition says it is to experience or
undergo something unpleasant or undesirable. The last definition we shall
be considering states that it is to suffer means to feel pain or great
discomfort in body or mind (all three definitions are from Encarta
dictionary).
So now let me rephrase the question; are people;
(i) Putting up with something painful or unpleasant?
(ii) Experiencing or undergoing something unpleasant or
undesirable?
(iii) Feeling pains or great discomfort in body or mind?
Well, I feel this makes the question easier to answer; in fact, I can imagine
you saying in your mind that if these definitions are true, then everyone is
suffering. Sure youve got a point in that, but the truth is that not everyone
is suffering, but that a vast majority of people are suffering. In fact it is so
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bad that it has become a normal thing in the minds of many; they just
expect to suffer. I want to share this thought with you: now, if there was a
God who made all humans and placed them on earth just to suffer, what
kind of a God will that be? I tell you, that kind of a God deserves to be
stoned to death, and if he is that powerful, then everybody should have
been suffering, else those who arent suffering must be more powerful
because, they have dodged his plot. But it is evident that the God who
created humanity did not make, neither has he caused mankind to suffer.
At this point I deem it most necessary to draw the line between suffering
and sacrificing. We all may have to sacrifice once in a while in order to
attain a desired objective, but that doesnt me we are suffering.
As I have said earlier, God has not made anybody to suffer; the
government hasnt, you know even statistics shows that 1% of the worlds
population are in possession if 40% of the worlds wealth, while the
remaining 99% of the entire worlds population are suffering for just 60%
of the worlds wealth; no wonder the majority are suffering. There are
reasons why that 1% is lounging while the other 99% are struggling and the
major one is:
Ignorance: On a fateful day while working with my fellow engineers on a
new site, I felt hungry so I decided to go get myself a meal rather than a
snack as we usually did. On this day I stepped into a University close to the
site where I worked, then I saw this restaurant and I walked into it; I
looked at the menu and Boy! They really had some mouth-watering meals.
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So I told the lady serving to put fried rice (I pointed at it) then beans (I also
pointed at it) then I asked her if she had fish, she said yes, then I told her
to put in fish, then I asked for a bottle of Coke (you should have seen how
authoritative I was), then she served it in a tray and stretched it towards
me. As she did this, I dipped my hands into my pocket and brought out a
Five Hundred Naira note. I just flaunted it in front of the cashiers face,
expecting her to start counting my change. This woman looked me in the
eye and said thats not enough; your food costs Six Hundred and fifty
Naira, and here I was with my five hundred naira note expecting a
balance. I just paused for a moment (you see, being a student in a different
school where such an order wouldnt have exceeded maybe, four hundred
naira, I just assumed it was going to be same price because this was also a
University just like mine), then I dipped my hand into my pocket again
brought out my last cash (about two hundred and fifty naira and handed it
to the cashier, leaving me with just a hundred naira. At that moment, I
knew there was a problem because I left my debit card back at home and I
needed at least two hundred and fifty naira to return home from work. The
meal I was once looking forward to munch with so much enthusiasm
became an assignment because, as I took every spoon all I could think of
was my transport fare; I was actually eating in pain (you know what I
mean).
If I had taken time to find out the cost of the meal (which was possible), I
would have planned my spending better and at least enjoyed whatever I
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had bought, but because of being unaware (ignorant) of the prices, I got
myself into that mess.
Ignorance which means unawareness of something (often something
important) or simply put, the lack of knowledge is one of the biggest
reasons why people suffer. As an enlightened man once said, you pay for
everything you dont know. How true a saying this is; people die
because of ignorance, just like the man who goes to hang a wet cloth on a
33kilo volt transmission line or the fellow that dives from a springboard
into the shallow part of a pool. Of course these maybe extreme cases of
ignorance but I assure you that they have surely happened somewhere. The
amazing thing is that most ignorant people do not know just how ignorant
they are.
ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE vs. RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge could either be acquired or received, I would like to explain
them this way; by definition, to acquire means to get or obtain
possession of something, whereas the word receive means to take or
accept something given. Hence, I will define acquired knowledge as
knowledge that is taken hold of or dug out by an individual, whereas
received knowledge is one that is accepted by an individual to whom it is
given.
A vast majority of humanity is suffering because they thrive on received
knowledge. If all you have is received knowledge i.e. knowledge that is
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just given to you void of active involvement in the processing of its
facts, then you are bound to the ground. One of the major problems we
have today is that most of our school graduates are only possessors of
received knowledge. All they know is what the lecturer has taught them
in school; all that the lecturer knows is all his lecturer taught him years
ago. They know nothing about life and nothing about anything else but
you know what, they will never accept that they are ignorant. I always
say to folks if all you know is what you were taught in school, you
are headed for a miserable life. Nobody ever made a mark through
using only common sense. Common sense only makes common
people. Common sense is received knowledge; it is knowledge as
everyone should know. Acquired knowledge on the other hand, has to
be actively sought for; you have to take it for yourself. You do not get it
by sitting in a classroom, by combing the streets, or by just doing as
everyone else is doing. Acquired knowledge is SOUGHT for; you get a
topic you are interested in and begin to research on it, find out what to
do, to make things work.
