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Opinion: The Wonders of Grace
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“You cannot rise above everything without knowledge – insight that comes from above! The knowledge from above is the one that elevates you! So divine knowledge is a grace-provoker! Grace, on the other hand, is the heavenly key that unlocks every vast and difficult door!” Tolulope A. Adegoke
The grace of God is one indispensable factor for self-discovery, true success and lasting accomplishments. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:10, says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” Whatever you will become, it is grace that determines it; wherever you will reach, it is grace that determines it. Again, in Ephesians 4:7, the Spirit of God says through Paul, “But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” This means that when we say that a person is gifted or talented, we are simply saying that such a person is endued with grace!
It is grace that causes your gifts to be seen. It is possible to be gifted or talented and remain hidden. It is grace that uncovers talents. It is grace that uncovers the treasures that are inside of you! Grace is what strengthens the weak! In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Apostle Paul says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ” Apparently, therefore, the strength that the weak can enjoy is only accessible by grace.
Without the gift of grace, a person’s destiny can be easily frustrated. So, if destructive frustration is to be eliminated from the path of your destiny, it can only be achieved by divine grace. Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. “
Therefore, the grace of God is the greatest demonstration that He loves us.
Again, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:4, says, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.” When the grace of God is upon the life of a man, he does not fall behind in anything. It is therefore important for you to understand that grace is a non-negotiable factor in the race of life. This is why you must not only be loaded with grace, but must increasingly be so.
See, friend, you can not run the race of life successfully without grace. It is the grace of God that makes the pursuit of destiny without depression or frustration. Grace means that we are doing the race with God, which provokes ease and breakthroughs, against all odds! Here is the way Zechariah 4:6-7 beautifully puts it. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. “
Here is something else to blow your mind. There is no record of achievement recorded in Scripture that can not be broken in this generation. You only need to obtain greater grace. Hebrews11:39-40 confirms to us that God has ordained every feat you can see to be broken: “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
This means that whatever we can see written in the scriptures is not yet the perfect or final result-because God said He has better things for us! In fact, as the Scripture says, everything written in the past was written for our learning, so that we may, through the comfort and patience of the scriptures, have HOPE!
Everything recorded in Scripture was written for our learning. That is to say, all the amazing feats recorded in Scripture were written as patterns for us-if we can do what the champions did, if we can engage what they engaged, then we must see what they saw or even beyond! Hebrew 6:12 says: “That ye be not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
The example of Joseph is particularly interesting and instructive. He is such an interesting picture in Scripture because he exemplifies the possibilities of God for every one of His children. Genesis 39:2-6 says: “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer of his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he did not know what he ought to have had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. “
The grace of God was so mighty upon Joseph that even while in a foreign land, he was well-favoured. The effect was that Potiphar literally handed over his house to him. Again, by the time Joseph was wrongfully sent to prison, the Bible notes that the prisoners were basically handed over to him to manage (Genesis 39:21-23).
When Joseph eventually interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh practically handed over the entire nation to him. Genesis 41:37-41 narrates, “And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, “Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled: only on the throne will I be greater than thou.”
What am I highlighting here? Grace can transit a nonentity to a celebrity overnight; it does not take time; it takes GRACE! So children must understand the power of God’s grace and make the most of it.
It is equally important to see that the grace of God in the life of Joseph was provoked by the force of divine WISDOM, as Pharaoh himself testified. The grace of God upon his life functioned on the platform of divine wisdom. No wonder the Bible tells us that wisdom is the principal thing, because where there is wisdom, there is grace, and where there is grace, you become great – that is, you emerge as a hero!
Observe closely what I call the kind of wisdom that Joseph demonstrated divine wisdom. This should reveal to you that the wisdom that makes great is not natural wisdom; it is not diabolic wisdom; it is not academic wisdom-it is wisdom that comes from above. And here is the truth: Without wisdom-the wisdom that comes from above-you cannot end up above all! The wisdom that is above is the one that sets you above! So, divine wisdom is a provoker of grace! While grace is the divine opener of every great and impossible door!
Watch out for the Book titled: “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (From Zero to HERO) by Tolulope A. Adegoke. Foreword by Dr Yomi Garnett (CEO/Chancellor, Royal Biographical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A., U.K., Abuja, Nigeria.) Edited by Ola Aboderin.
The immediate past Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has responded to Governor Monday Okpebholo, insisting that no one can bar him from entering Benin City, the State capital.
Obaseki’s response followed Okpebholo’s claim that the former governor would not return to the State because he is allegedly unpopular with the people.
Okpebholo stated this during an interview at the weekend that Edo remains firmly behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing what he described as the President’s achievements in the State. He added that he would resign if Tinubu fails to secure re-election in 2027.
He further claimed that Obaseki lacks the courage to visit the State to campaign for anyone other than Tinubu, alleging that the former governor would face rejection from residents, including children, due to what he described as Obaseki’s poor governance record.
“Everybody is for Asiwaju, who is Obaseki? Does he have one anywhere here? Let him come here now. He cannot come. His poor record will prevent him from going to Edo.
