Delivered by Rita Chinemerem Umeh at Christ For The World Network Christmas Encounter held at Ogba Zoological Garden, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria on December 25, 2021.
Most believers think and act in a way that knowing God alone should be the only productive aspect of life, whereas it ought to be the other way round that knowing God for yourself should perfect every other areas of your life. Life in it’s entirety is deceptively short, so at all times we have to run away from false living to perfect our purpose for God’s kingdom. Just living as a sincere Christian will not be enough requirement for the years to come. Even the devil strategize too. But we are more privileged because God has not left us in the dark. The devil does not have access to the Grace of Mercy nor does the place of the prophetic work for him. If we must journey on in this dark days we must be obedient to God’s word and set our pride aside. Life is measured in Time and Time is measured in productivity or unproductivity. The work you do today will definitely speak for you tomorrow.
What Is Productivity
In it’s basic form, it has been seen as the quality, state or fact of being able to generate, create enhance or bring forth goods and services. It is also the state of being productive. To be productive is to be engaged in activities that will yield to a greater input spiritualwise, financialwise, healthwise relationallywise and otherwise. Increase only comes on the outburst of being productive.
The Key Factors to attain a productive life.
The God Factor. As believers we all generally know and are aware of our Father’s unconditional love for us but the intensity of our love for him can only be known and judged by us. As difficult as it is Abraham left his home country because God told him to, he wasn’t just being obedient because he feared God, he did so because he respected God’s authority and he loved him. Never joke with your prayer life, word study life, tarrying room and every other spiritual backup plan. They always have the tendency to keep you in check and in the right plan for your life. Gen 12.
Intentionality. This is the negation of shadowboxing. The devil enjoys it when people walk out of the purpose of God for their lives. Being busy, but busy doing nothing. You have to start living life intentionally, don’t allow people toss you up and down. As a believer you have to learn hear not to live out your potential but God’s purpose for you and be intentional about it. This is the place of planning and strategizing. That God blessed Abraham does not mean he was walking aimlessly before God called him, God’s mercy met with his hand work and the blessing was visible in his life.
Focus: Focus helps us sustain intentionality. Having a good foresight is beautiful but securing it and making sure it sees the light of the day requires intent focus.
Wisdom: wisdom is act of being wise. It is doing that which is right rightfully. That is, acting in such a way that breeds results, Godly and positive results. Wisdom is a gift, it is a dimension. Our dearly revered mentor King Solomon operated on this dimension and dedicated The entire book of Proverbs to this effect. The wisdom of God which he operated in is the highest and most rewarding of all kinds of wisdom. It can also be accessed when you pray for it. Without wisdom one may have a half-baked productive life.
Factors That Destroy Productivity
Procrastination
Excessive sleep
Wrong company
Unhealthy comparison
Disalignment from God’s word
Cultural worldviews
Laziness.
The Rewards of a Productive Life style
Balance
Success
Peace
Finally, be reminded that when next you sing Abraham blessings are mine, know that it comes with a letter of hard work and dedication. The year has ended and here and there we hear so many talks on alignment, planning, strategy and so on. Take out time to retreat yourself to strategic planning for the coming year. Do not forget that when you plan and remain focused to this plan that is adequately in line with God’s purpose for your life, those strongholds in charge of this aspect of life will never have any legal access