How to choose a life career- God’s way

Text:  Judges 13: 1- 12

·        Vs 13 ‘So Manoah asked him, ‘when your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and what will be his work?

·        I want you to touch about 7 persons and announce to them ‘I am special’.

·        An angel may not have announced your birth. Nothing may be special about your birthplace. You may be a product of a conjugal mistake. You may be borne by a wayward mother like Jephtha or out of wedlock like Jesus. But that does not take away the fact that you are born special. Tell 2 persons to your right and left and say, I am special.

·        Let me tell 3 reason why I take you are special;

·        You are made by God and created in his image. Tell yourself, I resemble God!

·        You were made for his purpose; not for your purpose, not for your parent’s purpose but for his purpose. Before he made you, he had a plan. To some people, you may be a biological accident. But to God, you are born on purpose. Tell 3 persons, I am not an accident!

·        You are born again. You are Christian. You are Christ-like. Christ is not the surname of Jesus. There were several Jesus’ in his days. Christ was used to describe Jesus. He was called the son of David. There were so many descendant of David; so that was not enough. He was called Jesus of Nazareth. There so many Jesus in Nazareth. That was not enough. Christ means the anointed one and his anointing. There is only one Jesus that God anointed with Holy ghost and with power, who went about doing good…’ he is Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

·        So Christ was used to describe Jesus. In the same way, Christianity is not a religion. It was what was used to describe the Believers. And the believers were first called Christians in Antioch Act 11: 26.

·        Being a Christian simply means a believer who carries and operates the anointing of Jesus for out of his grace we have grace for grace John 1: 16. Somebody is receiving grace tonight. Who is that person? Announce to 5 people, I am a Christian! I carry the Holy Ghost anointing. I will do good, great and mighty things everywhere I go in Jesus name.

·        The organizers invited me to teach and not to preach. Well I am a preacher not a motivational speaker. But I will try to teach tonight. The want to teach on career choice.

·        The story we read is not only the birth story of Samson but an example of your own story. Since you cannot tell how you were born, this story can at least give an idea of the divine process that went into your conception and delivery.

·        I don’t know many things about God, but from the little I know I have observed that with God nothing is accidental, incidental and coincidental. With there is nothing like urgency or emergency. He is a God of plan and purpose.

·        Isaiah 46: 10 says that He declares the end from beginning, and from ancient times thing not yet done, saying my purpose will be established and my plans will come to purpose’. So you must understand first of all tonight that in God’s agenda for your life, nothing is accidental or coincidental, there is a plan for your life. Tell somebody, there is a plan for my life.

·        I want that to sink in your mind and I pray that the Holy Ghost will resonate it in your memory for the rest of your life because a lot of us live as though we are truly a product of some atomic evolution. We live as though there is no plan.

·        What is a plan? It means an agenda or scheme worked out before hand for the accomplishment of an objective. Before you were conceived, just as we read about Samson, from birth to death his life was already planned out.

·        Secondly, don’t forget that, you cannot be fulfilled outside God’s purpose for your life. Everything and everyone God made is for a purpose. Samson life’s assignment was so clear. He was to deliver the Israelite from the Philistine. He was born for that purpose. Everyone here tonight has a life statement that can be delivered in one sentence. Have you discovered your own?

·        For Mary, she was to be the virgin that will conceive, deliver and raise the son of God. That was her life purpose. That was the reason she was created. Life fulfillment is in fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.

·         The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. You cannot be happy, fulfillment or have a sense of accomplishment unless you doing what you made to do. My thought is that, what statement would you want people to write on your tomb? That summarizes your life in a sentence.

·        The pursuit of purpose is what is called career. The father of Samson prayed to God, ‘teach me how to bring up this child’. He was a man that understood purpose. The Jews understood that God has a plan for everyone’s life and each one has a peculiar and specific life’s assignment.

·        Many parents have missed this. Many of us are victims of our parent’s ignorance of God’s way. They programmed your life according to their purpose. How many parents would go to God and asked ‘Lord, how do you want me to raise this child’. No, we set out our plans. To the extent that the Jews will ask God for the name of the child. But today, the whole family will donate names. A generation that is ignorant of God’s ways of doing things. No wonder, we are not blessed with divine partnership in our life’s journey. As though God is saying, you have decided to work alone. So you are your own.

