Here are some interesting points regarding the concepts of nature and nurture.

Enjoy.

#1.  Your nature is basic to success

Your nature refers to your basic design.
You can’t function contrary to your basic natural design.

I know you’ll try to; you’ll make every effort to, particularly during those stupid moments that you succumb to the error of comparing yourself to others.

But you just can’t become anything other than what is determined by your nature.

You can only become whom and what you are.

Of course, humans have metamorphic capabilities. But that only goes to further establish the fact, because metamorphosis is essentially a process by which entities become what they’ve already been designed to be. The larva is able to metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly only because it has always been a butterfly by nature.

#2:  Your nature decides what environments would be favorable to your success

For instance, the nature of a fish is such that water is favorable to it, whereas the same environment would be absolutely destructive for a lion. The lion, on the other hand, thrives in the jungle – a terrain that would be very ‘poisonous’ to a fish.

One reason I challenge people to discover themselves is because understanding your own uniqueness enables you to consciously choose your environments on the basis of what would be favorable to your basic design..

#3: Your nature decides the relevance of your nurture

The relevance – or benefit – of what you feed on depends on your nature.

For instance, food that is good for a goat, might be poisonous to a human being.

As a result of the uniqueness of your design, not all information, company, or resources would be relevant to you. What’s good for the goose, might not be good for the gander!

#4:  You can’t nurture what’s not there in the first place

A natural quality must first exist before it can be nurtured. Training is essentially every effort to nurture and refine an ability or quality that one already possesses. To train as a footballer, you must possess the talent. To train as a musician, you must have the music ability already within.

Rather than trying to learn to do something you don’t naturally possess, discover something you already possess naturally. Then nurture it. That’s smarter.

Nurture can never create what nature has not given.

#5:  Your nature decides your potential – what you can ultimately become

A sheep can never become a shepherd. Both are of different natures. No matter how much you feed and train a sheep, it would never rise to the stature of a shepherd. This is because they are of different natures.

A fool is essentially different from a wise man. They are of different natures. No matter how much you teach a fool, he can never be wise. Wisdom is too high for a fool.

The saying ‘good followers make good leaders’ is flawed. Followership is a different nature from leadership.
A good follower doesn’t necessarily make a great leader except, of course, he has the nature of a leader.

Think about these 5 points again:

1. Your nature is basic to your success
2. Your nature decides what environments would be favorable to your success.
3. Your nature decides the relevance of your nurture.
4. You can’t nurture what’s not there in the first place.
5. Your nature decides your potential – what you can ultimately become.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
But only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to win the prize…[Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:24]

A flurry of activities are underway in our various Home Churches as the Festival of Home Churches 2010 draws nearer. At Excellence Home Church  meeting this week, we were all caught in a fever of excitement as we looked forward to this groundbreaking and destiny-transforming event.

As always, we commenced the meeting with a brief moment of praise to God who has made us worthy co-workers in the upcoming Festival. We feel so honoured!

Success is never an accident. If we leave the pursuit of our dreams to chance, we might wait forever for their materialization. There are secrets to winning in life!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run?

Pastor WD Favour often tells us that life is a race and a game. Life’s prizes are reserved for winners. The slothful, fearful, and average have no share in this prize. When preparing for a tournament, athletes put in scores of time and energy. Those who fail to do so, only disgrace themselves on the day of display as sometimes seen during the Olympic games. Adequate planning and proper execution of  plans are essential secrets to winning in life.

Run in such a way as to get the prize

Everything in life has a ‘way’ to it. We came to this realization during our Home Church meeting this week as we pondered the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 “…there is a proper time and procedure to every matter.”

As this truth hit home, a member served another volley from the book of Proverbs:

The labour of a foolish man wearies him, because he does not know the way to the city.

So having a great dream is only a trip to a fool’s paradise unless we take the right steps essential to the fulfillment of that dream.

Knowing the way is crucial to winning!

For the joy set before him

Endurance is another secret to winning in life.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. So, like our master Jesus in Hebrews 12:2, we will hang on till we  realize our dreams.

God bless you!

At midnight, when the storms roared and the boat began to sinkk, a man filled with courage spoke to the wind and said, “Peace be still”.

The children of Israel had provoked the Lord, and were at the verge of being wiped out, when a courageous man spoke on their behalf, and the Lord tempered justice with mercy.

The courage to speak, not only for yourself but for others as well, is the pathway that leads to greatness and distinction.