Do you know why the big corporations remain at the top? It is because
they spend time and money on acquisition of information relevant to
their area of expertise. They have their research teams that figure out the
trends in their industry and how to stay on top of the charts. Funny
enough, even a number of those researchers do not know how
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important it is for them to research for information that will change
their life situations.
A wise man once said to his audience, you go to school to learn how
to learn. If only all students will have this mind set! What a difference
it would make for one to understand that all the assignments and
examinations were just to teach them how to get things done right and
in quick time. It makes all the difference in the world to know that you
are not spending four, five, six or seven years of your life just to acquire
a Certificate but to learn how to pursue knowledge.
The key to having acquired knowledge is that you must have a focus-
something you are looking for. For example, if I want to begin a
business, I begin by learning what it takes to run a successful business,
then I study successful businesses and how they succeeded, I would
study failed business, why they failed and so many other things. The
point I am making is that I would study my subject intrinsically. No
school can tell you everything about something; if you want to be
ahead you have to have an edge, and knowledge gives you that edge.
These few things I have told you just now should show you why so
many people including graduates, corporate workers and business
owners are still suffering today. It has been observed that one definition
of success is based on exposure, and exposure comes from information
and this information most often than none is acquired knowledge. Let
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me give you a very common instance: In Nigeria the common definition
of success is finishing school with a 1st Class Degree or a Second Class
Upper Degree, and then getting a job in a prestigious company or even
any company at all with your certificate. Its funny because it is also so in
most parts of the world, but you still wonder why people suffer. I just
pointed a good reason for you. If you are exposed or rather informed
you will find out that the people we celebrate today, the Aliko Dangotes,
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs etc. had another definition of it. I say to my
friends that, the will to go stems from the knowledge that there is
somewhere to go. You do not embark on a journey to nowhere. If
you must have real success, you must know what success looks like so
go ahead; begin studying the life of great men and great companies,
because if you dont know what it looks like, you cannot press for it.
Just as the definition of success as by common sense leads to
impoverishment, there are some other basic truths I would like you to
know that will help you channel yourself towards making a mark.
(1) SUCCESS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT
This is a fundamental truth which I believe you must have known if you
bought this book yourself, but sadly the vast majority of folks do not
know this. Success is not an accident, but you know what everyone says
(received knowledge) they say success is an accident, sure they do not
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say it that way, the clothe it another way by saying whatever will happen
will happen or whatever will be will be or another way they put it is that
God (or the universe or Nature) makes some successful while it makes
others unsuccessful. Again I repeat, success is not an accident. If success
were to be an accident, why dont we all just sit at home and wait for the
accident to happen, or for nature to bring food or money into our
houses? Oh no, we wouldnt dare that. This shows that even those who
say this do not believe it; they still go out every day to struggle for the
money; they dont wait for it to come. Having studied several great men,
I have discovered that not a single one of them got there by mistake; is
it Nelson Mandela who went in and out of prison for what he believed
should be done? Is it Bill gates who had the confidence and courage to
drop out of school to pursue what he believed could prosper? Is it Dr.
David Oyedepo who spent most of his fortune in his early days buying
literature books in an attempt to develop himself? If you nurse that idea
of success being an accident (even though no one really believe this, but
most nurse it) it will only make you doubtful of the fact that your efforts
could make much of a difference in the scheme of things, hence you
wouldnt give life your best shot and you find yourself in the large army
of the mediocre.
(2) BRAIN WORK IS MORE PROFITTABLE THAN
HARDWORK
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Back in the days, especially in most African countries the nobles were
the fighters, those who were warriors they were the great men of their
time even in a country like Nigeria. Before civilization the farmers were
the big shots, but unfortunately today, most of them are suffering. You
know why? Things have changed and paradigms have shifted. Now
those who earn the most are those who sweat the least. Brain work (or
mental exertion) is of a far greater value than hard labour (physical
exertion). Let me illustrate this for you: take for instance, a construction
company; those who labour the most are the labourers, next to them are
the machine operators, next to them is the Supervisor who should be on
the site, next to him is the Chief Engineer and then the Project Manager
then the main contractor. The order of pay also slides from the
contractor who may not even set his foot on the site, down to the
labourers. You know why this is so? It is because the risk bearing also
slides downward from the contractor to these labourers. Your ability to
handle people and manage tasks (which is primarily what we call brain
work) is of more value than your ability to perform physical, exertive
exercises.
John D Rockefeller said: if the ability to deal with people is as
purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more
for that ability than for any other under the sun.
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(3) NOBODY EVER GOT RICH BY SAVING ALONE
A parable was told by the greatest person whoever walked the surface of the
earth: Jesus. The parable told is that of the talent.
The Parable.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth, and hid his lords money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Matthew 25 vs. 14 -27
Here, we see the master telling the fellow who went to save the money,
why didnt he at least give it to the money exchanges for usury. This shows
us that saving is not even considered as an option of making money.
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I have actually been in a place where two guys were arguing and they began
to talk about their accomplishments and all they had to say was how many
digits their accounts displayed. Although we were students, it struck me: if
the only thing we have is money not even a source of money, just money
itself (saving) then we do not need a prophet to tell us that very soon, we
wouldnt have a thing to show forth.
Saving itself is a great thing and one of the principles of financial discipline
and increase. Sure you must save; saving happens to be a better option than
careless spending, but a much better way is investment. Most people,
especially the poor and middle class have been enslaved by saving alone.
