Everyone born of God is born a star. That means, no matter the colour of your skin, gender or race, as long as you are a bonafide child of God you are destined to shine on the earth.
This becomes easily believable when you consider the fact that Jesus Himself is a Star:
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22:16
Stars shine at night, but the light of Jesus shines not only at night, but during the day as well.
We know from John 17:18 that as the Father sent Jesus, even so has He sent us. What this boils down to is that: If the light of Jesus subdues the day and the night, our light too should be so prominent that even in broad day light it shows.
It must sink deep into your consciousness that you are created to be a star, a pace-setter in your community, a guiding light to those in darkness, an impact maker. That’s what you are created to be!
However, the world we live in is for thinkers. It is for those who, by the use of their brains, have determined the level of their gains. That was how Joseph, a Hebrew slave could rise to such great heights in the land of his captivity. He made impact through the use of his mind.
Without the use of your mind, no one will mind you.
Regretably, the Church has ignored the place of the mind in impact-making. But man is tripartite. He is a spirit with a soul, living in a body. Paul makes this clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:23,
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So God recognises your three-in-one existence. My emphasis in this chapter is the soul. It is there that the mind, will and emotion exist. The mind is the intellect of man. All his reasoning capabilities are stored in it.
The church has lost grounds to the world in the use of the mind, because until very recently, any emphasis on the mind was considered detrimental. However, the truth is that without the use of the mind, a man has no worth. It is the qualitative use of the mind that determines your worth on the earth.
Think about it, once a man looses his mind and is said to be insane, he actually loses his value as a human being. He is not reckoned with among the living. During a population count or census, no one counts the mentally deranged. They are not given houses to rent or put in schools or given employment. So you see, the worth of a man is tied to the use of his mind.
New birth does not only affect the spirit of a man, but every other part as well. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” So at new birth, you were not only freed spiritually and physically, but mentally too.
There is an open invitation in Isaiah 1:18, which says,
“Come now, and let us reason together...”
In essence, no matter how terrible your situation, “Come now, and let us reason together....” It is the quality of your reasoning that will determine how much of the good of the land you are able to access.
To reason means to think logically, rationally and analytically. As important a place as the Holy Ghost occupies in our lives, He cannot think for anyone. You cannot substitute the use of your mind with praying in tongues, prophesying or laying hands on the sick. It simply has no substitute!
Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Acts 6:2
They used the word, ‘reason’. That means, “We have sat down to logically look at this assignment, and we have decided that we cannot leave the ministry of the Word and prayer to serve tables.”
So they delegated their authority, choosing able men to see to the welfare of the widows, while they faced their main task.
You will observe that they never said, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us,” or “The Holy Ghost said.” No! They sat down to reason it out, although it was Pentecost time and the Holy Spirit was just freshly poured out on the earth!
Friend, reasoning makes rich. Your level of impact cannot be separated from the use of your mind.
The Church has celebrated the place of the spirit. It has emphasized the need for a healthy body, but it has totally ignored the place of the mind.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Proverbs 23:7
The mind can be likened to the control room of life because it co-ordinates and controls the activities of a man. Call it the headquarters of a man’s existence, if you like. That is why scriptures say, as a man thinks in his heart (heart here meaning mind), so is he.
Out of your mind are the issues of life. How much life delivers to you is a function of how well you engage your mind in productive activity. Therefore "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23)
The issues of life are not handled by prayer alone. In fact, there are many things we pray about, that simply engaging our minds in thinking can cheaply dissolve.
I have never sat down to pray about my family, for instance. All I have done is to discover from scriptures what God expects to be done, properly analyses it and then take appropriate action. That is why my prayers are very short. I know that the things prayed about and those thought about have equal access to the Father because the Word says:
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:20
It is a fact that the men regarded as stars in various fields today are committed thinkers. So, it follows that those who desire to become stars must become thinkers. Until you become a committed thinker, you don't become a commander!
The thrones of the earth are reserved for thinkers. Kings rule by wisdom, not by strength, money or appearance:
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
Proverbs 8:14-15
That implies that the depth of your thought life will determine your height of attainment. Nothing will take you up in life faster than the quality of your thoughts.
According to Psalm 1:1-3, a man who will become like a tree planted by the rivers of water - ever flourishing, and ever blossoming is the man who takes time to meditate on the law of God day and night. By meditation, I do not mean pious looks or sitting down in deep religion, I mean sitting down to logically, rationally and analytically think through the precepts of scriptures to get results. That is what catapults a man to great heights in life. So start thinking!