So, this week at the Infinity Home Church, we decided to speak out and share stories of instances where we’ve been courageous enough to make bold moves, step out of our cocoons, and damn whatever be the consequences.

I was so sick; serious complications had arisen as a result of the bronchi pneumonia I had come down with. My life was meaningless to me. I wanted to be someone else – anyone else, but without the aches, pain and suffering. The frequent trips to the hospital were now disgusting. I didn’t know what to do.

Still in agony, I was diagnosed with a kidney infection that threatened to take my life away from me.

Panic, chaos, fear!

I was in a frenzy, scared to death, and the doctors words kept reechoing in my mind, “the situation is bad, like, really bad”.

Out of options, I started medications and was in the middle of it, when a man filled with courage spoke to me. He said, “Stop all the medications and believe in the healing power of Jesus Christ”.

Now, that was a tough one, considering my past.

However, I took a step of courage, and as Raymond Lindquist said, “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar,” I let go of the familiar – the drugs, going back to the hospital – and believed in God’s word.

I haven’t gone back to the hospital and its been over two years. My health has been completely restored. I’m whole!

Just dare to let go of the familiar. Be bold! Be courageous! There’s no stopping you.

God bless you and remain in His embrace.

Most people have to suffer unnecessarily to get anything done simply because they lack relational skills.

I know nobody likes to bend over for another person; it could be quite humiliating, and that’s quite different from what I’m talking about here.

Nevertheless, in the real world, compromise is inevitable. You often have to bend to survive and win.

Most people in this world are selfish; this is a cause of great suffering, stagnation, and frustration.

A lot of people in relationships think only in terms of what they want, rather than what the other person wants.

In business, selfish people think only of their bottom-line, rather than the full satisfaction of their customers.

A stingy soul is repulsive and inhibitive to a healthy relationship.

Generosity, on the other hand, is an extremely attractive quality that causes relationships to thrive and flourish, as well as yield desirable dividends.

In fact the quality of generosity in a human being is the single most attractive quality of a person; it is the secret behind pleasing personalities, which is a cardinal pillar of personal success.

The  most attractive and magnetic quality of the human soul is generosity.

A generous soul attracts everything – people, wealth, opportunity, and so on.

What I’m saying here is that you need to build great relationships if you want to be successful; generosity is a cardinal pillar of successful relationships.

Forgiveness is a choice.

Forgiveness should never be earned; it must be given as a gift, even to those who don’t deserve it .

When someone hurts you, don’t wait for them to say sorry before you forgive them. Don’t wait for anyone to ask for your forgiveness before you choose to forgive. Forgive them even before they ask for forgiveness, and even if they never ask for it.

To forgive is your prerogative; its your choice.

It just doesn’t matter what anyone did to you. Chose to forgive.

You see, the human heart and mind was never designed to harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, because they are poisonous to spirit, soul and body.

Forgiveness is a soul-cleansing act.

You do it for your own spiritual health, and never for the sake of the fellow that hurt you.

Forgiveness is a health-restorer.

A lot of illnesses today would be gone if only we’ll let go of cherished hurts and bitterness.

Sometime ago, a crippled man was brought to my healing crusade. I had already begun to minister when he was rolled into the hall in a wheelchair.

I called him forward immediately because I had seen him in my spiritual vision rise to his feet. But when I called to him to stand up and walk, he couldn’t. I was surprised.

I was so certain he was healed that I asked his wife and sons to bring him again the next day.

That night I asked the Holy Spirit why the man couldn’t get up when I commanded him to. He told me that the man had bitterness in his heart against his wife!

The woman, the Lord continued, had hurt the man five years before then, and he still harbored the pain in his heart. The unforgiveness was eating up his bones and destroying his life.

The next evening when they rolled him to the front where I was laying hands and praying for the sick, I told him what the Lord had said to me the previous night. I asked him to forgive his wife. I also asked the wife to pray for him before I did.

I then laid my hands on him and prayed a very simple prayer for him. I was certain he would walk before dawn.

He did.

Unforgiveness had kept him in a wheelchair for over five years!

Unforgiveness is such a weight and a burden. Never let it take you down.

You must choose to forgive, for your own health and peace of mind.

Let go of those hurts today, and let God restore your health and your fortunes.

Think and grow rich –

You must have read that famous book by Napoleon Hill, who, by the way, happens to be my favorite author.

So, are you really thinking, or are you merely wishing and day-dreaming?

