Your blessings may be sitting right there in your home. That thing you need to move to the next level may be right within your reach but waiting to be discovered. There are many things within us or in our surrounding that can be the source of our enlargement. There may be something in your house that is the key to your breakthrough. Let’s see some of these and how we can use what we have to enlarge our ourselves.

Physical strength
You need physical strength in order to do some things but that doesn’t mean your stength will cause an increase. Infact the dependence on your pysical strength alone could be a disadvantage. I heard a story once of two people sent to do chop down trees in a day, a young man and an old man. The old man was more experienced than the young man. The young man believing he had more strength thought, ‘I can scale through this, look at this old man’. The old man got to work the way he knew. At the end of the day he had chopped down more than the young man.
The young man was shocked and asked, ‘how did you do it, did you cheat’? The old man replied ‘ I worked for an hour and took 10 minutes break every hour. I did that for 2 reasons: to rest and to sharpen my axe’. I was working with sharpened axe all through whilst you worked with a dull axe. (Source: Word for Today Nov. 15)

We can learn two lessons from the story above:
1. Take time for rest and renewal
2. Stay sharp, dull axe requires more effort.
Our strength alone can fail us. The Creator also rested after creating the universe. During the time of rest, find time to review, meditate and appraise yourself. Jesus also advised hie disciples to take time out for rest, Mark 6:31. Do not feel guilty for taking a rest, nature demands it.

Mental strength
Intellectual ability is another source but that alone cannot produce success. There has to be a combination of factors to get maximum results. However the way we think can greatly affect our success rate. ‘As a man thinketh’ is a very powerful statement in life’s journey and a lot has been written and discussed about that. You can become anything you want to be. It starts first in your thoughts and your Creator also mentioned that ‘Whatever man imagines, he can do’.

I am drawn to another story in the Book about a widow who was experiencing a time of dryness. A prophet is instructed to visit the widow and that she would be the source of provision for the prophet as he too had a need. Why would God instruct a prophet to visit and be fed by a widow. ‘I have directed a widow there to supply you with food’. 1Kg 17. Today this would be called ‘widow abuse’. The prophet did not ask the woman to give him everything, he asked the woman to ‘Don’t be afraid, prepare a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and oil you have and bring it to me first, then make something for your son and yourself’,

She obeyed and did as the man said although she’d previously confessed that  ‘she was going home to prepare a meal for herself and her son’ before they both die due to famine. Miraculously, from that day she never lacked because the flour and oil never dried up.                           image: www.freeimages.co.uk

What are the lessons we can learn from this:

• Elijah did not rationalise and say ‘how can I go to a woman, a widow and a gentile’?
• The woman did not doubt him though she had a need and her resources may have lasted another two meals. She did not argue.
• Her obedience cause her to be blessed and increased her resources.
• Previous to this, Elijah’s other source (brook) had dried up. One door shuts and another opens provided we are able to hear the next  instruction.
• Elijah was not sent to the rich in the land.
• They both had what they needed for the duration of the famine.
• Never put your Creator in a box, predicting how He will meet your needs.

The source of our success or breakthrough can arise from variety of things including physical things that we possess. Our willingness to stretch out to help others can greatly enhance our exisitence whilst being a blessing to others. All we need is the ability to listen and be obedient to directions. If the lady did not  got to the well,, she would not have met Elijah. Who are you destined to meet?

What is abundance?  Abundance is having plenty, having more than enough such that you are  in a position to give away. It is having a large quantity of something. Somebody recently commented that the reason we re  blessed is that we can bless others after our own needs have been met. The book refers to blessing so you can be a blessing. You receive so that you stretch your hands out to the needy and less privileged. The word abundance doesn’t only refer to money but one could also have an abundance of joy, faith, hope, goodness, love to mention a few.

We are designed to live in abundance. It is our right but what can stop it?. We can stop it. Why you ask, ‘abundance is a choice’. We all have a free will. God will never force His will on us. Whatever man imagines he can do’. What are you imagining? What are you asking for?. Who is speaking into your life on a daily basis?. Are you giving the creator chance to speak into your life daily?.

As I pen this post I am reminded of a story in the Book about one of the prophets. Elijah the prophet declared ‘ As the Lord liveth, there shall be no dew or rain these years’ He spoke out of great confidence in the creator of the universe although sometimes when people speak like that people say it’s pride. I think here we also realise the power of declaration, according to my word. Surely according to his word, the famine lasted 3 years. Did he cause the rains to stop, no but the creator did because of his displeasure and judgement on the people for putting their trust in false gods. He had previously warned and nobody was heading the warnings.

There was a famine in the land. This is a physical manifestation of a spiritual famine. We may not believe in God or a higher power but what are the false images (gods) we’ve spiritually erected for ourselves. Anything can be god to us. Our jobs may become our god to the extent that we ignore families and other more important things like our health.

The story changed when the people Elijah challenged the four hundred false prophets of the time. ‘Let’s have a contest’ he asked. ‘Make your altar and I will make mine and let’s our God’ he continued. He expected them to withdraw but they were very confident of success. ‘Call your god and I will call mine’. They called their god but he never replied, Elijah called his and He did reply. The prophets were eventually destroyed. There are implications of listening to the wrong voice. Who is speaking into your life?

