Emeka Anslem's Blog... Bringing knowledge to the people

USE WHAT YOU KNOW BEST! David did not just use the slingshot against Goliath, he probably began the fight with a sword and a shield. He must have fought to a point that the conventional sword and shield could no longer help him. And then he remembered what he knew best. He further received inspiration as he considered using what he knew best. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that what he knew best would defeat Goliath. It is not that it was impossible to use a sword to defeat Goliath, but defeating Goliath required his best skill, and that means he has to switch to what he knew best. And when he eventually switched, he defeated Goliath with a single shot. Do not allow yourself to lose when you know something that can help you win. You may not know everything they expect you to know, but use the one thing you really know to remain on track. I recently gained some respect from my HOD; he asked me to construct an official mail on his behalf, and when he r

TIMELY NOTES! Goliath was an impossible and complex case, even the mighty Saul did not know how to defeat him. Saul had used his best soldiers and best strategies, but all to no avail. Goliath became more fierce when he saw that none of Saul's strategies worked against him. But here came little David; he was not even a trained swordsman. He vowed to defeat Goliath, and he did. The amazing thing is; it was not a sword or the shield that he used in defeating Goliath, it was a slingshot. He shot a stone into his forehead, and that was the end of Goliath. Saul would not have been able to think that a slingshot would defeat Goliath. He saw a big problem, and he thought that only a big military strategy would be able to conquer that problem. The solution to many of our big problems are often in the small things we despise. I remember the testimony of an administrative person who repaired an industrial machine that no professional engineer, foreign or local, could repair, just by aski

TIMELY NOTES! I was in a church service yesterday, and while people were getting inspired and responding to the hot sermon, I was just there watching how the pastor was preaching. I wondered how any man would be preaching at such a frequency. I shook my head over and again, until I found myself praying to God "Lord, I am not sure what is causing this pastor to preach the way he is preaching, but whatever it is, I want it now". Do not get me wrong; it was not that I did not have other pressing issues to pray for, afterall, the pastor even preached on a matter that was really pressing in my heart. But at that moment, my desires were different; my natural needs were no longer a priority. Even though the pastor was preaching about my natural needs, I just did not care anymore. I just wanted what he carried inside him. When people discussed how powerful the sermon was, I did not even know what to say. While I meditated on what happened to me in the service, I discovered that w

TIMELY NOTES! Faith is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever. The Bible tells us that the just shall live by faith, and we do not need to be told that the unbeliever lives by his means. The lifestyle of faith is above any other lifestyle; that is why Christians who really practice faith always feel above, whether in their place of work, business, family, or academic settings. Many Christians rate unbelievers higher than themselves, only because they have more money than they do. Money naturally commands respect from people; but it is important to understand according to scriptures, that people who live by faith are rated to be more valuable than money. Isaiah 13:12 says that God will make man more precious than gold. Which means, no matter how much money an unbeliever has, my faith makes me more valuable than he is. Many Christians can not even preach salvation to their rich friends, all because they are not as rich. Faith is too expensive, no amount of money can inti

TIMELY NOTES! I recently remarked that the best way to be really productive in life is to be yourself. God gave us strength enough to be ourselves, and not anybody else. And most times, our strengths are either too small or too much to be like someone else. This means you would either be under-utilizing your potentials or over-working it. The reason why many people always look stressed is probably because they are doing what someone else should be doing. I am not saying you should quit your job, especially if it is your major source of income. But rather, find a way to mix your job with the things that make you feel yourself. What is your life without the real "you" in it? I am an ICT Expert, and I work as one; but nothing makes me happier like writing and bringing knowledge to people. To be candid, I am happy with my job as an ICT Expert because I am happy with myself. My productivity in the office is remarkable, and all my colleagues say the same thing. My HOD once comp

TIMELY NOTES! It is not enough to know what you want, you also need to know how to get what you want. The Bible tells us that the labour of the foolish wearies everyone because he does not know how to get to the city. This literally means that; knowing what you want without knowing how to get what you want is foolishness. The Bible says he that walks with the wise shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. That could also mean that God cannot stop the destruction of a foolish man. This may sound irrational, but didn't the Bible say God's people are destroyed because they lack knowledge? For instance, if you need promotion in your job, business, marriage, career, or academics, do not look up to man to promote you; rather, look up to God. Did not the Bible say that promotion does not come from the north, south, east or west, but from God? It is the God who gave you that admission that knows how He would pay the tuitions. It is the God who gave you that job th

