WHEN HE DECIDES TO SQUEEZE HIS GLORY OUT OF US

WHEN HE DECIDES TO SQUEEZE HIS GLORY OUT OF US

By Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor, Authors, FINANCIAL EVANGELISM 

Don’t just be interested in your comfort during difficult seasons of your life. You should also be interested how you can position yourself for the glory of God to be revealed. Remember, it is not just about your COMFORT, His glory also matters to Him! God can decide to allow anything to happen to you if that will bring Him GLORY. It may not be because of a sin you have committed. It is just that God wants to show forth His glory to the world. Is it not amazing that most of us get to know God better during the most difficult seasons of our lives? It is at those times that most reveal God’s nature, character and power!

Life is not about you! It is about God and His glory! So, let Him do what He wants to do with your life!

One thing that God guards jealously is His glory. Indeed, God looks out for opportunities to manifest His glory in every situation. He is not only interested in our comfort; He is also interested in showing forth His glory even in our most frustrating moments. So, learn to take it easy with Him when life seems to go against you! It is important to state that, often, some of the situations He uses to manifest His glory may not seem favorable to us, but at the end of the day, He gets the be glory. God can use your failures to bring out His glory! God can use your disappointments to bring our His glory. God can do everything and anything with your life! Just allow Him to do His job!

Are you down to nothing? Is your business on the ground? Is your marriage on the verge of collapse? Are you finding it difficult to get a new job? Have you been laid off? Has your most favorite friends forsaken you? Don’t worry, God will use it for His glory! Just trust Him! The point is this: God is not the originator of evil but when the devil strikes hard, he uses that opportunity to manifest His glory! Of course, He can create His own opportunities to manifest His glory in our lives, but He just enjoys taking advantages of opportunities the devil creates, sometimes. Do you get it?

DON’T COMPLAIN, PRAISE HIM!

So, don’t complain anytime you get into difficulty, because, He might have allowed that to manifest His glory. Remember, that it is not about what you are going through (no matter how inconvenient it may seem), what matters is the GLORY of God being manifested. God is a show man! He likes to exhibit His supremacy during adversity. He may be seeing the frustrations you are going through but if that will bring Him through (through a miracle), He will permit you to go through it. He may be seeing the embarrassment you are facing but if that would allow his name to be glorified at the end why not? Often, we miss this point because, we are only interested in our own affairs and not what God wants to do! This is a very important key to walking with God.

You may ask: Can’t God use good things to show forth His glory? Yes, He can! But often, we don’t yield ourselves in order to manifest His glory except in hardships and difficult moments. Most of us just forget about God when everything is fine! Is it any wonder that most of forget about God when we prosper and seem to be doing well in every area of our lives? But God will do everything He has to do in order to manifest His glory. Put it in another way, “God is putting Himself on display!” That’s God for you!

WHAT IS GLORY?

The word glory is derived from the root word KABOD and has the following meanings: “full weight”, “true nature”, “full essence”, and “true reality”. The glory of God is the visible manifestation of God. God had a reputation for greatness, supremacy and power, and He displays this from time to time through events that happen in the world. The Psalmist declare in chapter nineteen verse one: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands”. What a mighty God!

WE ARE CONTAINERS OF HIS GLORY!

God created us for His glory! We are containers of God’s glory and He uses both positive and negative situations to bring out that glory! We may not like it, we may not enjoy it, but at the end, His name would be glorified. You were created to manifest God’s glory whether you are a medical practitioner, entrepreneur, president or whatever you may be engaged in. Everything on earth was created to manifest the glory of God. Your talents, your beauty and everything about you is supposed to glorify Him. Your marriage was meant to reveal His glory! The children He gave you are for His glory! The political position you hold currently is for His glory! Your state of singleness must be used to glorify Him. Your marriage is for His glory! But if you refuse to give the glory He deserve, HE WILL SQUEEZE THAT GLORY OF YOU. There is one thing we must all understand which is this: God does not joke with His glory and He will everything He has to do, for His glory be revealed.

