I can hear someone asking ‘Window?’! Its not what you think it is. This is is no operating system but ,rather a labelling.
The 10/40 Window concept highlights these three elements: an area of the world with great poverty and low quality of life, combined with lack of access to Christian resources.
According to Wikipedia,it is a term coined by Christian missionary strategist Luis Bush in 1990 to refer to those regions of the eastern hemisphere located between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator, a general area that in 1990 was purported to have the highest level of socioeconomic challenges and least access to the Christian message and Christian resources on the planet.
The window forms a band encompassing Saharan and Northern Africa, as well as almost all of Asia (West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia and much of Southeast Asia). Roughly two-thirds of the world population lives in the 10/40 Window.
10/40 Window is populated by people who are predominantly Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Animist,Jewish or Atheist. Many governments in the 10/40 Window are formally or informally opposed to Christian work of any kind within their borders.
Yet these vast fields of human life are still groaning for the manifest presence of God through the church . Human population in these nations is ever-increasing and so is the number of souls waiting to be reached for Christ. Indeed the fields are already white for harvest and now, the Lord of the harvest is already creating room through the instrumentation of technology ; especially the social network platforms!
A current report from cyberschuulnews ,an internet newsletter claimed “with the proliferation of internet particularly broadband provision in emerging economies, a study has revealed that user numbers [in these economies] are overtaking Western Europe and North America. “Of these group,internet users in the Middle East and China (the main 10/40 window population) are the busiest and most enthusiastic.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and China emerged as global leaders with around 55% of the sample populations found to be highly engaged in the internet, compared with only 42% in the UK and the US. It showed how much time people in this region spend online and their attitudes to technology.These people have been seen to spend more time on social networking than e-mail. Also with increased mobile access these people are more likely to post [and view] blogs, photos and videos online and value internet access.A study also found that 61% of people with internet access used it daily. That provides a good percentage of these people waiting to be reached via twitter, face book ,d.e.l.ic.i.o.u.s , and what have you. If we fail to reach out to them, someone else [a bad one, at that] will.
It may interest you to know that, of these people group, China’s internet population of more than 400 million and by far the world’s largest online population, usage is mainly driven by entertainment features - instant messaging and online music, videos and games .
This should bring us to the question of ’how do we reach this lost people-group with the principles of Christ?’. Surely its high time we rode on the wave of technology by designing entertainment contents: Music ,Videos,Computer and Video games to spread the timeless gospel through the vehicle of entertainment! Free distribution of Bibles may be disallowed and even banned but we can redesign our gospel advance approach; infiltrate their rank and file with the timeless truth ; using technology.
Now may the prophets of God arise with animations ,computer games and various web skills to take this mountain for the Lord. Or better still with alacrity,seek to acquire the requisite skills in this regard wherever any is wanting.Let music prophets,animation apostles and all believers with creative and iT competences rise and take their places to reap the already ripe harvest fields of the earth.
This great window of harvest must never be left to close! We must enter in…! And like he did Elijah,the Spirit of God still asks this generation of believers, “Who will go for us?”…
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP (PART 2)
TEXT : John 13:1; Habakkuk 2:2,3 ; Nehemiah. 2:11-18; Nehemiah 4:1-6; Nehemiah 5:14-19;John 14:12
I take it for granted that you have read the texts above . If you haven’t STOP NOW and do so before you proceed...
Well,well,well what a wonderful world we live in .We are making history. Hallelujah!
In the first part of this discuss , we examined Rom 12:2, and spoke on the leaders’ need to get ‘inside the change’ .That is a leader should model the transformation that he hopes to see in his organisation and followers ; then and only then does he qualify to challenge them constantly to transform.
In a nutshell the Concept of Transformational leadership focuses on producing leaders who have engaged themselves in personal change and are changing their organizations from ‘inside the change’.
In this edition , we shall be looking at the practicality of this!
The Challenge of 21st Century leaders
The main challenge for leaders in this ‘century of change’ is how to create an environment (of love and acceptance) that triggers the best in everyone they are leading so that the corporate goal can be achieved and of course the bottom-line (its okay to use the word ‘profit’) can increase. Did the Apostle Paul not urge his protégé, Timothy to do all he could so that his profiting may be known to all. C’mon guys, its time to get publicly quoted ! This can be done in the following pragmatic and easy ways:
1. Clearly Define Your Corporate Mission:
Set a high target. See it possible and effectively communicate your possibility openly so that all stakeholders might see the target with you! (Read that Nehemiah 2 again and note how in 52 days , Nehemiah motivated all to achieve a hitherto impossible task of rebuilding a perimeter wall ).Experts have said vision leaks and as such should be communicated every 26 days. Commnunicate with your followers every month without fail. Never allow your excitement to die! C’mon exhale!!
