EXCHANGE FOR A CHANGE

Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

Judges 16:19

At the onset of GSM in Nigeria, the in-thing was to have a mobile phone and Femi wasn’t left out as his mom did everything she could to get him a phone. When he got his first phone, he was quite excited that he could now give out a number to his friends who might ask for his contact. It wasn’t long before he started desiring another model so he traded with his aunty and then exchanged the one he got from her with that of a friend which seemed even better. Then, the phone fell from his pocket in a taxi and a “smart” passenger repossessed it. He now had to settle for his dad’s very old phone which his brother had also used. When this phone started to malfunction, his mum bought a new phone and gave him her old one. He used this one for some time and decided to sell it. When the money was not enough to get another one, he got another from his mom who obviously wasn’t tired of giving him phones. His mom could not bear the look of frustration on his face when that one also was stolen and gave him another which he gave out eventually. His brother gave him yet another and when this one was “sown”, he decided enough was enough and bought one for himself which he’s been using ever since.

King Solomon sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on the altar at Gibeon and God asked him what he wanted. His request for wisdom was granted with perks. He brought something to the table and there was an exchange. In the case of Samson, he grew up endowed with abilities. He apparently trivialized the grace and gifting and lost his eyes because of it. One might wonder why he told Delilah his secret seeing that she called for the Philistines every time he told her something else was the source of his might. Perhaps if he had brought something to the table, he would have placed a greater value on the gift he had.

When we pay our tithes and give our offerings, we are making an exchange. We have a right to demand the benefits that accrue from this act when we see a delay in delivery in much the same way as we would call a delivery shop to inquire about a delay in the arrival of goods we paid for. Because we brought something to the table, we have a right to a request. Heaven responds to the highest bidder. (Ever wondered why after creation on the second day, it wasn’t written that “and God saw that it was good” like it was for the day before and after? perhaps He left that for us to decide). If all the students in a class are praying to God to be the head and not the tail, God will answer because they are His own but since He respects no man, He will ‘respect’ the man who gives his best like he did to Abel. All others will fall in place in proportion to their effort (Gen. 4:4).

Need a change? Make an exchange.

- ‘Bayor

(Inspirations: Baron Ogugua, Pastor Paul Adefarasin…etc)

LET IT FLOW

Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased.

2nd Kings 4:6

A prophet, believed by historians to be Obadiah, hid several prophets and fed them with his own money. It now got to a point in time that he ran low on funds so he went out to borrow money to keep feeding the prophets. When he died, the creditors came for his two sons to have them become slaves because apparently, they were his collateral. What Elisha asked her to do and the outcome of her obedience in belief of his instruction, guaranteed her prosperity (2nd Chronicles. 20:20)

When the prophet asked her earlier of what she had, the reply she gave suggested her disdain of the little that was left. Never despise what you have because God can multiply it. When you seem to be in want, first of all, take a look at your hand: what are you most skillful at doing? Take a look in your heart: what are you most passionate about? Take a look in your head: what are the predominant thought and ideas? Then take a look in your house: what material do you already posses that can serve as a variable for God to multiply? There will always be something left with the intrinsic potential to take you to the next level. When what you have is not sufficient to be called your harvest, then it’s a seed. It’s meant for sowing and not for eating.

The prophet asked her to borrow vessels from all her neighbors. She could only go as far as she had neighbors – your network is you net worth. Shutting the door behind her meant that for every trade, there is a secret which should not be put down. When she started to pour, the flow of the oil continued for as long as it took to fill the capacity she had made available. The capacity set a limit on the extent of breakthrough she could experience. The problem was not with the oil flow but with its destination. Sometimes it appears as though God isn’t answering our prayers for increase while all along, He’s been asking calmly, “where do I put it?” The time interval between the request and answers to our prayers is when capacity should be built. If you want God to put food on your table, leave the table uncluttered. Spiritually, we can increase capacity by fasting, study and meditation in the Word. Exposure and education can increase our capacity mentally. When it comes to financial capacity, we cause an increase when we give or increase the number of causes we finance. Nature abhors a vacuum. Wherever room is made, infilling occurs. Let it flow!

- ‘Bayor – 2009/2011

(Inspirations: Rev. Olumide Emmanuel, Pastor Sam Oye, Pastor Paul Adefarasin...etc)