TIMELY NOTES! As new born babies, our parents never fed us with hot food. They began with cold breast milk, and then advanced to warm cereal foods. As we grew, they started introducing hot solid foods, but with their supervision. We watched them blow the food with their mouth until it is warm enough for our mouth to chew. Things changed as we grew much older; we hardly settle for meals that are cold or just warm. We like it steaming hot, probably because life is hot. The kingdom of heaven is also hot. God may have fed you with milk or even blew your hot challenges so you can walk through cheaply; but a time comes when He expects you to learn how to fix your challenges through the things He has taught you, just like we learnt how to eat hot meals from our parents. I remember a child calling upon his mother saying "mum, please blow my food for me", and his mother responded saying "son, you have mouth, blow it by yourself". God told Moses something similar when he

TIMELY NOTES! If the last strategy that God gave you did not destroy the enemy, do not use the same strategy when the same enemy returns. Moses never used the same strategy on Pharaoh. He kept getting new strategies from God until he got the one that provoked Pharaoh to release the people of Israel. Some bandits attacked David and his people, and when David enquired for what to do from God, God told him to pursue and overtake them. But that strategy did not seem to destroy them, because they came back after a while. David enquired again from the Lord on what to do, and God gave him a strategy different from the first one. Oftentimes, people are too quick to assume what will work for them, probably because it worked the last time. I remember when two tablets of a drug cured a tormenting ache I had on my head. But after some days, the ache came back. I tried two tablets again, but this time, it did not work. I had to take more tablets to subdue the headache. When the ache came back t

TIMELY NOTES! It begins with a thought! If you can think it, then you can create it. The mind is like an architect, it draws anything that is possible to build. The hand that builds is not as important as the mind that thinks. Architects do not really build, but they are the brainwork behind every building. Nobody blames a builder for the flaws in a building, they blame the architect. If a building is not fine, check the drawing. If your life is not pleasing to you, check your thoughts. When a person behaves unreasonably, people say things like "I don't like the way that person thinks". This is why I hardly have issues with how people appear. If I can succeed in changing how they think, then I can change how they appear. Until the architect changes the drawing, the builder can not make any change. Until our thoughts change, our lives can not change. This is why the Bible says "we should be transformed by renewing our mind". Transformation begins from the min

TIMELY NOTES! God give me a sign! That is what many believers say to God when they need to make a decision. But I have discovered, that many of them do not identify the sign when it eventually comes. What is the use of praying for a sign when you do not have the sensitivity required to see it when it comes? This is probably why many believers face unnecessary delay in life; they want a sign they do not know how to get. It takes faith to get a sign. Just as you ask God for the things you need, you also ask Him for the sign you need. For instance, when Abraham's servant went in search of a wife for Isaac, he told God the kind of sign he wanted. He stood by the well and prayed to God that the woman who would be married to Isaac should offer him water from the well. And that was exactly what happened. God uses signs mostly to deliver us from trouble; and that is why He would be willing to show us the signs we ask for. If you really need to make a decision, then do not just ask for

TIMELY NOTES! The Bible says we should "pray for the peace of Jerusalem, so that people that have good intentions and plans for her would prosper". Jerusalem in that context refers to the city where God's people lived. After King Saul lost the Israelites to the Philistines, David quickly took responsibility for God's people and united all of them in Jerusalem. Jerusalem officially became the city of God when the name of the Lord entered into it. Every nation where the name of the Lord is mentioned and reverenced is an heavenly Jerusalem. And it would be unwise not to pray for such nations. No matter how anointed and gifted you may be, you need a settled people to maximize your gifts and anointing. The fact that you are an amazing singer does not mean you would prosper, you would need a settled fan. Who would listen to your fine preaching or songs in a war front? Who would watch your shows with no food on their table? Who would buy your books when there is no money