2. Communicate Effectively:
Use the most effective medium-conversations, strategy meetings ,bonding meetings or Cocktails , etc. Just about anything creative you could think of. Learn to use stories or images Use Powerpoint and slides for pictorial presentations.Paint pictures , they speak more than a thousand words.Use words that can draw pictures in the mind of your listeners.Jesus employed this most effectively by using parables and illustrations that are pictorial .e . g Jonah in the belly of the fish. He spoke about ‘break this Temple down and rebuild it after three days’. This is creativity at its best. He stretched their thinking.
3. Reconcile Individual and Organisational Goals: The whole has to be greater than the sum of its parts.There should be no ‘my goals’ but ‘our goals’. Everyone must find his place in the big picture. ‘I’ (personal goals)needs to thrive only inside the ‘WE’(corporate goals).
4. Foster Innovation
Think up how you can tap the best and most exciting New Thinking from your followers. Create conversational environments that nourish innovation-such as a Team building culture.Tell them also that they are free to make mistakes! Great things have come from small and sometimes failed beginnings.Like the Toyota brand phrase claimed: ‘Good Thinking ,Good Product!’
5. Develop People:
We develop people primarily through the words we speak to them.Words are seeds!There are leaders who kill anything good in their followers. They do this through destructive criticisms, hate and racist speeches, and their high-handedness.
A leader builds people by meeting the 3 main areas of need in their lives: (i)Need for Affirmation, (ii)Need for Appreciation and (iii) Need for Commendation. These build in the followers ,a sense of Self-worth, Significance and Esteem respectively.
6. Replicate Leaders:
Organisations wither and go out of business when they are unable to pass
on and transform their corporate culture. The future of any organization
depends on her ability to priortise people-development above financial
gains. The management guru ,Peter Drucker claimed the 8th Habit Of
Effective People is : Building Legacies.
NOW, PRAY THE LEADERS’ PRAYER :
‘Remember me with favour oh my God for all that I have done for this
people ’ (Nehemiah 5:19).
DO YOU KNOW?
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set you free from sin and to give you
abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts,
He can help us grow into who we should truly be. Our lives are empty and hopeless
without Him holding us.A life without Christ is shattered dreams!
You Too Can experience His Love.Give Your heart to him.Do it Now!
Follow me on : www.beulahtoks.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/beulahtoks,
www.thecapstoneonline.com.
For prayer and counselling email: helpdesk@thecapstoneonline.com ;
Tel: +234 8023182030
I take it for granted that you have read the texts above . If you haven’t STOP NOW and do so before you proceed...
Well,well,well what a wonderful world we live in .We are making history. Hallelujah!
In the first part of this discuss , we examined Rom 12:2, and spoke on the leaders’ need to get ‘inside the change’ .That is a leader should model the transformation that he hopes to see in his organisation and followers ; then and only then does he qualify to challenge them constantly to transform.
In a nutshell the Concept of Transformational leadership focuses on producing leaders who have engaged themselves in personal change and are changing their organizations from ‘inside the change’.
In this edition , we shall be looking at the practicality of this!
The Challenge of 21st Century leaders
The main challenge for leaders in this ‘century of change’ is how to create an environment (of love and acceptance) that triggers the best in everyone they are leading so that the corporate goal can be achieved and of course the bottom-line (its okay to use the word ‘profit’) can increase. Did the Apostle Paul not urge his protégé, Timothy to do all he could so that his profiting may be known to all. C’mon guys, its time to get publicly quoted ! This can be done in the following pragmatic and easy ways:
1. Clearly Define Your Corporate Mission:
Set a high target. See it possible and effectively communicate your possibility openly so that all stakeholders might see the target with you! (Read that Nehemiah 2 again and note how in 52 days , Nehemiah motivated all to achieve a hitherto impossible task of rebuilding a perimeter wall ).Experts have said vision leaks and as such should be communicated every 26 days. Commnunicate with your followers every month without fail. Never allow your excitement to die! C’mon exhale!!
2. Communicate Effectively:
Use the most effective medium-conversations, strategy meetings ,bonding meetings or Cocktails , etc. Just about anything creative you could think of. Learn to use stories or images Use Powerpoint and slides for pictorial presentations.Paint pictures , they speak more than a thousand words.Use words that can draw pictures in the mind of your listeners.Jesus employed this most effectively by using parables and illustrations that are pictorial .e . g Jonah in the belly of the fish. He spoke about ‘break this Temple down and rebuild it after three days’. This is creativity at its best. He stretched their thinking.