HOW GOD REVEALS HIS GLORY IN DIFFICULT SEASONS OF LIFE

We wish to state that, people don’t often get into problems by their own mistakes. Sometimes, you can get into a difficult situation by no fault of yours. Suffering and hardship is not often a sign of disobedience and lack of faith in God. We should also stop the habit condemning people when they seem not be doing well in life. They may be suffering today, but the table may turn tomorrow. God specializes in using pressure, testing, temptations and frustrations to sometimes bring His glory out of us, and we should understand this very well.

We wish to state emphatically that difficult moments are vital in bringing the glory of God in our lives. Why? Because, most of us never bother about giving God glory when everything is fine with us. Most of us misbehave and even insult God by our actions and lifestyles when we seem to be enjoying total prosperity. Is it not amazing that the only time some politicians remember God is during elections? Is it not amazing that some entrepreneurs only recognize the supremacy of God when business goes down the drain? Do you some single people lose interest in prayer after marriage? Do you know some employees never bother about alnights and other church services after they land on their dream job? Do you know some poor people maltreat other people after God blesses them? 

Do you some people cannot fast and pray until a calamity knocks at the door? Do you know some believers only go on their knees during very frustrating moments in their lives? Do you know some leaders only recognize God when they are at the verge of death? These are the reasons why sometimes; God allows the devil to strike. We lose our sense of praise to God when everything seems alright. But God will not share His glory with anyone!

LET HIM SQUEEZE IT OUT

Joy might have left your life due to some financial challenges you may be facing, or you may be worried and sad due to some frustrations in your career, business, relationship or marriage. You may be having sleepless nights due to some challenges at the office. You may have lost a boy friend or girl friend recently. You may be struggling to grow a new ministry? Whatever it may be, remember that God can use that situation to do a miracle that will bring Him glory! God is looking for people who have lost hope so He can create a glory story. God wants to turn your situation around so everyone will know that He did it! Will you allow Him?

THE IMPACT OF PRAYER ON BUSINESS SUCCESS

THE IMPACT OF PRAYER ON BUSINESS SUCCESS

(Upcoming publication by Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor (CA).

Does prayer really matter in business? How does prayer affect the success or failure of a business? How does regular company morning devotion contribute to organizational success and effectiveness? How does prayer affect organizational decisions such as hiring and firing staff, operations, marketing and public relations, financial planning, organizational restructuring and re-engineering and much more?

THE IMPACT OF PRAYER ON BUSINESS SUCCESS

Our latest publication seeks to answer all these and more! Having had a stint with some of Ghana’s biggest brands for some years (my wife still does, though) and now as entrepreneurs, we've gathered experiences that we believe would be worth sharing to readers on the subject matter.

Indeed, there are people [including some believers] who argue that one does not need prayer to succeed in business and they based their argument on the fact that billionaire entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, Mike Bloomberg, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Warren Buffet, do very little prayer (if any at all)....when it comes to business. Some even argue that prayer really makes a difference, then Christians should have become some of the leading Billionaires in the world.


Such people argue that passion, commitment, hard work and industry knowledge just to mention a few are all a person needs to make it in business. As you should know, this is a complete "half- truth"'...because these things do not necessarily guarantee business success. If indeed, business knowledge alone and been smart was all that one needs to do well in business, then we wouldn't see highly successful business people often consulting all kinds of mediums in their quest to for business success.

There must be something more! Probably, spirituality becomes more crucial as you grow bigger in business!


That notwithstanding, the fact that some people can succeed in business without depending on God (and prayer) does not mean believers should do same. Indeed, believers must play a different game. Remember that Jesus said "Without me, ye can do nothing ..." That includes business! Mark Zuckerberg may not depend on the Holy Ghost through prayer but that does not mean you must do same. You are different! You have a kingdom assignment to fulfil~ not just to make money!


