Longitude And Attitude

A recent survey of consumers shows that customers frequently quit a business for the following reasons.

1 percent - die
3 percent - move away
5 percent - other friends
9 percent - competitive reasons
14 percent - product dissatisfaction
68 percent - indifferent attitude of employee

Sixty-eight percent of all lost business results from the indifferent, uncaring attitudes of employees toward customers. Developing and maintaining a positive attitude toward yourself, your customers and your job is the first step to developing excellent sales techniques.

The President of the Bank of America told the following story which took place some years ago.

The Los Angeles branch of the Bank of America is housed in multilevel building with a parking structure on its lower floors. The large sky scrapper housed many businesses. For many years, customers using the bank would not be charged for parking if they simply presented a ticket to the teller for validation with any transaction.

Over the years however, people began abusing the privilege by making small or insignificant transactions at the bank, then spending the rest of the day shopping at other businesses in the building. Due to frequent infractions by shrewd customers, the bank reluctantly discontinued the privilege of validating tickets for free and unlimited parking. Validated tickets will henceforth be charged at a discounted hourly rate.

One morning, an elderly man dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt waited his turn in a long line of customers. The line slowly inched its way forward, until he made his way to the next open teller’s booth. The man made a small deposit and presented his parking ticket for validation. The teller stamped his ticket and informed him that he’ll have to pay a small amount for the parking. “Why? You’ve never required this before.” The elderly customer replied. The teller, faced with a crowded bank full of impatient customers, snapped, “Well, that’s the new rule. I don’t make them. I just dish them out.” “But I’ve been a customer in the bank for many years” the man persisted. “The least you can do is to validate it like you used to.” “You heard me, Mister. You got a problem with that, see the manager. I have a lot of people waiting behind you. If you could move along, that would make this morning go a little easier.” The flannel shirted gentleman made his way to the end of the long line of waiting customers, and once again inched his way back towards the teller’s booths. When he finally arrived, he approached the first available teller, withdrew $4.2million and went across the street to deposit it in another bank.

The teller’s attitude cost the bank $4.2 million! Never underestimate the destruction that can be wrought by a poor attitude.

I will pay a man more for his attitude and his ability for getting along with others

- John D. Rockfeller

Some months ago, I had an experience with a taxi driver. He picked me up in front of my hotel room to see a friend in what I’ll later find out to be the remote part of town. We agreed on a price (which in my opinion was already of the high side) and then we set off. We spent over 30 minutes trying to locate the place all to no avail. Netweork was bad there also so I could call. This guy kept turning, reversing and asking people for the place. There was not a single time in the trip when he complained! Not once. Even when I gave up and told him to head back to the hotel, he insisted we try one more time. That was when we were able to locate our destination. The guy opined that since it was already late, he’ll wait and pick me up if I didn’t mind. “Of course not” I told him. Throughtout the time I was with him, he left a positive impression on me about having the right attitude. I wouldn’t have been too surprised if he went on and on complaining. I was already doing that! When he dropped me at the hotel, he asked me to please add some money on top of our previous arrangement. I paid him more than double what we agreed and still felt I had not paid him enough. I wasn’t paying for the ride. I was paying for his attitude!

Attitude can make or mar your business. As a manager or an entrepreneur, you need to be careful who works for you and with you. My advice is that you value attitude even more than skills. Your employees attitude is even more important that technology. John D. Rockfeller once said, “I will pay a man more for his attitude and his ability to get along with others than for any other skill he may possess”.