Apostle Paul gives us a ‘thought-syllabus’, that is, what kind of things to think about. Things true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, full of virtue, and praise-worthy should form our thoughts. (Phillipians 4:8) Paul is saying, “Do you want good reports? Think on how to get them.”
For instance, in recent times, our ministry has been engaged in mammoth construction projects. Yet all that goes on, on the site is being supervised directly by our team, without a contractor! As a result the projects are executed at half the estimated cost yet with impeccable quality, simply because we had the sense to do the job. By sound, rational, logical and analytical thinking, no mountain is insurmountable.
The world is not ruled by men of strength, but by men of sense. Hardwork can never produce what high sense can! Aren’t there hardworking labourers who never make it to the top? But show me a hard thinker, and I’ll show you a man going somewhere!
Even the Son of God, Jesus, caused an explosion in His world by His wits! Everywhere He went, men marvelled at the wisdom He displayed. Even at the age of twelve, He kept the doctors of the law on their toes, asking them questions and answering theirs:
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Luke 2:40, 42, 46-47,52
Looking at verses forty and fifty-two, it is evident that Jesus’ development was not lopsided. Physically, He increased in stature, mentally, He was filled with wisdom; and spiritually, He waxed strong in spirit. Jesus was not only filled with wisdom, He increased in it.
Recall that, 1 Corinthians 1:24 calls Jesus the power and the wisdom of God. Yet He increased in wisdom. This should help you appreciate the fact that your mind has an unlimited capacity for growth.
Every Christian requires a three-dimensional growth - spiritually, mentally and physically. As a matter of fact, Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” In other words, if to be spiritually- minded results in life and peace, then to be spiritually mindless will result in chaos and crisis! To be spiritual without the mind being affected positively will make a man an abject failure.
Regenerated, Anointed And Sound!
Every born-again Christian posses a regenerated, anointed and sound mind. Your mind is regenerated because the Bible clearly says if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature and old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). That newness affects the three dimensions of your being - spirit, soul and body.
A regenerated mind is the opposite of a reprobate mind. Reprobate means depraved or spiritually unproductive. That is what unbelievers have, and that explains why no matter how intelligent they may be, they still stoop down to do some very silly things:
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Romans 1:28
The Bible also tells us that the wisdom of this world amounts to nothing, when compared to the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:6). As far as God is concerned, what the world has is zero compared to what redemption offers the believer.
However, despite that ‘zero-mentality’, unbelievers have managed to succeed in many areas of life. We should do much more with the loaded minds we have!
Every born-again Christian who goes a step further to be baptised in the Holy Ghost, not only has a regenerated mind, he also has an anointed mind. From Isaiah 11:3, we see that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a man, He makes him "of quick understanding":
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isaiah 11:3
The Holy Spirit fertilizes the mind, enhancing its ability to comprehend deep things. That explains why the man Stephen, after Pentecost, spoke with such confidence that no one could resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke (Acts 6:10).
In fact, he summarised in one chapter, the history of Israel!
That should suggest to you and I that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not only for speaking in tongues, but to enhance your understanding. It is to make you live a smart life. You are by destiny supposed to outsmart the world, not to be the one always outsmarted, outwitted or out run!
1 Corinthians 2:16 makes it clear that you have the mind of Christ, which according to Paul, is sound, sensible and profound.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
With the winning combination of a regenerated, anointed and sound mind, what more does anyone need to excel? That is to say, you have three times more than what an unbeliever has, so you have what it takes to beat the world. God expects greater results from you and I because He has endowed us with what it takes to make it. So, sit up! Where you are now is not your end, there is a greater tomorrow awaiting you!
God has given us a brain so we can give Him rest. When a baby is born, all he needs to do to attract his mother’s attention is cry. However, as he grows older, his cry does not command the same attention; in fact the first likely thing is that he will be scolded.
Similarly, your crying to God in prayer is a nuisance to Him, because He expects you to have outgrown certain things by now! Just as our natural parents expect to have rest as we grow, so also, we must give God an opportunity to rest by putting our mental resources to work.
You are superior to your world. If the four Hebrew boys in Babylon - Daniel, Shadrack, Meschak and Abednego could beat the Babylonians by their wits, how much more we, under a new covenant with better promises. Remember that they were found to be ten times better than all their colleagues because an excellent spirit was found in them. Now you know that you not only have an excellent spirit, you have a regenerated, anointed and sound mind. So how can you fail?
Those Hebrew boys were captives in Babylon, yet they earned the respect of everyone - from the king to the commoners. When a man has results, nobody wants to know whether he is black, white, yellow or even green. Nothing commands respect like results.
Even in the West today, there are black men who are multi-millionaires and white men who are paupers. So you are not disadvantaged as long as you are saved. You are saved to shine!
