Bishop David Oyedepo warns Buhari on Fulani Herdsmen (Jan. 14, 2018)

Put God First

The Mercy of God

The Making of a Prophet

7 Reasons Why You Must Have Goals

What is a goal?

A goal is something you want to pursue and achieve. It is a compelling objective. Goals are to life what goalposts are to football games. Without goalpost you cannot score. Also without goals you cannot score goals in life.

Why Goals?

1. Your goals will determine who goes with you.

Your goals determine your associates and your association. If you don't have a clear understanding of your goals just look at your association. Your goals determine who gets attracted to you.When you have big and compelling goals you attract big and influential people and vice versa.If you have responsible goals you will attract responsible people.

2. Your goals determine the resources you attract.

Your goals will attract resources to you. It is important to note that resources don't go where they are needed; they go where they are respected and goals respect resources. They create conducive environments where resources can come and feel very comfortable.

3.Your goals are your motivating agents.

Goals have a way of keeping you moving.They keep you on your toes. They provide a driving force that drives you to outstanding success. Without compelling goals discouragement sets in.

4. Your goals will break the power of laziness.

Laziness is a product of 'goallessness'. The Bible says,"Where there is no vision the people cast off restrain". Another translation says "Where there is no vision, the people perish" That's pretty strong. We are bound to be lazy when we don't have compelling goals.

5. Your goals will determine your position in life.

Positive goals will take you higher and enable you to climb the ladder of success faster than you can imagine.Where you will get to will be a product of your goals. The man whose goal is to hit the sun has determined his position in time to come. He can't be digging the ground while expecting to hit the sun.

6. Your goals will affect your location.

You can't achieve your goals everywhere. There are certain places where you can fulfill your goals and there are other places where all your efforts will end in futility. The fisherman who expects to succeed in fishing cannot be very far from water. He has to love water and be willing to stay there untill success

7. Your goals will determine your mental progress.

You will always endeavour to learn something to help succeed in your goals. And every endeavour to learning will lead to mental progress. If your mind is not making progress you are not truly making progress no matter what people think. Therefore make every effort to learn something about your goals. Who can tell whether the next information you get may be the missing link to your major breakthrough.

What goals are you setting right now? Are they compelling enough to drive you to success? What are you will to do to achieve the success you deserve? Have goals and give attention to them until they become successful.

Save,Invest for the Future

Friday, November 05, 2010 Save, Invest for the Future by Rick Warren Wise people live in wealth and luxury, but stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it. Proverbs 21:20 (TEV) There is a question you can ask yourself that will help you save more money: "Do I really need this?" If you want God's blessing on your finances, you must learn to save and invest for the future. The Bible says a lot about making financial investments. In fact, you can see that Proverbs 21:20 is God's IQ test! Let's see how smart you are: wise people save for the future, but foolish people spend whatever they get. Would it surprise you to know that in Japan, the average savings is 25% of their income? The average European saves 18%. Yet, last year Americans spent 1% more than they made. Many people in retirement are going to be dirt poor because they didn't start saving early enough; they didn't practice the principle of investing in the future. Now, there is a question you can ask yourself that will help you save more money. It's real simple. When you get ready to buy something ask yourself, "Do I really need this?" And then be honest enough to tell yourself. For instance, do I really need a new car? Well, I know I'd like it. But, do I really need a new car? Do I really need this upgrade? I know I'd like it, but do I really need it? A fundamental financial principle is this: when you spend your money, it's gone. Yet, when you save your money, your money works for you. The problem with most of us is that we work for our money instead of letting our money working for us. If you'll do it God's way, you can get out of debt and you can be blessed. The Bible teaches that, when money comes easily, it disappears quickly, but money that is gathered little by little will grow. "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time." Proverbs 13:11 (NLT) Many people think, 'Because I can't save a lot, I just won't save.' But it's not about the amount you save. It's the consistency of saving. It adds up little by little. So you pay God first and you pay yourself second. When you save, you are making your money work for you.

Using Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones

I have particularly blessed by this entry from Brian Tracy.Hope you will rich principles that will move your life forward.

Using Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones
By: Brian Tracy

Everyone makes mistakes and the busier you are, the more mistakes you will make. The only question is "How well and how effectively do you deal with the inevitable ups and downs of life?"

In this newsletter, you learn the difference between a positive and negative worldview. You learn how to benefit from your mistakes and how to remain positive in the face of adversity.

