Monday, December 31, 2007

MANAGEMENT BY FORCE

"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." - Numbers 20:8

Moses and the people had been traveling for days without water. The people were thirsty. They were complaining and grumbling about their plight, and Moses became the object of their complaining. Moses sought the Lord for wisdom on how to handle the situation. The Lord instructed him to speak to the rock and water would flow. This would be a sign that God was still in control, that Moses was still the leader, and that God was their provider.When it came time to speak to the rock, Moses' disgust with the people became so great that instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily addressed the people and then struck the rock twice.
The water came out, in spite of Moses' disobedience. But the Lord was not pleased with Moses.This was a time for Moses to operate at a higher level. No longer was he called to touch things with his staff to perform miracles; it was a time for him to speak to the problem. His very words would have changed the situation.
Moses' staff represented two things-his physical work as a shepherd of sheep and his spiritual work as a shepherd of the people. God was calling him to move into a new dimension of using his staff. Up to now, Moses had always been commanded by God to touch something to perform the miracle. Now it was time to speak God's word to the problem.However, Moses made the mistake many of us make. He used his instrument with force to accomplish something for God. He took something God wanted to be used in a righteous manner and used it in an unrighteous manner. He used force to solve the problem. This disobedience cost Moses his right to see the Promised Land.
Have you ever been tempted to use your power, skill, and ability to force a situation to happen, perhaps even out of anger? God is calling us to use prayer to move the face of mountains. The force of our ability is not satisfactory. God is calling each of us to a new dimension of walking with Him in the new year. Pray that God will give you the grace to wait on Him and not take matters into your own hands. Then you will not be in jeopardy of failing to move into the Promised Land in your life inthe year 2008.

BEFORE YEAR 2007 RUN OUT

Because of you, your family will not know poverty you will go in and out of your house in peace....
Violence and crying of sorrow shall not be heard in your camp...
Because you are God's Idea and God cannot fail, you shall not fail this year...
Favour shall overwhelm your endeavours You shall not struggle to be recognized...
Your gift shall announce you...
You are entitled to daily fruitfulness...
Every darkness in your life shall give way to the light of God...
All your lack will give way to abundance...
The rejected shall become the selected... People shall hear your testimonies and follow you to God... In everything you do, you will succeed...
By the time this 2007 ends, you will look back with joy; and ahead with great expectations...
You will take charge of your life as you master your time...
You will discover how to maximize your time and add value to it...
You will become the star of your family and the hope of your generation...
Because you know where you are going, the whole world will step aside and follow you...
May you find favour with God and men...
May you grow in wisdom and stature...
May you walk in dominion over every circumstance and situation...
For the remaining part of the year 2007, never forget to: Act as if it were impossible to fail.. Because for people like you and me, the word failure does not exist...
Your success is non-negotiable...
This will be the greatest year of your life and the beginning of unprecedented success in your life! Those who laughed at you before shall come to laugh with you...
However bad it has been with you till this point, you shall from henceforth enter into the rest and; God shall take you to the place of your greatness and destiny.
You shall have visions that are clear, virtues that are right and victory that is certain...
You are blessed beyond curse, raised above terror and established beyond oppression...
You shall not lack counsel and ideas...
You shall have eyes that see, ears that hear and a heart that understands...
In place of breakdown you shall have breakthrough; in confusion, you shall be enlightened; and in weakness, you shall be strengthened...
There shall be for you beauty in place of ashes, the oil of gladness in place of spirit of heaviness... Every closed door against your goodness, greatness and destiny shall open of their own accord... You shall be instructed and illuminated within by the Spirit of God...
You shall do the right thing at the right time...
You shall rise above every obstacle and be carried on the wings of eagle...
God will remember you for good...
You shall fulfill and not frustrate destiny...
Christ shall continually dwell in you...

Friday, December 28, 2007

VISION ANCHOR WITH ACTION

The foundation of success cannot be divulged of vision anchored with resolute action. The slogan for success has always been, if you can see it, you can achieve it. How far you can see is how far you can go. No man has ever dwelt in the valley of no vision and sees the great beyond. Until you come up, you can not know the mind of God. When the right action is directed towards a fruitful vision, history must be made.
God often made his mind known to those who “come up”. No wonder He called John up before He made known the revelation that stands as the last book of the Bible. “Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1.
You can’t dwell in sin and expect to earn success. You can’t live in worry, anxiety, discouragement and focus-less valley and expect a great vision.
You can’t live with the crowd and get the best from Him. There is a need to separate yourself in order to earn success that produces enjoyable influence. Always bear in mind that your vision is the glue that attaches you to an heroic exploitation. A vision without a provision becomes a television.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“If you don’t make your vision great your vision will not make you great.” - Yonggi Cho