You cannot get richer by saving alone. Saving should be a means to an end.
For instance, if you want to start up a business and the capital you need is
about N1000, but all you get per day is N10, saving half of it (your money
per day) say N5 for 200 days will be able to give you your required profit to
start up a newer business (this is what is called investment in its most basic
form). But on the other hand if you just save the money for no reason at all
but to amass it, you are simply doing nothing of value because, its either
you spend that money or you die and leave it. Warren Buffet has become
famous as one of the richest men and biggest philanthropist because he
saved and bought other companies with the profits he made. Never forget,
saving alone does not make anybody any richer.
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(4) MATURITY IS GROWN INTO NOT LEARNED
A better way to say this is that you do not learn maturity; you grow into
it. So many times we downplay the idea of a young individual starting a
business, saying that he has no experience. I remember a few years ago
when I was telling someone about my intention of starting my own
company immediately after I finished school. She said to me, well thats
a great idea; in fact business is the way. But you see you must work for a
while at least so you can gain experience. Most of us have this notion
about business start-up, but just as Peter J. Daniels said, The crowd is
always wrong, they can only affirm what is right, they never
initiate it. How true this is. I began to study different people by names
in the business world and I found out unlike the advice I got, most of
them started their own thing without having to work under anybody
else under the guise of gaining experience. If you would, you could work
for someone and also run your company at the same time. There is
nothing wrong with that.
That is just one side of the coin; on the other side, there are those folks
who believe you must know every single thing about the business world
and your own business and in fact everything there is to know before
you go into business. Again, I say this is a grave misconception. Nobody
ever started with all the knowledge there is about what he does;
although you need to know the basics, you do not need to know
everything. Little wonder you can find someone who has read about a
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hundred books on business, attended seminars, even held a degree in
business but has not started a single business. Like I said, maturity is
grown into, it cant be learned. Whatever it is you want to do, you need
to understand this basic truth: just start, let the other things follow. If
you want to be a musician start singing let the other things follow, if you
want to be a dancer, start dancing. Do not wait till you get famous
before you start, why not start now?! Like the popular saying Rome
was not built in a day, If you ever want to amount to excellence,
youve got to start playing early.
Preparation is essential and really important and I am not downplaying
the place of it, but so many people spend their whole life time preparing,
and end up doing nothing; youve got to make a step and begin
something. You cannot make a success out of life by just preparing to
do, you have to do.
Its just like in ships; you can do all you want with the steering of a ship
and that ship will neither change its position nor direction, but when the
ship is in motion a change in the steering position has a visible impact.
So remember, maturity is not learned; its grown into so that, the earlier
you start, the faster you attain the required experience.
I like to end this portion with this story: a man once asked his son, son
what do you want to be when you grow up? He said, Dad I would like
to be a professional footballer (American football). The next morning
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at about 5 a.m. the dad came into the room and woke him up; the young
boy was startled because it was unusual for him to be awoken at that
time. Then the dad said, if you want to be a great footballer, you must
wake up and run now. So the boy woke up and ran with his father.
They continued until that little boy became a great footballer, and when
he was asked about his success he said, I owe it all to my father.
Maturity is gained over time; the earlier you start the better for you.
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CHAPTER THREE
BREAKING THE AMORPHOUS GLOBE OF MEDIOCRITY
Mediocrity simply means averageness; that is, a quality that is adequate or
acceptable, but not very good. In this chapter we will discuss how to break
out of the amorphous globe of mediocrity.
In the previous chapter, we talked about how many people have taken
suffering to be standard. This however, is most common in the developing
countries than it is in the developed ones. For example, in most parts of
Africa before you see somebody on a wheelchair, you could bet that that
fellow must have used every means possible to do without that wheelchair,
even if it meant walking in pains. That is to say they are ready and willing to
suffer to the point which they can do nothing again- when it is really bad.
But in developed countries, once they feel a slight pain and the doctors tell
them they are confined to a wheel chair, they do not hesitate to do that,
they just go on with their life (in their wheel chairs). That is because they
are not accustomed to enduring pains unlike the former.
In the case of mediocrity, it happens to be common to every nation on
earth. Every nation is made of three classes of people: the poor, the rich
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and the average (mediocre). It is a known fact that in every nation, the bulk
of the population lies between the poor and the average, while a very select
few occupy the realm of the rich. If this was all that there was to it, it
would not have been a big deal. The problem we have is that folks have
taken the average life to be the standard; people have now gotten the idea
of just escaping the poverty line. Mediocrity has become the standard for
which many are attaining even without knowing. Well, this is happening
because there are so many poor folks around and also, many have this idea
that only those in political offices and sort attain to that height of the
rich. I dare say thats a lie.
