God is your sufficiency.

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” 
2 Corinthians 3:5(KJV).

From our opening scripture, we see that Paul was able to accomplish all that he did, and was a successful leader, not because he was depending on his own competence, but because he was depending on the ability that comes from God alone.

As a leader in God's house, trust in God's ability to enable you to produce the right results because you have His ability at work in you. The Apostle Paul having this understanding wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” In other words, Christ is the one that empowers and enables us to do all that He has called us to do.

This is why Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  This means that God is active, efficient and mighty in you, to do all that He has called you to do, bringing Him satisfaction and delight. Praise God.

So, just like the Lord said to Gideon in Judges 6:14, I am saying to you today, “… Go in this thy might …” and “…be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10(KJV).

CONFESSION
I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. I declare that God is at work in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure. For I am strengthened with might according to the riches of God's glory by God's Spirit in my inner man. Amen.

For further study read:
John 15:4-5, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 3:5-6,
1 Corinthians 15:10.

DOING THE WORD
Depend on God's ability in you to produce the right results. Also, spend some time searching the scriptures to discover the amplitude of your potential in God.

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You are God's selected favorite.

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called”  
1 Corinthians 1:26(KJV).

God wants to give you a new view of you because He wants to use you. From our opening scripture, He wants you to know that His call upon your life is not because of any qualification you’ve got in your flesh.

The bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

So, God chose you because He wanted you. You are His selected favorite. The bible says in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: …”  In other words, no matter who you are, where you are from or what you have done? When God chooses you, He uses His grace to qualify you for what He has called you to do.

The bible lets us know that Paul the Apostle before he was called of God, persecuted the church and made havoc of it according to Acts 8:3. Inspite of all the wrong things that he did to the body of Christ, God still chose him to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. And then when God needed someone to write the Epistles, he went to Paul, a former murderer of the saints. The Apostle Paul said in his own words in Galatians 1:13-16, “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: … But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.”

Know that no matter what you may have done in your past, God still has a plan to use you. Just surrender to Him.

PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for choosing me, counting me faithful and qualifying me by your grace to do your will in Jesus Name. Amen.

For further study read:
Ephesians 3:8, 1 Timothy 1:12-16.

DOING THE WORD
 Stop looking at all the bad things you have done and say yes to the call of God upon your life today. He chose you because He believes in you, He believes in you because of the future He sees of you.

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A Pastor's responsibility.

“…we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” 
Acts 6:4 (KJV).

The Apostles in our opening scripture are showing us the primary responsibility of a minister in the house of God. Every other responsibility that may be carried out by him or that others may want to demand of him is secondary. His primary responsibility is prayer and the ministry of the Word of God. All other responsibilities can be delegated to others.

For instance, if you are a Pastor, at the beginning, you may be the only one responsible for everything in the church. From sweeping the church to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God which is your primary responsibility. But as God increases your influence and the church begins to grow and multiply, you must delegate the other responsibilities to others who you are going to raise as leaders over the people that God has given to you. So, as you continue to raise leaders to take up responsibility, you will be able to focus on your priority which is; prayer and the ministry of the Word. By so doing, your effectiveness and productivity would surely increase.
See Acts 6:1-7.

Some people who are unlearned in these things may be expecting the Pastor of the church to be the only one to visit every member of the church in their homes and then they get offended when he delegates to someone else to attend to their needs because he is busy. They ask in annoyance to know what he is busy doing. Now you know, he is busy with his primary responsibility which is prayer and the ministry of the Word.

This analogy above, is applicable in whatever you do, you must learn the value of developing leaders and delegating to them when the need arises for increased productivity and effectiveness. By developing leaders, you amplify your effectiveness and your productivity will explode to record proportions.

PRAYER
Dear Father, I pray for my Pastor today. I ask that you grant unto him the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For further study read:
Acts 20:19-21, Romans 1:9, 1 Corinthians 9:16,
1 Timothy 4:13-16.

DOING THE WORD
Encourage your Pastor by helping him to bear the burden by praying the prayer prayed by Epaphras in
Colossians 4:12 for yourself and other members in the church.

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Increase your effectiveness.

“Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” 
Acts 6:3(KJV).

From our opening scripture, we see the apostles preparing to delegate to new leaders. Why is it important for us to delegate as leaders? Delegating to the right persons, who possess the right requirements for the business; will in turn increase your leadership effectiveness and productivity.

Leaders who do not delegate appropriately when it is required as a result of growth will experience lots of stress, and they will later begin to become ineffective as leaders. I remember reading a book where it was said that the heart of a 35 years old Pastor was tested and His heart was like the heart of a man who was over 70 years of age. So, if you do not want that to happen to you, learn the value of raising leaders now, so that you can delegate to them when the need  arises.

When you read the book of Numbers 11:14-15(CEV), Moses cried out to God saying, “This job is too much for me. How can I take care of all these people by myself? If this is the way you're going to treat me, just kill me now and end my miserable life!” Do you know what God said when he replied Moses? God instructed him to delegate. In Numbers 11:16-17 (KJV), “And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.” Remember that you cannot do it alone, you need the input of others.

PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for I know that you love me. I thank you for I know that you have put the right people on my path, to help me at the right place and at the right time. Also help me to be a source of encouragement and support to others in Jesus Name. Amen.

For further study read:
Exodus 18:25-26, Deuteronomy 1:9-18, Luke 10:1-21.

DOING THE WORD
As a leader look for areas that have been a burden, and let God guide you on how and to whom to delegate to.

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Success is not in numbers.

“And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”  
1 Samuel 14:6(KJV).

From our opening scripture, we see Jonathan speaking to his armour bearer charging him to come with him to the garrison of the Philistine to battle with them. Why was he confident to take such a daring decision to go and battle with thousands of trained men of the Philistine army? It was because he was conscious of their union with the LORD. This is evident in his words to his armour bearer in the latter part of our opening scripture; he said, “there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”

Are you aware that God is with you? The bible says in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  If God who is with you is a very present help, it means that you would never lack help. Are you aware that the word helper means, 'one that is called alongside to help.' The Holy Spirit is with you to advance your progress.

Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit in John 14: 16(GNB) says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.”  Today, that prayer of Jesus has been answered because we now have the Holy Spirit with us as our helper. In other words, the Holy Spirit is with us to help us to fulfill our calling. So, walk with the Holy Spirit and you will surely fulfill your calling.

PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to partner with you in the fulfillment of your plans and purpose on the earth. I recognize my union with you, and the divine presence of the Holy Spirit who helps me each day in the fulfillment of your calling for my life. Father, I ask that by the help of your Spirit, I will finish my assignment on earth without reproach in Jesus Name. Amen.

For further study read:
Joshua 23:10,  Judges 7:4-7, 19-22, Judges 15:14-16, 1 Samuel 14:12-16, 2 Samuel 23:8, 2 Chronicles 14:11, Matthew 19:26, Romans 8:31.

DOING THE WORD
Put no limits to what you can achieve in your partnership with God.

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Be conscious of your union with God.

“The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
Judges 6:12(KJV).

Your union with God is the measure of your potential. It has nothing to do with your family, your up-bringing, or your educational qualification. At least most of the wealthiest men in the world did not all finish their formal education. Bill Gates was a college dropout, Mark Zukerburg was a dropout, and Steve Jobs was a dropout. All of these men went ahead and became successful in their profession and they were not saved. How much more you that are saved.

Your union with God is the measure of your potential. In our opening scripture, the angel called Gideon a mighty man of valour. Why? It was because God was with him. He did not know he was a mighty man of valour, until the angel told him who he was because of his union with God.

I want you to know also that you are a mighty man of valour. That is your potential because of your union with God. He wants to accomplish great feats through your life. All you need to do is to accept His testimony of you and face all your challenges with that understanding. You are a mighty man of power because of your union with God. This was the foundation of the success of Gideon's leadership as a Judge of the children of Israel.

Therefore, if you are going to be successful as a leader, you must always be conscious of your union with God. He said in Hebrews 13:5(WNT), “…for God Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER, NEVER LET GO YOUR HAND: I WILL NEVER NEVER FORSAKE YOU."  In Matthew 28:20(WNT), Jesus said, “… remember, I am with you always, day by day, until the Close of the Age."  Live your life each day with this consciousness that God is always with you.

CONFESSION
I am not alone. God is with me. I am united together with Christ in God. God is with me everyday. God will never leave me nor forsake me, so I can boldly say; the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me. God has made me a mighty man of valour, therefore, nothing can stand against me successfully. Thank you Father because I have victory on every side because of my union with you. Amen.

For further study read: 
Genesis 39:2, Genesis 28:15, Deuteronomy 31:6,
Psalm 82:32,

DOING THE WORD
Live with the consciousness of your union God to accomplish great things.

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God needs you 2.

“And I sought for a man …”
 Ezekiel 22:30(KJV).

When God calls you, answer the call, because the destiny of many people out there is dependent on you answering your call. For instance, R.W Shambach was restored to Christ in an Oral Roberts meeting. What would have happened if Oral Roberts never answered his call? Maybe there would have been no R.W Shambach today. Now think about the numerous people around the world who have been saved and healed by the ministry of R.W Shambach. Those people may have continued in their darkness and their oppression if he was not saved.

Do you know that Jesse Duplantis got saved while watching Billy Graham on television? If Billy Graham never got on television, maybe Jesse Duplantis who has also blessed so many with his ministry around the world would not have been saved.

This is why we do the things we do. Someone may be wondering and ask, “Why are you on television? Someone's life depends on it for their salvation. So, as people get saved, all those who partnered with us will also be a part of the reward for all the souls that will be saved, and more so, they will be a part of the reward of that individual that got saved because they made it possible for him to be saved.

So, you can see from the illustrations above that your obedience to God's instructions and His call upon your life; have a far reaching effect in the lives and destiny of others.    

PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for the privilege of been called and used by you to be a blessing and to alter the destinies of many people out there for you. I ask that many more should be saved and transformed through my life and my involvement and partnership in the gospel. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For further study read:
Genesis 18:18, Psalm 71:8, Psalm 106:23, John 15:16, Ephesians 2:10.

DOING THE WORD
Today, I want you to think of what you are going to do to make a difference in our world, and start doing it.

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