CAN YOU DARE TO BE UNPOPULAR?

This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. (Gen 37:2NIV)

Going against the popular may be difficult and makes you look like the odd person out. Nothing is as hard as breaking traditions. Nevertheless, I have also come to understanding that nothing helps you break new grounds like daring to be unpopular.

There was this record of an incidence that occurred in a high school where a science teacher was out with forty pupils for a practical with a telescope. The bottom line objective was to view a planet and other heavenly bodies with the use of the instrument. When the first student looked into the instrument and the teacher asked if he sees anything, the student said “no”. That must have being because of his shortsightedness, presumed the teacher. Hence, she showed him how to adjust the focus and finally the boy said he could see the planet and the moon. One after the other, each student stepped in and claimed they saw what they suppose to see until finally the second to the last student looked into the telescope and declared that he could see nothing.

The teacher shouted at him and called him “idiot”. “Don’t you know you supposed to adjust the lenses like others?” said the teacher with annoyance. The boy tried and said again “I can see anything; everything looks black and blank”. Filled with irritation, the teacher thrust the boy aside and took a look at the telescope herself. Now with a strange expression on her face, she looked up. The lens cap is still on the telescope and the truth remains that none of the student has actually seen anything.

There is no doubt that many people look for safety going along with the popular. They believe that if a lot of people go for something, then such must be good and also represent fairness and equality. They wouldn’t even mind going against their own will in order not to be the odd one out. Interestingly, nothing offers false hope like going with the popular.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:2NKJV)

Common thinking will never give to you more than common results. If truly majority thinks rightly, then majority would have been doing things rightly. We must never confuse acceptance with intelligence. Never allow the crowd to run your mind for you. People may say that there is safely in numbers, but that is not always true. Going with popular is like looking for a whale in shallow waters, all you will find is frogs.

However, daring to be unpopular will never leave you without a price to pay. Joseph was hated for doing the uncommon out of his other ten brothers. Notwithstanding his lesser age and the numbers against his unpopular opinion, he refuses to give in to their evil practice. That is surely an uncommon attitude that brings about destiny as bright as coats of many colors.

I believe many follow popular opinions because they desire to take the path of least resistance. They believe it is wisdom doing what everyone else is doing even it is awful. They never know that fulfillment in life requires not what is popular as what is the best.

Note that when Jesus also came, He was much concern about fulfillment than doing the well-known (Mat. 5:17). He never took things the popular way. In fact, this was the origin of His scuffle with the Pharisees who are authorities in the law. He was hated for breaking the traditions of Sabbath, non acceptance of the “normal” business tradition within the temple, eating without washing customs and even with sinners. Yet He never gave in to their traditions.

Challenging popular opinions requires willingness to be unpopular and be made subject to ridicules and castigations. However, if you refuse to allow the shame of being alone to pull you down, be assured that therein such aspirations lays the seeds of vision and opportunity. Even though you may not be in men’s praise book today, but just like Copernicus that went against the popular thinking that the earth was the center of the universe or the Wright Brothers that refuse to believe that no metal can fly in the air or Martin Luther King Jnr whose dream was contrary to the belief that blacks has no place in America; the whole world is waiting to celebrate you. Some may dearly pay the price then, but the whole world will forever keep them and their legacies in mind than those who went against them.

TESTIMONIES ABOUT CENERGY IMPACT (APRIL 2011)

"I thank God for such a seminar and also thank Him for using these great men of God to touch my life. Amen" - Winnie O. (Tesano)

"Thank God I have discovered my destiny. I now know the difference between position and condition, understand pain as a powerful weapon to succeed and how to identify myself."
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"I have learnt how to be a great person NOW, and not only in the future." - Stephen A. (Kaneshie)

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HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TRUE PERSON? PART 3 - MATERIAL POSSESSION

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7)

Never build your self esteem on material things; you never came to this world with any of them. There is a big difference between your condition and your position. Your condition is always a physical thing; while your position is your spiritual reality. Also know that nothing physical is designed to stay permanent. (2 Cor. 4:18). Often times our condition and our position look contradictory, but we must always remember under any circumstance that it’s from our position where we took our real identity.

When your identity is taken from your condition, it either gives you depression or pride. Take it from your position and you have a sonship complex. The good news remains that in our position, we are all at the same level; it’s only our conditions that differ. Nobody brought any special skill from heaven; we only come with potentials and capacity which is now given to development here on earth. That is why we need to watch our mindset before doing things. Learn to always start with your position in mind.

Human beings like identifying us with our conditions; hence we need to diligently divorce negative conditions from our mindset notwithstanding what people identify us with. You are what you call yourself much more than what people calls you.

Another beautiful thing to learn is that your present negative condition is a spiritual strategy to lay devil to trap. Wisdom teaches to utilize adversity to advantage. The condition of the Israelites at the Red sea was only used to lay the Egyptian to trap. If there is no need for a challenge, God will never allow it to come to you. And whenever it comes, note that God had first tested it before allowing it. Hence any challenge that God allows is an opportunity for you to shine. (2 Cor. 10:13). Whenever challenge comes, it is not you on trial; it is your capacity of faith on trial. (1 Pet. 1:7; Pro. 24:10,11).

HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TRUE PERSON? PART 2 - STATUS

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15)

Immediately after the baptism of Jesus, He was led in the spirit into the desert where He was tempted by the enemy – devil. But just shortly before then came God’s voice at the river side saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17NKJV). Now, have you ever imagined why Satan has to come a while after with questions; "…if You are the Son of God…?” (Matt 4:3NKJV) It was all in a bid to try His understanding about His true identity.

Had Jesus performed the miracle as commanded, He would have defined His success by His performance. There are many who have played down their identity because they find themselves unable to do what some other people are doing. They measure their identity by what they were able to do and what they were not able to do.

Jesus' reply in essence means “I don’t need to derive my identity from what I have done or what I have not done. Whether I turn the stone to bread or not, I am whom God said I am! Whether I jumped down from the highest point of the temple or not, that doest not change how God sees me. Even if I am not yet showing it, that does no deny the testimony of God about me and in a matter of time it will manifest”. If you too can imbibe this revelation, no devil will be able to stand your life. (Rev. 12:11)

Jesus was declared the Son of God far before He started any miracle. That shows that who you are is what comes first before what you can do. It also means there is no need using your achievement or non-achievement to define your person or level of success. For example, that you fail in business, marriage or even an exam never makes you a failure. You are only a failure as long as you continue seeing yourself as one. Never admit to the lie of the devil. He will always want you to see yourself through your present circumstances as less than who you actually are. Nevertheless, the physical will always give way to the spiritual no matter the present happenings. (2 Cor. 4:18)

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. There are individuals who never possess as much as we think, yet humanity cannot forget them till eternity. It is spiritual immaturity when we love to be recognised through name-dropping. We want everybody to know individuals very important in the society that we have as relations. We call and flaunt their names in order to make people respect us. And even later on, we graduate to taking our identity from status; titles, degrees, number of cars and houses among others now become our dependency. This in the long run becomes the root for covetousness when faking it could no longer work.

David did not have to run after position or fame, but the discovery of his person made him perform the unthinkable which afterwards brought him to limelight. He discovered what he could do with his potentials in the wild even while nobody could believe him. Your self discovery is what determines your status and not the other way round. Real life and real living are not related to how rich we are. (Luke 12:15 - The Living Bible version)

Excel D. Agboola (Pst.) is the Lead Facilitator of Newwine Missions Int’l Inc. Accra. Ghana. He is also the Country Director of Joel International in Ghana. If you have been blessed by this article, please share it with as many as possible on your friends list. We also enjoin you to keep praying for this ministry as our utmost desire is that you fulfill destiny and likewise make eternity with Christ Jesus.

HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TRUE PERSON? - HUMAN DEPENDENCY

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." …The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (Jer 1:4-5,11-12 NIV)

It is highly important for you to see what God has created you to be according to His words. Hence, seeing rightly is what brings speedy fulfillment of God’s blessings earmarked for your life. It also imperative to know that every man born to this world will always be face with challenges that will prove if indeed he has a personal understanding of his person, a time when you will be forced to answer the question; “Who am I?”

Most great discoveries in life came through providing right answers to life probing questions. In the case of identity, it is one thing to be known, while it’s another thing for you to know who you are. God does not only purposed creating man in His image and likeness, but also blessed or bestowed on him the capacity to exercise dominion over every other thing He created. Man was created to be in-charge of the earth (Ps. 115:15,16)

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen 1:28)

When Satan later came visiting man, his aim was to know if man truly understands his true identity and what authority was given to him. He wants to know if he truly understand the value he carries on the inside or would blindly seek for external verification. Satan said, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Gen 3:5NIV). The question now remains; “in whose image and likeness were they created before?” This was the beginning of man’s lost of identity. It was in the bid to be like “Somebody” through an external means that made him loose his place in the Garden of Eden.

How often do we rely on what people called us than what God already placed inside of us? Adam and Eve believed what the enemy said as against what God made them to be. Please note that no man can know you more than you. It is only good when their comments serve as confirmation to your personal discovery. Human dependency for personal identity is the beginning of man’s lost of originality.

Without a doubt, human dependency does not only subject you to the control of people, but also takes you away from God’s program for your life. Covetousness, envy, greed and pride come along as you try to show people what you are not. And note that covetousness is equal to idolatry; which means making a god out of what is less. (Col. 3:5)

One divine secret over most satanic oppression is found in your first locating whom you truly are in Christ. Your right in Christ is the foundation for your right over Satan and his agents. If you don’t know who you are, you may never know what you worth. (Hos. 4:6, Ps 49:20)

The enemy (Satan) made the first man and woman to believe they were less than whom they already were. They shouldn't have listen to Satan and eat the fruit because their true value does not depend on what is outside as to what is already inside of them. Adam and Eve fell by looking towards other means to become what God already (placed inside of them) ordained them to be.

This also shows why both of them could not accept responsibility. Even after both have committed the sin of disobedience, they kept shifting blames. No wonder why people with human dependency will always see others as the root cause to their personal problems. Please beware and be careful of using human compliments, flatteries or even condemnations as a measure of who God has created you to be. Your life is not subject to human parliamentary motions. You are whom God says you are!

Excel D. Agboola (Pst.) is the Lead Facilitator of Newwine Missions Int’l Inc. Accra. Ghana. He is also the Country Director of Joel International in Ghana. If you have been blessed by this article, please share it with as many as possible on your friends list. We also enjoin you to keep praying for this ministry as our utmost desire is that you fulfill destiny and likewise make eternity with Christ Jesus.