3. Reconcile Individual and Organisational Goals: The whole has to be greater than the sum of its parts.There should be no ‘my goals’ but ‘our goals’. Everyone must find his place in the big picture. ‘I’ (personal goals)needs to thrive only inside the ‘WE’(corporate goals).
4. Foster Innovation
Think up how you can tap the best and most exciting New Thinking from your followers. Create conversational environments that nourish innovation-such as a Team building culture.Tell them also that they are free to make mistakes! Great things have come from small and sometimes failed beginnings.Like the Toyota brand phrase claimed: ‘Good Thinking ,Good Product!’
5. Develop People:
We develop people primarily through the words we speak to them.Words are seeds!There are leaders who kill anything good in their followers. They do this through destructive criticisms, hate and racist speeches, and their high-handedness.
A leader builds people by meeting the 3 main areas of need in their lives: (i)Need for Affirmation, (ii)Need for Appreciation and (iii) Need for Commendation. These build in the followers ,a sense of Self-worth, Significance and Esteem respectively.
6. Replicate Leaders:
Organisations wither and go out of business when they are unable to pass
on and transform their corporate culture. The future of any organization
depends on her ability to priortise people-development above financial
gains. The management guru ,Peter Drucker claimed the 8th Habit Of
Effective People is : Building Legacies.
NOW, PRAY THE LEADERS’ PRAYER :
‘Remember me with favour oh my God for all that I have done for this
people ’ (Nehemiah 5:19).
DO YOU KNOW?
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set you free from sin and to give you
abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts,
He can help us grow into who we should truly be. Our lives are empty and hopeless
without Him holding us.A life without Christ is shattered dreams!
You Too Can experience His Love.Give Your heart to him.Do it Now!
Follow me on : www.beulahtoks.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/beulahtoks,
www.thecapstoneonline.com.
For prayer and counselling email: helpdesk@thecapstoneonline.com ;
Tel: +234 8023182030
Thursday, September 9, 2010
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP (Tokunbo Johnson- Teacher,Mentor)
Ever read the books of Rom 12 :1,2 ; Deut. 32:9-12? They contain some very helpful tips for would -be successful leaders..
Introduction
The only thing constant in life is Change ! People change, Circumstances change, Places change and the list goes on. Nothing ever remains the same.
The key to relevance is CHANGE! If you are going to meet your responsibilities as a leader and provide the necessary vision and direction for your organisation while also continue your personal success then you will have to be “inside the change”. This means you will have to keep changing yourself . Every transformational leader uses change to grow his/her leadership competencies.A Leader must be and do the followings:
1. Bond intentions with strive to achieve results that he desired .
2. Place emphasis on communication. e.g hold cross-divisional conversations with all employees to impact i.e get honest feedback(The best ones are the ones in the hallway). Even parents must train their children different with love and not for punishment.
3. Engage your people passionately (calling them by an alias/pet name will not be a bad idea).Let them know you are crazy about them! Actually,you should be...
4. Provide ways for your people to do meaningful work and contribute to developing the corporate goals.Remove every Moabite Cause (Lot and his two daughters.-Gen. 19:30-38.
5. Provide ways for people to build quality relationships with you and among themselves encourage bonding programmes.(even to fall in Love...)
6. Challenge them to strive for higher goals-Dr.Myles Munroe claimed that
while in the university at ORU,his Pro- Chancellor used to challenge them to ‘Think no small thoughts here!’
7. Give people opportunities to access resources- Trainings and to leverage on your own relationships.
8. Challenge them to increase their influence
9. Challenge them to innovate- i.e commodify their creativity.
10. Challenge them to lead in their own way; the same way a young Eagle must learn to fly.(Deut 32:9-12).
CONCLUSION
No one attains a position of high-level leadership without agreeing to ,first, take on an extraordinary personal self-awareness. You need to know where you are at and take yourself from there with a leap.
So take the LEAP !
DO YOU KNOW?
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set us free from sin and to give us an abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts He can help us grow into who we should truly be. Our lives are empty and hopeless without Him holding us.A life without Christ is shattered dreams!
You Too Can experience His Love.Give Your heart to him.Do it Now!
Follow me on : www.beulahtoks.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/beulahtoks, www.thecapstoneonline.com.
For prayer and counselling email: helpdesk@thecapstoneonline.com ;
Tel: +234 8023182030
Introduction
The only thing constant in life is Change ! People change, Circumstances change, Places change and the list goes on. Nothing ever remains the same.