TIMELY NOTES! Do you have doubts? When you begin to doubt the occurrence of what you believed, then you really need to pray. Doubts are like weeds, they grow wherever they see an empty land. Faith is like a land, and prayer is the material that builds on faith. If you want to make the most of your faith, then you must buy more prayer time. A building project will naturally stop if the supply of the required materials stop. Though faith comes by hearing the word of God, but faith without prayer will soon result to doubt. Faith needs a partner; it would either use prayer to excel, or invite doubt to fail. The moment you stop praying on your faith, then doubt hits the road. Doubts may be unwanted, but just like weeds, you can not stop them from growing on an empty prayer life. Prayer is like a cultivator, it clears doubt from what you believe. In my opinion, anybody who has developed doubts for what he believed has not been praying. All the while, Jesus believed that the will of God w

TIMELY NOTES! What do you have? If all you have are things you can physically see, then you really do not have anything. According to scriptures, physical things are subject to change; and they can change at any moment. Job was the wealthiest and most protected man in his time; but in a moment, he became the poorest and most feeble person in his time. Strange, right? Spiritual things lasts forever. The bible tells us that "whatever the Lord does shall be forever". Spiritual things have capacity to transcend different times and seasons. If Job had refused to pray for his friends, he would have died in that affliction. But his spiritual action towards his friends changed his physical condition. If God is all you have, then He is all you need to have all your needs met. God is not a material, He is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in truth and in spirit. Pray more, fast more, give more; that is how you keep your spirit in check. That's how far we

TIMELY NOTES! Keep going! Your oppositions cannot cross the Red Sea with you. If Moses and the people of Israel did not cross the sea, Pharaoh would have killed all of them. Oftentimes, the oppositions that are coming behind us are stronger than the ones ahead of us. In the journey of life, we are not permitted to stop. But if we must stop, our reason for stopping must be to re-strategize on how to go forward. The oppositions ahead may appear impossible to defeat, but if you will not surrender, you will cross over. Elisha was in-between fire and the Jordan river; and he had no choice but to cross the river because the fire was fast approaching him. The bible recorded that he took the mantle which fell from Elijah and smote the Jordan river. The moment he did that, the river created a passage for him. Oppositions are opposite-positions to the intended position. And If you will add a little more effort, the oppositions ahead will let you take your proper position. My father has often

TIMELY NOTES! Learning is the only medicine for knowledge. Illiteracy is an ailment that hurts more than any disease in life. Hard labour is generally reserved for the illiterate; and that is because people who engage in hard labour do not have enough knowledge to convert their hard labour into large profit. The bible says "the labour of the foolish wearies everyone because he does not know how to get to the city". Labour is failure when you can not make a matchable profit. There is always a more knowledgeable way to do everything. The reason why certain things are too hard for you is probably because you are too soft on knowledge. If you want to experience an easy life, do not go easy on knowledge. And if you want to increase your rating in life, increase the rate at which you learn. Knowledge moves in the speed of light; there is really no one that it cannot catch up and even overtake. That also means I can do more than my mentors have done, if only I would be consisten

TIMELY NOTES! When a principle is set by a superior person, all his subordinates will be subject to it. For instance, you should not expect to be alive if you decide to jump off a ten storey building. And that is because the principle that governs gravity was created by a superior person. You may amend your own principles easily, but to change the principles of your superior, you would need to become like your superior. Naturally, any weight must sink when it contacts water. But Jesus was able to amend it when He walked on water - and that is because he created the principle. With faith, Peter also walked on water; but when he lost faith, he became subject to the principles of sinking. Naturally, everybody in the world is subject to sickness and diseases, but sickness and diseases are subject to the principles of faith. The Bible defines faith as "the victory that overcomes the world". Which means no matter what is happening, the principles of faith will still prevail. Na

FAITH IS THE EVIDENCE! After you have studied the word of God and prayed about those needs, what happens next? What do you really have to prove that you have even prayed, or that your prayers have been answered? I know, faith is what you have! In Hebrews 11:3, we understand that through faith the worlds were framed by the word of God. This could literally mean that people will not see the word in you or the prayers you have made until they see the faith on you. Faith is the evidence that you have prayed. Nobody wins a court case without an evidence. And Heb 11:1 tells us that faith is the evidence of things not seen. The Bible also says that "what thing soever we desire, when we pray, we should believe we have received it, and we shall have it". In other words, believing it is the proof or evidence that we have it. After praying to God to give you a job, start behaving and talking like someone who will definitely get the job. The problem with many people is not that G

