On
The Path Of Winners
By
Bayo Ogunmupe
How
To Regain Your Glory
WHATEVER life has taken
from you, God can restore to you more abundantly. He may not give you exactly
what you want, but He will give you what is best. Even when you fall under His
corrective hand through disobedience, if you repent, Jehovah will reinstate you
to a place of glory. You say, ‘But what about the time I have wasted, the
opportunities squandered?’ ‘Behold the Lord’s hands is not shortened, that it
cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear!’ Isaiah 59:1.
After wasting all that he had inherited, the
Prodigal Son returned home, penniless and embarrassed. All he wanted was three
square meals and a job in the servants’ quarters. But the moment he said
forgive me, his father called for the best robe, the fattest cow, the newest
shoes, and a ring of son-ship restoring him to his rightful place as a member
of the family. Even under the crushing weight of the Draconian laws of the Old
Testament, God said,; if a man steals an ox or sheep he shall restore five oxen
for an ox and four sheep for a sheep, Exodus 22:1. Now if God would do that for
those on the wrong side of the law, how much more will He do for those He has
redeemed? So you can go to Jehovah with confidence, knowing He is a God of
restoration. One day the Amalekites burned down King David’s hometown, taking
its families captive. In that scene of devastation, David and his men wept
their eyes out. But said to David, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them
and without fail recover all,’ 1 Samuel 30:8. That was how David got back all
they had lost. Thus Yahweh is not only a God of restoration, He is also a God
of abundance. God who created time can give you more of it.
When God blesses you, it will not come from a
rationed supply. Ever since Adam and Eve blew it in the Garden of Eden, God’s
desire has been to restore to Homo Sapiens, all that we lost. So go to God
today and let the restoration to glory again. Being justified gives you the
right to stand before Allah and claim his best. So, believe for more gain that
expected, because our God is a God of retorationå. ‘Your God will come with
recompense,’ Isaiah 35:4.
What you give up in order to serve God is
nothing compared to what you will get back, God can give you a hundred fold
what you have sacrificed in order to
serve Him. ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold your God will come with vengeance,
with restoration. He will come and save you,’ Isaiah 35: 3-4. God can give you
back any losses in overflowing measure: And the ransomed of the Lord shall
return and go to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on your heads. You
shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow shall flee away. Stand on His promise:
‘And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose, it shall blossom abundantly,’
Isaiah 35: 1-2. Rejoice, the Almighty is a God of restoration, so your best
days are ahead of you.
Dr. Alexander Maclaren, the great Scottish
preacher, attributed everything he knew to one habit: spending an hour each day
alone with God. Sometimes he allowed others into his study, but they were never
allowed to speak. God gave you your talent, but it is your job to develop it.
And it isn’t that complicated because your gift usually relates to something
that excites you. Think about it. God made you. He put that desire into your
heart. Knowing that helps you understand why the things you find rewarding
involve your innate talents and abilities. It is natural for a dog to hunt.
Coop him and it will lie around without enthusiasm. But it is going hunting, he
comes alive. That is because God designed dogs that way. They have that passion
inside them.
And for humans, when we are doing what we
know we are called to do, enthusiasm and excitement erupt in us. On the other
hand, when you are doing something not natural, it is always a struggle. If you
try, train, practice and push, you still cannot master the skill. Then you
should recognize that it may not be your forte. Though we must persevere by
learning hard things, but life should not be a constant struggle. When you are
fulfilling your purpose, the most noticeable result is how rewarding it feels
to stir up the gift of God in you by utilizing your natural talents.
As they wrestled together, the angel of
Jehovah asked Jacob, ‘What’s your name?’ Jacob answered, ‘Jacob.’ Then the
angel said, ‘your name will no longer be Jacob, which means deceiver, but
Israel, which means’ a prince with God,’ because you have struggled and overcome,’ Genesis 32:27. God forced Jacob
to look at his true identity. He wrestled him into a revelation of who he was
- not what others said he was. You are
not who others say you are. You should determine who you are before God. You
are more than your past and education, you are more than your circumstances.
You are an overcomer. So dry your tears, square your shoulders and begin
walking in your God-given identity, as the champion of Nigerian prosperity.
Our champion this week is David Sarnoff, the
American pioneer in the development of both radio and television broadcasting.
Sarnoff was born in February 1891 at Minsk, Russia, as a boy he spent several
years preparing for a career as a scholar of the Jewish Talmud. He emigrated
with his family to the United States in 1900. He settled first in Albany, then
in New York City. While at school, he supported his family by vending
newspapers and singing liturgy in a synagogue.
In 1906, he left school to become a messenger
in a telegraph company and with his first salary bought a telegraph instrument.
He soon became proficient in Morse operations, thereby finding work as a radio
operator for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. After service at sea for
several years Sarnoff became operator of the most powerful radio station in the
world, created by John Wanamaker atop his Manhattan department store. There in
April 1912, Sarnoff picked up the distress call from the sinking Titanic, he
remained at his post for 72 hours receiving and passing on the news.
Rewarded by the Marconi Company with rapid
promotion, he became a director of the company and in 1916 first proposed a
radio music box or commercially marketed radio receiver. This proposal took
several years in gaining acceptance. But as the manager of Radio Corporation of
America in 1921, he demonstrated the profitability of broadcasting during the
boxing match of Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier (July 2, 1921), the
broadcast created a sensation. Within three years the corporation sold more
than eighty million dollar worth of radio sets. In 1926, Sarnoff formed the
National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
By then, Sarnoff had perceived the potential
of television. In 1928 he launched NBC television and demonstrated the new
medium. Its development was delayed by World War Two where Sarnoff served as a
Brigadier, on the staff of General Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme Commander of
Allied Forces. He became president of Radio Corporation of America in 1930,
chairman of the board in 1947, retiring in 1970. He died in New York in
December 1971. He was pioneer of radio and television broadcasting in the
world.