Let the Light Shine In
This is achieved through the simple exercise of self-disclosure. For you to truly understand yourself, or to stop being troubled by things that may have happened in your past, you must be able to disclose yourself to at least one person. You have to be able to get those things off your chest. You must rid yourself of those thoughts and feelings by revealing them to someone who won't make you feel guilty or ashamed for what has happened.

Using Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones
There are two ways to look at the world: the benevolent way or the malevolent way. People with a malevolent or negative worldview take a victim stance, seeing life as a continuous succession of problems and a process of unfairness and oppression. They don't expect a lot and they don't get much. When things go wrong, they shrug their shoulders and passively accept that this is the way life is and there isn't anything they can do to make it better.

On the other hand, people with a benevolent or positive worldview see the world around them as filled with opportunities and possibilities. They believe that everything happens as part of a great process designed to make them successful and happy. They approach their lives, their work, and their relationships with optimism, cheerfulness, and a general attitude of positive expectations. They expect a lot and they are seldom disappointed.

"The best way to change your life and achieve success...in minutes" Become a no-limit person! YOU can change your life by changing the way you think about yourself and your potential. YOU will open new doors to unlimited possibilities and put yourself on the road to a better, more fulfilling professional and personal life. Click for more >>

Flex Your Mental Muscles
When you develop the skill of learning from your mistakes, you become the kind of person who welcomes obstacles and setbacks as opportunities to flex your mental muscles and move ahead. You look at problems as rungs on the ladder of success that you grab onto as you pull your way higher.

Two of the most common ways to deal with mistakes are invariably fatal to high achievement. The first common but misguided way to handle a mistake is the failure to accept it when it occurs. According to statistics, 70 percent of all decisions we make will be wrong. That's an average. This means that some people will fail more than 70 percent of the time, and some people will fail less. It is hard to believe that most of the decisions we make could turn out to be wrong in some way. In fact, if this is the case, how can our society continue to function at all?

Cut Your Losses
The fact is that our society, our families, our companies, and our relationships continue to survive and thrive because intelligent people tend to cut their losses and minimize their mistakes. It is only when people refuse to accept that they have made a bad choice or decision-and prolong the consequences by sticking to that bad choice or decision-that mistakes become extremely expensive and hurtful.

Learn From Your Mistakes
The second common approach that people take with regard to their mistakes, one that hurts innumerable lives and careers, is the failure to use your mistakes to better yourself and to improve the quality of your mind and your thinking.

Learning from your mistakes is an essential skill that enables you to develop the resilience to be a master of change rather than a victim of change. The person who recognizes that he has made a mistake and changes direction the fastest is the one who will win in an age of increasing information, technology and competition.

By remaining fast on your feet, you will be able to out-play and out-position your competition. You will become a creator of circumstances rather than a creature of circumstances.

Action Exercises
Now, here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, imagine that your biggest problem or challenge in life has been sent to you at this moment to help you, to teach you something valuable. What could it be?

Second, be willing to cut your losses and walk away if you have made a mistake or a bad choice. Accept that you are not perfect, you can't be right all the time, and then get on with your life.

Third, learn from every mistake you make. Write down every lesson it contains. Use your mistakes in the present as stepping stones to great success in the future.

"Action Strategies for Personal Achievement" Fear Nothing. Achieve Greatness. Live Financially Free. With the skills I will teach you, you'll see that success is inevitable and nothing is out of your reach. I designed this program for individuals serious about getting immediate results. Click for more >>

