By Dr. David Oyedepo
Welcome to another impactful week! I hope you were blessed by last week teaching. This week, we shall focus on: The Place of Character for Supernatural Breakthrough!
We understand from Scriptures that as children of God, redemption guarantees us a great future. As it is written, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). Redemption, by the blood of the lamb, also assures that we have a lively hope; the hope that maketh not ashamed (Jeremiah 29:11). It is truly the inheritance of the redeemed to have a great and enviable future. But what is the way to this desirable future? We cannot separate the future of a tree from its nature; the nature of a tree is what determines the fruit it bears. An orange tree cannot bring forth mango fruits neither can a guava tree bring forth orange fruits. Therefore, the fruit of a tree is what determines its future because inside the fruit is the seed and inside the seed is the tree again. In Isaiah 61:3, the Bible says that we are trees of righteousness, the plantings of the Lord that He might be glorified. Thus, our future is largely determined by our nature. The Bible says, Every tree that bringeth forth not good fruits is hewed down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 7:19). It means the absence of good fruits will terminate any great destiny – the future is dashed because it is not bringing forth good fruits. It is our nature that determines our future. Our habits define our habitat and our ‘make-up’ determines our ‘end-up’.
Therefore, understand that having a successful or great future is not a product of chance, but a task that has to be consciously tackled. Someone said, ‘You do not determine your destiny, you determine your character and your character defines your destiny’. Thus, character is the covenant block with which great futures are built.
What is Character?
Success is not so much a function of what to do, but what to be. There are many people who are excellent in their field of endeavours; yet, every opportunity for lifting passes them by and this is because they lack the character required to match the position they aspire to attain. Therefore, what to be is much more important than what to do and this is because what we are actually determines what we do. Character is not a gift; it is a choice, which leaves us with a personal responsibility to cultivate. The quality of our character is the foundation for how great our future will be. Unfortunately, awareness of this fact is greatly missing in the body of Christ today. An African proverb says, ‘Character is the commander of fortune’. God enacted the law of divine success in Joshua 1:6-9 and a close look at the verses shows that God spoke to Joshua five times about what to ‘be’ and just twice about what to ‘do’. This goes to show how vital what we are is as opposed to what we do, in determining our success.
Character should be considered as one of the greatest assets in the school of success. Ability alone will never take us where character would. Success in life is a direct function of God’s favour, and it takes character to walk in favour. Joseph was a goodly person, a man of character and well-behaved, trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Potiphar saw character in him and trusted him with all he had. Even in the prison, Joseph’s character was so glaring that it earned him favour there. Character crisis is basically at the root of every misfortune in life. Do you want to enjoy success in life? Then continuously develop a goodly personality and a lifestyle of enviable character. No matter how gifted a man is; if he lacks character, he will not have value. For instance, a motor mechanic, who is an expert in his trade that lacks integrity, will soon be out of business. He knows the job but people cannot trust him and as such, he loses the market. Not because he lacks expertise but because he lacks character. Nature is far superior to efforts; thus, other than spend more time on effort, we need to spend more time in building the kind of nature that will secure for us the kind of future we desire.
In conclusion, no matter the qualifications we have acquired, we will require quality character to make our destinies enviable. Some people have never enjoyed any fruitful tenure of office in any organisation and the reason is character deficiency. Therefore, it is not enough to have what the world needs; we must be who they want. However, you must be born again to exercise godly characters. If you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I know I am born again! For further reading, get my books: Following the Path of the Eagle, Exploring the Secrets of Success, Ruling your world, Success Buttons, Success Strategies, and Success Systems. I invite you to fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:55 a.m., 9:50 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. respectively. Also, you can join our live services via Facebook: David Oyedepo Ministries International, Twitter: @Davidoyedepomin, Instagram: davidoyedepomin, YouTube: Domi Stream, Hebron 95.9 FM, Winners World App, Impact Africa TV (on Startimes and NigComSat), Domi Radio and via the Church Satellite. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, call 01-4548070, 01-4548280, or E-mail: dphprints@gmail.com.