GOD WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN YOUR BUSINESS.

Does God care about HR, Marketing, PR and Financials issues in your company? Yes, He does! In fact, He has ideas that can transform your entire business. But He needs your invitation through prayer! God would not jump into our business without our invitation! He can’t break the principles He has set Himself! We must invite Him through prayer.

Of course, knowledge and skills matter a lot in business success, too! We are not discounting that at all. Our focus in this book, is to help you combine the two effectively. Entrepreneurial success for the Christian is a powerful combination of relevant knowledge, skills/expertise and as well as prayer and dependence on God.

The point is this: we need to understand that God hates it when we sideline Him in the things we do, including our businesses. Remember, a believer who does not need God's help to succeed in business and any other aspect of his life cannot please God. Every aspect of a believers’ life including business must be anchored on faith. We must learn to trust and believe God even in business. It's scriptural!

In this book, you will discover amazing results of Entrepreneurs who prayed to God and how they got ideas that transformed their businesses. You will also read about others whose business collapsed and how God helped them to rise from failure to success through prayer and dependence on God. You will read about why some Christians fail in business and how others succeeded.

The authors explain several reasons why Christian business people need to take prayer more seriously. Two of such reasons include:

THE DEVIL STRATEGICALLY LAUNCHES ATTACKS AGAINST CHRISTIAN BUSINESS PEOPLE

Entrepreneurs, Professionals and leaders in the marketplace would continue to be targets of the devil simply because, when they succeed, they can impact positively on the kingdom of God. This also means that the devil may not worry you much if he knows that your success in business would not impact on the Kingdom of God directly or indirectly. As Christian business people, our success in business is a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Every believer in the marketplace will face opposition from the camp of the enemy. You should therefore not be surprised when the devil launches attack on your business. This is one of the reasons why you need to sink prayer into your business. We need prayer to make our businesses profitable and sustainable.

GOD CAN GIVE YOU IDEAS THAT WOULD TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS

In fact, if education alone were enough to make a business successful, then we wouldn’t have a case of very educated business leaders consulting mediums and joining secret societies in order succeed in business. There must be something more! They are very much aware that business at the highest level is more spiritual than physical. Unfortunately, many Christian Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders are yet to make this discovery!

Another reason why a believer must prayer for his business is because, the knowledge we get in school is limited. There are several challenges that will confront you in business which you won’t find in textbooks on business or economy! Most of the Harvard-educated business people have failed to rescue organizations including large asset-based financial institutions from crumbling.

While it is never a bad idea to get master’s or PhD in business administration, there are problems in business that cannot be solved with that knowledge. Once again, we wish to emphasize that as an Entrepreneur or Corporate Leader, there are challenges that will confront and make non-sense of all your business school knowledge. You need something higher, which can only be found by speaking to God about your business. As you pray, God can download things into your spirit which can turn things around!

The upcoming publication is written for Christian Entrepreneurs, Leaders of Multinational Corporations, Managing Consultants, Emerging Technology Entrepreneurs and High-Level Government Officials.

Aspiring Entrepreneurs can also learn valuable lessons from this powerful book.

You will be inspired to build a formidable business beyond human comprehension as you divulge the content of this great piece.

THE SPIRIT OF RADAH

THE SPIRIT OF “RADAH”

By Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor (Bestselling Authors, FINANCIAL EVANGELISM)

As humans, it is important to understand the stuff of which we are made of. We were created in the image of God or His likeness in order to manifest His divine nature and attributes.

But it is very vital to understand the concept of the image of God. The word image, “selem” in Hebrew means in the sense of His essential nature and attributes. In sum, the image of God represents dominion or rulership, and that explains why God instructed man to rule over His creation.

So, in the instruction, “let them have dominion…”, God was calling on each one of us to exert our authority on earth and over everything that happens thereon. He had put us in charge, and everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and Savior today, has that authority over the earth and its occurrences.