Shortcuts are Always Short-sighted

by Rick Warren

Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Genesis 6:22 (NIV) "A shortcut says, 'God, I think I can reach this goal a whole lot quicker my way than your way.' " One of the pitfalls you will face as you chase your dreams during this Decade of Destiny is the temptation to take shortcuts. These are the detours that come in life that tempt you to try to cut corners as you run toward your goals but these shortcuts will only get you off track. These may be moral shortcuts, ethical shortcuts, spiritual shortcuts, financial shortcuts, even relational shortcuts, where you start skimming in your relationships. Shortcuts are always short-sighted. They distract you from getting where you need to go and from what God wants you to do in your life. When we look at the life of Noah, we see he doesn't try to cut corners. Noah did everything just as God commanded him. The temptation to take shortcuts is present throughout scripture - Jesus was tempted by the devil to take a shortcut. The devil told Jesus to jump from the top of the temple and, when the angels caught him, it would prove to everyone he was the Son of God. And they would all worship him. But Jesus followed God's plan. Jesus was meant to die on the cross, not jump off a temple. God's plan was that Jesus would be glorified through suffering, not through showing off. When you see a shortcut, it's usually a temptation to cut the corner financially, ethically or morally - just take a little shortcut. But you are also saying, 'God, I think I can reach my goal a whole lot quicker my way than your way.' Sarah had a promise from God that she would have a baby, but by the time she was 80-years-old, she decided to take a shortcut. She told Abraham to get her handmaid pregnant. 'That will be our baby'. But that wasn't God's plan at all. He provided Sarah with her own baby, and Sarah's shortcut led to problems that have lasted for generations. Shortcuts are always short-sited. Noah could have said, 'Lord, do we really need all of these animals? You know, why don't we just leave half the species here. The Sierra club will never know; Green Peace isn't around. We can just call the ones we leave extinct animals.' But the Bible says, Noah did everything just as God commanded him. To reach the dreams God gives you, you must do things exactly as God tells you to do them.

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The Three Primary Virtues

Posted by Brian Tracy on Aug 11, 2009

Adam Smith, in his important book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, wrote that excellent people have three primary virtues: prudence, justice, and benevolence, in that order. Each of them is essential to the others and to the living of a full life in society.

Virtue #1: Prudence

The virtue of prudence refers to your developing the habit of providing well for yourself, your family, your friends, your co-workers, and your company. This requires that you think intelligently and honestly about the very best course of action to maximize your opportunities and minimize possible danger and threats. The habit of prudence means you investigate every investment carefully, think ahead about what might happen if you were to take a particular course of action, and take intelligent steps to guard against setbacks and reversals of fortune. The most successful people are those who are prudent in the conduct in all of their personal and business affairs.

Virtue #2: Justice is Blind

The second habit for you to develop is the habit of justice. This refers to your commitment to the establishment and maintenance of laws in society that protect the person and property of every individual. The American republic has endured for more than 200 years because it was carefully established by the founding fathers on the basis of law, not men. At every level of our society, specific laws are prescribed and laid down that are applicable to all people, regardless of wealth or station in life.

John Rawls, the Harvard philosopher and author of A Theory of Justice (Belknap Press, revised edition, 1999), once presented a question to his class that has been repeated often through the years.

Imagine that you could write the laws and create the circumstances of your society. You are given the power to prescribe the economic, social and political relationships that would exist in your country throughout your lifetime.

There is only one limitation on your power. You would set up this structure without knowing into what sort of family or situation you would be born. You would not know in advance what sort of physical condition you might be born with. Whatever system of laws and customs you decided upon, you would then be required to live by them for the rest of your life. What kind of structure would you design in this situation?

The answer to this question is the very essence of the concept of justice. The statue of justice, holding the balances and scales in her hand, is blind folded. True justice is therefore applicable to all people who live under a certain system, irrespective of their background. When you make the habit of justice an organizing virtue for your own character, you will insist that, whatever the relative power of the parties, everyone be treated fairly and justly in the resolution of any difficulty or dispute.

The habit of prudence is essential for personal success. The habit of justice is essential for the creation of a society within which a person can pursue his or her own best interests with the greatest of possibilities. The rule is that you should never want or demand anything from anyone else that you are not perfectly willing to accept for yourself.

Virtue #3: Benevolence

The third quality you must develop is the habit of benevolence. This is one of the hallmark characteristics of the truly superior person. Aristotle referred to it as one of the eight essential virtues, that of “generosity.” Most people are psychologically and emotionally structured in such a way that they are only truly happy and satisfied when they feel they are doing something that serves and benefits other people. When you give freely and generously of yourself to others, whether it is to members of your family or to members of the public, you feel more valuable and happier inside. When you dedicate yourself to serving your customers with the very best quality product or service of which you are capable, not only do you feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction, but you also put yourself on the side the angels when it comes to personal and business success. You remember the principle: “The more you give of yourself to others with expectation of return, the more good things there are that will come back to you from the most unexpected sources.”

The regular practice of prudence, justice, and benevolence leads naturally to feelings and actions of kindness, compassion, and tolerance toward other people. You become more open minded and flexible. You develop greater patience and understanding. You are less judgmental or demanding of others. You become a better and finer person.

Action Exercise

Imagine yourself to be a person of complete honesty and impeccable integrity. Is there any behavior of yours that you would change?