·        The second question Manoah asked is the question of life’s principle.  What rules will govern his life? Sorry, your parent didn’t ask God but you can go to God and ask. Let me ask you, what are your life’s principles? You cannot fulfill purpose if you are not principled. You cannot succeed if you are not disciplined. What are you known for? What compromise will you never make?

·        The purpose of God for Samson was almost scuttled when he began to violate the principles. To destroy your career, Satan will move you against the rules governing your life. For your person, there is a purpose for his existence and for everyone who is existing there are principles they must live by if they must succeed in their life’s purpose. Your assignment is to found out; 1. What are the rules for my life 2. what are rules for success in my career

·        The third question he asked was, what kind of work will he do?  Please understand that between your birth and fulfilling your purpose you must be engaged in something. You cannot be idle. Jesus was a carpenter before he became a Rabbi and then the Savior. Peter was a fisherman before he became the fisher of men. 2. You cannot do any kind of work. Not many people know that. For your kind of person, there is a work you are wired to do because of your purpose. So many people are in a wrong career because they studied the wrong course, got the wrong job, went after the money, got the only job available, managing dad’s business or fulfilling mum’s dream hence, they are not finding fulfillment.

How do I discover my career or life’s purpose

1. Your talent. Matthew 25: 15 ‘…he gave talents to each one according to their ability’. Discover your talent. Your talent is a point to your purpose. You were born with an ability that nobody else have. When you discover, develop and deploy your talents accordingly, you will find fulfillment. By extension, do only the work that best describes your talent.

2. Your dream Genesis 37: 5. I am not talking about your selfish ambitions but about the dream that God puts in your heart. That dream is a revelation of your life assignment. There is a thought that is prevalent in your heart; a desire that burns like fire; an imagination that won’t leave you

3. Your experience. Remember there is a plan for your life. Nothing that happens to you is a waste. ‘All things work together for the good of them that love him, who are called according to his purpose.’ Your experience is pointer to your purpose. In determining a life career, chose your experience.

4. Your hobby. What do you enjoy doing? Something that elicits your passion or emotion; that makes you angry, cries or excited. What you love to do is a pointer to your career. Your passion is a pointer to your purpose. Jeremiah 20: 9 ‘But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in bones. I am weary of holding it; indeed I cannot.

5. Your skills. Let me read Exodus 35: 30- 35 because I am about to pray a mighty prayer for you…your skills is a pointer to your life career.

In conclusion, please remember that;

·        You are special

·        There is a plan for your life

·        You cannot be fulfilled unless your pursue and fulfill God’s purpose for creating you

·        You are not permitted to live like everyone. There is a difference between the lifestyle of an eagle and chicken; a lion and a cat.

·        You must be principled. If you are ignorant of the rules for your life or you break, you endanger your purpose.

·        You cannot do just any job, study just any course or work just anywhere

·        Your career is the pursuit of purpose

·        In choosing a life’s career, there are pointers you must give attention to; your talent, your dream, your experience, your hobby and your skills.

·        If you don’t choose the right career, you live your working and living the dreams other people and you can never succeed or find fulfillment.

I am filled with the Holy Ghost; I am anointed; I am supernaturally filled with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills

Destined to be a blessing

Luke 4: 18-19

·         You are already blessed because you are the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3: 29.

·         Colossians. 1: 16 all things were created by Jesus, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible. Hebrew 11: 2 things that are seen were made from things that are not seen. Eph. 1: 3 says we are already blessed but these blessings are in the heaven, spiritual blessings for ‘his divine power has given us all things that we need for life and godliness. 2 Pet. 1: 3

·         How blessed you will live on earth financial, medically, academically, martially etc. will now depend on 1. Your understanding of what God has freely given us 1 Corinth. 2: 12 and how it can be translated from the invisible to the visible.