Again, the word dominion or RADAH (as used in Genesis 1:26) in (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, # H7287) means to prevail against, to have dominion, to reign, or to rule.

The understanding and appreciation of these two words, “selem” and “radah” are vital because, they go a long way to determine our approach towards the things that happen to us on earth.

From the above, we see clearly that the purpose of mankind is to exert influence over the earth and all its circumstances. Specifically, we are supposed to rule and oversee the affairs of this life.

We were created to dominate in every sphere of life. We oversee the earth and we are supposed to determine what happens on it at any point in time. We are not supposed to be under the mercy of the earth or its circumstances!

 Specifically, as humans, we are not supposed to be intimidated by SICKNESSES, DISEASES, POVERTY or even DEATH!

These things are supposed to submit to us!

The spirit of rulership or dominion (RADAH) inherent in us empowers us to subjugate, that is, to PREVAIL AGAINST OR RULE OVER THE THREATS OF LIFE.

We were designed by our Creator to dominate any situation that seeks to frustrate or short circuit the manifestation of our destiny on planet earth.

We are not ‘aliens’ here. We are the original inhabitants and anything that seeks to mess up with our enjoyment must surrender!

Remember, we’ve got the power!

IS IT A GOOD TIME TO PRAISE THE LORD?

IS IT A GOOD TIME TO PRAISE THE LORD?

By Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor
(Bestselling Authors, FINANCIAL EVANGELISM)

“Praise the Lord”, “Glory be to God”, “God is Good”,  “Thank you Jesus”, “His Mercy Endures Forever”, “Thank you Lord”, may be very scarce to hear now but that does not change who God is.

In fact, even in the worst of times, God still reigns.

The world may be  crumbling under the dreaded coronavirus, but God still reigns! People may be dying all over world, but God still reigns. Men, women and children are continually fearing the risk of contracting the deadly virus. Yes! But God is still the King of the universe!

Praising God is a very good habit especially in the worst of times. Most of us forget about the SUPREMACY of GOD during tough times. But we should not!

 Indeed, the people who make the most noise when times are bad are the very ones who praise God less when everything is fine. Get  this right: In the most disastrous moment of your life, one of the things you must do is this: You must PRAISE more than you PRAY!

Why should we praise God?

Well, there basic reasons.

Firstly, WE PRAISE GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS. God is omnipotent. He's all powerful. No evil or calamity is strong enough to change who God is.

It is therefore an insult not to praise Him during difficult times. When we seem to forget about who God is and begin to entertain fear and allow the spirit of intimidation to choke our hearts, we sell off our faith in the Almighty!

Secondly, WE PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE. It is impossible to recount all the dangers God has delivered us from in the past.
In fact, one of the most exciting times to praise God is when He has done or allowed something great to happen to us. We all feel very happy and rush to praise Him.

That’s when the testimonies flow!

Note this: We must not only praise God for who He is or what He has done. We must also learn to praise God for what He is about to do. And, honestly, this is the most difficult time to praise Him because, you may have no knowledge on what He is about to do or even when He will…..That’s the times in which we live NOW.

At such moments, you can pray until all your prayers get finished.

This is the reason why we must praise Him for what HE IS ABOUT TO DO. We have heard some people ask why, “So, of all the so-called men of God we have around, none of them ever saw this coming, especially those who claim to be prophets?”.

Sorry for you: God is not under obligation to communicate everything He wants to do or allow to us.

God may choose in some instances to do that, but if He doesn’t, He remains God. He does not take permission from us when He wants to allow something bad or good to happen to the world.

 He chooses what he does and what He allows at any point in time. It seems some of us think God has become our co-equal!

This is a very dangerous attitude to exhibit in our relationship with God.

We must watch our attitude towards God, especially during very difficult times.

It does not matter what may be happening now…

He is still the Almighty! All-powerful! All-knowing! He is the mover of Mountains and Men!

He is the WAY MAKER! He is the GREAT DELIVER! He is the AWESOME GOD!