How To Handle With Frustrations

Sunday 4th of July, 2010 was a glorious day. We had a great time in the presence of God as we watched the women handle the church service climaxing their National Convention. Getting back home we had so much to share together. My wife took time to feed baby, after which she slept. That gave us some space to take care of a few things with regards to our trip to Uyo, Nigeria the following day.

A few minutes later she woke up and that with a scream. We thought it was a normal wake up blues but were shocked beyond measure as we realised this was beyond normal. We did everything we could but she wouldn’t stop. More than an hour had passed yet my baby was nowhere near consolation. Carrying her, I was asking her what the problem was. She could only look at me and cry some more. I was so frustrated. At that moment I wished my baby could speak to me. I guess it would have been very strange for a four months old baby to speak but I wouldn’t have cared. I just needed clues.

My wife had asked me to pray for baby and we did. We prayed again and again but baby was really screaming. I left them in the room and came to the sitting room where I was ironing a few clothes. Standing before the ironing board, I began to scream, pouring my frustrations to God. I couldn’t take it any longer. I knew no reason why she should be crying that way and the One who knows why would have to do something about it or tell us what to do.

Somehow, I felt the need to bind any strange force afflicting my baby and that I did with very strong passion. Moments later I didn’t hear her voice again. My wife brought her to the sitting room and I noticed the screaming had reduced drastically. We wanted to go to the hospital but noticed she was really calming down and then it stopped and started to eat. A little while later she slept and that was the end of that shocking encounter.

Why Frustration?

The following morning while I was praying, I began to understand the reason behind frustration. I saw that lack of understanding leads to frustration. We couldn’t understand why our baby was screaming and so we were frustrated. Baby possibly wanted us to understand what was bordering her but there was communication breakdown. She couldn’t speak our language and we didn’t understand hers. And so frustration set it. Thank God who can understand the language of children and what a wonderful thing He did! He consoled her and put an end to our misery.
Delay can also be another formidable reason for frustration. No one actually likes delay. We want what we want when we want it. This is fostered by the times we live in. Ours is a generation of quick fix. Computers and other technological products have helped us reduce so much time required for many things. We don’t like to wait for anything. So when there is a delay, frustration sets in.

How to Handle Frustration

Be Calm
This is always difficult to do when you have a very frustrating situation but if you can do it, it will enable you to overcome the situation. Speaking through the Psalmist, God said, "Be still and know that I am God." That day I just kept quiet. Initially, I didn't know what to do and it will foolish to try to do something when you don't know what to do. Calmness helps you know what to do. Anxiety dissipates energy. That's why you can't be productive when you are under anxiety.

Take it to God
It is important we take our challenges and difficult issues to God. This is because He has perfect understanding of all things. He speaks and understands all languages and is all-powerful, so He’s aptly qualified to handle anything confronting us. We need to pray always for understanding and insight into issues because we can’t solve a problem we don’t understand. That’s why Solomon insisted on us getting understanding. He knew that life will be a bundle of frustration when you can’t understand your assignment in life and the challenges facing you.

The Power of Understanding

Understanding, among many other things will give you confidence.
When you understand a problem, you can confidently handle it. You can’t be afraid of a person or a challenge you understand. Confidence is the key to victory. It releases boldness. It gives you a winning edge. It enables you to handle your challenges calmly and surely. Confidence, according to Microsoft Encarta, is self assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed. It was confidence that made Paul to declare, “If God be for us who can be against us”. With such confidence, no wonder he was a great success. Confidence is the key to success and it draws it strength from understanding.

Secondly, understanding gives direction. When you understand a problem you can move confidently in the right direction and solve it. Direction is vital if we must win the battles of life. Direction means sense of purpose. Without a sense of purpose failure is inevitable. Nothing was created without purpose and when purpose is not known, Myles Munroe says, abuse is inevitable.

Again understanding provides security.
We can only secure a destiny we understand. Without understanding there is no security. Many people give away their lives for nothing because they lack understanding. There are many things you won’t do when you understand who you are and what you are supposed to do with your life.

Next, understanding provides peace and joy. Lasting peace and joy is a function of understanding. There are many things that want to steal your peace and drain your joy but when you understand the situation then you don’t have anything to fear. You can relax and be rest assured of victory.

Finally, understanding leads to promotion. Your promotion in life will be tied to your level of understanding. The more you understand your purpose in life and pursue it the more greatness you will enjoy.