The key to relevance is CHANGE! If you are going to meet your responsibilities as a leader and provide the necessary vision and direction for your organisation while also continue your personal success then you will have to be “inside the change”. This means you will have to keep changing yourself . Every transformational leader uses change to grow his/her leadership competencies.A Leader must be and do the followings:
1. Bond intentions with strive to achieve results that he desired .
2. Place emphasis on communication. e.g hold cross-divisional conversations with all employees to impact i.e get honest feedback(The best ones are the ones in the hallway). Even parents must train their children different with love and not for punishment.
3. Engage your people passionately (calling them by an alias/pet name will not be a bad idea).Let them know you are crazy about them! Actually,you should be...
4. Provide ways for your people to do meaningful work and contribute to developing the corporate goals.Remove every Moabite Cause (Lot and his two daughters.-Gen. 19:30-38.
5. Provide ways for people to build quality relationships with you and among themselves encourage bonding programmes.(even to fall in Love...)
6. Challenge them to strive for higher goals-Dr.Myles Munroe claimed that
while in the university at ORU,his Pro- Chancellor used to challenge them to ‘Think no small thoughts here!’
7. Give people opportunities to access resources- Trainings and to leverage on your own relationships.
8. Challenge them to increase their influence
9. Challenge them to innovate- i.e commodify their creativity.
10. Challenge them to lead in their own way; the same way a young Eagle must learn to fly.(Deut 32:9-12).
CONCLUSION
No one attains a position of high-level leadership without agreeing to ,first, take on an extraordinary personal self-awareness. You need to know where you are at and take yourself from there with a leap.
So take the LEAP !
DO YOU KNOW?
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set us free from sin and to give us an abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts He can help us grow into who we should truly be. Our lives are empty and hopeless without Him holding us.A life without Christ is shattered dreams!
You Too Can experience His Love.Give Your heart to him.Do it Now!
Follow me on : www.beulahtoks.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/beulahtoks, www.thecapstoneonline.com.
For prayer and counselling email: helpdesk@thecapstoneonline.com ;
Tel: +234 8023182030
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP (Tokunbo Johnson- Teacher,Mentor)
Ever read the books of Rom 12 :1,2 ; Deut. 32:9-12? They contain some very helpful tips for would -be successful leaders..
Introduction
The only thing constant in life is Change ! People change, Circumstances change, Places change and the list goes on. Nothing ever remains the same.
The key to relevance is CHANGE! If you are going to meet your responsibilities as a leader and provide the necessary vision and direction for your organisation while also continue your personal success then you will have to be “inside the change”. This means you will have to keep changing yourself . Every transformational leader uses change to grow his/her leadership competencies.A Leader must be and do the followings:
1. Bond intentions with strive to achieve results that he desired .
2. Place emphasis on communication. e.g hold cross-divisional conversations with all employees to impact i.e get honest feedback(The best ones are the ones in the hallway). Even parents must train their children different with love and not for punishment.
3. Engage your people passionately (calling them by an alias/pet name will not be a bad idea).Let them know you are crazy about them! Actually,you should be...
4. Provide ways for your people to do meaningful work and contribute to developing the corporate goals.Remove every Moabite Cause (Lot and his two daughters.-Gen. 19:30-38.
5. Provide ways for people to build quality relationships with you and among themselves encourage bonding programmes.(even to fall in Love...)
6. Challenge them to strive for higher goals-Dr.Myles Munroe claimed that
while in the university at ORU,his Pro- Chancellor used to challenge them to ‘Think no small thoughts here!’
7. Give people opportunities to access resources- Trainings and to leverage on your own relationships.
8. Challenge them to increase their influence.
9. Challenge them to innovate- i.e commodify their creativity.
10. Challenge them to lead in their own way; the same way a young Eagle must learn to fly.(Deut 32:9-12).
CONCLUSION
No one attains a position of high-level leadership without agreeing to ,first, take on an extraordinary personal self-awareness. You need to know where you are at and take yourself from there with a leap.
So take the LEAP !
DO YOU KNOW?
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set us free from sin and to give us an abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts He can help us grow into who we should truly be. Our lives are empty and hopeless without Him holding us.A life without Christ is shattered dreams!
You Too Can experience His Love.Give Your heart to him.Do it Now!
Follow me on : www.beulahtoks.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/beulahtoks, www.thecapstoneonline.com.
For prayer and counselling email: helpdesk@thecapstoneonline.com ;
Tel: +234 8023182030
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
IN THE DAYS OF THE FATHERS…
“When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated — the silver and gold and the furnishings — and he placed them in the treasuries of the LORD's temple “. 1 Kings 7:51 NIV
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A Miracle By The Nile !