He is the GREAT HEALER of our Land! He is the GREAT WARRIOR!

Praise the Lord!!!

~The authors are the bestselling authors of the book, FINANCIAL EVANGELISM.

HOW TO FUNCTION AS A KING IN YOUR DOMAIN

~HOW TO FUNCTION AS A KING IN YOUR DOMAIN ~

Special Easter Message by:

Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor

Founders, WISDOM EMPOWERMENT CENTRE

Easter is a significant celebration on the world’s calendar. It is not a celebration for Christians. Easter is a message to the world! The special event which commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and the King of Kings presents several lessons for our learning.

Often, the message about the Kingship of Jesus has been relegated to the background while much emphasis is laid on His “Saviourness”. Jesus is not just the Saviour of the world; He is also an everlasting King and He has made every one of us as Kings. We represent His Kingdom on earth.

The scriptures reveal that, in the fullness of time, Jesus came to the earth and re-established the Kingdom of God. It is important to understand that Jesus did not come as a religious leader but rather as a King and Political leader. For your information, the word church is not a religious word. It is a political word. Obviously, because, only a King can establish a Kingdom, this act alone reveals that Jesus Christ is the King.

In this special article, we shall examine ways by which a Christian can function as a King in his or her domain. Your domain applies to your area of calling as a business executive, pastor, entrepreneur, politician, entertainer or whatever.

1.      YOU MUST ENJOY YOUR REIGN, BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER BE VOTED OUT OF POWER AS A KING

Kings reign. In fact, the word itself is akin to kingship. As a king, you must reign because, you were never voted into power, and so, there should be no fear of being removed from your throne. Unlike democratic leaders, kings do not have a limit on the number of years on their reign as kings. Kings reign forever! No elections are held for kings! Jesus, who is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, reigns forever. Because the kingdom is his by birth, a king rules for life. A president is voted out of office or departs due to term limits, but this does not apply to a king. Jesus was King before this world began, and He will still be King after it has passed away. In fact, the scriptures make this bold declaration: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever”.

2.      EXERCISE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”. (Matthew 18: 18, 19 KJV).

Jesus as King carried so much authority and so, are we. We have the power to make decrees and enforce them. As a king, you can exert authority over every situation in this life. When a king makes a law, it is never taken to parliament for approval. In fact, unlike in a democracy, the media or whatever institution does not have the audacity to question the king’s laws. As a King, you have absolute authority. Therefore, when a king speaks, he speaks with absolute authority— authority that is inherent to his kingship.

It is important to state that kings do not live under the mercy of situations or circumstances. The exercise their authority over anything that seems to challenge them!

3.      CLAIM EVERYTHING WITHIN YOUR DOMAIN

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”. (John 14:12-14).

It is an open secret that a king owns everything within his domain. A king owns the people, the animals, the plants, the land, and the air around the land. He owns the value under the earth—the gold, the silver, the platinum, the diamonds, etc. That is why Jesus is called a Lord. The word Lord means “owner”.

But it is important to emphasize that Jesus has made us Lords, too. If we can discover ourselves and the talents, He has given us, we won’t go around begging! Why beg when you won everything!

When Jesus was on earth as King, Lord and Saviour, He exemplified this. He had power over the wind, water and even money. He could command things to obey Him. Why? It is because, a king personally owns everything in his domain. Just like Jesus, each one of us can explore the abilities God has given us to extend our territories.

A king is more powerful than a president or prime minister. This is because, presidents and other elected leaders do not own their countries; they are citizens like everyone else. A king, on the other hand, personally owns everything in his domain. In fact, a kingdom is the only form of government where the ruler owns everything and everyone. In the words of King David: "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Psalm 24:1).

4.      LEARN TO MAKE DECREES ON A DAILY BASIS

“Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, there is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person”. Job 22:28, 29 KJV.