Most folks wish and day-dream in the name of thinking, which is even better than those who would rather prefer to worry and be anxious about everything.

Some love to think. Others hate it. And for that reason, there will always be masters, and there will always be servants. Those who really think will always rule over those who are too lazy to think, or who substitute wishing for thinking.

Thinking is very hard. So, I don’t blame those who avoid it. But if you want to be rich and successful, you must think.

Do you really want to think?

Well,  you’ll need accurate data, rather than silly and ignorant opinions and assumptions.

Then you’ll need to ask the right questions, and this from the right sources.

You’ll also need to put your answers into the right context in order to separate wisdom from mere facts.

And if you think this is all to much, then go and join the brainless masses, because real thinking is simply not for the lazy and faint-hearted; it’s a very serious business.

Here are some questions for Christian believers:

• How many have become saved through your influence ever since you became a believer?
• How many have become strong in their faith and grown in the knowledge of God through your influence?

Be sincere in your answer. If it is none, then your Christian testimony so far has been empty and barren; you also lack spiritual wisdom.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30).

He that wins SOULS is wise.

Soul-winning is a product of spiritual wisdom. You can’t win souls for God if you are not WISE. If you are not winning souls to God, you lack spiritual wisdom.

"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2).

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3).

Those who are wise – who lead many to righteousness – shall shine like the brightness of the heavens, like stars forever and ever.

What this means is that eternal greatness and stardom – the only ones that really matter -are solely reserved for those who win souls to God in this lifetime. As a matter of fact, no one can be a star in God’s Kingdom apart from winning souls.

Besides, nothing creates as much joy in heaven as the salvation of one single soul!

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7).

Jesus gave us a job!

The level of unfruitfulness in the Church today is appalling.

This world is sick.

This world is twisted and perverted.

This world is dying.

And in the midst of all the decadence and spiritual bankruptcy of our world today, its pathetic to see so-called Christians caught up in silliness and worldliness.

For God’s sake, Jesus gave us a job!

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19).

"and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"." (Matthew 28:20).

And He will hold His followers – you, and I – accountable for the execution of this assignment of converting souls unto Him.

We must influence our world and turn men to God. We must win souls to God and lead many to righteousness.

5 Keys to effective soul-winning

The five keys outlined below will enhance your soul-winning efforts and enable you to become successful in leading many to righteousness.

#1. You must strengthen your own personal relationship with God.

The time you spend alone with God is important; so also is the time you spend meditating on God’s word.

Know who are you in the Lord.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14).

Know your rights and privileges in the Lord.

#2. You must be different from the world.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…" (Romans 12:2).

This world has its own twisted, warped, distorted, and perverted pattern of values and priorities. We must have no part of it.

We must stand out and be peculiar.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" (1 Peter 2:9).

O yes, peculiar people!

Some folks are so scared of standing out, and of being labeled as ‘weirdo’s’ and ‘Jesus freaks’, that they are now paralyzed and utterly useless to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

Dare to stand out for Jesus Christ.

Dare to be different from this messed up world.

Discover yourself!

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you". (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Quit trying to fit in and be accepted by the world; it’s not worth the effort.

Come out.

Be separate.

Be different.

We are in this world, but we are not of this world.

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19).

We must understand that and maintain that distinction.

We just shouldn’t share the values and priorities of this wicked and corrupt world.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15).

"For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16).

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17).

#3. Be personally successful.

"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress." (1 Timothy 4:14-15).

People want proof; without proof your testimony is useless.

Your life should be the evidence that it pays to serve God.

We should be the evidence that God is mighty.

You can’t be sick, poor, broke, busted, and disgusted and expect anyone to be attracted to your ‘Jesus’.

You can’t be an unproductive and pathetic lay about and expect sensible people to be attracted to your ‘Jesus’.

The laziness, unproductivity, and lack of any color in the lives of today’s so-called Christians are sending this world to hell.

The manifestations of God in your personal life – your personal success – are your primary weapons for soul-winning.

In order to become an effective soul-winner, you must put your gifts, talents, and resources to use and create positive and attractive results.

4. Be relevant.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).

Who you are in God, and your gains in Him, should be employed to solve the problems of others.

Your gifts and talents should be developed and deployed in the marketplaces of the earth to solve the problems of the world.

Only those who solve the problems of others can become effective soul-winners.

5. Boldly speak to others about Jesus and their need to get saved.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord…" (2 Timothy 1:7-8).