ANCHOR ON THE LAW OF TIMING

The secret of success is in self management. Don’t be wasted away by your nonchalant attitude. Every man is a resource just as time is. Someone said, “he who wastes his time wastes his life”. I love how Benjamin Ftranklin penned it down; he said “dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff – life is made of.”
Time is a resource that ensures optimum productivity if it is managed well. If you will ever get to the peak of success you must avoid time wasters. They are the enemies of distinction and a friend of mediocrity, Mike Mudock said, “Those who do not respect your time will not respect your wisdom either.”
Beware of this menace – “delay is not a denial”. Don’t submit to delay nor agree with denial. If delay is not denial it is a waster of resource – time. It could be disastrous.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

TIME ROBBERS

They’re on the loose. Almost everyone (if not everyone) is guilty of giving in or becoming victim to these time thieves one way or another. In fact, most of these time robbers have become normal parts of people’s daily lives.

TV and Radio
Who can resist watching their favorite shows on TV? If you really want to save time, turn off the boob tube. I know it’s extremely difficult to control the urge; but if you start watching TV. You’ I get hooked. What was originally a decision to watch a one-hour show could turn into a 4-hour addiction? Be strict in limiting your watching time. Better yet, don’t watch at all! The same thing applies to radio. If you’re going to listen at all, choose classical music. It stimulates the brain and is a more productive use of your time.

Phone
The phone can actually be a time-saver if you know how to use it properly. Instead of emailing someone, engaging in a phone call allow you to get the answers right away. “Saying it” is definitely faster than “writing it.” Of course, there are exceptions when email or other methods are better, like when a detailed list is needed. You can prevent phone calls from stealing your time by telling the caller nicely that you have some urgent matters to attend to, and you will try to call back soon. Do you know another reason why telephones waste a lot of your time? They require the use of your hand, which makes it difficult to do other tasks when you are talking. Invest in a headset if you can. It will free up both of your hands so you can do other things while you are chatting away.

Waiting in Line
Nothing could test your patience more than waiting for your turn in long queues. As much as possible, avoid going to crowded places. If you cannot avoid this , pick a schedule where you least expect many people to show up. For example, buy your groceries on weekdays. Don’t shop during weekends and paydays. If you can afford the higher price tags of items that can be bought through the phone, internet, or third-party services, then go ahead and buy them. If you treat time as gold, then extra time you’ I be spending. In case you really have no choice but to wait in line, then don’t waste your time complaining. Do something productive like reading a book, listening to educational tapes, or writing your future plans on your little notebook.

Traffic Terror
This is another hair-pulling moment, especially when you’re running late for an important appointment. Avoid the rush hour by all means. Anticipate when a traffic jam is usually occurring during the day so you can adjust your commuting time. If your destination is not too far away, a walking session might be a great idea to evade traffic, save on gas or money, and attain a healthy lifestyle.

Too Much
Life is becoming more and more complex everyday. We are presented with a variety of choices on a particular product to be bought. We are being inundated with tons of paperwork. We have too many tasks to do in a day. To solve this dilemma, try to make everything in life as simple as possible. Don’t present too many choices. People will be confused if you sell them products with too many combinations, varieties, or options. Lots of time will be consumed in deciding which one is really the best. Try to minimize the quantity of papers you have to keep. If you can afford programming or e-commerce solutions that minimize the use of papers, then it is a rational decision to acquire them. Pause a while you are going to do activity. Always ask yourself, “What can I do along with this task to save more time in the future? For instance, you are going to buy a birthday card for your friend. By asking the question, you might come up with the decision to buy more birthday cards instead of just one, to give to those who will be having their birthday later in the year; so you don’t have to go to the shop every time there is a birthday occasion.