Yesterday evening, after closing from work and on my way home, I met an old friend. He was so happy and elated to see me. We were chatting about life and what he is currently doing. A few minutes before he alighted from my car, he told me this “ Do you remember the message you shared with me on “how not to negotiate on an empty stomach”? It has kept me away from trouble and kept me focused. Thank you so much sir”. Such conversations always leave me happy for the rest of the day! For me, one of the things that excite me is the testimony of a changed life

Will you please permit me to share with you what I shared with this friend a few months ago? I have shared this in a few meetings /seminars and the result has been the same – people wish that I shared it earlier before they took some decisions in their lives. One Professor of Medicine came to me the 1st time I shared this and said “That was powerful. I was so blessed. I wish I heard this 1 week ago. I just finished a negotiation, and after hearing you, I am sure I could have done better”. Okay, let’s see what I am talking about

Every single second of the day, we are all involved in negotiations. You may not realize it, but you are involved in thousands of both formal and informal negotiations everyday. We are all product of negotiations. You wouldn’t be here in this world if there was no negotiation between your mum and your dad! If you got up from your bed today (and I bet you did), your were involved in a negotiation. You had a choice to continue in bed but you gave up this “pleasure” for something.

We are all product of negotiations. You wouldn’t be here in this world if there was no negotiation between your mum and your dad!

In negotiations, you give up what you have to get what you want. Someone has time and needs money. Another have money and needs time invested to do a work. Negotiation takes place when they each give what they have to get what they want.

Negotiations are very important because they determine your future. There are several negotiations taking place that has a direct effect on your future. Infact, the quality of your life tomorrow is dependent on the negotiations you are making today. While going through my notes earlier in the week, I came across a negotiation I read about and studied some years ago and the lessons I learnt from this account. This negotiation is documented in the holy creed. Can you spare a moment to read it?

“And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me?”

This verse is very rich. Here, a negotiation took place. Very informal negotiation. Right in the family compound. But with far reaching consequences. Esau, the older of the twins in question had gone hunting earlier in the day and returned home with nothing to show for it. Jacob on the other hand was at home and he had cooked a stew. Now, Esau returned home hungry. He needed food. He had the birthright. Jacob had food. He needed the birthright. So, a negotiation proposal was put forward by Jacob. What a proposal it was.

From this negotiation account, there are very vital lessons to learn

1. Do Not negotiate on an empty stomach

Avoid negotiating when you are hungry or tired. It put’s you at a disadvantage. Many great footballers had sold their future to their managers by signing contracts when they were “hungry”. For a young man coming from a club in Africa paying him $1000 a month, a juicy contract of $10,000 a month in Europe sounds too good to be true. Without studying the contract papers, he puts pen to paper immediately only to find out he had sold his future to his agent/manager. He negotiated on an empty stomach. He will realize later in future what a terrible negotiation he had made. A young girl who is “hungry” for a job negotiates away her virginity only to realize the colossal loss. What a shame.

2. Do Not Underestimate what you have

I said earlier on, that in negotiations, you give what you have to get what you want. In the story we are considering, Jacob simply underestimated the value of what he had. He had the birthright and the blessings associated with it. However, it meant nothing to him. His value system was wrong. According to him, stew was much more valuable than his birthright! Before you point accusing fingers at Esau, how is your value system? Are you underestimating what you’ve got? Do you value your skills and talents?


3. Do Not “overvalue” your problem

There is no problem that you currently have that is peculiar to you. The worst damage you can do to yourself when you are negotiating is to over value your problem. Look at what Esau said “ …I am about to die…” The truth is that that was far from the truth. He wasn’t about to die. Worse case, he had missed breakfast and lunch for that day. There is no way that can equal “near death”. He was overestimating his situation. No wonder he couldn’t negotiate down. Listen to some people talk about their problem/situation and you will know they are magnifying the problem. During negotiations, you will have the advantage when you learn not to overstate your problem

4. Negotiate Down

In the above negotiation, Esau didn’t do anything to negotiate Jacob’s offer down. He could have at least tried. If I were in his shoes, I would have tried negotiating for dinner for the rest of my life if I needed that food that badly. At least, dinner for the rest of his life in exchange for the birthright (though still a foolish choice) would have been a far better deal that just a one time stew. Beat the offer down. Negotiate down.

Winners do today what others won’t do, in order to have tomorrow what others won’t have.