Exodus 2:1-3(NIV)
Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
To the Egyptians of old, the River Nile was more than just an aquatic splendour. It was a reservoir of life; the whole essence of their identity was connected to it.Every Pharaoh (and surely their household too) went every day to the quintessential Nile!
Though it wasn’t a surprise that on the certain day, Pharaoh’s daughter came by the Nile to have a bath the surprise was that she located the baby at the exact spot where Moses’ mother expected her to pass by. And seeing the basket by the Nile she requested it be brought to her. When she saw the helpless little occupant, she decided to preserve its life even when she knew it was a Hebrew baby.
Are you pregnant with a dream and burdened with a vision and don’t know how to keep and nurture it? Then get ready because the God of the Hebrews is about to lead you to that point of breakthrough that you so badly need. He is just right now about to turn your helplessness around.
#1.Pray with me:
‘Lord, I connect myself to those you have appointed to bring the much-needed resources necessary for my sustenance in the midst of this present global crisis.
Lead them to the place where I am and use them to bring me into my Promised Land.’ Amen
The prayer of Moses’ mother must have sounded something like the one above on that fateful day when she dropped her lovely son off - not at the crèche - but at the bank of the River Nile.
It was in the very early hour of the morning; just immediately after the breaking of dawn; that hour when the cock was not even up yet for its natural wake up call.
She had kept him from public view and from Pharaoh’s sword for three months and now the boy had grown bigger than her home security system could guarantee. Certain death was imminent and only a miracle could save the boy (or any Hebrew boy at all) from the blood-thirsty sword of Pharaoh.
One lesson is so clear: when God decides to lift you to a new height of relevance and importance, the enemy of your destiny will rise up. However, the Good news is: no matter how mean and resolute the devil is in his plot against you, God will always
make a way of escape for you, his anointed one! As God saved Moses, so will He save you.
According to Bible records, she (Moses’ mother) left Moses’ sister on the scene to keep watch on the boy as he lay innocently in the basket by the Nile. This woman believed strongly that the God of Israel would show up for her somehow. Anyhow. And truly He did - just as she had believed He would. (Heb 11:23).If only you would believe “all things are possible to him that believes”.
Later in the day, God made some amazing moves. He made sure Pharaoh’s daughter got hot enough to need a cold bath in the Nile. He equally made sure that she went past the exact spot and place where Moses was (in his ‘Moses’ basket’) just by the bank of the Nile. One more thing God did was to make sure that Moses’ plight caught the attention of Pharaoh’s daughter.
God is about to make sure that someone becomes uncomfortable in his present location and relocates towards you for your advantage.
#2.Pray with me:
Lord, please lead helpers of destiny to the place of my struggle and let my plight catch their attention.
Pharaoh’s daughter took him to live with her later but not until after Moses’ mother had sufficiently brought her son up in the value and culture of Isreal. He had become sufficiently aware of his people’s covenant with the God of Abraham. Did you notice that she also got paid for nursing her dream? Getting paid to do what you love to do is the ultimate prayer of any person. It is the reason many want to do what is their passion in life. Moses’ mother got more than she asked for; she must have thought to herself “if only someone could take custody of him once I abandon him at the Nile” But God did exceedingly, abundantly more than she had imagined.
This story marked the beginning of the much-sought after deliverance for the whole race of the Hebrews. God had finally found a vessel to use. He would ensure that the vessel was preserved and cared for in the face of apparent danger. God is still looking for men to use for the salvation of nations. Are you the one?
# 3.Pray with me:
Lord, in this hour, work things out that will provide me a platform for the reformation of my nation.
In the courtyard of Pharaoh was bred the deliverer of God’s people. God is going to use the resources of Egypt to prepare his people’s great destiny. God is training you in Pharaoh’s court and in due season he will bring you out to fulfil your destiny.
# 4.Pray with me:
Lord, I am ready for whatever you would have me do for your glory. Please help me not miss the call of destiny.
My prayer for you today is: May you encounter the miracle of God at the Nile of your life.
Surely Change is coming your way! Only be strong.
Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
To the Egyptians of old, the River Nile was more than just an aquatic splendour. It was a reservoir of life; the whole essence of their identity was connected to it.Every Pharaoh (and surely their household too) went every day to the quintessential Nile!
Though it wasn’t a surprise that on the certain day, Pharaoh’s daughter came by the Nile to have a bath the surprise was that she located the baby at the exact spot where Moses’ mother expected her to pass by. And seeing the basket by the Nile she requested it be brought to her. When she saw the helpless little occupant, she decided to preserve its life even when she knew it was a Hebrew baby.