Developing The Mind
As has been mentioned earlier, success is a result of the use of the senses. Men of impact are men of ‘sense’. The brain of man is the means behind all his gains, it is the life-line of his destiny; but it does not produce great profits automatically. The Word says it must be stirred up:
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
2 Timothy 1:6
Through Studies
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
Information is an important way to sharpen the mind. As you expose your mind to information relevant to your field of endeavour, transformation into a man of impact in that area becomes inevitable.
For instance, after the Lord called me to ministry, I started gathering materials that would help me understand how to do the work He had called me to do. I studied about 38 different biographies, so that when I am confronted with a challenge I can make reference to how others dealt with it.
Solomon the wisest said:
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17
Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation or a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
Ecclesiastes 8:1
When a believer gives himself to rubbing minds with others through reading and researching, he can be said to be sharpening his mind or brain. This is because the authors of those books are higher minds, so by interacting with their writings, he is exposing his mind to information that will lead to his own transformation.
If that is true of books written by human authors, how much more when you sharpen your mind with the Word of God, whose author is the only wise God? You will become a star indeed! That is why you need to sit down in consistent and concentrated study.
This is the edge you have over the world — your access to the wisdom of the only wise God packaged in the Bible. That is why the closer you are to God, the wiser you become in the affairs of life.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Romans 11:33
Imagine that! Your contact with God is contact with the depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge, which to the world is past finding out. But you need to sit down and consciously rub minds with God.
That was the secret behind the impact the Hebrew boys made in the land of captivity. Whatever the king was asking for, they told him that no one on earth had the answer except God Almighty. Those fellows stood out because of their connection to the custodian of all secrets — God!
That is why your case is different from that of unbelievers. When you are connected to the original source, you will produce original results!
I remember a time when we were at a University for a lecture, I did not know exactly what was expected of us, but when we got there I saw some well-known ‘Brains’ in the country reading their papers. I was wondering what they were reading.
When it was my turn, I came to the podium and by the help of the Holy Ghost “read” an unwritten address. It swallowed up everything the others had said! I concluded that when you are connected to source, it shows!
God is the authentic source of mental prowess. That is why when you are linked up with Him you should see it as an opportunity to access wisdom. How else do you develop your mind?
By Impartation
And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:9
As soon as Moses laid hands on Joshua, his mental system was fired up. That impartation delivered to him mental dignity.
Timothy also had the same experience when Paul laid hands on him:
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
By Wise Association
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:20
The association you keep will either make or break you. If you walk with the wise, you become wise yourself; but if you keep company with fools, you are setting yourself up for destruction. No matter how anointed you are, the moment you begin to walk with a wrong man, you will live a wrong life.
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Corinthians 15:33
By Meditation
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
Psalm 119:97-100
David discovered a secret that enhanced his productivity. Through it, he became wiser than all his enemies. He even had more understanding than all his teachers and the sages of the society. That secret was meditation. As long as he gave himself to meditation, he was fellowshipping with depths in the Word, which culminated in an enviable life.
By Separation And Quietness
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
Proverbs 18:1
There is an atmosphere that makes meditation easy. Often, we live in the midst of noise, so the quietness we need for meditation is not there. I am persuaded that if you live in the midst of noise, you end up a nuisance. That is why students on the verge of writing their exams withdraw to quiet places. They seek seclusion because there is need for a lot of concentration, if they desire distinction.
This is the missing link in society today. There is so much idling about. It is quite possible to see someone going on a casual visit early in the morning, often without an appointment. But time is the greatest asset in the school of success.
The difference between a success and a failure is that whereas the former invests his time, the latter wastes his. Time is an asset of equality, everyone has twenty-four hours daily.
What must be done is to carve out time to engage your mind in meditation. Separate yourself to seek and intermeddle with all wisdom; it will result in a sharp mind. Isaac, for instance, who became a marvel to the Philistines, was known to separate himself to think through issues:
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
Genesis 24:64
Later, he planted seed in the time of famine and it yielded hundred-fold results.
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.
Genesis 26:12
He must have engaged a unique approach to it.
In addition to separation is the need to create a quiet environment.
The effect of Isaac’s ingenuity is still being felt in the nation of Israel today. Formerly a desert place, it is now a blossoming garden exporting food all year round! If you desire wisdom, then you require separation.
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
I Thessalonians 4:11
Quietness enhances the quality of thinking. When the Jews caught a woman in adultery and asked Jesus, “Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” (John 8:5), Jesus stooped down and began to write on the ground as if He didn’t hear them.