Elijah repaired the altar in 1 Kings18, and fire came down. God proved Himself as the only true and living God that answers prayers. In verse 41 the bible reads,  “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink for there is a sound of abundance of rain” How did he hear the sound? Prior to this the situation was so bad that people had resulted to cannibalism.

What really intrigued me further is the process it took for the Rain to appear and the famine to end.
He sent his servant three times to observe the weather. I learned a big lesson here. Elijah believed the promises of God in 2Chronicles 7:13, 14 ‘“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Although he had lot’s of experience walking with God, he still needed to pray to see fulfillment of his declaration. The book continues, ‘Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. (praying). Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

In conclusion I wondered, what would have happened if he had not continued to pray. Although a man of faith he did not just pray once and left the matter. He PUSHed (prayed until something happened). before giving Ahab the King instructions. We must never give up on our dreams. Keep hope alive and work towards your dreams. Stay far away from negativity, believing the vision will surely come to pass.

What do I mean by employing God you ask? Engage God or your Creator in all the affairs of your life. In order to employ or engage someone, you need to speak and listen  to them.
God is everywhere, omnipresent and knows all things. He is in everyone who is prepared to accept Him into their lives. He is waiting for us to MAKE UP OUR MINDS as to His next assignment which He is dead-keen, anxious to manifest for us, and more than capable of doing so. That’s what pleases him. He can only do stuff for us if we ask or allow him to do so. Many times we have this notion that God will do….regardless. remember He gave you a free will and will not interfere in your life without your permission.

How do you engage your Creator?

• Ask and it shall be given.
• Knock and the door to your opportunities will be opened.
• Seek and you will find.

You may call these steps anything, some people call it praying. Whatever it ‘s called doesn’t matter. You are speaking to your Creator and He will respond.  Give the Supreme Creator something to work on.   It could be as simple as asking Him to open doors of  opportunity for you. When those doors of opportunity arise, don’t forget to be a blessing to someone.  What ever you need ask, if the answer doesn’t show up straightaway, thank Him for the answer ! Believe you receive is the language of the spiritual world.

Just ask for big things too! He is unlimited. Please ask, he is waiting to hear from you. Employ Him, engage Him. He wants a job too, that’s why He is there within you…Take a walk down your street. Get the feeling that you and He are all that you see. For you ARE! Look at every blade of grass or pebble or birds, just look at anything and feel His Presence in it, listen closely and hear Him saying to you “Hey dude, here I AM, If you believe in Me as I believe in you, then give me something to do. You are boss!

Continue reading Employ God →

Jesus and the loaves multiplication. Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes when he asked the people to rest, Luke 9:16. It is a well known fact that we are more creative when fully rested and not when we are are striving. It is the reason many people love taking regular holidays. Endless busyness doesn’t always translate into productivity and can be very unhealthy. We are not programmed for work without end. We are meant to have periods of rest.

Rest doesn’t always mean cessation of activity. It also means ability to share your workload with someone more capable. This is the reason Christ said ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light’ Matt 28:28-30. The yoke or problem does not reduce the burden, it makes it easy to bear knowing that someone more capable is carrying it too. Abiding in Him equates to rest. He will surely give you rest from your labour, Trust Him!
During times of rest, the brain has time to be quiet provided you are resting in a peaceful environment. Noise kills genius, according to Ron Holland. You need Silence, Stillness and Solitude in order to receive anything meaningful into your subconscious. During this time of rest, listen more and think less. The mind is more creative when less active. What do you do during this time of solitude. Learn to meditate.

The act of meditation is not only resigned to doing Yoga or transcendental Mediation. Both of which I do not believe in. Meditation does not have to involve practices you do not believe in. You can allow your mind to dwell on portions of scripture while thinking of nothing else. The secret is not trying to think. Mediation is also an antidote to stress. It is not surprising then that one of the beautiful scriptures in the big book says ‘Come unto me all they that are heavy laden and I will give you rest.’ I love this quote from one of the greatest poets that ever lived ‘A solitude is the audience-chamber of God’. -Walter Savage Landor

Our imagination is a god given gift. Gen 11:6 ‘Whatever man imagines he can achieve’.  It is the ability to form a mental image of something not perceived with the natural senses.  Our minds are the factory where the reality of our purposes are established through the gift of imagination. ‘As a partaker of His divine nature’, we have been created for greatness and not mediocrity. The ability to create is through our imagination and it  should be fueled with excitement. What do we do to fuel our imagination? As your imagination mixes with excitement,  difficult circumstances regarding the issue diminishes or is eradicated, boldness to proceed with rise. Imagination enables us to be confident of a reality beyond our experience or perceptions.

Faith is an act of imagination because you have not seen but yet you believe that it would happen. It  is vision in the spiritual realm.  Faith brings the unseen into the seen realm. Ask – Believe – Receive is the language of faith. Visualising or imagining the result is instrumental to receiving the answer. Do not visualise the problems or the obstacles. Do not speak  negative about desires. Continue reading Imagination leads to manifestation →