Are you pregnant with a dream and burdened with a vision and don’t know how to keep and nurture it? Then get ready because the God of the Hebrews is about to lead you to that point of breakthrough that you so badly need. He is just right now about to turn your helplessness around.
#1.Pray with me:
‘Lord, I connect myself to those you have appointed to bring the much-needed resources necessary for my sustenance in the midst of this present global crisis.
Lead them to the place where I am and use them to bring me into my Promised Land.’ Amen
The prayer of Moses’ mother must have sounded something like the one above on that fateful day when she dropped her lovely son off - not at the crèche - but at the bank of the River Nile.
It was in the very early hour of the morning; just immediately after the breaking of dawn; that hour when the cock was not even up yet for its natural wake up call.
She had kept him from public view and from Pharaoh’s sword for three months and now the boy had grown bigger than her home security system could guarantee. Certain death was imminent and only a miracle could save the boy (or any Hebrew boy at all) from the blood-thirsty sword of Pharaoh.
One lesson is so clear: when God decides to lift you to a new height of relevance and importance, the enemy of your destiny will rise up. However, the Good news is: no matter how mean and resolute the devil is in his plot against you, God will always
make a way of escape for you, his anointed one! As God saved Moses, so will He save you.
According to Bible records, she (Moses’ mother) left Moses’ sister on the scene to keep watch on the boy as he lay innocently in the basket by the Nile. This woman believed strongly that the God of Israel would show up for her somehow. Anyhow. And truly He did - just as she had believed He would. (Heb 11:23).If only you would believe “all things are possible to him that believes”.
Later in the day, God made some amazing moves. He made sure Pharaoh’s daughter got hot enough to need a cold bath in the Nile. He equally made sure that she went past the exact spot and place where Moses was (in his ‘Moses’ basket’) just by the bank of the Nile. One more thing God did was to make sure that Moses’ plight caught the attention of Pharaoh’s daughter.
God is about to make sure that someone becomes uncomfortable in his present location and relocates towards you for your advantage.
#2.Pray with me:
Lord, please lead helpers of destiny to the place of my struggle and let my plight catch their attention.
Pharaoh’s daughter took him to live with her later but not until after Moses’ mother had sufficiently brought her son up in the value and culture of Isreal. He had become sufficiently aware of his people’s covenant with the God of Abraham. Did you notice that she also got paid for nursing her dream? Getting paid to do what you love to do is the ultimate prayer of any person. It is the reason many want to do what is their passion in life. Moses’ mother got more than she asked for; she must have thought to herself “if only someone could take custody of him once I abandon him at the Nile” But God did exceedingly, abundantly more than she had imagined.
This story marked the beginning of the much-sought after deliverance for the whole race of the Hebrews. God had finally found a vessel to use. He would ensure that the vessel was preserved and cared for in the face of apparent danger. God is still looking for men to use for the salvation of nations. Are you the one?
# 3.Pray with me:
Lord, in this hour, work things out that will provide me a platform for the reformation of my nation.
In the courtyard of Pharaoh was bred the deliverer of God’s people. God is going to use the resources of Egypt to prepare his people’s great destiny. God is training you in Pharaoh’s court and in due season he will bring you out to fulfil your destiny.
# 4.Pray with me:
Lord, I am ready for whatever you would have me do for your glory. Please help me not miss the call of destiny.
My prayer for you today is: May you encounter the miracle of God at the Nile of your life.
Surely Change is coming your way! Only be strong.
Friday, April 9, 2010
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Lesson From The Wise
Effective project management is a function of many things ; each salient and quintessential on its own and critical to achieving set objectives and corporate goals.
A close examination of the life of , the wisest man who ever lived , Solomon, will throw more light on this leadership perspective.
On becoming King , the first assignment Solomon embarked on was restoring worship and providing a conducive environment for same to thrive .For this to happen he conceived a vision ;to build a permanent physical place of worship . It was going to be a building project. To achieve this feat, Solomon did a few things and these he shared with us in 1 Kings 5.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
FAIL-PROOFED LEADERSHIP
How then can leaders lead in the face of compromise and risk to their lives ? Any leader worth its salt will know that the only way he can ever live up to his leadership assignment is to shun all personal gains to himself and be willing to sacrifice for the led to live. Is this not the whole essence of Easter .In this season of the year when the whole world celebrate the greatest leader of all times : Jesus ,the Son of God with power .They do, not because of the vastness of His loot or personal enrichment rather because He died the worst death ,so that others(his constituents) may live.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
CHANGE OF GUARD!