·         2. It will depend on your understanding of spiritual warfare to wage war against every invisible that are fighting to hinder the manifestation of your blessings in the visible reign ‘for the day you set your heart to seek God, I was sent but the prince of Persia hinder me for 21 days…Daniel 10: 12- 13.

·         3. And your understanding on what need to be done to appropriate the blessing for as James said that faith without works (appropriate planning and actions) is dead (ineffective and unproductive) James 2: 17. It will not produce any fruits.

·          Many people are blessed and yet are living in abject poverty. This is a paradox of life; poverty in the miss of plenty. If someone sends you money from abroad through a bank, you know the money will not jump into your hands. Yes, the money is yours, no doubt but there are things you must know and do before you can take delivery of the money. You need to go to the bank, give them a code or answer a secret question, sign your name etc. provide proofs before you can withdraw the money. In the same, before God’s blessings can yours you have to fulfill all the requirements.

Covenant requirements

1.      Tithe Lev. 27: 30; mal. 3: 8- 12; Matthew 23: 23

2.      Offering Deut. 16: 16- 17; Luke 21 1- 4; 2 Cor. 9: 6- 8

3.      Giving to the poor Lev. 19: 9- 10; Prov. 19: 17; 21: 13; Galatia 6: 10; Matthew 19: 21; John 13: 27- 29

4.      Sacrificial offering Exodus 25: 1-3, 8; Genesis 22: 12, 16- 18; Psalm 126: 1-2, 5-6

5.      Prophet offerings 2 Chron. 20: 20; 2 Kings 4: 8- 17; Luke 8: 1;Philippians 4: 14- 19

6.      Defraud no man – Integrity in business. Deut. 24: 14- 15; Lev. 19: 13; Jer. 22:13

Practical requirements

1.      Meditation on the word and prayer Josh 1: 8

2.      Diligence Pro 22: 29; John 9: 4; Prov. 12: 24, 27; 13: 4

3.      Acquire skills, be an expert 1 Sam 16: 17- 23

4.      Be creative  Isaiah 48: 17; Gen. 30: 36- 43; James 1: 5

5.      Think big, think more than enough Prov. 23: 7; 22: 9

6.      Right network and partnership Eccl. 4: 9; Prov. 27: 17; 1 cor. 15: 33; 2 Chron. 20: 37

7.      Save and invest wisely, don’t be a waster. John 6: 12; Prov. 6: 6- 8; Gen. 41: 34- 36; Prov. 13: 22; 9: 5; 21: 20

8.      Stay healthy, health is wealth. 1 Corinth. 6: 19; Phil. 4: 6; Prov. 17: 22; 1 Tim 4: 8

9.      Speak abundance always Prov. 12: 14; 18: 20

1.     Explore Genesis 13: 15

Multiplying money

·         One of the covenant ability the blessing imparted on us the ability to multiply Genesis 1: 28; 9:2; 17:2

·         In God’s agenda of fruitful, he want you increase by addition and also by multiplication. Deut. 1: 11; Deut 32: 20;

·         That is why you must despise little things Zech. 4: 10. Little business, opportunities and savings has in it the seed of greatness. Mustard seed principle. Matthew 13: 22

·         How do you turn the little to great things?

o   The blessing- When the blessing comes on that little thing, it because more than enough Luke 9: 16. When you put the little with you in God’s hands, his blessing comes on it and it multiply

o   Investment- John 12: 24. If you eat your seed, you will go hungry in harvest.

o   Reinvest or diversify. Plow back your profit into the business or into another business. Open a second a store

o   Get rich by making people rich. What you make happen for others happen for you. The little boy gave 5 loaves and 2 fishes; he left with 12 baskets full of loaves and fishes. You goal must be to be a blessing.

o   Multilevel marketing. Make your customer your marketer.

o   Buy a successful business/ brand or franchise

THE BLESSING OF SERVING GOD

Main text: Exodus 23: 25- 26; 2 Kings 20: 1- 11; 21: 1 

Exodus 23: 25- 26 reads that ‘You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. No one shall miscarry or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days’.