5. Negotiate for the Future

Whatever you do, please negotiate for the future. Don’t only look out for what you will gain/lose in the immediate present. Look out for the future. What will be the consequence of the negotiation you are doing doing now on your future. Friends, I have since realized that the future is less expensive than the present. It makes a lot of sense to buy the future now. It pays to negotiate for the future now than later. A friend once told me how he spent his 1st salary of 70,000 naira. He invested 35,000 to buy a sophisticated phone and 35,000 to buy IBTC shares. He took a stock of both purchase 4 years after. The phone he bought was stolen 3 months after. The shares he bought is now worth over 250,000! Buy the future. Negotiate for the future. Winners do today what others won’t do, in order to have tomorrow what others won’t have.

In the negotiation we are looking at, it was like nothing happened afterwards. Negotiation completed. Both parties went their separate ways. However, the result of that negotiation that took place in the family compound had far reaching consequences. Esau sold his birthright….his blessings. He later sought for it with tears, but it was too late. He sold out his future while enjoying the present. Winners will rather forfeit a prefect present in order to create a perfect future. Do you want to be one?

Selah!

2009 Vs You - What's The Score At Half Time?

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time. I remember watching the final match of the Confederation Cup last weekend. The United States team was two goals up by the break. If the game had ended then, they would have been champions by now, and for the next 1 year. All that changed in the second half when the almighty Brazil scored 3 great goals to win the tournament. Last night, the half time whistle for this year sounded on all of us! The referee has called for a time out, and it provides a wonderful opportunity to review the strategies of the first half, and decide if we will still continue with it, or make some changes.

One of the most unimportant statistics in a football match is the score at half time

Every new day, new month, or New Year, provides us with an opportunity to start again, but more intelligently. Today presents such wonderful opportunities. It is a great opportunity to look back at the last 6 months and evaluate how far, or how not far, we have gone. I encourage you to take time out in the next few days to do a thorough evaluation of the last 6 months. I can predict to you what will happen at the end of the year if nothing changes now. You will get exactly the same results that you have got in the last 6 months! Remember the definition of insanity. It is “doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting a different result”. My question to you as you read this is – do you like the results coming your way in the last 6 months? Are you satisfied with the level of success you have enjoyed in the 1st half of the year? If your answer is NO, then, something needs to change in the 2nd half. Once this happens, the result at half time will be immaterial.

Take Stock

May I encourage you to balance your account for the last 6 months? Take stock of the important things in your life. How have well have you done in your relationship with God? How well is your finance doing versus your budget? Are you making considerable progress? Sometime earlier in the week, I took stock of my spending/expenses for the last 6 months. I was humbled. I saw areas where I didn’t believe I was spending as much as I was doing. One of the smartest ways to progress in life, is to take stock at intervals. That’s what a smart football team does at halftime.

Remember the definition of insanity. It is “doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting a different result”.

Focus on your strength

When people evaluate themselves in this part of the world, there is a great tendency to always focus on their weaknesses. Let me explain using this example. If you have a child that came home with the following scores - English Language (85%), Mathematics (92%), Physics (87%), Biology (50%) and Chemistry (90%)- which subject teacher are you likely to recruit for him/her soonest? My guess is that you will be recruiting the best Biology teacher in town to help your ward become “all rounder” by improving his/her Biology scores. This may be far from being right! While I am not advocating that you close your eyes to obvious opportunities in your life, I am insisting that you should also place close attention to your strengths. In the example above, the ward in question can go on and become the best engineer we have ever seen, without improving much in his/her Biology scores! What are the things you did so well in the 1st half of the year? What are the things that brought you’re the best results? Plan to focus on them and repeat them, even in a better way, in the 2nd half of the year.

Improve on your opportunities

Like I said earlier, I am not asking you to close your eyes to your opportunities. You will need to do something about them too. Write down somewhere the list of things that didn’t go your way in the 1st half of the year. Write down the things that didn’t work so well. What are you going to do about them? What skills are you going to acquires to do better? What relationships are you going to cultivate to improve in those areas? What seminars are you going to attend to bridge the knowledge gap? What habits are you going to bade farewell to in order to reach your goals? My advice is that you pick 1-2 opportunity areas that you want to focus on and deal with them squarely.