One secret most people do not know is this; The worlds system was
not designed to make anybody rich, it was designed to make
mediocre at best out of men. The organization of things generally has
placed people not to rise above mediocrity and thats the reason only very
few people who are able to chart another course for their lives are able to
break out and walk in the realm of the rich. No wonder when Bill Gates
found something worth doing, he dropped out of school to pursue his
dreams; Steve Jobs would rather take calligraphy classes than do what was
organized to make a nobody out of him; the Google boys, doing their
Ph.D. headed for nothing but mediocrity dropped out of it to focus on
their greater plans. Here is the key; the entire worlds system, its education,
government and organization were made to make at best, stereotype
citizens, to make everyone on a level ground. In other words, if nations
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plans work 100%, it means everybody would be equal. But remember that
there is no perfect system; there are those who cannot afford an education,
some of which occupy the realm of the poor; there are those amongst
them who walk in the realms of the average and the rich depending on
their individual inputs of self-development. There are those who can afford
an education, most of which at best, occupy the realm of the mediocre
(largely because they think schooling is all it takes); some walk in the realm
of the rich and some also in the arena of the poor all based on each ones
individual inputs.
Now let me explain what I mean by a mediocre. A mediocre is one who is
barely able to cater for himself and his family (nuclear or extended); one
whose influence does not spread beyond his locality or household. From
this little picture, I hope you can see that even many of the people you
thought were above mediocrity are actually right there, and that most
people get comfortable when they attain mediocrity. Remember the book
you are holding is to teach you how to be an Eternal Excellency, which is
someone, whose influence will remain even long after he or she is gone.
THE WAY OUT
During my sojourn on earth, I have read quite a number of books and
listened to some men talk, but one thing that appals me is to hear people
rant about problems without giving any meaningful solution to them so I
will give you the solution in this situation on how to break yourself away
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from the comfortable globe of mediocrity. The first and most important of
them all is to have a dream.
A dream in its simplest definition is that thing you would like to see
yourself do if you had everything working for you (by this I mean time,
freedom etc.) in uttermost sufficiency. In order words, it is that one thing
you would want to do if you were not limited by anything at all. It could
also mean something that somebody hopes, longs or is ambitious for.
To break out of the amorphous globe of mediocrity, you need to have a
dream, not just a dream but a good dream. This is where the subject
becomes crankier.
I heard a story of a man who at a very old age, probably above sixty
celebrated the new bicycle he had just purchased; I mean that was the most
expensive commodity he had ever purchased. It surely must have been a
dream come true, but this is the point I am trying to get across: even
though that was a dream come true, it wasnt a great dream at all. Funny
enough I will now ask the question: how do we know if our dreams are
great dreams? The answer is simple.
EXPOSURE
Your dream cannot be greater than your level of exposure. In the previous
chapter, we dealt with the issue of ignorance which covers this topic of
discussion very well, but as it relates to dreams, I can only say to you that
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the more informed you are, the better dreamer you will become. For
instance, in the illustration I gave about the man who greatly celebrated his
purchase of a bicycle, in this present day and time, I truly cannot say this
was not a great feat for this fellow, but I surely can say its not a dream I
would have any adult pursue. Now for this man, if all his friends and
counterparts were all walking on foot and he had never seen a car he would
be justified for having this as a dream; on the other hand, if everyone
around him was riding a car he would not have had any justification for
having such a low dream. The same goes for every one of us; to say your
dream is to be a doctor is not good enough a dream. For one, there are
many doctors graduating from school every day; but to say you want to be
a better and more renowned surgeon than Dr. Ben Carson is a better
dream, because not everyone is as good as he is. Remember, the book is
not a book for low shooters or mediocre; I am counting on you as one
who is on the way to becoming an Eternal Excellency.
A better picture I have of a dream is that thing which you are ready and
willing to trade your life for. This, I tell you is a far better definition of a
dream. Do you have a dream? Really, I wouldnt be surprised if you do not.
I mean do you have a course for which you are ready to trade your life for;
do you have something for which at the end of your life, people can say
that you pursued? The bitter truth is that most people do not, in fact a very
large percentage of people do not, and amongst those who do, they have
no idea, how worthless their dreams are. For example in Nigeria, most
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peoples dreams are just to have a family. They do not even consider the
financial implications of this, like a man I met a while ago. He was a poor
labourer with two wives and had a plan of going back home to marry
another. I do not know if he is trying to beat the Biblical King Solomon or
what, but even at that he cannot because King Solomon was loaded. I can
even remember a movie I once saw, where this guy said his whole life goal
was to be a husband. Oh boy, I feel so sorry for his wife because, if he
really meant what he said, then he would not mind dying the day after his
marriage ceremony because he has fulfilled his lifes dream.
Although I would rather people had low dreams than none at all, let me
give you a hierarchy of dreams as a student of Banking and Finance: to say
your dream is to be a banker is just there (does not worth much of
anything); to say you want to be the best banker in your organization thats
good; if you say you want to be the best banker in your country thats
better, but if you say you want to be the best banker that ever was, boy I
tell you thats just the best you could dream for.
If you want to aim for anything aim big or if you want to dream of
anything, dream big; if you want to think of anything think big and if
you are expecting anything, expect the best.
But you see, most people would rather go the other way or would say such
dreams are unrealistic. How can you think of being the best banker there
is? They would rather just settle in being paid well, they forget very quickly
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that nobody has made any great impact on the planet earth by being paid
well; even the richest men in the world are not rich because they are being
paid well but because they make good money. When you are leaving this
earth, will you be happy just to know that you were paid well or that you
filled a spot in your life time? Remember I am talking to Eternal
Excellences, those whose names will revolve around the spiral of the clock.
Now I will answer a question you probably would have been asking; how
do we dream big?