First blessing, provision. God is a provider. Psalm 23:1 says God is a good shepherd and under him we cannot lack. Do you know that God cares if you eat or not, if you are well clothed, if you have your own property or have paid your rent? Matthew 5: 25- 32 confirms that.  Matthew 15: 32- 38, more than 5000 came to camp meeting with Jesus for 3 days and his disciple says let them go and find food themselves; Jesus said no. that is not how it is done in heaven. Give them something to eat. From now on, heaven will take charge of your physical supplies in Jesus name

He is father. He is not happy when we suffer. Psalm 34: 10 as powerful as lion is, their children suffer but those who truth God will not lack any good thing. You will suffer again in Jesus name.

Prophecy to yourself that from now on, I will not lack any good thing in Jesus name.

 What does fathers do? They provide and protect. God will shows you that he is father from now on in Jesus name! Psalm 37: 25, says I was young now am old, the righteous is not forsaken nor his children beg for bread. I decree you will not be forsaken. Your children will not beg for bread in Jesus name.

As a matter of matter God created provisions before he created man. According Genesis 2: 8- 14. God planted a garden and God placed the man who he had formed in the garden he had planted. Before this week runs out, God will place you in your provision in Jesus name.

That is number 1 blessing of serving God.

Secondly, healing and divine health; he said if you serve God, I will take sickness away from among you. Did you notice the shift? The first one, Moses was prophesying but in the second phrase God took over. It shows you how serious God takes your health.

Note that sickness and disease is delimiting just as poverty. Can you achieve anything without money? I can’t hear your answer? If you have all the money, without good health, can you achieve your dreams?

God knows how important good health that is why he swore in Exodus 15: 26 that he will not permit any sickness or disease in your body for, I am the lord that heals you. Peter confirmed it that the death and resurrection of Christ finished the work of your health. 1 Peter 2: 24 says you were healed by his stripes. You were healed, not you are or you will be. It is done already. Any disease or sickness you now see is a shadow, it’s not permitted.

Tell your body, I declare, sickness and disease is not permitted in my body. Your time is up in Jesus name for I was healed by his stripes.

That is why one major part of Jesus ministry and purpose of his anointing is healing. Act 10: 38 says God anointed with power and he went everywhere doing good healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

And then he gave the power  and authority over sickness and disease to heal them to us Matthew 10: 1- 2

He said one the sign that shows that we are Christians is that will lay our hands on the sick and they will recover.  Are you a Christian? Lay your hands on someone and say be healed in Jesus name.

But Pastor, what if I lay hands and the person is not healed? That is not your problem, your responsibility is to obey, just lay hands. And note the word ‘recover’; it might not be instant, recovery is gradual but you have laid hands and God will do the rest.

He also gave the gift of healing and healers to the church according to 1 Corinthian 12

Then he said, if you are sick, let them call the elders and pray over them and anoint them with oil. And the prayer of faith will make the sick well. James 5: 14- 15.

Last week you heard the testimony, the sister believed this scripture, she knows that if she is sick, she should administer drugs but when drugs fails, God will not fail. I am sure she prayed but she also called the Pastor in obedience to God’s word. The result was that I prayed over the phone and she vomited what was troubling her and healing came.

God is your healer. He is interested in your health and has made provisions for your healing; both medical and spiritual.

By the grace of God, we will anoint the sick among us today, if you believe, you will be made well in Jesus name.

Number 3, fruitfulness. No one miscarry nor be barren. God commanded fruitfulness in Genesis 1: 28 so it is will that you bear your own child. There are 9 barren women and all of them gave birth, only Michal did not because she despise David when he was praising.

I hear the lord say, praise yourself out of barrenness. Isaiah 54: 1- 5 if you will begin to give God quality praise from now on, Psalm 113: 9 is activated in your life in Jesus name.

That Angel announced to Mary, that Elizabeth that was called barren is now in 6 months pregnancy for with God nothing is impossible. I see that you are pregnant now. That your daughter or sister is pregnant now. I stop the plague of miscarriage by this word in Jesus name.

Any curse of barrenness and miscarriage by the wickedness of the wicked is destroyed now in Jesus name.

No more financial barrenness! No more dream miscarriage. Declare to all our young brothers, you will not miscarry in Jesus name. Declare to the sisters also, you will not miscarry.