Emails
Emails have helped save lots of time and money for many people. Instead of the old fashioned snail mail, more individuals rely on email to get their message across faster, cheaper, and more conveniently. However, there are certain downsides to using email as a means of communication. Many people check their emails many times during the day, therefore hampering their productivity. They’ve become addicted to emails so much that they spend hours reading and replying, even to junk mails! And speaking of junk mails, sorting out your emails and separating the junk from the not can be a very time-consuming activity. Written below are some great tips to make emails work for you in your pursuit to manage time efficiently.
1. Check your emails a maximum of twice a day. If you want to accomplish many tasks, limit your time in reading your emails. Suitable times would be first thing I the morning (to take care of urgent matters) and a few minutes before you end your work (to catch up with last-minute concerns).
2. Set up templates or a “Frequently Asked Questions” page. The same questions can be repeatedly asked by different people – things like how to operate a certain product, how to download a resource, how to join your affiliate program, and so forth. It is obvious that typing the same answers to the same questions over and over again is extremely time-consuming. It is therefore advisable to set up templates of answers so you can just copy and paste them whenever the same questions are being asked again. A better way is to set up a “Frequently Asked Questions” page so you can just refer people to it when they have queries. The only time they’ll email you again is when their concerns have not been properly addressed.
3. Reply briefly. Answer your emails clearly and to the point. Don’t overcomplicate the explanation. Never reply to spam messages or to junk mails.
4. Take the phone. Several minutes spent in replying to emails can be shortened tremendously by just calling the person. You’ll get faster response and you’ll end up saving lots of time. And of course, the personal touch is priceless.
5. Terminate spam. Spam messages are very prevalent nowadays. Not only can they waste a lot of your time, but they can be very annoying as well. To prevent spam, don’t spread your email address that only a few trusted people know. If you can, make your email address more intricate. For example, use mark_jones27543@yahoo.com instead of mark_jones@yahoo.com. If you’re inserting your email address in websites and messages, you may replace@ with “AT.” For instance, write down mark_jonesAtyahoo.com instead of mark_jones@yahoo.com.
6. Get your email across. Sometimes, your email could mistakenly be regarded as spam, and this would waste your time in composing that message. To prevent such occurrence, be careful with your choice of words. Avoid words or phrases that trigger the spam filters. Some words to avoid: free, money, sex, amazing, limited offer, naked, opportunity, debt, loans, lottery, retire, urgent.

Other Robbers
There are certainly many other time thieves depending on each individual’s circumstances. Examples include waiting for your spouse in the shopping mall, making mistakes in filling up application forms, and other such things. Use your mind to think of possible solutions. If you can’t avoid being involved in such predicaments, then at least make those moments productive by reading books, listening to educational tapes, etc.

Monday, December 24, 2007

DECEMBER 25TH

“ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life”. - Jeremiah 52:31-34.

To all readers and visitors to this web site I want to share with you the significance of the Christmas day, it is a special day Jesus Christ was born into this world to deliver mankind from his sinful way. I have studied the weather pattern over the years of this particular day, the firmaments bear witness to this unique day across all countries and tribes. There is a glory over the surface of the earth while some are having snow, others fog, or harmattan haze.
In the text above King Jehoiachin of Judah was delivered on a Christmas day (in the twelfth month in the five and twentieth day of the month) hundred of years before Jesus was born. Seven significant events will happen in your life on this particular glorious day.

1. Your head will be lifted.
You may have been experiencing downward trend in your life, marriage, business and workplace, you will no longer be the tail but the head. God is about changing your situation for the better because Jesus came into the world this same day to deliver you. Everyone that sees you as nobody will begin to see you as somebody very special your head will no longer be bowed but be lifted high.

2. You will be brought out of prison.
Some people have been bounded without freedom under bondage of their task masters for quite sometime, you will be set free now just like those that set up Daniel into the lion’s pit, your prisoners will replace you in the prison while you will be set free, Jesus will liberate you and grant you permanent freedom.

3. You will be spoken kindly of.
People have used their tongue to describe you negative. God will change their tongue and they will begin to speak well of you, they have said you are useless, good for nothing, cannot make it, never do well, under achiever all this negative qualities they describe you with they will no longer see you that way any more. A change for the better in you they will begin to see and speak of.

4. Your throne above the throne of the kings.
You are meant to be a king because the son of a king is also a king, but you reign like a slave, God will dethrone everyone sitting on your throne and enthrone where you belong, to rule and reign in Christ Jesus.

5. Your garment will be changed.
The garment you put on which has become a filthy rag casting aspersions at you. The way you dress is the way you will be addressed, you were addressed badly everywhere you turn to, today your garment or robe will change and as a king a sign of royalty is the king's garment. God is removing your present garment and replacing it with a new royal one.

6. You will continually eat bread.
You may be lacking a daily bread but the great provider is already here to provide the bread you will eat all the days of your life. Every lack will be turned to abundance in your life because Jesus was born on this day, a day like no other day.

7. You will be given a continual diet all the days until death.
A diet is a food with all essential ingredients needed for growth and development. You might be lacking the essential nutrients needed for you to succeed and become great God is going to provide to you this day those nourishments needed by you for life.

You will succeed at this times because JESUS is the reason for this season.

Monday, December 17, 2007

A CANDY MAKER

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.... "- John 3:16

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness of his faith. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy-white to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church and the firmness of God's promises.The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior.
It could also be thought to represent the staff of the Good Shepherd with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, and by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.
The candy became known as the candy cane-a decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there.During Christmas, do you reflect on the real meaning of the season? It is one season we can use like no other to bring the focus on Christ. Ask God to give you opportunities to share Christ with someone this Christmas.