I believe in His meditation, He thought, “If I say don’t kill her, these men will stone me because everyone accepts Moses as a mighty prophet. But to say stone her is unthinkable. What do I say?” In His quietness, Jesus located a solution and said,
...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:7
Quietness enhances productive reasoning!
A young lady once came to me and told me that during her exams she had gone blank and could not write anything. I did not utter a word, but I said in my heart, “There must be an answer.”
In the course of thinking, a word dropped into my spirit, “But God has a pen. If He wrote the Ten Commandments with His handwriting, He must have a pen.” I reasoned further that all things lay bare before God, so He must know where the young lady’s paper was.
God has said that we shall be far from oppression, so I knew that He will do anything to ensure that the devil does not have occasion to laugh over her. Having acquired that insight, I said to the lady, “The Lord has a pen and He will use it in your favour, and you will pass that exam!”
She passed in flying colours!
I got connected to that insight through quietness. I cherish quietness and will pay anything to have it. That is why although we have many rooms in our house I sometimes have to put certain guests in the hotel – to avoid the noise they will make in my home. Quietness is precious to me. It has great spiritual value.
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength...
Isaiah 30:15
In the moment of quietness strength is released. There is no substitute for inner and outer quietness in your search for answers to the issues of your life. Quietness is what is needed to enhance the quality of one's thought life. You must seek it at all costs. If your sitting room is too noisy, withdraw to your bedroom. Quietness is what you require to invest into your future.
Use The Night Seasons
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
Psalm 16:7
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
Psalm 19:2
Night time is power time. It is actually the most quiet time of the day, and as such, is the best time to seek solutions to the situations of your life. When you spend your night seasons thinking, your thought life is enhanced. Utilize the night season to lay hold on answers that will make the inhabitants of the earth respect you.
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9
By Insight Expectant Prayer
Another important way to exercise your mind is through insight expectant prayer. This is not the kind of prayer that involves a lot of shouting, banging the table, etc. Rather, it is a prayer of enquiry. In it, you are asking the Lord to show you what to do, where to go or the secret to success in an endeavour.
Look at this:
Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.
Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Daniel 2:16-21
There are secrets of life, and they belong to God (Deuteronomy. 29:29). However the good news is that He desires to reveal them, if you will do what it takes. So the question is not whether God is willing. But are you willing to seek answers from him?
By Mental Exercises
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:14
No athlete in the natural becomes a star without exercise. The same is true of the believer. To become a man of impact, a highly productive individual, an authority in your field, you must be prepared to exercise your mind. You can exercise it to the point that it is able to chart a positive course for your life. Jesus taught that. He said,
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luke 14:28
Observe here that to build a tower, the builder must first sit down and count the cost. In essence, he must engage in mental exercise to construct a high rise tower.
Similarly, for the believer to produce outstanding results, you must practically engage your mind. That is, settle down to evaluate the affairs of life and come up with practical answers.
Every builder is a thinker, for through wisdom a house is built and with understanding it is established.
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4
That is why, whereas some fellows work for thirty years without owning even a plot of land, others work for just ten and own a house.
The difference between them is that the former is a wanderer while the latter is a thinker.
To live like a wanderer, without a tangible plan for your life, and jumping into every project that comes your way is folly. Wisdom demands that you programme your life, doing what you must to ensure that you leave an inheritance for your children’s children.
Look at the parable of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. That boy wasted his entire means in riotous living. He crashed so low that he tried to eat pigs mash, but the pigs didn’t allow him.
One day, he came to himself by engaging in mental exercise. He reasoned that if his fathers hired servants had enough to eat and to spare, why should he, a son, die of starvation. So he arose.
Friend, no matter how horrible the state of your life is right now, if you start to think, that negative state will turn to a positive one!
All these factors, if put to use, will make you a man and woman of impact and give you a place on the earth. As you enlarge your thought capacity, you are enlarging your coast of success.
E. W. Kenyon said, “Make your brain work, it will sweat but make it work. Then it will improve and develop until you become the envy of those around you.”
Someone else said, “Wealth is the product of the capacity of a man to think.” That means impact is a product of man’s capacity to think. I believe that most problems of life have cheap solutions with the use of the mind.
Let the wife who is being beaten sit down and find out why, and desist from doing those things that provoke her husband. Let the staff who is hated at the place of work sit down and discover why he has problems and begin to deprogramme himself from doing those things.
Friend, there is no insurmountable mountain, no impossible problem, no temptation without a way of escape. All you need is some mental attention to that situation, and you’ll be out of it.
We live in a thinker's world, thinkers rule the world; If you are not a thinker, you end up as a slave. But as you put that mind of Christ in your possession to work, the world will mind you!
I see a new day dawning for you!
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