Any visitor to the reputed Buckingham Palace in the Queen’s land (England) will notice an order. Its called the ‘Change of Guard’.It is a process where a few band of palace guards march in formation to take over from another exiting band of guards.It happens everywhere well may be just a little bit more celebrated by the ever-structured Brits.
As Kelly Verner wrote in his book,truly ‘The Priesthood is changing’.Friends,nothing can be more apt. For even here ,even now God is pointing his fingers at leaders as he expresses His agenda to change all wrong and compromised order of ministry and replace them with a new,obedient and pliable order.
Like God sent a man of God to Eli ( 1 Sam 2:27-36)to serve him heaven ‘s summon that the age-old Levitical priesthood is taken from his hands and given to those on the outside. Of his tribe.
Eli ‘s sin was simple; A disdain for the Lord’s sacrifice and allowinh his sons to take the fattest of the people’s offerings for themselves (sounds to me like misappropriation or even outright embezzlement of public funds).
Eli had looked the other way when his sons perpetrated this crime against the Lord’s order of sacrifice and offering. He saw it but simply did nothing! What should Eli had done?
It has always been said that everything rises and falls on leaderdhip.If this postulation is true,then Eli could have done either of these two things: Fire his sons or call them to question in the full glare of the public.Now the second option is the hardest for leaders for they think it will bring their household into public disgrace and that all they ve ever worked for will fall like a castle built with sand.But so be it! We need to always ask who will hold more sacrosanct : God or People.David it was who chose to fall into God’s hands than into men’s hands; his leaders Saul taught otherwise and today we know where each of them is positioned in history.
God’s verdict and judgement for compromised leadership never expires. From Isreal under Eli all the way till Isreal under Solomon (a period spanning well more over 100 years or so-1 Kings 2:26,27.),the house of Levi suffered the consequence of Eli’s compromise.
On a broader sense ,the priesthood keeps changing .From the order of Aaron to the Order of Melchizedek, From One priesthood that expires to another that is eternal. Jesus being the high Priest of the new order as He ever lives to make intercession for all the saints(those who have believed in the atoning work of Christ!)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A LETTER TO LEADERS!
National tragedies ,ethnic cleansing and other national problems don’t just happen . They are consequences of a leadership and people that have lost sight of their origin. Truth be told how many leaders alive today really know or even care to know about their origin.
Nations get into trouble when they neglect the existence of the owner of nations nor care less about pleasing Him. However bitter a pill this might be for man to swallow,it does not reduce from the fact that God owns all nations and He created them to serve Him and do His Will and nothing less will do!
National problems are not exclusive to Africa.Does that not explain why there are troubles everywhere.It is either the earth is quaking in Chile and Haiti or there are bloodbaths in Jos.There have been several ethnic problems and tragedies in several other parts of the world. Does this have to continue.what can Nigeria do to stem the tide of this evil?
One of the best references I have come to know as a panache for effective leadership(call it manual,if you like) is God’s Word: The Bible!
There are several accounts in that book that provide a head start for any leader that will rule his/her people well and keep them away from harm’s way.Of these several inferences I will just take the reader through just two of them.Coincidentally, both instances involve the same person:David,the best King of Israel yet!It was he (David)who ,shortly before he died, was quoted to have said ”When one rules over men in righteousness,when he rules in the fear of God,he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning,like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” 2 Sam.23:3-4.
David was a leader who made several mistakes (ranging from adultery to murder to pride)but also thought us how to be sincere and admit it when we are wrong and to humbly seek to made amends.At different times this great leader and accomplished warrior never failed to crush any oppositions that came his way in the form of external aggressions.
During his tenure of office(2 Sam.21:1-14),there was famine for three years and life got very tough for his subjects owing to a wrong earlier committed by his predecessor(King Saul had ,while he was the political leader, mercilessly massacred the Gibeonites, a minority group of people living among the majority Jewish nation)and though Saul himself was since dead and gone the consequences of his erratic leadership was beginning to tell on the citizenry.Inflation had galloped to an all-time high and life was just simply unbearable.And what did David do?Complain and do nothing,play the blame game and line his pocket and that of his cronies?No,no no,and no!
Great leaders do no such things ,only chalatans .Rather David the leader got concerned,empathized with the minority.He even called a national conference to plavcate the hurt that the minority had suffered.He asked them in plain language how he could make amends(2 Sam.21:3).He made it up to them.
He knew this economic plague was a fallout of a wrong done to some people and that it was not going to leave until the hurting parties were placated.Isn’t it htime leaders of this nation took responsibilities for wrongs done in the past by the fathers,open their minds and seek a reprieve for the people they claim to lead ?so that all this acts of aggression,killings and continued heating of the polity can stop.Its been said severally that people who are hurt, hurt other people .The only reprieve will come when they are placated. Call the parties.Meet with them.Ask them what they want and do it! They are bound to sheath their swords and broker peace.Enough of our leaders begging the truth.Or isn’t leadership all about leading anymore?
