King Uzziah, Queen Esther, Ann Boleyn and Wealth

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Bode Ososami

May God help us to die daily. Amen. Every day I look at the Word, I hear God speaking His old truths which are ever living spirits through the ages in yet new and fresh ways for illumination and strength. The wisdom of God may seem simple, obvious and plain yet the powerful Prophet Isaiah missed it until he saw King Uzziah dead and then we read “He saw also the Lord”. Why also? What is so attractive and compelling about Uzziah that even in death Isaiah’s gaze was fixed on him?

Isaiah 6 [1] In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

I dare confess to my more spiritual mentors that I thoroughly enjoyed recently watching “One Night with the King” featuring great actors like Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole. One Night With the King is an epic motion picture set in an ancient and exotic world of gripping adventure, intrigue and romance, that follows a young beautiful Jewish orphan who rises from peasant to Queen of Persia only to face the annihilation of her people. The film had it all – beauty, morality, lavish wealth, fantastic dreams coming true, exciting and witty conversation, suspense, wisdom and intellect, joys and thrills, honour, courage, valour, music, art …and Queen Esther had it all. Can we not have it all ?… Read on.

The most important part of the plot was when she suddenly found herself facing the loss of all her dreams and her life suddenly threatened by the unmatchable intrigue of Haman the Agagite. Her response was to risk it all for God. She breached a protocol that demanded her very life. Mordecai informs Esther that the Jews only hope is for her to risk her life and go before the King unsummoned (a crime punishable by death) to intercede for her people. It is then that Esther utters those fateful words that have rung through the centuries, “If I perish, I perish,” as she races off with one last chance to save her people.

Esther saw her “King Uzziah” dead as she obeyed God. This did not just save her from a tragic end, but ushered a greater wealth and eternal honour in the annals of the history of her people. The greatest lesson was not her achievement to emerge as royalty but her short speech ending in “…If I perish I perish”. The perishing of “I” in Christ… is the end of Uzziah and the beginning of divine wealth…the treasured secret of all those who will see God’s Heaven.

The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 15:31(amp) [31] I assure you by the pride which I have in you in your fellowship and union with Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily – I face death every day and die to self.

King Uzziah will not be ignored and Isaiah could not help but see him and certainly could not kill him. The Lord will not reign in our finances or indeed in anything else until He has helped us to dethrone Uzziah. The end of Uzziah is the beginning of eternal and limitless possibilities in all spheres for God. Only a few categories are listed as follows – they all tend to revolve around “self” in different ways. Uzziah was a king who came to the throne at the age of 16…started well but ended badly. What are the manifestations of Uzziah – the bewitching attractions of the modern era?

Human intellect and civil perfection producing great and “humble” well meaning performance imagined as pleasing to God. Humanism and traditions enslave the mind through corrupted education and media brainwashing. These are mental comforts that mask hidden ambitions and corruptions to enthrone man in all spheres even in the religious church and more so in the new so called post-church “free” movements now apparently emerging with new internet gurus.
Subtle deviations to God’s complete word – propagating new and more palliative truths, beliefs and thought bondage supernaturally supervised and upheld by invisible overpowering hierarchies of spiritual wickedness. Man is enthroned in scripture interpretation and revisions abound to serve different thirsts and evil agenda.
Negative self promotion (thinking mankind is too bad for God‘s mercy and restoration) also enthrones man…opens channels for self-condemnation and Pharisaic accusation and silences divine compassion and intercession for revival.

Favour from men can be a bewitching culprit. Ask another Queen, Ann Boleyn – one of the six wives of King Henry VIII described as “ a giddy woman of no stability of character, her success turned her head and caused her to behave with insolence and impropriety” She did not have the help to say “if I perish I perish” but nevertheless died a very involuntary and wicked death on Tower Green, her head being struck off with a sword by the executioner of Calais brought to England for the purpose.