BIOGRAPHIES
This is a very simple but profound thing most people have not given
thought to; it is one thought I have not heard many people place major
emphasis on. It is also the answer to the question how do I know I can
achieve my dreams? Read biographies of great men; other Excellences.
Just in case you do not know what biographies are, they are stories of
people written by others while the story of a person written by that person
is his auto-biography. Here, I just classify both as biographies. In all my
course and walk with the greats, I am yet to see a great man who has not at
one time or the other, referred to what was learned from the life story of
another great man. You hardly see a true Excellency today who has not
mingled with the excellences that have gone before. Like the saying goes
the secrets of great men lie in their stories, so if you ever want to be
great, you have got to learn the secret of these great men.
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Another big advantage of studying biographies is that it gives you a
reservoir of triumph. For instance, when you study biographies of certain
men, you begin to see how they broke out of all the prevailing obstacles
surrounding them and achieved greatness despite their setbacks. This helps
you to see that you can also walk through your obstacles and achieve
greatness just as they have, because the journey to success is full of
obstacles and only those who know they can, will attain.
Having established how to dream well, now I want to tell you what is most
important in fulfilling your dreams and there is only one principal factor I
will concentrate on in this book, which is
DISCIPLINE
So much has been said about this. Its been said to be the Soul of an
army, which makes large numbers formidable procures success to
the weak and esteem to all- George Washington Its been said as what
makes the great, great and I affirm to these statements. As a wise man
once said, The rich and the poor both do the same things; its just
that one does it consistently while the other does it as convenient.
Dr. David Oyedepo always says discipline means doing it as demanded
and not as convenient. How true it is! Nobody ever achieves much of
anything without discipline; no painter ever finishes a painting without the
discipline to sit down and get to painting until he finishes it. In connection
to fulfilling our dreams, discipline is of much relevance as well. Usually ,
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great dreams which I could call life time goals usually comprise smaller
goals and if you do not get those goals achieved, forget about the big
picture.
In the making of an Eternal Excellency, the one trait I would exalt above
all else is that of discipline. It is a trait more valuable than skill, charisma,
composure or anything else. If you lack discipline, be sure that you are not
going anywhere. Discipline means to be confined to a set of rules; it means
to subject oneself to a set of rules in order to achieve a certain reward.
There are essentially two types of discipline:
(i) Self-discipline
(ii) External discipline
For real success, you are going to subject yourself to real self-discipline.
Nobody can force you to succeed, they can only tell you to, but it has got
to be a personal decision. This is one big reason there are many failures in
life, this is the same reason why most people love to work in a salaried job.
Many people are not willing to discipline themselves; they think they
cannot discipline themselves. So they want to be under a boss who will
sack them if they do not meet up to the set standards, but as I told you
earlier and I repeat again, nobody ever made any lasting impact especially in
the economic world by getting paid. It is still for the same reason (lack of
discipline) that many companies fail, usually due to undisciplined founders
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or the inability of the owners to discipline its staff. It all revolves around
discipline. Whether you succeed or fail is all a function of your discipline
quotient.
HOW TO BECOME DISCIPLINED
- know that you can be disciplined
- make a resolve to be disciplined
- Get a bunch of Rules
On this point I will dwell a little bit; if you want to be disciplined, get a
bunch of rules or laws, whichever one you would like to call it. There is no
discipline without rules. So get to putting down some do s and donts on
which you want to build your life on. I must tell you not just to burden
yourself with just any rule, but get to finding out the rules that are relevant
to your being a success.
Finally: Dont Give Up. After you have gotten a bunch of rules you want
to follow or live by, then begin to live by them and just like everything else
you become perfect over time and not in a day. This is really where most
people miss it. If you have been living your life carelessly since you were
born, its definitely going to take you some time before you break some of
these habits you have always followed. So ensure you follow the rules,
make sure you dont break them, and if peradventure you fall out of line,
just get back in line. Do it until discipline becomes your habit.
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What you want to do with ease you must first learn to do with
diligence
You are about to enter into the heart of this book.
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CHAPTER FOUR
A DEFINING POINT
At the end of this chapter, you are either going to throw this book away, or
you are going to read through to the end with a new sense of life and with
great enthusiasm, hence, the book will become one of your most valuable
assets. You are welcome to the heart of the book; it is definitely going to
change you
IS THERE REALLY A GOD?
In recent times, there used to be this argument as to whether there is a
God or not; so many say that if in fact there is a God, how can all these
things be happening? I mean the stealing, the killings, the economic
inequalities and so forth. Others say God is just a figure we have adopted
and formed in our minds; some ay that we are our own gods and we
evolved from the apes, baboons and chimpanzees. Well , I really do not
have much time to argue with anybody concerning these issues, simply
because I know that deep down in the heart of every man, we all know that
THERE IS A GOD, and the sad fact is that most do not know how to get
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to Him, so to justify their inadequacies, they simply resort to saying there
is no God.
Folks, there is God and you know it, even if you think you are an atheist, I
dare say you are lying to yourself and the truth is that you are swimming in
the stream of Self-deceit, which is the worse form of deceit. Like a story a
man once told: there were a couple of guys in the army who said there was
no God, but when the bombs started flying and bullets filled the air these
same folks started calling on God (who they didnt believe) to save them.