Adjust Your Sail

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the dressing room at half time? Anyone who has played a team game will remember those half-time discussions with the coach when things have gone badly and everything depends on going back out for the second half and turning the game around. It’s like being on the sea during a stormy weather. Survival depends largely on how well you can adjust your sails accordingly. Sometimes, you change strategies in the dressing room. Sometimes you change people or players. Sometimes you change the pattern of play. Sometimes, you just motivate the people to use the same strategy in a better way. Eventually, for any change to be effected in the 2nd half, something has to change in the dressing room. Do you need to change your strategies? Maybe it’s your association that needs to change. Maybe it’s just down to your attitude. Adjust your sails accordingly

Be Thankful

Many times, we think about the things we do not have and forget to appreciate God for the things we have. Someone who doesn’t have a car yet is angry. He is not thankful that he a pair of legs to walk! He is taking the ability to walk for granted! Someone is angry that he doesn’t have a job yet. He should be thankful at least that he has an opportunity to go to school and get a degree. I know you are behind on your dreams and your goals but be thankful for the ability to dream in the 1st place! Don’t forget the many things that the good Lord has done for you. He gave you life, and that alone is worth every other thing in the world. Count your many blessings. Don’t discount them! When you learn to thank God for what he has done, you compel him to do what is left. Have a thankful heart.

As we begin the 2nd half of this year, I comment you to the hand of his Grace. May the almighty God add the “extra” to your “ordinary”, so it becomes “extraordinary”. Remember that you have another opportunity to start again- albeit, more intelligently. All your sins/mistakes/errors of the 1st half of the year are hereby forgiven. Go and sin no more!

What Difference Does It Make Anyway?

I have had a rather busy day today. I have had to shuttle between family commitments and work and I must confess it’s not been easy. I feel so tired and worn out. I really feel like jumping on my bed now. However, my heart desires something else. It desires to write. Since I do my best to follow my heart, I am compelled to write.

I was travelling from Lagos to Ibadan earlier today by public transport. I met a lady in the bus I travelled in that amused me. She really looked like a very “tush” girl and that was the 1st impression I had about her. She was actually in the bus before me and was helping herself with a Chicken Republic meal. Shortly after I sat down, a guy came beside the window where she was seating, trying to sell her a skirt, “Do I look like a househelp?”, she blurted. “What’s the designer’s label on that”, she further probed. Of course, she left the guy confused. I didn’t know whether to laugh or confront her. She was really mean to the guy. Anyway, that further proved her “tushness” to me. However, in less than 15 minutes, I changed my mind about her. As soon as we set out on our journey, she started throwing everything imaginable out through the window right on the expressway – the bones of the chicken she was eating, the serviettes she used to clean her hands, the nylon bag, the spoons and the drink bottles! I couldn’t take it again. “That’s not right” I finally said. “Why don’t you put everything in that nylon bag? We need to keep our nation clean” I continued. Well, she didn’t agree with me! According to her, “This is Nigeria. The Roads are already dirty anyway. Whether I throw that out or not, the place is already a mess”. What an interesting submission. Have you heard people around you say that? I have heard all sorts –“If you don’t take that bribe, someone else will. The nation is corrupt”. “Why are you bothering yourself obeying the traffic lights? No one else is obeying it!” “You cannot be a successful business man in Nigeria without bribing your way through”. I am sure you can list a dozen more.

What do you do when the “little” you are doing in your corner doesn’t seem to make sense? What do you do when right seems wrong? What do you do when you are being abused by other roads users because you are trying to obey traffic rules? What do you do when you feel that the little you are doing doesn’t affect the overall outcome anyway? I recommend that you remember this story – it’s one of my favourite stories. It is the story of the star fish.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

I am sure you get the morale of the story. What you are doing may not make sense to others and may not affect the whole nation, but it may affect an individual and change him for life. It can affect a community. When your young son is sitting beside you, while you insist on obeying traffic rules, you are laying a great foundation for his future. When you refuse to accept bribes, despite the fact that others are doing it, you are touching someone at least. When you do things right, someone is watching…and that someone can be positively affected for the rest of his life. To that one, the little thing that you are doing makes all the difference!