MIXING FAITH WITH COMMERCE

"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little
oil."
2 Kings 4:2b

Her husband had died. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her
creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the
obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the
only man of God she knew.
"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.
"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."
Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her
neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.
When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil
she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In
fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. "Go, sell the oil and pay
your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left" (2 Kings 4:7b).
God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no
resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources.
She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a
resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith
was mixed with the practical step of going into the workplace to sell
what she had in order to receive her needed income. In fact, there was
so much income she was able to pay her debts and live on the money
derived from the sale.
Quite often we forget that God works through commerce to provide for our
needs. It is wrong to place total trust in commerce without faith in
God. God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous
to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God
honors.
Do you have a problem that is perplexing to you? Do you see no way of
meeting your need? God may have already given you the skills and talents
to meet your need. However, He may be waiting for you to mix them with
faith. Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. Be
willing to take the next step.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN MONEY MACHINE

Too many people are trying to start their home businesses with an ordinary employee's way of thinking. This has become a common reason why not long after sitting down and giving a fair look into even the most lucrative business opportunity they bump into, they put it away and decide not to take any chances.What has happened here is that the most lucrative business opportunity has been looked into by an ordinary 9-to-5-worker, who appears NOT to be business-minded. If you are like most people, you have probably considered starting your own business yourself. But above all, you have to understand that to make into a successful Entrepreneur, you have to change your way ofthinking.
1. DO NOT EXPECT FAST CASH!Working as an employee is a save haven for those afraid to take chances in their own business, their only way to get 'fast' cash. They expect a supposedly sure cash at the end of 25 to 30 working days.This kind of cash they believe will always come in as long as theywork from 9 to 5 for their boss. But as you probably already know it, as soon as they stop working, the money stops too.True entrepreneurship- minded people know that it takes time to develop a successful plan for their businesses. It takes time to build a strong and solid business, which delivers on going income through many years.True Business Entrepreneurs hold on to this truth, "We reap what we sow, but the harvest is never in the same season as the planting." Change your way of thinking: DO NOT EXPECT FAST CASH!
2. AIM FOR JOB SECURITY OR FINANCIAL SECURITY? Employees would rather have job-security. Why? Simple: the income is secure. As long as you loyally work from 9 to 5, you will for certain get your cash! The problem with a typical job is that when you stop, the money stops. The stark fact is: one day you might get fired without notice or retire sooner or later. Companies get broke and have to release their employees; talk of downsizing or rightsizing. No matter what the situation, as soon as you stop working, the money will stop coming. So much for secure income...!A job with secure income is necessary for those who have not set up their own business yet. But a true Business Entrepreneur won't settle merely for job-security. He aims for much more, such as financial security. No, he won't have fast cash. And no, he won't have any secure income yet - at least not in the beginning. And often, he won't have any income at all from his new business for the first few months. Business entrepreneurs think of the big picture. What they do is building assets from which money will come in month after month, year after year from work he is doing now! The money will not come now. It might not even come for the next few months. But as soon as his business is up and running, it will keep generating income for him, even when he chooses to stop working! And THAT is financial security! Change your way of thinking: THINK OF THE BIG PICTURE: AIM FORFINANCIAL SECURITY!
3. GENERATE PASSIVE INCOME Financial freedom is not measured by how much money you earn by working, but how much money comes in with only little or no work atall. This later kind of income is called passive income. This fact has been known for decades by real wealthy people. Successful and wealthy entrepreneurs do only little work and sometime sit is even possible to do the work only once but still generate recurring income on it. Imagine a song or a book writer. They write their songs or books once but get paid forever on it. This do-it-once-get- paid-forever type of income is called residual income. Most people who have attained financial freedom have other peopleworking to generate income for them. Earning money by other people's effort is called leveraged income. As hard as it may seem, to create leveraged income, you need to have your own business where other people work to generate income for you. Whether it is a traditional business, franchise, small business, internet based or home based. Employees work to generate secure income. Business Entrepreneurs work to build assets with income streams which generate for him ongoing passive income (either residual or leverage income or both). In otherwords Business Entrepreneurs work to build himself -what I would call-a 'money-machine' which is designed to generate ongoing income.Whereas the Employee can not stop working because otherwise he will lose his income, the Business Entrepreneur will have money coming in constantly, even when he chooses not to work, simply because it is his assets that generate residual and leverage income for him. Change your way of thinking: TAP INTO PASSIVE INCOME BY GENERATINGRESIDUAL & LEVERAGED INCOME!
4. INVESTMENTSIt is common for people who seek job security to hesitate to invest.The reason is understandable: for most of them the risks of investing in a business are just too much to handle. A true Business Entrepreneur understands that in order to build -what I would call- a 'money-machine' , investments are necessary. There is just no such thing as business without investment. He knows that it takes time and effort to develop a successful business. But he also knows that investing money is just as important! Sometimes it takes the Business Entrepreneur a year or two before he can finally reap the big success. Sometimes even a bit more. It takes a couple of years of investing time, effort and money. But this is not too hard for him to handle. A true Entrepreneur thinks long term. He knows that in the end, his working and money investing will finally pay off! A Home Based Business Entrepreneur would only have to invest few hours a week for a couple of years and he would only have to make low budget investments into his home based business. And at the end of the time of working and investing, our Entrepreneur would have turned it into a significant amount of residual income stream! I'm not talking about money that comes in today and is gone tomorrow but income that keeps coming in month after month, year after year...money that -as Gery Carson of SFI has put it- "when you've left this planet continues to provide for your spouse, children, or grandchildren. "By then you would think that all your valuable time and money you have spent would be worth it. Commonly an ordinary employee, who fears too much to invest, works hard to receive his pay check every month. Most likely he even retires broke. Before he knows it, he leaves the planet with nothing to leavefor his family. A true Business Entrepreneur is prepared to invest. He knows by investing in his business he is building assets that would generate passive and residual income for him throughout his years on this planet and the years of his grandchildren.Change your way of thinking: THINK LONG TERM: START INVESTING!

