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A successful person is one who takes the cold water dumped on his or her plans, heats it up with enthusiasm, and manufactures the steam that helps him/her push ahead.

– John C. Maxwell

THIS IS WHO I AM!

It is said that when you see a turtle on a fence post, it sure had help getting there. That’s me! I’ve had help from God and from His people.

When I look at my life I see a picture of grace – favor unmerited both from God and man. I am a Christ – i.a.n! Without Christ, I Am Nothing! Outside of His precious grace I’m an empty shell devoid of any meaningful substance, but in Him I am complete; graced, empowered, and enabled to succeed. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am also the workmanship of God in Christ Jesus. I am created unto good works which Christ has before ordained that I should walk therein. When you look at me and like what you see, don’t hate me or loathe me. It’s not my fault, it’s just my God!

I’m totally a picture of grace. Saved by grace. Justified by mercy. Enveloped by favor. Called unto glory. Positioned for success. That is who I am!

So, I sing with Sinach:
I’m walking in power
I walk in miracles
I live a life of favor
I know who I am!

Do you?

“IMPOSSIBLE” IS JUST AN EXCUSE!

I welcome you dear friends to the second half of 2014. My prayer is that it would be for you a better and more fulfilling half. You will end the year 2014 well! You will finish strong, in Jesus name!

My encouragement to you today comes from a book I’ve been reading the past few days. It is written by a very good friend of mine, Gbenga Sesan and it is titled In My Own Words.

“1 minus 2 is impossible until you know the answer. In my elementary school, we were told that it was impossible to subtract a higher number from a lower one. The unanimous answer, in the rare moments the questions was asked, was a loud “impossible!” But a few years later, in secondary school, I was taught that if a higher number is subtracted from a lower number, I will have a negative number. It was no longer deemed impossible simply because we knew better than when we were in primary school. How many times in life are we almost tempted to call certain things impossible? If you could just learn more about the problem, you will soon come to terms with the fact that “impossible” is just an excuse we give when we do not have enough knowledge to tackle a problem. The answer may be strange, but every problem has a solution…. 1 minus 2 is not “impossible”; you only need to gain enough knowledge to know the answer.”

What do you call “impossible”? Go ahead, acquire enough knowledge and tackle the problem. Impossible is nothing! And with God on your side, nothing shall be impossible unto you! I do hope you find this encouraging and motivating as I have, as we enter the final half of the year. You will succeed!

WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE?

Years ago as an undergraduate, I took a summer teaching job. Whenever I entered the classroom I always took a bow and greet the students as “ladies and gentlemen”. One of the students asked me why I did that one day. I answered her, “Because I see you not as what you are right now but as who you will be years down the line!”

“When I see people, everyone, every human, I understand that I am in the presence of greatness. Maybe potential greatness, or greatness unpolished, or greatness unfound, but every person has the ability.” (Kat Cole) I concur! Every human being carries the imprint of the Almighty.

This quote inspires what I’m sharing with you today, dear friend. Don’t just see people as they are; see them as they can be. So much more important for those of us who have a responsibility for others, whether as parents, bosses, pastors, teachers, heads of department, etc., in any leadership capacity. That is why I wrote the book That I Look Like A Beggar Does Not Say I Do Not Have A Throne! And it is why I volunteer to train and mentor under-privileged kids at Paradigm Initiative Nigeria’s Ajegunle.org project. It’s also why I’ve made it part of my life’s work to build a leadership center for youths where they can be trained and given an opportunity to discover and develop their innate potential for greatness.

Everyone you see is pregnant with destiny. Beneath every face is a precious person loved and valued by God. Respect that always. Never look down on anyone except you want to help them up. Look within your sphere of influence and do something to help someone today. You will succeed!

BE NICE. THE PERSON YOU IGNORE CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE TOMORROW!

I read this story just recently and it touched me. It illustrates what I taught in my book, That I Look Like A Beggar Does Not Say I Do Not Have A Throne!

“Juan worked at a meat distribution factory. One day, when he finished with his work schedule, he went into the meat cold room to inspect something, but in a moment of bad luck, the door closed and he was locked inside with no help in sight!

Although he screamed and knocked with all his might, his cries went unheard as no one could hear him. Most of the workers had already gone, and outside the cold room it’s impossible to hear what was going on inside.

Five hours later, whilst Juan was on the verge of death, the security guard of the factory opened the door and saved the life of Juan. Juan then asked the security guard how he got to open the door, as it wasn’t part of his work routine, and he explained thus:

“I’ve been working in this factory for 35 years, hundreds of workers come in and out every day, but you’re one of the few who greets me in the morning and says goodbye to me every night when leaving after working hours. Many treat me as if I am invisible. Today, like every other day, you greeted me in your simple manner ‘Hello’ at the entrance when resuming for work. But curiously, after working hours today, I observed I’ve not heard your “Bye! See you tomorrow.” Hence I decided to check around the factory. Unknown to you, I look forward to your ‘Hi’ and ‘Bye’ every day. To you, I am someone. By not hearing your farewell, I knew something had happened. Then I sought and found you.”

One lesson from this story is this: Small kindnesses have big impact. A little kindness goes a very long way. Never look down on any man. The person you ignored today may be the one to save your life tomorrow.

Has this blessed you in any way? What other lessons can you draw from this? Please share. I’m waiting to hear it. YOU WILL SUCCEED!