Now, sleep is beckoning and I must respond now! Hope you have picked up a thing or two from my ramblings.

Enjoy!

As You Like It

I just got back from Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) some minutes ago. I actually wanted to write this in the car on my way back but the ride was too bumpy for me to concentrate. I think I need a four wheeler.

I was privileged to share with groups of Final Year Students who have a semester left before they face the “world”. In as much as a lot of them are eager to see what the future holds, they are also afraid of what is waiting for them out there. Hence, the program “Beyond Ife” was put together to help equip them for tomorrow. It is a 4 week program and I was scheduled to speak on week 2, along with Steven Chiazor, Head of HR for Virgin Nigeria. To say the least, it was a blast. I had a good time and the responses after the meeting was overly encouraging.

I spoke on the topic “As you like it”. Let me start with a story I shared. It’s fictions anyway. There once lived an old man who could answer any question rightly and correctly. He could tell you whatever you wanted to know, even what you ate the last time! In the same place, there lived two young lads who decided to take the man up and ask him a question that he will get wrong. They wanted to prove to him that he was not the “all wise” after all. They went to the bush and shot a bird, leaving the bird half dead. They then thought within to themselves that they will take the bird to the man and ask him if the bird they are holding behind them is dead or alive. They reasoned that if the old man answered that the bird is dead, they will bring it out half alive and would have proved him wrong. If he answered otherwise that the bird was alive, they will snuff the remaining life out of the bird and present it to the man dead. Whichever way, they were going to prove him wrong by all means. The plan looked so perfect and water tight. So, they did what they had planned and went to see the old man. “Old man”, they said when they got there, “can you please tell us what we have behind us”? Without turning towards them, the old man answered calmly “My children. Behind you, you have a bird, whether dead or alive, it is as you like it!” What an answer.

The message of the story is very clear. Life will deliver to you whatever you like. You have in your hands a great future ahead of you. What eventually happens to you is what you make out of it. You can achieve excellence in life and at work if you really like it. There are always challenges in life, and rightfully so. Life is full of challenges. Infact, God never called us to a challenge free life. He didn’t call us to a burden free life. He called us to a burden light life. “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” says the scriptures. Listen to me friends. I have discovered that any coin with one side is a useless coin! Now, due to several challenges that will come your way in life, the odds are against you that you will not succeed. Yes, you heard/read me right! It is very likely that you will add to the statistics and be among the 90% of the world population that will not succeed. There is only a slim 10% chance that you will make it! How then do you position yourself to be among this successful 10%? Read on.

Attitude – the winning edge

Any regular visitor to my blog knows how often I write about having the right attitude. For me, it gives a winning edge. It compensates for many other things. Attitude, more than aptitude, determine your altitude. How you respond to things is, in my opinion, more important that your intelligence. It is not what happens to you that really matters. It is what happened in you as a result of what happened to you. All things being equal, attitude wins. All things not being equal, attitude still sometimes win! I encourage you to be an incurable optimist. Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

Skill – the cutting edge

In a world of accelerated changes and overwhelming complexities, you need to sharpen your skills, in order to remain competitive. What can you do with your hands? This is what will give you an edge over others. My most popular character in the Bible is Joseph. An analysis of his life is a celebration of improved skills. First, we saw him dreaming and dreaming. Then, he moved to interpreting dreams for others. By the time he was done, he was not only interpreting dreams but also proffering solutions for the dreams interpreted! Amazing. The difference between 1.000, 10.00, 100.0 and 1000 is just the position of the decimal point (the dot). May I put it to you that your skill is that dot! It is what gives you value. Again, what can you do with your hands!

Hardwork – the breakthrough edge

In the school of success, the only substitute to hardwork is a hard life. Make your choice. I see so many lazy Christians blaming the devil. “Golden opportunities are nothing to laziness, but hardwork makes the commonest chance golden” says a wise man. May I say point blank that the dignity of labour is the greatest of all dignities. Everywhere else in the world, except in the dictionary, “work” comes before “success”. Have you ever heard about being an overnight success? Probably yes. What you have not heard is that those who become overnight successes worked throughout the night. Put your hands to work!