The Holy Spirit is our helper and He helps us die daily. Without Uzziah’s death, Isaiah may have prophesied many things but not fulfilled his destiny. If Esther was not helped to see the dethronement of her dreams she would have surely ended up butchered sooner or later by the wicked schemes of Haman – not very different from Anne Boleyn. If we do not go to the word of God and seek help from the Holy Spirit to die daily…wealth will become an executioner’s sword that studies all our passions and knows when best to strike. With the help of the Holy Spirit, God helps us to die and then can freely give us what we can have…knowing it is for keeps…and He can very well decide not to…reserving a better resurrection.

As Esther lived the life of a peasant orphan, a queen in the palace and God’s heroine for all time. Our life can also be seen in 3 segments. First, before we knew Christ. Second, invitation into royalty as we surrender to Him and ultimately maturing into a life of daily death in Him.

Let me end with a famous quote from my missionary friend, Sam Kputu. “The real danger of drifting from Christ and Biblical Christianity is not that we will struggle to come back; the real danger is that we end up creating new “truths”, new values, new targets and new pivots for our lives. And we even begin to celebrate and propagate them. “Read your Bible and pray every day, if you want to grow…” Remember that Sunday School rhyme?”

And another local saying from a speech by another Nigerian friend – Pat Utomi - speaking on the difference between leadership and management and the inevitable outcomes of bad leadership or absence of leadership in any nation… I found a link to face book for the article…

“The King that was enthroned and the city flourished, we know him – while, the king that was enthroned and the city diminished, we also know him” Nigerian proverb.

I am a poor politician to suggest that we let the Holy Spirit lead. In Recession or in the best of times we can stop managing ourselves … and soon we will surely see the difference.

Read more in Wealth out of Ashes. Also, for more reflections and related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day. May God help us to shine in Him always. Amen.

Bode

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Does God want you to be wealthy?

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Bode Ososami

I have received few reactions that question the motive of writing on wealth from a Christian perspective. Indeed some are more bold to declare that seeking wealth in Recession is greed and not Christian. Even worse, appearing to be taking advantage of the hungry by offering them God – through a book - in their vulnerable times of trouble is repulsive if not criminal etc.

At the heart of the issues are some pertinent questions. Does God want us to be wealthy? Does God want to help the poor and afflicted by offering them wealth? How can we be sure of motives in a wicked world of greed and lusts? Listen to the conversation between a poor widow and a prophet…

I King 17[12] And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. [13] And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

Elijah knew some vital truths that emboldened his mission in this troubling situation.

Wealth and provision is of the Lord and God is the controller and owner. A genuine encounter with God brings (without exception) us to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond our dreams.
God had sent Him to a woman who had been prepared by God to respond by releasing her substance even as she played the role divine destiny had scripted.
It mattered little that it was a great famine or that he asked for her last meal

If Elijah was not sent by God or directed his request to the wrong widow – he would have been justifiably driven off like a shameless beggar or a crafty criminal…but the wrong widow would also have died in misery.

3 John[2] Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

This reminds us that as our soul receives true salvation in Christ, God wants us to fulfil all He has planned and enjoy His provisions of substance and health – which is more than adequate to meet all our needs. The prosperity of the soul blessed with divine contentment in Christ therefore must come first – otherwise our wealth is but a preparation for greater slaughter.

Is God moved by poverty and affliction like UNICEF etc? Before we rush to answer yes or no, we should perhaps reflect that God sees all unsaved humanity without exception as lost and poor (whether billionaire or pauper) compared to what He has prepared in eternity and His limitless vaults which are like the inexhaustible waters of the ocean. He also sees the saved as joint-heirs with Christ to a glorious blissful inexpressible and incomparable eternal wealth. God therefore must see all missions as inferior to that of saving souls. God is indeed merciful but He responds unapologetically to His perspective and not ours.

It was the widow’s obedience and part in divine destiny that saved her as there were indeed poorer and more desperate widows from perhaps “better” qualified places…Zarephath of Zidon, where she resided, also being the home base of Jezebel – the enemy of God’s people. God helped and used someone from the enemy camp. God helped her as she became useful, available and obedient in the fulfilment of God’s vision. Our first act of obedience is to surrender to Christ.

On the issue of motives of all men, hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Proverbs[16:1] The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. [2] All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. [3] Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. [4] The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Everyone somehow serves the purpose of God whether for good or for evil. Our prayer therefore should be – Lord, help us to be channels of that which is not evil…Help us to commit our ways to you so that our thoughts and plans may be established – for your good purpose and missions only. Amen.