INCOMESTREAMS

It is a common say today that there is no job security whatsoever, that is true worldwide. The civilized countries of the world are not left out.They all downsize. So what's the hope of an average employee who only keeps the 9 to 5 grind as the only source of income? The first objective for such people is to get out of rat race and move on to financial fast track, then to achieve their dream while they're on financial fast track.But before you talk about financial fast track, how do you get out of rat race first?
To get out of rat race, you must have equal or more passive income than your monthly expenses. In other words, your passive income must be enough to cover your monthly expenses before you can move onto financial fast track. Like everyone else, you have your own profession. You have a job and you receive paycheck at a fixed time interval. It's what you do differently that determines how fast you get out of rat race.But how do you accumulate enough passive income to get out from rat race?
There are only two ways to achieve this; Robert Kiyosaki in his bookRich Dad Poor Dad has pointed out that we live in an age where we must ensure that we have Multiple Sources of Income. He correctly identified four ways of earning money:
1. Employment (i.e. a normal tradional 'job')
2. Self Employment (working for yourself)
3. Business (having a 'system' that makes money)
4. Investment (earning money of accumulated capital)
Kiyosaki argues that an individual seeking financial freedom should try top osition himself in both nos. (3) and (4), which is exactly what the rich do - they either own a business (its management can be outsourced at a cost to a professional manager), or invest surplus capital in other people's business - and both these do not require an individual to work (i.e. trade time for money).The point is basically to be free from being wholly dependent of an employer.A wise man does not work for money, but lets money work for him. So to get out of rat race, the trick is to accumulate as many assets as possible by investing in money opportunities that appear around you.You know very clearly what asset is and what liability is. Once you know the difference, you focus on accumulating assets rather than liabilities.The feeling is great when you are able to get out of rat race and move onto financial fast track. No words can describe my feelings when I first got out of rat race. Why? When you're on financial fast track, money is no problem as it will come regardless of whether you work or not. You do not depend on a job to receive your money anymore. You are totally free to do what you love. So its time to forget the golden watch and the dream of easy sweet retirement at 65.

HOW TOBE MONEY-WISE

Have you ever noticed that no matter how much money you seem to make
there is never enough? Do you wonder why you never seem to get ahead
financially? Have you ever taken an assessment of your relationship
with money? This will determine where the problem might be. Then
together, we can diagnose your financial disease and develop a plan of
care to treat it and cure it.

Identify your Needs
You need many things in life including food, shelter, clothing and
education. Needs are those things that you cannot live without or that
living without would cause hardship and distress. Knowing whether
something is a need or a want is important since your perception will
determine whether you spend your money on it or not.

There was a time – not so long ago - when there were no cellular
phones or E-mail – and we managed, just the same. New technology is
created to make things easier and enhance the quality of your life.
But technology doesn't eat a hole in your wallet or put you into debt
– you do that when you choose to purchase things you cannot afford.

Many people feel they deserve to "treat" themselves to expensive items
or spend money they don't have on living a lifestyle they have yet to
earn. They charge these "rewards" on borrowing. But there are costs
for borrowing money, besides the fees and the interest, you experience
the stress of being in debt and you are living a lie. And yes, you
still need to pay the money back for those expensive things that you
purchased.

As you know, companies use advertising to market their products. The
role of advertising is to create "needs" for the things that you
"want" which influences purchasing behavior. It's your job to decide
whether each new product is something you really need, something that
will make your life easier or add to the quality of your life or,
whether it's something you can continue to live without.