Relationship - the missing edge

Never underestimate the power of a relationship. It would be a big mistake. We live today in a global village. You are 5 persons away from everyone on this planet. You don’t necessarily need money to make money. All you need is an idea….and the right relationship. Relationships can open doors for you that money cannot open. I can predict where you will be in another 5 years if I know the value of the relationships you are cultivating today. Yes, I can, with precision. Your friends are more strategic to your destiny than your enemies. I advise you rather focus on that than wasting your precious time on your enemies. Cultivate right relationships and you will be on your way to the top.

Favour – the divine edge

Having done all….you need God! Favour separates you from the crowd and showcases you. It is the divine edge that makes you shine above your contemporaries who are working as hard and are also skillful. It is the God factor that comes to bear on your behalf. It is God adding to “extra” to your “ordinary” to make it “extraordinary”. May you enjoy the favour of the almighty!

Enjoying The Best Of 2 Worlds (Part II)

When I first became born again, I was very much heavenly conscious. The consciousness of heaven was so much that I didn’t want to be bothered by any earthly thing. How can I think of marriage/ plan for kids when Jesus will soon come? To think of a distant future then was to think of the mundane and become carnal. I still remember a couple of friends who were not as moderate as me. They really went far with preparation for heaven. They were so heavenly conscious that they became earthly useless! I like to refer to them as the 12’ O Clock believers. Both the long and the short arm are facing upwards. There are some other believers that are 6.30 O’clock believers. Both hands are facing downwards. They are so earthly conscious that they become irrelevant to heaven. All they live for are the pleasure of this world – what we will eat and drink and what we will wear. Both hands are facing
downwards. I think both extremes are not okay.It will make sense to be a 6 0’clock believer, with the longer arm facing upwards (heaven) and the shorter arm facing downwards (earth). In order words, one is very heavenly conscious and still useful on earth. It’s another way of saying that one enjoys the best of both worlds! Halleluyah!

Jesus, our Lord and master is the greatest example of this. He lived life every day, constantly in touch with heaven, while being a blessing here on earth. He deployed his Spirit in a way that heaven was always with him. He lived his life (just like we all do) as an outflow of His Spirit. There is no way anyone can develop more than his/her Spirit. One of the greatest aberrations today amongst Christians is the thought or notion that their spiritual life is quite different and separate from their “other” lives. They only get “into the Spirit” when they are in church/fellowship, praying or reading the Bible. They deny themselves the opportunity to enjoy the best. Listen. Your academics is not separate from your spiritual life. Yes, it is not. When you live life as an outflow of your spirit, your academics will have no choice but to conform. Then, you live a supernatural life.

How do you bring heaven down? How do you command the supernatural in your life on a daily basis? How do you deplore your spirit to experience God in all aspects of your life? How do you command the manifest presence of God? How do you make sure you enjoy the best of heaven on earth on a continuous basis?

- Live a life of Worship

An atmosphere of worship is an atmosphere for the miraculous. When you surround yourself with an atmosphere of worship, then you bring heaven down. In 2 Chronicles 20, there is a wonderful story there on how worship can bring heaven down. The children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were going to invade Israel. The King of Israel, Jehoshaphat, cried up to heaven for direction on what to do. The instruction from the prophet was somewhat funny. Raise a choir! Let people sing and worship! Can you imagine how easy is it to sing when you are faced with double barrel guns and AK riffles? I bet it wasn’t an easy task. However, as they worshipped, heaven came down! The Lord set ambush against the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.They faced themselves and destroyed one another. Without raising a sword, shooting an arrow or a gun, the children of Israel won the battle.

Learn to surround yourself with an atmosphere of worship. Play worship tapes in your car. Play them in the house. Let it be the most popular on your laptop. Most importantly, play it in your heart. You will be amazed how heaven will come to bear on your behalf.