What did Jesus do when the storms arose on the sea? He commanded and the storm calmed. That is Kingship! Kings issue decrees on things that seem to challenge their authority. Therefore, why allow rejection, disappointment and frustration to keep you down when you can speak to those situations? Don’t you know you are king? Why are you weeping? Why have you lost hope?

A king’s decree is unchanging. Whatever a king says is final. No one can challenge it. In a democratic system, laws can be amended, revised, or revoked. But this does not happen in kingdom! It is time to make financial, health, family, marriage, career and business decrees. Don’t sit back and look helpless. Crying will not solve your issues! You are a King! It is time to issue some decrees.

5.      EXPAND YOUR TERRITORY FOR MORE RESOURCES

“Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.(Joshua 14: 12 KJV).

Why did the Queen of England send his people to Africa? Why did the Portuguese come to Africa? How about the Dutch and the Danes? They wanted to expand their reach for more resources. Why did they fall in love with Gold Coast? Because of our gold and other mineral resources. Kings need resources to take care of their people. Kings need resources to expand their Kingdom. Again, a King’s wealth is measured by his property. The more properties, the better! The larger and richer in resources a Kingdom is, the wealthier the king, because the king owns everything in his Kingdom. Kings own everything in their domain by right of birth and Kingship.

God has given you GIFTS and TALENTS so you can identify and develop them. If you refuse to develop yourself, you are likely to remain poor. The cars, houses and properties will come with the usage of our talents. As you use your talents, your name will spread abroad, opportunities will find you and you will become very wealthy. You must therefore work on extending your territory in this life. Extend your financial territory! Extend your health territory. Don’t die before your time! Enjoy the fullness of peace.

But one may ask: Why is wealth so important in a Kingdom? So, the king can take care of his citizens. A righteous and benevolent king does not amass wealth for himself but for the welfare of his citizens. In the same vein, as kings, our desire to create wealth must not be to show off. We must desire to create wealth to expand the Kingdom of our God. We must use our wealth to draw people to Him.

6.      DON’T SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POOR PEOPLE

When God makes you great, you must focus on also helping other people to become great. There are people who choose to invest their financial resources in houses and cars than humans. This is not the best because, though resources matter, we must not esteem them above people, because, the greatest investment you can ever make is in people.

You should be ashamed of yourself if you are living big and your workers are suffering. You should be ashamed if you claim you love God but hate people and treat them anyhow. As a king, you must be concerned about the financial well-being of the people you surround yourself with. It is dangerous to surround yourself with poor people.

Why leave them poor if you can help them. Remember as a King, people judge how wealthy you are by the kind of people who surround yourself with. God wants us to prosper in everything we do because, prosperity reflects His nature. As Christians, we don’t serve a needy God. Our God is prosperous!

This concept is important because, as a king, your citizenry represents your glory. If you surround yourself with poor citizens, no one will take you serious! A king’s prosperity is measured by the status of his citizens. If the citizens are poor, the king is seen as a poor king. If the citizens are prosperous, however, the king is seen as a wealthy king. Wealthy citizens make a king proud.

That is why it is important for a king to make sure his people prosper. Any conscientious king wants his citizens to be happy, prosperous, and content because their status and quality of life reflect on him. The greater their prosperity and well-being, the greater the glory and honor that rest on the king who provides for them so well.

Citizens of God’s Kingdom are supposed to show what their King is like by the way they live, act, dress, walk, and talk. Kingdom citizens are to reflect the nature and character of their King, who is righteous, just, benevolent, compassionate, and full of glory. Therefore, there is no poverty in the Kingdom of Heaven, no economic crisis, and no shortages.

7.      WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!

But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

Though a king can never be voted of out power, if a king misbehaves, he can be dethroned! Indeed, the authority in a king is resident in his sense of righteousness. Therefore, until a king does something immoral no one can remove him from the throne.

God, the King of the Kingdom of Heaven is righteous, and He expects us in the extension of His Kingdom on earth to also live righteously. What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be in right standing with the ruling authority.