The amount of money you have to spend is finite; everything in life is
a trade off. If you are going to spend your money on one thing today
then this becomes money that is not available for saving or for
purchasing more important items in the future. Just as you prioritize
your time, learn to prioritize your spending. Before you make a
purchase, ask yourself whether the item is a need or a want and decide
accordingly.

Use Cash Only
Accept responsibility for your financial situation and change your
spending patterns. Reward yourself by purchasing items with good old
cash and developing a savings plan. A couple of things will happen.
You will think twice before you spend your cash and you will start
building a reserve of money to support you for a "rainy day". Not to
mention, you will have the ability to save more for your retirement.

Identify your spending habits by writing down every naira you spend
for a week or two. Identify how much you're spending, on what and
where your money is going. Eliminate all unnecessary spending such as
unnecessary phone calls, unneeded gadgets, and wasteful purchases.
Return items you will never use. Examine every bill you pay; is there
any way to lower your bills – perhaps eliminating a luxury item?

Put money back in your pocket by identifying areas to cut back. My
clients have found hundreds of naira that they were able to cut back –
a week! Make a game of it and include those in your family.

Owe No Man!
Eliminating debt is an important part of the process. Debt is created
from many sources: a spending addiction, living a lifestyle beyond
your means, being driven by wants, impulse buying and a lack of
respect for your money.

Save For A Rainy Day
Open a savings account and start saving 10-20 percent of your
earnings. If you can, have the money deducted automatically out of
your pay cheque. Take pride in saving your money; after all, you are
working hard to earn it.

Imagine your bright financial future with plenty of extra money and no
longer living hands-to-mouth. Imagine having #1,000,000 in the bank.
How would that feel? What about #5,000,000 or #10,000,000? You might
think it's impossible, but all it takes is learning to make better
choices. It's about learning to exercise the proper respect for your
money. It's not the big-ticket items that are the problem; you
carefully plan for those purchases. It's the small, day-to-day
purchases that are stealing your financial freedom away. What is
#100,000 anyway? It's one hundred thousand of those little one-naira
bills!

The path to financial freedom lies before you. You have the power to
take responsibility for your money and to make better choices. Take
control of your current financial situation by becoming aware of your
spending habits and patterns. This will empower you to shift from a
spending mentality to a saving mentality and start you on the path to
building wealth. Then, you can develop financial goals and create a
financial plan to keep you focused on creating financial reserves.
It's your choice - choose to make better financial decisions, one
naira at a time.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

VISION ANCHOR WITH ACTION

The foundation of success cannot be divulged of vision anchored with resolute action. The slogan for success has always been, if you can see it, you can achieve it. How far you can see is how far you can go. No man has ever dwelt in the valley of no vision and sees the great beyond. Until you come up, you can not know the mind of God. When the right action is directed towards a fruitful vision, history must be made.
God often made his mind known to those who “come up”. No wonder He called John up before He made known the revelation that stands as the last book of the Bible. “Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1.
You can’t dwell in sin and expect to earn success. You can’t live in worry, anxiety, discouragement and focus-less valley and expect a great vision.
You can’t live with the crowd and get the best from Him. There is a need to separate yourself in order to earn success that produces enjoyable influence. Always bear in mind that your vision is the glue that attaches you to an heric exploitation.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

“If you don’t make your vision great your vision will not make you great.” - Yonggi Cho