Like the bible says in Romans 1 vs. 18-22
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew
God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools
Notice where it says, so that they are without excuse, the sun, the moon,
the stars, flowers, everything shows that there is a God
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As I said earlier, most however, believe there is a God but they do not
know anything about Him, neither do they know how to reach him, so I
will be showing you some of the dominant characteristics of this God.
THE NATURE OF GOD
Now that we know that there is surely a God, the next is to find out the
characteristics of this God. I would take you through this one characteristic
of His that I have found out to encompass His full nature, which is that
HE IS LOVE.
God is love; HE IS LOVE. The Book even says so, and by book, I mean
the HOLY BIBLE in 1 John 4:8 and 16:
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him.
You see, the truth is that so many people have no idea what love is, so
when I say God is love, they really do not know what to match Him with.
So in a pictorial form, I would explain what I mean by God is Love.
I will use the illustration of love given to us by God Himself, in 1 Cor.
13:4-8 to explain what LOVE IS and by so doing, explain who GOD is.
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1 Corinthians 13 vs. 4-8:
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not
puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but
whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease;
whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 Cor. 13:4 says: Charity suffereth long.
(1) GOD is Long Suffering and Kind
The question here is: what does it mean to be long-suffering? To be long
suffering means to be able to endure for a very long time.
In other words, it means God has the ability to tolerate the intolerable, the
most uncomfortable person or condition and be kind while He is doing it.
On the other hand, most humans are very unlike that. Humans most of the
times are not long suffering and when they choose to be long suffering;
they are not kind while they are doing it. One of the places you see this is
during rush-hour traffic; you will see everyone in their cars suffering long
(because they cannot do anything about it) but if you dare try to take an
opportunity to get into their traffic space, boy, they just begin cursing and
yelling at you. This is a typical example of being long-suffering and not
kind. But praise GOD, He is long-suffering and also kind, not because he
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cannot do anything about it but because this is who he is so he gives you
His kindness for your entire life time and endures all your inadequacies but
still remains kind to you. God is not angry with you; He is not wicked to
anyone. As long as you are alive, he is tolerating your person and still
remains kind to you, because thats just who He is.
CHARITY ENVIETH NOT.
(2) GOD is not Envious Of Anything (Anyone)
I really love the fact that this particular characteristic of God was pointed
out to us. You see, some folks think that because they have found a special
way of making money either through money rituals or even good ways
such as through innovations and inventions that they can make God
envious. I tell you, thats a lie. The Scripture tells us that God is not
envious. I really wonder how foolish some man could be to think God is
envious of him. Well this is just to tell us: GOD IS NOT ENVIOUS OF
ANYTHING. He created all things.
(3) GOD Vaunteth not Himself; He is not PUFFED UP.
Well its good to know that God is not just a lousy show off. Another
translation, the Amplified says It is not boastful or vain glorious, does not
display itself haughtily. Isnt it good to know that God is not boastful or
vain glorious? So many folks tend to misunderstand the story in the Bible
about the man who was born blind from his mothers womb in John 9 vs.
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1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his
disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was
born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the
works of God should be made manifest in him.
They tend to think that God put that blindness on that man, but if you
know that God is not vain glorious or boastful you would understand that
God wouldnt put sickness or poverty on people in order that He may heal
them and get glory out of that.
God is not vain glorious. It tells us that if God is healing the sick, then
because He is not vain glorious (or a prank star), He most definitely didnt
put sickness on people. God is not puffed up; although He has got
swagger, He is not a show off. Have you ever wondered why God does not
appear in the sky every morning waiting for people to greet Him? I bet if
men were God, the whole world would have to assemble at a particular
time to pay him homage.
(4) God does not behave unseemly.( vs. 5)
Another translation put it this way:
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and
does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its
own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no
account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
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That is to say that God does not behave unmannerly, he does not act
unbecomingly. This blows away most of our theories where we say God
works in mysterious ways. Yes, God certainly works in diverse ways but
not truly mysterious. Remember He said, I am the same yesterday, today
and forever: Heb 13:8.
He also said I am that I am Ex 3:14. You see, the only people who would
think God works in mysterious ways (you cannot tell what hes going to do
next) are those who never knew His yesterday, so He looks entirely new
like a stranger today. If you settled down to study your Bible you would
discover that God has a consistent nature. He even said For I am the LORD,
I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed-Mal 3:6
You could actually know God, you could know his lifestyle, although none
of us truly knows everything but at least we know His rhythm, we can tell
what He would or wouldnt. God does not behave unseemly i.e. He doesnt
kill people, He doesnt make anyone a failure, He doesnt bless you to curse
you. He has a nature; He can be known. Why dont you try knowing Him?
(5) God does not seek His Own
In other words God isnt selfish; God is not just interested in us serving
Him. He is also interested in helping us. Now, lets look at something that
bests illustrate this truth, in 1 Tim 2:4. We are told that God wills for all
men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, but Jesus said
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
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destruction, and many there be which go in there at: because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.- Matt 7:13-14
That broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be
which go therein. This is a classic example that shows us how God does
not force His will on anybody; I mean He just said He does want all men
(meaning all of humanity) to be saved (which includes being saved from
hell and destruction), but He later said that the road to hell is broad (so
large) and many folks are trooping into it. God never forces anything on
anyone, God never seeks his own (seeks his own rights); He has given us a
choice, and everything happening in our lives are portraits of our choices.