Read more in Wealth out of Ashes. Also, for more reflections and related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode

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Sustainability

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Bode Ososami

Isaiah 43 [2] When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Recently, I was invited to give a talk on Sustainability. Sustainability is about the inspiration and innovation that creates tomorrow’s value and prosperity. In other words, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In our economies, it is the development and creative mix of, at least, the following four types of capital to produce a sustainable menu.

Financial Capital – cash, investments and monetary instruments
Manufacturing Capital – infrastructure. Machines, tools and factories
Natural Capital – resources, living systems, ecosystems, healthcare
Human Capital – Labour and intelligence.

All these work together. Indeed, deficiencies in or excessive focus on one ingredient ruins the meal. Emphasis on financial capital, for example, without enough intervention in human, manufacturing and natural capital Sustainability is setting up for future crisis though there are temporary present gains.

Whenever I consider a topic of secular interest, I always want to remind myself that there is always the spiritual dimension which drives earthbound models.

On the spiritual front the Prophet Isaiah declares the word of God on sustainability – presenting divine wisdom in perhaps 3 areas.

Survival of trials – The hallmark of sustainability
Foolishness – The enemy of sustainability
Repentance – The assurance of sustainability.

Survival of trials: Trials are inevitable – and so on the issue of trials, Isaiah uses the word “when” and not “if”.

Waters become suddenly deep and drowning threatens but there is a solid ground and Christ leads as seas part. When we get out of our depth, we have Christ to hold on to. We should expect miraculous interventions
Rivers overflow their banks and floods cause others to perish but like Noah, we are in an ark – safe. That ark is Christ. Be convinced of your salvation in Jesus Christ as a false or faked assurance will prove worthless in the floods.
Fires (meaning overwhelming destructive forces) rage and we are still not hurt…like the 3 Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego or Daniel in the Den of Lions, again there is the saving presence of Christ.

Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys endured and we learn from their character and lifestyle the need for;

early piety – youths need sound and solid teachings and wisdom from early age,
devoutness in the closet – we need to prevail in prayer first in private before attempting public exposure,
firm decision of character – we should be determined not to bow to evil, and
diligence in business – we ought to excel in our trade by diligent self application and continuous learning.

Foolishness: Naboth lost his vineyard through the schemes of Jezebel, Ahab and sons of Belial in 1Kings 21:9. But why was Naboth hanging out with sons of Belial? Foolishness is refusing consecration to Christ. It is foolish to be unequally yoked with questionable alliances as this only makes us more vulnerable

Repentance: To have the assurance of a better future, we should consider our ways, learn our lessons and stop repeating our misdeeds. That is why Christ said:

John 5[14] Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Will the next recovery be sustainable? The answer lies perhaps in the quality of our repentance.

For related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day

Bode Ososami

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Is the Recession over?

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Bode Ososami

This seems to be the question on the lips of many as ears itch for a favourable answer.

I Kings 18[41] And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. [42] So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, [43] And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

The prophet Elijah declares the Recession is over – though no evidence of this is seen and he commands his servant to go and look again seven times.

Elisha, another prophet of God many years later makes a similar declaration in another famine in 2Kings[7:1] Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. [2] Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

How will we know when the Recession is over? We will know when God declares it to be so through His word by His prophets. Will we see signs of improvement and economic indices/indicators getting better suggesting the Recession is about to end? We may not. However, the sure sign will be the word of God declaring it over.

Will economists, brilliant men and highly rated journals herald the end of Recession? In the text above, Elijah’s servant saw nothing until seven times he looked. In the case of Elisha, God used lepers to silence the lords (the economic advisers) of kings.

Again, the simple question “Is the Recession over?” Time magazine reports in Sept 14, 2009 – Turning point for the Global Recession? Perhaps, indeed it is.

We are already beginning to hear God speaking through His prophets. Let the prophets of God, waiting in unknown caves, echo with certainty His word for the moment – and let them mobilise their servants. Let the lepers (true saints) of today’s post-modern age put the lords of Kings to shame again.