KNOW YOUR ASSETS AND HOW TO USE THEM

Nick was a talented guy who managed the assets of investors by trading
on the global stock market. He became a wheeler-dealer in a high-risk
segment of the market, but he didn't really know the importance to his
employer of the assets he was managing. To him, the assets were merely
one of the components allowing him to play an exciting game.
Unfortunately, he didn't count on an earthquake in Japan destabilizing
his market. He tried to adjust, but he was a gambler, and the only thing
a gambler does well is gamble. By the time he gave up gambling he had
lost some serious change-like about a billion dollars. His little
mismanagement fiasco destroyed a 300-year-old bank, the bank that had
once held the first mortgage on the Louisiana Purchase. Oops.
Nicholas Leeson never really understood the value or purpose of the
assets that had been entrusted to him. What can we learn from Nick's
debacle? First, don't get so caught up in what you're doing that you
lose sight of why you're doing it. And second, you can squander your
assets if you don't understand and use them well.
What do I mean by assets? Simply, those parts of our life and situation
that we can choose to use for God's glory-or for other things. Every
season of life provides certain assets. When I was four years old my
assets were adorableness (so my mother says) and the fact that I didn't
take up a lot of space in the family car. As a teenager my assets were
plenty of energy and...well, that's probably it. Do you see the assets
in your life that come from your singleness? Equally important, do you
understand them and use them wisely?
I believe the most overlooked asset of singleness is flexibility. The
average single adult has available to him or her a wonderful mix of
time, energy, and resources with which to build a lifestyle overflowing
with ministry impact and spiritual growth. Yet so often the choices made
by singles rob them of this valuable gift of flexibility. How do we
maximize our flexibility?
One key aspect of flexibility is time. A single woman once characterized
her singleness as "drowning in time." Have you felt this way? The single
life can seem heavy on time, and ways to randomly fill that time are
expanding daily. How can our free time become "impact time"? Leland
Ryken advises us well: "Time is the arena within which all human quests
run their course. It is within time that the issues of life are
contested and sometimes resolved. Without making one's peace with time,
a person will not solve the question of how to find the good life."
How do we "make our peace with time?" Do you steward your time,
including your free time, or do you let outside influences determine how
you use it? I am a slacker by temperament, but I've learned to schedule
my time so that my slacker tendencies don't eat my life whole. My
objective in time management is not to get as much done as possible, but
to try to make sure that I end up doing what is best for me to do.
For example, I tend to over-commit my evenings. So, I schedule every
one, even if it is simply a "reading night" or an "off night." Then if
something comes up, I have some options on how to handle it-it doesn't
just infect my schedule like the flu, throwing off everything else in my
life until I can regroup. I've also come to recognize how I can blow
time (like in front of the tube), so I make a special effort to
discipline myself in those areas.
I encourage the single folks I know to take regular overnight personal
retreats-to break from the routine, be before the Lord, and just assess
life. Let me encourage you to do the same. Use those times to set goals
for progress, not perfection. Study the scriptural principle of the
Sabbath, then apply what you learn. If you do things like this, will
every moment become an impact moment? No. But impact will likely emerge
"all by itself" from the ordered use of the time you do have.
Your flexibility will also be affected by your approach to work. As a
single adult you are highly prized in the employment world for the sheer
number of hours that can be sucked out of your life for the sake of the
bottom line. Money, perks, travel, "opportunity," and promotions are all
used as lures to get single folks to carry the time load no one else
seems to want. Don't bite. This is the hook of the world lurking under
the bait of career. Whether you work for yourself or for someone else,
don't let career or job define you. Work hard, but work as unto the
Lord. God is your boss, and in the end his advancement plan is the only
one that counts.
Another potential snare is possessions. I knew a Christian single woman
who always seemed to be moving from one place to another. Was she an
irritable person, unpleasant, hard to live with? No, she just had too
much stuff. She always needed a large area in which to store her
accumulated possessions, most of which weren't in use and could have
easily been replaced if needed. But she had a false sense of security in
her possessions. Her stuff had become her treasure, and in a sense she
worshiped it. She passed up some great living opportunities because she
thought it more important to protect her stuff than to be available for
the adventure of God's purpose. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also" (Mt 6:21).
The less stuff (car, house, music collections, etc.) we have to manage,
the less chance our heart will attach to it, and the greater will be our
flexibility for God's purpose. I'm not saying "stuff" is inherently bad,
but we must recognize that our sinful nature will always tempt us to
worship it.