If God was to force His will on Humanity, there would be no sin, I mean
the moment you dared sin you would die (that includes your thoughts as
well). The fact that most of us are alive is a great pointer to show that God
doesnt insist on his own rights. Hear what He says I call heaven and earth to
record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:- Deut. 30:19
In order words, God gives us a choice, but He does us good by telling us
the right choices to make; but again He makes your will stronger than His
by giving you the power of choice.
(6) GOD IS NOT EASILY PROVOKED (vs. 15)
God is most definitely not easily provoked, what an amazing fact to know.
You know that there are those people who do not even give you a chance
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to apologize when you wrong them. I mean, the moment you step on their
shoes, their impulse response is a slap or a shout; I mean thats the way
they are programmed and if you are unlucky to do that when they are
holding a knife, I feel so sorry for you. If God were anything like that, I
tell you there wouldnt even be a world to start with; I mean nothing at all,
maybe only water and dry ground. God is a balanced God; He is the
expression of perfection; He gets provoked of course, it is all over the Old
Testament but He is not EASILY provoked. If you have done something
wrong all He really wants is just repentance; He is not holding punishment
for you. Thats why he said Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool Isaiah 1:18:
He is always ready to forgive even the murderers; He is not mad at them
(that doesnt mean He approves of their deeds) but it is just His nature:
LOVE. So contrary to what you were taught when you were small, God is
not an invisible police man holding His gun cocked, pointed at you just
waiting for you to act wrongly so He can shoot you; He is not easily
provoked.
(7) God does not think evil towards you.
Evil is the direct opposite of good. It baffles me when people associate
certain kinds of things to God. In primary school I was taught that evil is
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the direct opposite of good, and I wonder if this is same in every country,
because if this is true, when you see something not good then it most
certainly is evil.
So I ask: is hurricane a good thing? Is earthquake a good thing? Is murder a
good thing? Is rape a good thing? Is the collapse of a building a good
thing? I bet that everyone who has got just a little intelligence would be
able to tell that these are not good things but folks today in forms have
categorized all of these (earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes etc.) as acts of
God. If these things are not good then they must be evil. So in other
words God must be an evil genius? Not at all. No wonder we are told
categorically that God thinks no evil.
Several times in the Bible, we are told that God is a good God. David, one
of the closest men ever to God wrote about four times in the book of
Psalms that God (the Lord is Good) Psalm 248, 1005, 1353 and 1459; it was
also written in Jeremiah 3311, Rom 325 and Nahun 17, that The Lord is is
good. Do you know that even death itself is evil hope you do, death is
evil and it also cannot and is not from God? 1 Cor. 15 vs. 24-26
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death.
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Here we are even told that the last ENEMY shall be destroyed, which is
death. In other words, death is not from God. I am sure you want to
know where all of these things are from if not from God; friends just relax,
I will tell you later in this chapter. The fact we are establishing here is that
God thinks no evil, so if you have any evil going on around you maybe
sickness, poverty, business failures etc. Be sure its not from God, because
God is a good God. Finally, just to assure you, I will read His message to
you.
For I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the lord thoughts of peace, and
not evil to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11.
(8) God doesnt rejoice in iniquity but rather in the truth (vs. 6)
I hope you have been following all thats been going on here. There are
certain things God does not like and generally we call these things evil,
iniquity, sin or wickedness all of these are the same, as we see it over
here. Sin is sin; God is not pleased with sin, neither does He rejoice when
anyone is living in sin; He doesnt hurt people for sinning, neither does He
kill anyone for sinning; He doesnt bring evil to the sinner (and there is a
very important reason, He doesnt, I would address that later in the
chapter) but that doesnt mean He loves sin.
One thing we must learn to accept is that there is such a thing as right or
wrong, good or bad. We are not animals; we have morals which God has
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given us. He is not pleased when we just live like amoral beings. He doesnt
rejoice in iniquity. I will expatiate more on this later in this chapter.
(8) God bears up under anything and everything, ever ready to believe
the best of every person; His hopes are fadeless under all
circumstances and he endures everything.(vs. 7)- amplified
From the characteristics we have examined earlier, it is quite easy to infer
that this is consistent with the nature of God. You cannot push God to the
wall; you cannot make Him do His worst. God bears up under anything
and everything as the old timers say nothing is too difficult for thee.
God is the most stable being there is.
Also, He is ever ready to believe the best of every person; if only we know
how God believes in us, it is going to just change our perception of life.
Thats the reason why God could let a serial killer live because He believes
the best of every person; the same reason why God wouldnt hurt you
when evil thoughts stream through your mind; He believes the best of you
can still emerge. The best example was of a man called Saul in the
Bible: And Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the
Lord, went unto the high priest, Acts 9:1. He persecuted the people of God,
imprisoned them but God never terminated him; rather God called him to
preach to people. This just shows that if nobody believes in you, God does.
His hopes are fadeless even when you dont have hopes for your future; He
still hopes you can make it. As we said earlier He endures all things.