But then, rather than seeking to know if Recession has ended, should we not be more concerned about if we have learnt our lessons. Have we changed our paradigms and reconstructed our mindsets? Is our mind renewed by His Spirit? In other words – are we repentant? As this recovery develops, hear the Lord Jesus Christ warning the one made whole about a worse thing coming.

John 5[14] Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

A careful look at the famines described in the book of Kings in the above scriptures reveals that the famine in the time of Elijah was so bad that the widow of Zarephath and her child prepared to die.

1Kings 17[12] And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

But the end of that famine saw only an unrepentant Ahab (like most of us anxious to see recovery) going up to eat and drink as indeed the rains were about to fall again. Years later, a very much worse and fearful situation arose in Samaria. So terrible, that this time women boiled their children.

II Kings 6[29] So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

Is the Recession over? For someone who cares it is time to put his face between his knees to seek the face of the Lord and intercede about the future. “Lord, give us grace to completely overhaul our ways that we do not see even worse times in our future”

Nahum 1[9] What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Have a blessed day

Bode Ososami

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Intelligence in the Recession

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Bode Ososami

These are indeed the days of Elijah where, in famine, God finds His “poor widow of Zarephath” and repositions her for great wealth.

I Kings 17 [14] For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. [15] And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. [16] And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Days of Recession can be days of plenty – and days of greater accountability requiring higher disciplines of stewardship. Remember, we have said in earlier posts that all worth – Net or Gross – is of God. The steward that increased the wealth of God in his hands was commended in the Bible for two basic competences. Working to increase net worth and giving an account of increase. He knew the exact sum of his gains.

Matthew 25[20] And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

Today, if the question was asked of me, now i’m retired. What would Intelligence in the Recession I have wanted to do most differently in over 25yrs of my career? The answer clearly would have been to render better stewardship of that which had been entrusted in my care. I would have wished to have been better prepared not just in academic grounding but more in learning the disciplines and habits of managing the key assets of time, money, skill and opportunities on behalf of God, the Owner who rewards faithfulness. In difficult times I have been often been tempted to say like the wicked steward in Matthew 25[24] ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. [25] ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ [26] But his master answered him, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed? [27] Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

Sometimes I wonder if God would have judged me wicked not for adultery but for hiding away in indolence. A Preacher said recently at a meeting that it seems the disciplines God commanded are today commonly set aside by saints seeking and presented with instant remedies. Today, perhaps less than 10 % of adult Christian population know their worth talk less of managing increase. Possibly even less ever balanced the family books. It is even more strange the lack of correlation between education and what I have defined as “Lifestyle Intelligence”. Lifestyle Intelligence (for the purpose of this blog) is the exercise of understanding concerning how we live our lives concerning financial matters. The Bible is full of exact measurements of weights, volumes and distances..indeed it is a book about numbers. Christians should be equallycomfortable with numbers.

I am thankful that the sudden realisation of potential limitation in the recession has brought out from inside a new lifestyle of accountability and worth management…making me perhaps a much better steward today. First, what are the lessons I would have wanted to have mastered earlier with the tools made available to me.

1. Expenditures must be much less than earnings and a proportion (after tithes and taxes) of the excess must be hallowed and set apart to increase worth. Saving requires discipline that must be taught and imbibed early, while consumption comes naturally.

2. Doing nothing is sure to result in decay as assets depreciate and lifestyle consumption swallows worth. Therefore be diligent…apply all the talents God has given . Remember 2 Thessalonians[10] For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. So get busy. Moses started something at the age of 80 with nothing but a staff and an unstable assistant, Aaron…and God.

3. Early preparation and training on disciplines to produce an intelligent lifestyle sets the ground for wealth to grow. These disciplines do not emerge by accident or default.

I have introduced in this blog a new page Lifestyle Design where you find tools to begin afresh or just sharpen the saw. The first tool, Christian Lifestyle Intelligence Test is to help review financial habits for alignment with Kingdom culture. An abridged version is shown below.

To use the tool please reflect for a few minutes and answer all 25 questions using a scale of 1 to 5. Please ensure you double-click on the cell after the question to enter your response and scroll down to see total score after ALL questions must have been answered. Also see the impact of a different answer on your total score.