- Faith

Faith brings the spiritual to the physical. It makes you live a life beyond limits! The whole world was framed by faith, though the word of God. Everything on earth will still be framed/reframed by faith through the word of God. When you live a life of faith, you will witness the miraculous on a constant basis. Elisha was once such man that lived a great life of faith. Impossibility didn’t exist in his dictionary. No wander, at every point in his life, and even in his death, he commanded the supernatural. Without faith, you cannot enjoy the best of both worlds.

- Love and Compassion

One of the easiest ways to command the supernatural is compassion. Whenever love and compassion is in play, heaven comes to bear. Jesus easily enjoyed the best of heaven here on earth, because he was always moved with love and compassion. When he had compassion on 5000 men who had been following him without eating for a while, heaven stood at attention. 12 loaves and few fishes could feed all of them. That’s not natural. That is heaven coming to earth. The provision was provoked because of love and compassion. When you are moved by love and compassion, you will also provoke the supernatural.

- Holiness

Without holiness, no man shall see God, says the scriptures. Many people think that the Bible here is only talking about seeing God in heaven. Far from it. Without holiness, you will not see God move on your behalf even here on earth! God will never stand at attention on your behalf if you live a life on sin. Sin is a sinker. It is your purity that determines your authority. When a man pleases God, God places all the resources of heaven at his disposal. Do you want to bring heaven down on your behalf? Then, live straight! Live pure. You will not enjoy the best of both worlds by having one leg each in both! When you are sold out to God, then he delivers everything in his Kingdom to your hands. What a glorious opportunity.

- Obedience

First and foremost, obey God’s word. Obey the scriptures. They contain directions to bringing heaven down. Not only should you obey the Bible, you must also obey the nudging and promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Friends, you can bring heaven down. You can live a life about limits. You can enjoy the best of heaven while on earth. You can command the supernatural in your life on a daily basis. Yes, you can!

Enjoy!

Enjoying The Best Of 2 Worlds

It is 3.55p.m on a Saturday afternoon. I am sitting somewhere in the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, waiting to catch my flight back home. I always miss home whenever I travel, especially the wonderful angels under my roof! It’s been a week since I last hugged them at the airport. I can’t wait to hold them in my embrace.

So, I have spent the last one week in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a beautiful city I suppose. Apart from the difficulty with people not being able to speak English, it was a good time. It didn’t take long before I realized that Istanbul is divided into 2 parts. It’s like having 2 different cities, with different features and lifestyles, in 1. There is the Asian side as well as the European side. You can cross over from one part to the other within an hour or two, depending on the traffic. As you do that, you will marvel at the difference that exists between both sides of the capital. It is so distinct that you won’t believe you are in the same city. The Asian side is still very much underdeveloped, more serene and things are relatively cheap there. All these changes in about 1 hour! The European side is very busy, has very high traffic like any other busy city (both human and vehicles) and things are somewhat expensive there. At Taksim Square (the most popular area of the European side), I saw a crowd that I probably have never seen in my life before. It was amazing!

I wouldn’t have bored you with the description above if I wasn’t about to make a point. The point is this - I did enjoy the best of both the Asian and European side of Istanbul in this one week. While I stayed in the Asian side and enjoyed the serenity, I went to the European side to enjoy its beauty and its many activities. I enjoyed the best of both sides. That gave me more insight into a message I once preached a couple of years back. I titled it – Enjoying the best of two worlds. Let me share some more insight on this, if you don’t mind.

It is often said that “you cannot eat your cake and have it”. It is either you eat your cake (in which case you do not have it) or have your cake (in which case you do not eat it). While I agree with the logic of the statement, I do not believe in its literal meaning. I believe strongly that one thing does not have to suffer at the expense of the other. You do not have to lose out on your health because you are pursuing wealth. You can have both. You can lead a wonderful family life while still excelling in your career. You do not have to sacrifice one for the other. In other word, you can enjoy the best of 2 worlds.