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(9) GOD never Fails
This could mean so many things, but I will just explain two of these things:
-
(1) It means God will always remain God, God will always be God. This is one
truth you should hold so dearly, because people today are really going
crazy, going about with the notion that there is no God. This lets us know
that whether the President, the most famous man or even the preacher says
there is no God God is always God. As a matter of fact in the book of
the beginnings, that is Genesis in chapter one We were told that In the
beginning God created . Thats to show that God was already
there before the beginning and you can be sure He will still be even after
the end.
(2) It means God never fails to accomplish what He wants to do. This is going
to lead us to some very important points, but first I want you to know that
God never lets us down; you cannot hand over any issue to God and have
it fail in fact, you cannot pray to God about something and have Him fail
you if and only if you play by the rules. This is where so many miss it;
there are rules God has set for those who want to enjoy a walk with Him.
Its just like in the bank; although you have an account in a particular bank
you dont just go to the person at the counter and ask for your money; you
need to fill the appropriate slips and follow the recommended steps if you
really want to get any money out of that account; it doesnt matter how
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much you beg or yell; at worse, the security will throw you out. It is the
same with God; if you follow the rules be sure of success, if not you will
get otherwise. But God never fails.
So we got all of these from the truth that, God is LOVE. Now that we
know a bit about whom God is and how He is love, I am going to show
you His biggest demonstration of love.
WHERE EVIL COMES FROM
Having established that God is love and that He is not the author of
sickness, death or failure, I want to take out time to show you the one who
does these things, and how he does them. It is an age long stuff from the
very beginning after God created man.
God gave man all the dominion over the entire earth, over every single
thing on the earth; in fact, because God had created man in His own image
and likeness [and God being the father of Spirits (the spirit realm)] He also
thought it wise to put man in charge of the physical realm (the earth).
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. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them. 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
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sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 1 vs. 26-28
But we are made to understand that the devil was cast out of heaven, due
to his desire to be worshipped and be in charge of heaven instead of God.
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.- Isaiah
14:13-14.
Even after being cast out of heaven, the devil never lost that desire to be in
charge, so when God gave man charge over the physical earth, he began to
seek ways to take that control of this physical world from man, and this
was what led to his deceiving man.
And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall
not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. - Gen 3
After he tricked man into eating the fruit in which God commanded man
not to, man unknowingly sold the control of the earth into the hands of the
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devil. Up until that time, death wasnt mentioned, sickness wasnt
mentioned, poverty, failure etc. All those began when the devil gained
dominion over the earth, though Adams treason. We see that when the
devil was tempting Jesus, he offered him the whole world
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things
will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.- Matt 4: 8 9
All the sicknesses, diseases, deaths and poverty constitute a part of mans
selling out to the devil; a bigger one is that man became a sinner; a better
way would be to say sin entered into humanity, because the devil is the
author of sin. Remember what God said as a warning to man.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of
it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.- Gen 2
vs. 16-17
So when he partook of that tree, man became dead. But being dead here
doesnt mean physically dead because we later saw that man was banished
from the garden and also gave birth; it refers to spiritual deadness which
means being dead to God.
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In other words man became dead to God; it became impossible for man to
please God, as he became a sinner by default. The devil now being the one
with the power over the occurrences on earth began to afflict man with
different kinds of diseases, poverty and even death.
Having established the fact that God is love, it therefore wasnt consistent
with Gods nature to leave man to the control of the devil that is, to
suffer, and therefore He began to make provisions for man to be able to
escape the evil of the devil. In the former times He appointed priests to
make sacrifices on behalf of His people in order that their sins could be
washed away.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first
tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high
priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and
for the errors of the people:- Heb 9vs 6-7
This worked perfectly well for them and cleansed them from their sins
although it had to be performed at certain times and during intervals. The
devil still had the right to afflict them with anything he wanted to whether
sicknesses, poverty, failure or even death. So God had a better plan, one in
which man could take back his dominion over the occurrences on earth
and specifically in his life, one in which man could oppress, rather than be
oppressed of the devil. Since the dominion was given to the devil by man
in his physical body (Adam), it was necessary that it must be taken back by
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man in his physical body, but all men were spiritually dead at this time and
thus subject to the devil (principally because all men were offspring of
Adam).
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. -
Rom 5vs14
God needed a man, who was spiritually alive (meaning alive to God), one
who had a life which was not subject to the devil, but yet still had this
physical body to undertake the task of regaining mans dominion back
from the devil and settling the issue of sin once and for all. And this is the
reason why God sent Jesus, His only begotten Son.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
Jesus was that man who God sent to save mankind from the manipulation
of the devil and his cohorts and one of the many reasons why He alone can
save man is because He had a different kind of life, not the life of a normal
man. Remember He was born of a virgin, meaning He was not born of any
mans sperm.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused
to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then
Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example,
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was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the
angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Ghost. - Matt 1 vs.18-20
He was born of God, with the life of God, but lived in the physical human
flesh from his mother, Mary. In other words, Jesus was God made flesh.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: - Col 1vs15
Let me also explain it this way: in the process of reproduction there is a
need for the sexes to copulate; the man produces the sperm (which
contains life) and the woman provides the eggs for fertilization (which
gives body to the life from the sperm), then after a certain period, the
woman gives birth to a child. This is how we were all born, but in the case
of Jesus there was no mans sperm fertilizing the eggs from Marys womb
but God put, life into Sarahs eggs (so that life could get flesh) and this was
how Jesus was born.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him
in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
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