This calls for righteousness in our daily living. In fact, Jesus died for our righteousness.

Righteousness is the seal of ruler-ship. Righteousness is key because, it gives you a legal right to access anything in the kingdom. When you are in right standing before the King, prosperity, sound health, divine protection, justice, mercy and all other good things come to you easily.

It is our trust that the death and the resurrection of our King, Savior and Lord will bring your greater blessings this year.

May the Lord empower you to fulfill your assignment on earth.

May this Kingship Anointing be released into your life today!

God richly bless you.

MO IBRAHIM’S MIDAS TOUCH: CELEBRATING AFRICA’S GREATEST TELECOMS ENTREPRENEUR EVER!

MO IBRAHIM’S MIDAS TOUCH: 

CELEBRATING AFRICA’S GREATEST TELECOMS ENTREPRENEUR EVER! 

What kind of human being do you expect to get after subjecting a child to the following conditions: born in poverty stricken Ershkert in Northern Sudan in Africa, raised by a cotton trader and educated in Egypt? Of course, a celebrated telecoms engineer and African development advocate!  Really, if it wasn’t for an unassuming Sudanese engineer, the world of telecommunications as we know it would not exist. To say therefore, that Mo Ibrahim is an entrepreneur extraordinaire and one of the greatest leaders ever in Africa is no understatement!  

Ever since I started the series of articles on new venture creations, I have become an ardent student of business and the experience has been very rewarding indeed! It is my considered believe that these inspiring lessons can be of immense help to aspiring new venture creators as well as established ones.

In this article, we shall examine some remarkable lessons from the life of one of Africa’s greatest telecoms entrepreneurs, Mo Ibrahim.  

1. DRIVING AN INSPIRING VISION

The first notable attribute you find in Mo Ibrahim is his vision. Right from a very young age, the desire to make an impact in his generation was evident. His vision was clear,” to become a top engineer and win the noble price in physics “, and he did.

 The young lad was determined to live footprints in the sands of times. The year was January 1985. Mo Ibrahim made history when he led the team that invented the first mobile phone network.  The amazing feat became a springboard that led to other astonishing accomplishments.

It appears that the size of one’s vision determines the kind of life he lives. Mo Ibrahim had great vision and did everything possible to realize that dream. What you should be asking yourself is whether your vision is indeed inspiring. Is your vision generating enough impetus?

Ibrahim’s passion for telecoms was amazing. Hear him as he express his passion:

 “I actually enjoy working with networks and engineering. It’s fun and it’s a very creative job.  I never intended to really stay long in the academia because I’ve always been an engineer and I really wanted to play with the big train and you cannot do that in the academia”

Passion plays a critical in achieving success as an entrepreneur.  Without passion, there cannot be greatness.  Telecom was second to none to any other passion on planet earth for Mo Ibrahim. Mathematics and physics had been his favourite subject in school and that was instrumental in achieving his life dream of becoming one of the finest engineers in the world. 

His passion payed off. I his own words,

” It just fascinated me. Mobile communications was a complex new mode of communication with very little knowledge (available) and about how to effectively plan or management it. I made a real breath through, but of course, nobody could predict at the time that mobile communications would be so universal today. At that time, it was a very small industry” . 

It was his desire to explore further opportunities in the telecoms that actually inspired him to travel outside his home country Sudan to Geneva for the International Telecommunications Union conference during which he made the discovery for the first mobile phone in the world. 

3. PEOPLE, PLACES AND TIMING OF LIFE’S OPPORTUNITIES 

Yes, places do matter! I have it said severally that many African do better when they travel outside the continent. The reason for migration is not just the desire for a better life but moreso, a better system to maximize ones talents. It appears the African business environment is still not favouring many locals. I beg to differ, I may be wrong. 

A critical success factor in business is about people, places and timing of life’s opportunities.  In Mo Ibrahim’s own words, his success was linked to these three pillars.