A lot of Christians today operate like terrified chickens, too scared and timid to talk about Jesus and stand for their values.

Many Christians prefer to be quiet about their faith.

That is so wrong.

Be bold and vocal about it.

Tell about the goodness and greatness of God in your life.

Share your beliefs and values in the LORD.

Talk about what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary and its necessity for salvation and deliverance from sin’s power and its consequences.

Boldly challenge and invite others to surrender their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Now, get on with God’s number one job on earth today – the job of saving souls!

Contradictions are beautiful; as a matter of fact, I prefer them to conclusions. Conclusions tend to restrict and choke the freedom of individuals to think for themselves. Contradictions on the other hand allow the mind and spirit to roam freely and question everything.

I understand, though, that this holds true only for those who love to think for themselves, and who have developed their minds to do so. For the rest, I can imagine that contradictions would breed confusion. They would rather have conclusions, that is, thoughts that have been processed in the minds of others, and then served to them , either for a fee, or for free.

According to the New York Time’s A Scientist Takes on Gravity, Erik Verlinde, 48, a respected string theorist and professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam, has challenged the basic laws of Newtonian and Einsteinian Gravity. He categorically stated that ‘For me gravity doesn’t exist.’

It was quite thrilling for me to read that.

I truly admire the kind of mindset that is neither intimidated by the age of any conclusion, nor by the authority and expertise of those that made the conclusion.

I prefer to keep an open mind on all subjects and to keep learning.

Knowledge is infinite and extremely dynamic; there’s no end to it. So why conclude?

Heaven would be so boring were it not for the fact that we’ll be exploring the inexhaustible depths of God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom through all eternity.

I used to be upset and annoyed by dogmatic conclusions. Now I find it all rather amusing, silly, and boring.

I know what I know. I don’t know what I don’t know. But I know that what I don’t know is greater and superior to what I know. Furthermore, the progressive knowledge of what I don’t know will ultimately modify, or overwrite what I know.

In that case, I avoid any emotional attachments to any thing that I know, in spite of how sensible, reasonable, or logical it may appear.

knowledge is essentially dynamic.

To truly live, you must first die.

Death means loss. To die means to lose, to give up.

Whatever you can’t give up will rule you. Whatever you are unwilling to forsake, if necessary, will enslave you – be it a person or a thing.

It is only by giving up that you truly own.

In order to defeat death, and bring life to those who believe in Him, Jesus Christ had to give up His earthly, fleshly life. His earthly life was the seed. He obtained an earthly life, was made flesh and blood, so He could have a seed to sow.

It takes death to defeat death. Until you are willing to die, you are not yet ready to live.

“They overcame him by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” ~ Revelations 12:11

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” ~ John 12:25

You must exchange an inferior life for a superior life.

You must give up what you have to create what you want.

There’s no other way.

You can only break the power of fear over your life when you confront that fear.

Death is the path to life.

Please, share your thoughts below –

We spent a good chunk of our time during this week’s home church forecasting and planning ahead for the forth-coming festival of home churches.

Concerning the festival, we are responsible for all protocol and security tasks. In order to lend speed to our pace, we understudied Joseph. We saw that the principle of foresight was the chief secret of his phenomenal success and dominion in Egypt.

Joseph was the 11th child in a polygamous home filled with strife and envy. Because of his prodigious foresight and lofty dreams as a child, he was sold into slavery by his envious and awe-stricken step brothers into a foreign land where he was later put in prison.

However, in a miraculous turn of events, his foresight translated him from prison to royalty!

By the application of divine wisdom and foresight, Joseph created a food surplus that fed the whole world for seven years. This was in the midst of famine! He bought up the entire human and material resources of a nation. He gained absolute dominion over a nation that was then world power, so to speak.

Joseph entered Egypt as a slave, then landed in prison. However, by the application of divine wisdom that brings foresight, he became the master of an entire empire.

Foresight is the ability to clearly discern trends.

• It is the perception of the significance and nature of events before they occur.
• It is an awareness based on spiritual positioning that enables you know intuitively what’s going to happen.
• It is a preview of future realities that empowers you to take unique steps either to take advantage of coming opportunities, or to avoid  danger.

People who have foresight, who see ahead and plan ahead, will always dominate those who don’t.

The more acquainted you are with the word of God, the more foresight you have, and the more success and dominion you experience.

Can you see far? Do you think ahead? Get properly oriented and deeply positioned in the knowledge of God so you can smarten up your foresight.