In the second analysis(2 Sam.24),he was moved to conduct a census which turned out to be a plague on his people .Precious lives were lost.Unfortunately, any time leaders fail to do the right thing the consequence comes on the led. Don’t leaders ever get it?It was David that (probably out of ego and a feeling of accomplishment )counted the people and now it was the people suffering for his egomaniac decision.The Pandorra box had been opened.
Instantly David knew it was time to make amends.Sure it is human to make mistakes but it is also honourable to humbly get it fixed.David had enough leadership intelligence to know to go back to the Owner of nations.He pleaded with God and gave an offering to appease Him.Real leaders should trace their way back to God in repentance. what is so hard about our leaders calling a convocation ;a national day of repentance where they lead the led back to the Owner of nations with each of us encouraged to bring an offering in repentance to our God ; cutting yet another covenant.
A Greater Testimony
We live today in an age that is laden with so much impatience and speed. There is a deliberate attempt to do everything almost at the speed of light. This phenomenon is responsible for the invention of different electronic gadgets we now use to speed up almost all human processes in the different sectors of our human endeavor. For instance speed in service delivery was a major concern in the creation of the so-called new generation banks we now have in Nigeria. People could no longer put up with having to wait in long queues to be attended to as it obtained in the earlier banking operations. At the creation of the new generation banks therefore many customers migrated, and that had a great effect on those existing banks who themselves have had to speed up their processes in order to still enjoy some good measure of patronage. If they must compete they must accelerate and innovate. Now enough said of banking operations.
Even the many eateries we now have in most of our major cities is also a factor of our desire to have even our food delivered to us without any need to have to wait. Young people today hardly want to spend any time in courtship once they find someone they are tripped by; they just want to go to the altar immediately, if at all. Even in the home, parents hardly allow their children to complete elementary six before getting them to secondary school. These students who can hardly recognize their names face the world of adults quite early. These instances and many like them confront us in our daily lives as urban dwellers in time and space.
A popular Nigerian musician in the ‘80s captured this very well in a song he titled "Time na money"; and since most of us now almost live to just make money, there is therefore no time to "waste" anywhere or in anything. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is also having a bearing on way many Christians approach God and relate with Him. This reader will do well to know that there is still a great value in spending some quality time with our God, as we desire to make conscious effort to patiently dwell(or tarry) in His presence.
By the account in John 20:1-18,the Apostle John reports that early on the first day of the week (apparently the third day of Jesus’ death) it was Mary Magdalene who first ran to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and found that the tomb was open and that the body Jesus was not there. She then ran back and told Peter and John about the new development, and they all ran to the tomb together to see what may have happened. By this posture, it was clear that Mary had a depth of love for, and devotion to her Master and Lord Jesus. (This was the same woman who had earlier, while Jesus was still alive, worshipped him with a very expensive oil, which she poured on his feet as an expression of her love for him.)
John may have been afraid to go into the tomb, even though according to the account, he got there before Peter. But he was encouraged when Peter ran straight in on his arrival and so he also went in. Both of them experienced the empty tomb. It was no longer a mere tale to them. Both men were seeing firsthand the linen cloth and the handkerchief with which Jesus was buried but did not see him. It was both men that hurried back to their families ,the same speed at which they came to the tomb.Sure they left the tomb with a great testimony, that they entered the empty tomb where Jesus was buried; that they saw the grave clothes with which he was buried; and that He was not in the grave. That he had risen just like He said ,He would!
However, the third person, Mary Magdalene, chose not to follow them when they left. She was not satisfied with just the sight of an empty tomb, the grave clothes, or that Jesus was not in the grave. This was a great testimony to tell but she wanted something more. She would wait to see Jesus at all cost. Time was not an issue for her. She was not in a hurry to leave. She was willing to wait patiently. She had become desperate to see Jesus. Her heart was too broken so she wept.
Again with an expectant eye, she scanned the tomb, truly desiring and believing to see Him.It was at that point she saw two angels; they spoke to her; she also spoke back to them. Finally on turning around her, she saw Jesus at last.He spoke to her; she also spoke to him. (Though she did not recognize him at first sight) he opened her eyes and she recognized him, and worshipped him. Certainly her heart was filled with joy unspeakable full of glory; she had a much greater testimony than the Peter and John, and it was simply because she loved Jesus enough to wait on...
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