“Obaseki dares not come here. If Asiwaju does not win his re-election, I will resign as a governor,” he declared.
In a viral video on Monday, Obaseki countered that Okpebholo, whom he referred to as a man from a village in Edo State, lacks the authority to stop him from entering the State.
The former governor added that he deliberately avoided commenting on Okpebholo’s administration since leaving office, to allow his successor room to perform.
“When you start with violence, you will reap violence. For one year since I left office, I have not said a word on his government, I have said to myself that I would give them the opportunity to shine.
“Suddenly, he started attacking my personality and threatening me. That was enough; he brought people to Manchester to attack me.
“This week, this governor had a disgraceful press conference, where he was threatening me. Somebody born in Oredo. This is a villager threatening me that I cannot come to Benin, and that when I come, he will show me. Me! When I am ready to go, we will all come. This is an insult,” he said.
Speaking on Friday night at the ongoing Plateau Unity Christmas Carols and Praise Festival in Jos, Obasanjo said the Federal government must urgently deploy modern technology to curb killings, noting that with technology, no criminal should be beyond the reach of security agencies, as the country has the capacity to take them out.
“In these days of technology, there should be nobody who can hide after committing a crime,” he said. “Before I left government, we had the capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria once identified… Every Nigerian life matters, whether Christian, Muslim or pagan. Nigerians are being killed; this must stop.”
He insisted Nigerians have the right to seek international partnership if domestic efforts fall short, arguing that saving lives must remain the nation’s priority.
Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who also addressed the gathering, reassured citizens that Nigeria would overcome its current trials. “By the grace of God, those who want Nigeria destroyed will not succeed,” he declared, praying that national and state leaders continue to receive strength and wisdom to act rightly.
The governor said the annual carol event was inspired by the vision of uniting the people of Plateau through worship and thanksgiving. “God is delighted when we come together in unity to exalt His name,” he said. “Despite all odds, we are gathered again this year to celebrate the goodness of God in the land of the living.”
Mutfwang welcomed dignitaries in attendance, including former President Obasanjo; General Lawrence Onoja (rtd.); former Governors of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye and Jonah Jang, who attended with his wife, Ngo Talatu; former Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen; former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna; former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.); and the GOC 3 Division, Major General Folorunsho Oyinlola, among others.
Expressing delight in the diversity of worshippers, the governor said Plateau citizens put aside denominational differences to worship under one banner. “With unity, we will shut the door against the enemy that troubles us,” he said.
The event featured ministrations from renowned gospel artistes including Buchi, Uche Etiaba, Pastor Chingtok, and choirs drawn from various denominations.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The ability to speak the ‘language’ people understand is a very important skill, and whoever masters it, has gained a profitable advantage. The ability therefore, to strategically use language can be a game changer in life and business. In all honesty, anyone, who can relate to the act of speaking languages people understand, stands a better chance of attracting more opportunities. Language is a skill; the more the skill a person has, the more resourceful they will be.
Every business, politics, game, religion, relationship/marriage, and art have a language. Even a little child has a language. One must be able to speak the language of that child to work with the child. The ability of one to use it very well can be a game changer.
There’s no field or subject in life that is not governed by its own language. The language is the code or key, which when rightly used or applied, any door opens.
Let’s take a case study of marriage; the truth is there’s no perfect marriage anywhere, the love the couples claim to share notwithstanding. There will come a day when either one of them will lose it, and the hormones will flare up. The ability of one of the couples to speak the language the other person understands can calm the nerves of the other. The inability of one to speak the right language can make things go out of hand.
Certain things work for certain people. Everyone is different and unique; what works for someone might not work for another person. So, the ability to know what works for someone and judiciously use it has the potential of opening doors and opportunity because, according to my late mother, human beings are the most difficult people to work with.
In business, if one is seeking a grant or opportunity from an investor, one must be able to speak or convey his thought in an appealing way in such a way the investor will find it attractive. And that entails putting down certain information that is needed for a proposal to receive a positive recommendation. This is not about trying to fake life, rather, it’s a strategic and wise way of showing how informed and proactive one can be.
Let’s take a case study of human attraction. For any man to successfully woo a lady, he must speak or act in a certain way that the lady finds appealing, and that entails having a good dress sense, having the fear of God, being financially and professionally stable, showing care and empathy, amongst other qualities. The same is applicable to a woman who wants to attract a man, she must be able to ‘speak’ the man’s language.
In politics, the language is loyalty. It’s only an ungrateful master who wouldn’t want to appreciate a loyal servant who has served him faithfully when an opportunity arises.
The importance of language in life cannot be overemphasized. When it comes to spirituality, certain offerings work for certain gods, or God. To benefit from your altar, one must speak the language of their god/God. For instance, those who offer sacrifice to fake deities must continually offer sacrifice in order for their “powers” to be renewed. The same is applicable to those who believe in the one true God, one must continually abstain from immorality and vices in order to receive blessings from Him.
In summary, if you want to succeed in life, endeavour to find out what language works for anyone or any industry. And when it is found, and worked on, the doors must surely open.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
