Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Friends, no matter how badly people or life itself has treated you, if you want to move ahead in life you have to learn how to focus on the right thing and chose the right life position. If despite all the odds of life you can still focus on using your gifts and talents; if you can still continue to serve people, then you will soon be able to change your status.
That was exactly what happened to Joseph. As he served these two officers of pharaoh instead of concentrating on the offences of others, the door to his throne opened to him easily. Pharaoh sent for Joseph and fetched him out of the prison.

One of the reasons for spiritual coldness and lukewarmness is negligence and laziness.
Marital failure, financial poverty, failure in ministry and many other forms of poverty can all be traced back to the same root of negligence or dealing with a slack hand.

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4)

We read about how God promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey, but when it came time to possess it, as a nation they were not ready. There are attitudes that keep you in bondage and wandering in the wilderness, while a promised land flowing with milk and honey awaits you. The Bible is full of the record of sins that plagued the rest of the children of Israel which we are to be aware of today in our lives.

Other people might be responsible for where you are in life, but nobody is responsible for your continuing to stay where you are.
Until you stop finding fault and shifting blame, you will not rise up and take responsibility for your advancement in life. Here is what God want you to do from today on:

Don’t blame the devil, resist him (James 4: 7);
Don’t blame God, obey Him (Genesis 3: 12-13);
Don’t blame your challenges and predicaments; fight your way through them by faith (Number chapter 12-14).

It is time to know that changes are initiated rather than expected. Changes do not happen by chance, they happen because someone initiated them. When it was dark and void all around, God initiated change by introducing light. He said “Let there be light”.

“In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared” (Gen.1: 1-3)

God wants you to believe today that in Christ Jesus you have been given a NEW NAME. You have identified with your old names, your past and failures long enough.

God has given you new name in Christ, so stop wearing the old name tag given to you by people, by the enemy of your soul or by your circumstances. Believe in the wonderful possibilities available to you now in God because of your new identity in Christ.
Begin to identify yourself with your God given name! Only thus will you be able to realize your potential in God.

One of proofs of your love for God is to love those whom He loves. You know that God loves the Church of Jesus Christ, and that He also loves the lost people (who have not yet come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ).
How your love for God is reflected in your attitude towards the church and unbelievers around you?

Do you have the passion to see His church grow and to advance the values of the Kingdom of God through His Church
Do you have the passion to see His lost sheep brought back to his fold?

1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mathew, 5:3). This talks about dependency on God. Our lives depend on God. And since we realize our dependency, we must continually come to God and spend time with Him. This is a foundational step in becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world; we must live a life that is totally depended on God!

2) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Mathew, 5:4). Sin, unrighteousness and injustice that surround us must motivate us to pray and mourn before God, to stand in the gap for our land. It must motivate us to repent of the sins and unrighteousness of our nation. When we look at the things around us with God’s eyes, then everything that grieves God will grieve us as well. This is where passion is born and a vision for change is conceived.

As we concluded earlier, it’s impossible to please God without understanding our role and purpose on the Earth. We also mentioned that God helps us to reach such understanding through His word. Metaphors used in the Bible help to reveal what God expects from us and how we can please Him.

There are many metaphors used in the Bible to reveal to us what are our essence and our task on the Earth. The word “messenger or “ambassador” is one of them. Paul uses this word in his letter to Corinthians:

«Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God». (2nd Corinthians 5:19-20).