“I’m no hero myself; I’m just somebody who happened to be in the right place at the right time, with the right know-how”.

And he was right! The right place was Britain. The right time was back in the 70s and the right know-how was telecommunications. This is instructive because I can’t imagine what would have happened if he had not travelled to the UK. Skills and talents are essential but the lack of the right environment can frustrate them and hamper further development into full potential. Environment holds the key to fulfilling our God-given potential. 

4. GIVING UP TO GOING UP 

One of the most difficult decisions Mo Ibrahim had to make at one point in time is leaving British Telecom’s to start his own business after several frustrations. The company did not see the opportunity he was at the time nosing to drive the world.Telecommunications. It was difficult but he had to leave. 

As a new venture creator, you will be required to make several sacrifcesfor the growth of the business into an empire. There is always a price to pay for every success.

Taking calculated risks every here and there also become essential especially when your dream is to go international. Just like Ibrahim, Bill Gates dropped from Harvard to give us all Microsoft. There are some people who may have to move out their current positions to give the world, a better offer, but the timing is important. And when the time comes you must move with courage and conviction! 

“ I didn’t see BT as agile organization and at that time they were not focused on mobile telecommunications. The management failed to see the future f that industry so the support we were getting from the company was very lukewarm”.

He continues, 

“ I really wanted to have my own freedom and that essentially was my motivation; it was not to try to make money. I just wanted to have my peace of mind to enjoy what I was doping”.

But a lot of his friends could not side with him. “Yes, of course, a lot of people thought I was crazy. I had a very cushy good job.  I had a big company car. I had all my telecoms for free., but I increasingly become  unhappy  and I relay  wanted to  enjoy  what I was doing .. There was no point so I had to quit”. 

Armed with a few loyal friends and his able wife, Mo Ibrahim left BT to set up Mobile Systems International (MSI), a company that was to grow employees to 900 by 11 years. Ibrahim grew MSI to be one of the leading mobile phone network designers at the time. They designed networks for companies all over the world. But it all began when he took the bold 

5. NEVER DISCOUNT ‘COMMON SENSE’ 

Unlike most business leaders and great people, Ibrahim does not spend much time reading. That sound strange, isn’t it? He just applies his common sense.  He believes that people can do much if they look within themselves first and use their thinking

One thing that Ibrahim attributes to his success above all else is something so glaringly obvious and freely available that most business books forget to recommend.

He explains, ” it is called commons sense. Forget about all those Harvard books and business schools. It’s just common sense. If that prevails in what you do, you will always be safe”. 

He had worked for several other telecommunications companies before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries. At the time of inventing the world’s first mobile phone, he was working for the state owned telecom operator, British Telecom.

6. MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE 

One thing that is worth noting about Mo Ibrahim is his desire to let his success touch other lives. He had succeeded in making his success count. Really, you cannot claimed to be successful and until your success has touched other lives.

In 2006, he established  what one may described as a rather radical initiative, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which offered the world’s  biggest price, US$ 5 million and US $ 200, 000  a year  to a different African president  each year.  He does this under the criteria of leadership, good governance, and most important for all, a president who steps down from power timorously.  The Mo Ibrahim index has to some extent ignited the quest for some leaders on the continent to drive exemplary leadership. 

He started a US$ 150 million private equity fund, Satya Capital to invest in African businesses.  T a large extent his private equity capital has succeeded in giving a facelift to many new venture creations across the continent. Today, he divides his time between the fund and the foundation.  

We all have a responsibility to impact other lives around us!

CONCLUSION

It is not enough to be successful; we must all be busily asking how significant our success has been to our society and nation and perhaps by extension, our continent and the world.  Mo Ibrahim has become more significant o Africa today because of his foundation either than Celtel. I shudder to think how many people know he founded Celtel and produced the first mobile phone. But his known more for his philanthropy.

May we all make our success significant to generations unborn as entrepreneurs!