What is the meaning of your life? Virtually everybody knows the meaning of their names, but only a few know the meaning of their lives. What is the use of your name if your life has no meaning? People do not celebrate names, rather, they celebrate life - even at death. And even if your name is Silver, Gold or Diamond, if your life does not add value to others, nobody will remember you when you are gone. The reason why many presidents and leaders will never be remembered is because they were promoting their names instead of promoting values in the lives of their followers. Yet, there are many names that would continue to ring a bell, because of the value of life they lived. It is the value of your life that gives value to your name. According to scriptures, every man is a solution to something. But a solution can only be validated when it has solved its intended problem. You should ask yourself, "what is my life solving?". And if you can not give a confident and accurate ans

Practice makes perfect. Perfection will never be attained in a profession that is not consciously and consistently practiced. Faith is a profession that also requires practice. And just as we have legal and medical practitioners, we also have faith practitioners. A medical practitioner may begin his career by curing malaria or fever, but if he is consistent in the practice of Medicine, it will not be long before he begins to cure cancer and many other terminal diseases. If your faith cannot get you what you need, then you have not practiced enough. As a matter of scriptures, the bible says "if your strength fails you in the day of battle, then your strength is small". Faith is the strength of every believer; if you do not have faith, then you do not have strength. Faith practitioners do not only study the word, they also practice it. Studying the word without practicing it will never make you a faith practitioner, you would only be deceiving yourself. We study the word of G

Adam gave birth to Seth at age 130, and died 800 years later. And after him, none of his descendants lived up to 930 years, until the time of Jared. The descendants before Jared gave birth before age 130, and died before 930. But when it was time for Enoch to come, God changed the cause of things. Jared was 162 when he had Enoch, and he lived for another 800 years, which made a total of 962 years. He lived 32 years more than Adam did. Things may be hard, the economy may be down, but be confident that when it gets to your turn to fulfill destiny, everything will be restored. Mahalalel had a son at 65, Jared had a son at 162. Though the delay was much, but it was also the beginning of great stories for man. Let us be courageous, the economic delay and degradation our nations are going through will not last forever, they would soon become great stories for us. Let me conclude with this; things will change. Though it may take long, but I guarantee you that it is worth the wait. God

Every believer is ordained to be at the top. And according to scriptures, they are expected to pull those who are not yet on top to the top. But they would need a ground weight to make a great pull. Knowledge is the ground weight of every believer; the more knowledge you have, the more people you pull. If you want to know the level of knowledge you have, just check the value and type of people you have around you. I know a number of great people who see me as their mentor, not because of anything else, but knowledge. If you want to have great people around you, then greatly desire to have knowledge. The people around you will naturally change when the knowledge in you changes. Knowledge has capacity to both give you weight to pull, and a push - in case you are falling. There are many people who never have downtimes, because they sustain their uptimes with knowledge. Knowledge is never restricted; its access is unlimited. The reason why many people are so limited in life is probably b

Begin with knowledge; that is always the best thing to begin with. People have often asked, "where do I start from?", and many people have undoubtedly asked the same question when the month began. It is not your hard work that promotes you, but knowledge. Knowledge is what creates a new edge for you. Knowledge creates opportunity for growth; this is why people who do not take time to grow their knowledge also miss the time for their promotion. The way your office promotes is low compared to how God promotes. No matter what you do officially, your company would not promote you from a casual staff to the personal assistant of the general manager. But knowledge can! Knowledge was what promoted Joseph from a prisoner to a minister, who became the second in command in Egypt. Knowledge was what made Daniel relevant to kings. If your manager is not asking your opinion over matters, then you probably have a knowledge problem. Knowledge can create a position for you in your office t

I recently decided not to eat until I've read at least one chapter of a book in my library - on a daily basis. It's probably the most difficult decision I've had to make for myself, but improving my intellectual power at the expense of feeding myself is a tradeoff that I was willing to make. That also means that I'd prefer to loose weight than to loose worth. Phones with low graphics and lesser functionalities hardly consume battery life. But if you want improved graphics and functionalities, then expect a lesser battery performance. Come to think of it; if I chose battery life over functionality, then I may not have discovered my writing potentials. I perceive that the reason why many people are not growing is because they are not willing to tradeoff their comfort. The demands for growth may affect your beautiful moments now, but it would definitely create beautiful effects in your future. That's how far we'd go on today's Timely Note. But take this las