THE MEASURE OF A LEADER'S SUCCESS

If we judged success by worldly standards, some might be
inclined to assess Paul's leadership career as an abject
failure and a bitter disappointment. In the closing days
of his life, when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, Luke was
virtually his only contact with the outside world
(4:11). Paul was confined in a Roman dungeon, dreading
the savage cold of coming winter (vv. 13, 21), and
without any hope of deliverance from the death sentence
that had been imposed on him. He suffered because of the
sadistic contempt of his enemies. He was even abandoned
or disavowed by some of his closest friends. He wrote,
"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away
from me" (2 Timothy 1:15).
"Asia" refers to Asia Minor, where Paul had focused his
missionary work. Ephesus, where Timothy pastored, was
the capital of that region. So Paul wasn't telling
Timothy anything Timothy didn't already know firsthand.
In that time of fierce persecution, association with
Paul had become so costly that all but a few of the
apostle's own spiritual children had in effect disowned
and abandoned him.
That's why people who see things superficially might
think the end of Paul's life was tragic. At first
glance, it might even seem as if his enemies had finally
defeated him.
A failure? Actually, the apostle Paul was not a failure
as a leader by any measure. His influence continues
worldwide even today. By contrast, Nero, the corrupt but
powerful Roman emperor who ordered Paul's death, is one
of history's most despised figures. This is yet another
reminder that influence is the true test of a person's
leadership, not power or position per se. In fact, a
careful look at how Paul's life and ministry came to an
end can teach us a lot about how to gauge the success or
failure of a leader.
Paul's first long imprisonment and trial before Nero
apparently ended in the apostle's release sometime
before AD 64, because he wrote the epistles of 1 Timothy
and Titus as a free man (1 Timothy 3:14-15; 4:13; Titus
3:12). But that liberty was short-lived. In July of the
year 64, seven of Rome's fourteen districts burned. When
the original fire was nearly extinguished, another fire,
fanned by fierce winds, broke out in another district.
Rumors circulated that Nero himself had ordered the
burning of the city to make room for some ambitious
building projects, including a golden palace for
himself.
Trying desperately to deflect suspicion, Nero blamed
Christians for starting the fires. That began the first
of several major, aggressive campaigns by the Roman
government to destroy the church. Christians in Rome
were rounded up and executed in unspeakably cruel ways.
Some were sewn into animal skins and ripped to death by
dogs. Others were impaled on stakes, covered with pitch,
and burned as human torches to light Nero's garden
parties. Many were beheaded, fed to lions, or otherwise
disposed of at Nero's command in equally ruthless ways.
During that persecution, Paul was again taken prisoner
by the Roman authorities, brought to Rome, subjected to
persecution and torment (2 Timothy 4:17), and finally
executed as a traitor because of his relentless devotion
to the lordship of Christ.
Throughout his first imprisonment at Rome, Paul had been
kept under house arrest (Acts 28:16, 30). He was allowed
freedom to preach and teach those who visited him (v.
23). He was under the constant guard of a Roman soldier
but was treated with respect. The influence of his
ministry had therefore reached right into the household
of Caesar (Philippians 4:22).
Paul's second imprisonment, however, was markedly
different. He was virtually cut off from all outside
contact and kept chained in a dungeon (2 Timothy 1:16).
He was probably held underground in the Mamertine
Prison, adjacent to the Roman forum, in a small, dark,
bare stone dungeon whose only entrance was a hole in the
ceiling scarcely large enough for one person to pass
through. The dungeon itself is not large; about half the
size of a small one-car garage. Yet it was sometimes
used to hold as many as forty prisoners. The discomfort,
the dark, the stench, and the misery were almost
unbearable.
That dungeon still exists, and I have been in it. The
stifling, claustrophobic confines of that dark hole are
eerie and depressing even today. It was there (or in a
dungeon just like it) that Paul spent the final days of
his life.
There is no reliable record of Paul's execution, but he
obviously knew the end of his life was imminent when he
wrote his second epistle to Timothy. Evidently he had
already been tried, convicted, and condemned for
preaching Christ, and perhaps the day of his execution
was already scheduled. He wrote to Timothy, "I am
already being poured out as a drink offering, and the
time of my departure is at hand" (2 Timothy 4:6).
Naturally, there are notes of profound sadness in Paul's
final epistle. But its dominant theme is triumph, not
defeat. Paul wrote that last letter to Timothy to
encourage the young pastor to be bold and courageous and
to continue following the example he had learned from
his apostolic mentor. Far from writing a concession of
failure, Paul sounds a clarion note of victory: "I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only
but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy
4:7-8).
Facing his own imminent martyrdom, Paul had no fear, no
despondency, and no desire to stay in this world. He
longed to be with Christ and eagerly anticipated the
reward He would receive in the next world. Therefore, as
he reviewed the course of his life, he expressed no
regret, no sense of unfulfillment, and no feeling of
incompleteness. There was not the smallest duty left
undone. He had finished the work the Lord gave him to
do, just as in Acts 20:24 he had hoped and prayed he
would do: "so that I may finish my race with joy."
Paul measured his own success as a leader, as an
apostle, and as a Christian by a single criterion: He
had "kept the faith"-meaning both that he had remained
faithful to Christ and that he had kept the message of
Christ's gospel intact, just as he had received it. He
had proclaimed the Word of God faithfully and
fearlessly. And now he was passing the baton to Timothy
and to others, who would be "able to teach others also"
(2 Timothy 2:2).
Therefore, Paul faced his own death with a triumphant
spirit and with a deep sense of joy. He had seen the
grace of God accomplish all that God designed in him and
through him, and now he was ready to meet Christ
face-to-face.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

PIONEERING

Being a pioneer is a great opportunity to unleash the catalyst required for explosive success. Everything you can see wherever you are now has a record for its pioneer.
There is a person behind its beginning. There is a traceable character to its existence. No matter what it is. The fact is, without a foundation, there is no structure. Being a pioneer is a special invitation to the gathering of achievers where destination and legacy are being recognized.
It is a great tragedy for anyone to pioneer without a resolute and influential legacy. In fact without mixing words, it is the greatest of all disasters. When a man pioneer without setting pace, he leaves the followers in a state of dilemma.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“The world is filled with abundance of opportunities which the dreamers of the past never knew.” – Napoleon Hill