Key

1. No, almost never…not even remotely applicable.

2. Only very rarely…only minimally applicable.

3. Yes, sometimes, but not frequently…maybe somewhat applicable.

4. Yes, quite frequently…well, almost my exact situation.

5. Yes, happens all the time…most applicable…my situation exactly.

<b>Error:</b> Inline frames must be enabled to use WordPress SpreadSheet

Interpretation of Total Christian Lifestyle Intelligence Scores

60 -100 Good, prayerfully make adjustments to be closer to the 100 mark

40- 60 You have many areas to work on, though perhaps above the average

<40 Major adjustments required to approach the contented life

Please go to the Lifestyle Design menu item above for more detailed presentation of how to apply and further analyse your results and also download the full version of the Christian Lifestyle Design Tool.

The second tool is a simple income/expense budgeting/tracking and net worth tool you can use to manage your finances, understand your net worth and track and respond to how it changes. If you are in need of a tool to understand and apply budgeting and net worth concepts you can also download this easy to use Basic Family-personal Financial model (also featured on the Lifestyle Design menu item). I urge you to consider these tools and if useful commit to their use except of course you are amongst the few already savvy on financial matters. Then please pray for the rest of us.
I Cor 4: [2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Read more on Lifestyle and Debt in my new book Wealth out of Ashes, and also on how to chose your bank and investments. Also see previous posts for articles related to hope and victory in Christ in a recession. If new to spreadsheets please begin by referring to these Excel Tutorial links.

Have a blessed day

Bode Ososami

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Hope in Recession

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Bode Ososami

Turn your eyes upon Jesus – Look full in His wonderful face…and the things of the world will grow strangely dim – In the light of His glory and grace.

Words of a great gospel classic remind us of hope that shines so bright even in crisis. I marvel at the first miracle of Christ at the wedding in Cana and the comment made by guests who had enjoyed the hospitality.

John 2:10John 2:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

WP-Bible plugin And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

This establishes a powerful principle of God in Christ Jesus at variance to inevitable decline, decay and depreciation in the world. This principle declares 2 great propositions.

In Christ…Our best days, revivals, miracles and testimonies are all ahead of us and yet to come – things will get better…This is our hope in Christ Jesus that sustains us.
In the world…Our worst days are still ahead…and things will go much worse – we have not seen the worst of worldly decay…yet. This is the inevitable outcome of godlessness.

Recently I wrote a short song Saved by hope – for someone somewhere who needs to rediscover hope…

Saved by hope – from shame and sorrow -The price for sin is fully paid

A lively hope, from bondage rescued – Saved by hope.

Saved by hope – complete and perfect in our Saviour Jesus Christ

Under grace, His blood has conquered -Saved by hope.

Saved by hope – all foes defeated; My soul longs to see the Lord

Clothed in His eternal glory – Saved by hope.

Saved by hope – fully persuaded – to rejoice in Christ our Lord.

Singing songs of life eternal – Saved by hope

Saved by Hope – with firm conviction – Standing firm through trials and storms

Waiting for the glorious union – Saved by hope.

Saved by hope – no more in darkness; Inexpressible our light.

Saved by hope to live forever – Saved by hope.

There are new joys even now. Rediscover the joys of a simple lifestyle in times of Recession (Chapter Eight in my book Wealth out of Ashes, deals with this)…see also my article published in articlesbase.com.

The depression makes hope in Christ even more precious and attractive to the fallen. Read about Hidden value in Recession. And for more articles in articlesbase.com – read why social decay will cause a downward spiral as opposed to the blessed assurance of an upward journey of life for the saints. (Simply click the underlined text to advance to articles) Pastor Adeboye

The Redeemed Christian Church of God celebrates its 57^th annual convention this week. Ministering: Pastor E.A. Adeboye and other Anointed Men of God. Link up to the RCCG Church site and be blessed if you cannot be there. Aug 3-9, 2009 : Theme “Christ in you the Hope of Glory”… listen to wonderful messages on this theme – and experience the opposite of all that can cause shame.

Enjoy a new beginning…look for someone who needs encouragement and share this message… Always remain blessed.

Bode Ososami

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