Recall that man is primarily a spirit, in the very likeness of God. Many people forget this very important fact. They think that they are physical beings who sometimes go through spiritual experiences. These experiences make them feel “high”. This is a very wrong concept. Man is a spirit. We are spiritual beings that constantly go through physical experiences. We live in 2 worlds! It is very possible to enjoy one of these worlds to the detriment of the other. I have seen very spiritual people who are not doing well here on earth. Back in the university, we had Pastors who spent 2-3 years extra in school, despite being sharp spiritually. Also, I am sure you know, or have read about, very successful business men who are “empty” in their spirit. I know highly intelligent and smart people, who you wish only knew God. These 2 extremes are aberrations. That’s not how the creator designed it. He designed both worlds to be enjoyed in a complementary manner. You do not have to suffer here on earth to make heaven. Yes, you don’t! Infact, when Jesus came, he told his listeners “Now, is the Kingdom of God come unto you”. Literarily, what he was saying is this – You don’t have to wait to get to heaven. I am bringing heaven to you here on earth! Wonderful!

There are a couple of things you need to know about the 2 worlds I am talking about

We live in both worlds simultaneously

I have tried to explain that above. Whether you realize it or not, we are living in both the spiritual and physical world simultaneously. I am sure that at least you are aware of the physical world. Be aware also that you live in the spirit. We are spirit being that goes through physical experiences.

Both worlds are active

Believe me, there is so much activity in both worlds. Again, the activity in the physical world is quite obvious. Go to major cities of the world and you will be amazed at the activity going on in the physical. I saw one at Taksim Square. From Lagos to London, to Dubai, check out the activity in the realm of the physical. What you are not aware of is this – there is much more activity in the realm of the spirit! In God’s holy book, there is a story that explains this. Elisha, a prophet, was attacked by a strong army. When his servant, Gehazi saw the multitude of soldiers in the physical, he was naturally afraid. He must have said to himself “We are finished. This is it”. However, Elisha saw differently! He told him confidently “They that are for us are greater than they that are against us”. Interesting! What Elisha saw was the activity in the spirit. There was already a host of angels dispersed to fight on his behalf. Gehazi saw only the physical and was afraid. That what happens to those who only see in the realm of the physical. They are overwhelmed by the activity therein. Those who see in the realm of the spirit know better. And because they know better, they live better. They sleep better. They live longer! There are angels in the realm of the spirit acting on your behalf!

Both worlds affect each other

Not only are both worlds active, they are mutually dependent. Can you imagine that? Whatever we do in the realm of the physical, affects heaven. Yes, it does. Let me give you an example. God’s word says “There is joy in heaven over a sinner that repents…” When we preach to a sinner here on earth, and he come to God, a party begins in heaven. Isn’t it interesting that you can cause heaven to rejoice? Let me give you yet another example. God’s word says “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound ion heaven”. You see- whatever we do on earth affects heaven, and vice versa. Shouldn’t you be more conscious of what you then do in the realm of the physical, seeing that it affects the realm of the spirit?

The Spiritual Controls the Physical

That seems to be pretty obvious but it needs to be stressed. Whether positively or negatively, the Spiritual governs the physical. Infact, nothing happens in the physical without it happening in the spirit. I have seen both sides of the spirit controlling the physical. I have seen people manipulated by demons and devils on the realm of the spirit and manifesting it in the physical. How else would you explain someone who found himself in Lagos, without knowing how and when he left London? He just left, boarded a plane and didn’t know what he was doing until he was at MMA Airport in Lagos. I once wrote an exam that ordinarily should have failed. Despite the fact that I didn’t answer the questions too well. There was a confidence in me, based on revelations in God’s word that I won’t fail. Not only did I pass, I also got a distinction. That is the spiritual controlling the physical. Heaven came to bear on earth. Listen to me friends. Until you realize that heaven rules, you will suffer here on earth. It is not in all these waking up early and sleeping late. It’s not in all the certifications and qualifications you are getting (get them anyway). It is God! It is God coming to rule on your behalf and orchestrating events in your favour!

I will have to continue this later. My boarding announcement has just been made. It is now 5.35p.m. I still have a stopover before heading home. I’ll see if I can complete this. If not, stay right on top until I see you again. Till then, enjoy the best of both worlds!