On the Path of
Winners
By Bayo Ogunmupe
Doing the will
of God
DOING the will of
God in order to gain fulfillment is the forgotten secret of success. Jesus
said, “my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His
work,”Jn 4:34. Hardwork isn’t what determines how great you become. Neither
does persistence bring automatic success. It takes your doing the will of Jehovah
for you to succeed. Increase comes after planting and watering. The pursuit of
your purpose and persistence in that pursuit is planting. What then does
watering mean? The watering stage in the pursuit of happiness is where we often
miss the point.
But until you plant and water, it is then
that God can give you the increase desired. “In everything give thanks: for
this is the will of God concerning you,” Thessalonians 5:18, Doing the will of
God through thanksgiving grants you access to success in life. You don’t gain
greatness until you are grateful to God. You cannot gain outstanding success
unless you penetrate the mystery of thanksgiving.
Ingratitude stops the finger of God which
brings success to you. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done
the will of God, ye might receive the promise,” Hebrew 10:36. Here, we are told
we can only receive the promise after we have done the will of the Almighty.
And what is the will of God? It is in everything you must give thanks, until
the will of God is done, you cannot obtain the promise.
So, every pursuit in your life must culminate
in thanksgiving, for it to end up in success. If there was no sale yesterday,
thank God there was no robbery attack also. For today, thank Jehovah for being
divested of fraudsters or that there was no fire outbreak in home and shop.
Thus, if you want to receive the hand of God, then lift up your hands in
thanksgiving to Him. You may be valiant in the pursuit of your purpose, you may
even be very persistent in that pursuit, but nothing will work until you are
genuinely thankful to Allah. Divine presence is the ultimate in your clarion
for recognition.
God’s presence is your guarantee for the
accomplishment of your goals. His presence renders your enemies helpless,
paving way for the establishment of your goal.
There are many workaholics who died in
penury, because of the missing God’s presence. Thus, it isn’t enough to have a
goal and the persistence to pursue it. The answer is that you strive to carry
God’s presence and praises creates a conducive atmosphere for His presence.
Until you Praise Allah, you are not worthy to
carry His presence. Until you register in the school of thanksgiving, you will
never be successful. No one ever gets anywhere with complaints. Never complain
to God, ask Him what you want; “For no good thing would He withhold from them
that walk uprightly.”
Great success is the heritage of the
thankful. The ones full of praise for Jehovah and the joyful are those that can
provoke the hand of God to produce results. You reign by working. You cannot
substitute work with prayer. Life does not reward wishers, it rewards workers.
Work strengthens you while laziness wears you out. Hardwork is the secret of
success. It provokes God to help you. You cannot succeed alone. Stay connected
to God, rely on Him. Envy no one.
Know what you want and be ready to give it
whatever it takes. Work hard and work smart. The use of your senses is what
enhances your results. Always get persuaded by available facts. Then get to
work on your field of interest where you wish to excel. Believe in facts and
information. Do everything to acquire them, for they will give quality to your
reasoning and planning. When facts are applied in your decision making, you
come out with excellent results.
Work
is a commandment from heaven. Prayers are spiritual wishes, and if wishes were
horses, beggars would ride. You reign by working, Jesus said, “I must work the
works of Him that sent me, while it is day, the night cometh, when no man can
work, John 9:4. “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand
before Kings, he shall not stand before mean men, Proverbs 22:29. Diligent in
his business, not diligent in prayers. Jehovah God works. Work authenticates
faith (James 2:18). Life doesn’t answer wishers, it only rewards workers. The
harder you work the more profit you gain. Moreover, hardwork keeps you healthy.
Our champion for today is Frantz Omar Fanon,
the Martinique-born Algerian and French Psychiatrist, philosopher and
revolutionary. He was a writer whose works are influential in post-colonial
studies, critical theory and Marxism. As an intellectual Fanon was a radical
and humanist concerning colonialism and the cultural consequences of
decolonization.
In the course of his work as a physician and
psychiatrist, Fanon supported the Algerian war of independence from France. He
was a member of the Algerian National Liberation Front and for four decades,
the life and works of Fanon have inspired anti-colonial liberation movements in
Palestine, Sri, Lanka and the United State States.
Frantz Omar Fanon was born on the Caribbean
Island of Martinique, then a French Colony but now a French county. His father
was of African descent, his mother was of Indian and European descent, whose White
ancestors came from Strasbourg in Alsace, France. Fanon was born in July 1925
and died in December 1961. After France fell to Germany in1940, at the age of
18, Fanon fled Martinique to the British Dominica to join the Free French Army.
He enlisted in the French army and joined an Allied convoy that was stationed
in Casablanca, Morocco.
When the Nazis was defeated by the Allied
forces, Fanon was among the Allied forces that crossed the Rhine into Germany.
Then he returned to Martinique in 1945 but didn’t stay long. He then left for
France where he studied medicine and psychiatry. In 1952, Fanon wrote Black
Skin, White Masks, reflecting his service in the Army. Later he published. The
Wretched of The Earth and Toward the African Revolution. There, Fanon revealed
himself as a war strategist. Still later, A Dying Colonialism he published
before dying as Algerian ambassador to Ghana in 1961.
No comments:
Post a Comment