Then finally, he said if you serve the Lord, you can never die young. Psalm 91: 14- 16 says your days will be long and satisfying in Jesus name. You will live a full and fulfilled life.

Brethren, long life without money, good health and children is a burden. Do you agree? May your days be long and fulfilled in Jesus name

There are families where they die young, if you come to Christ, that curse is broken. Anyone who has an appointment with death is delivered now in Jesus name. Your covenant with the grave is broken. I declare your freedom now in Jesus mighty name.

Note the blessing of wealth, health, fruitfulness and long life comes to only those who serve God exclusively.

That scripture started with ‘you’. This means that your walk with God must be personal commitment.

What does mean to serve God? Two things;

To be obedient to God’s command and do his will. God has just delivered the children of Israel of Egypt where they have been servants to Pharaoh and the 10 gods of Egypt. So they understand being a servant very well.

He quickly point to them that though they are free from the bondage of Pharaoh’s servitude but they can never prosper without being under the service of their God. You cannot either.

That is why Jesus said Matthew 11: 28 that when you come to him, he will break the yoke of your neck and give you rest from the oppression of darkness…I thought somebody will say a loud amen to that…but he will put you under another yoke. This yoke is called the yoke of Christ.

Secondly, to serve God means to worship God. The freshly delivered slaves of Pharaoh understood what idolatry and the worship of Satan means. So my father had to quickly point to them that quality peace and prosperity comes from the worship of one true God.

There is only one true God. I thought I will hear a loud amen to that.  John 17: 3 confirms that. Act 4: 12 Salvation is in no other, for there is no other name by which men can be saved. Hallelujah!

The each of the 10 plagues of Egypt was judgment on all the gods of the Egyptians. God showed the worshippers of hapi, heqet, geb, kephri, hathor, isis, nut, seth, ra and pharaoh by his mighty power that there is no other God, I am the Lord!

But someone will ask that who is God? Remember that Pharaoh asked that question. Well, let just say that God is the one who is invisible but his works are visible.

John 1: 18 says no one has seen God except the Son. Colossians 1: 15- 23 says Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God and all things were created by him and for him¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of^[a] your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Beloved, we have not seen God but we see Jesus. He came to show us God and Hebrew 1: 3 says the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Not only that, the world declares his works and evidence that God truly exist. He made the heavens and the earth. He continually reveals his existence by continually interfering in the affairs of men.

Psalm 135: 6 and Daniel 4: 35 confirms that my father does what he pleases on earth. He made them all and he can do whatever he pleases with us. He can decide that somebody can sleep tonight a room apartment and tomorrow in a 3 bedroom bungalow is his own.

·        But the question is how does this God love to be served or worshiped?

1. Exodus 20: 3 No one other god with him. He is a jealous God. So put away all strange gods, charms, idols from you otherwise when I am about to anoint you, it’s wise to remove your head because anywhere my father sees a strange god, he is angry.

2. John 4: 24 in spirit and in truth. God is spirit. Born again Christians are spiritual people. You cannot truly serve God without developing your spiritual life and walking by the truth of God’s word. Both your person and lifestyle must conform to God’s standard. Serving God is not limited to church or a devotion time, it is a lifestyle.

3. Psalm 100: 2- 3 says serve the lord with gladness; come before him with dancing and singing. The danger of not serving God with joy is in Deut. 28: 47- 48, read it.

If you don’t serve God, you will serve the enemy

4. Proverbs 3: 9 God wants you to serve him with your substance. That includes you, your money, your family and everything he has given to you

5.        Joshua 24: 15 say your entire family must serve God. Thou shall be saved you and your household. Act 16: 31

·        My call to us today is call to renewed relationship with God so that the blessings can follow. If you serve God genuinely and exclusively, you can confront him like Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 ‘ O lord you know how I serve you in truth and with a loyal heart…’

·        How many of us can say that to God? That you know I am loyal to you than my husband or children or work

·        Then remember the covenant in Exo. 23: 25- 26, and he performed these 4 miracles in his life. He was healed, 15 additional years was given to him, he bore a son and his wealth increased.