THE ESSENCE AND THE NECESSITY OF SIGNIFICANCE OR GREATNESS.

SERIES:         STEWARDSHIP

AIM:               HELP YOU TO BECOME THE GREAT MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD YOU ARE

MESSAGE:    THE ESSENCE AND THE NECESSITY OF SIGNIFICANCE OR GREATNESS.

TEXT:             ISAIAH 43:1-7

WHAT SIGNIFICANCE OR GREATNESS IS.

To be significant is to be very important, valuable (of great worth), very precious, special, extraordinary, prominent, imposing or visible. It goes without saying therefore that a significant person is also a very useful person. Similarly to be truly great, is to be big, large, or important. Greatness is also about excelling in ability, quantity or quality. A great person is a honourable person. Great entities can neither be ignored nor assumed because even by the mere fact of their presence, they positively influence and affect their surroundings. Great people are influential people and world changers. That is who you are, by divine design and deposit.

THE GENESIS OF GREATNESS.

Jehovah God is the embodiment, totality and the full expression of Greatness or significance. His name Jehovah stands for the present and active God who through His own volition (conscious choice) determination or conclusive finality and power brings to pass whatever He chooses (Exodus 3:13-15). He is Jehovah Elshaddai; God almighty, the perfection of strength. (Genesis 14:18). The word ‘El’ means strength. He is also ‘Elohiym’, the supreme and excellent God. (Genesis 1:1)

IT IS GOD WHO MAKES US GREAT.

“Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing”. God’s express purpose is to bring you to the place of prominence or greatness. Your ultimate place of destiny in life as the seed of Abraham is the place of Greatness and blessings and God’s intention and desire is to bring you there, that is why He tells Abraham, “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward”. It is no secret that Abraham is dead and gone, but his legacy  lives on within us  through divine deposit, seeds of Abraham which has the  DNA of Greatness and blessings. Make room for it to grow and blossom in to the great fruitful tree  that it is. What I am, saying in the name of the Lord is, you must become great and be a blessing for that is your true identity, who you truly are, and what you are created to become.

“Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation” (Genesis 18:18). Greatness come s through an uncompromising and intimate relationship with God and His strategically and purposely positioned people and things around us. It is up to you to be shrewd enough and take maximum advantage of this array of divine connections. Greatness is destiny, but to become great is a matter of conscious choice and a deliberate move.  Resolve to pursue and realize or come to the place of your full potential in God. You have to be willing to pay the price of scaling the entire flight of stairs of Greatness, to destiny, because each of us has the seed of Greatness within. “And God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the…fish and the birds…and every living creature” (Genesis 1:28). To become is to realize, actualize or come to the position of initial intent.

WHY GOD MAKES US GREAT

1. To Fulfill His Covenant With Abraham

“I will make you into a great Nation” (Genesis 12:2. The Words ‘Great Nation’ speaks of a high, mighty, noble, impressive or a significant offspring. No wonder to an obedient Israel scripture says “And the Lord shall make you the head and not the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:13). “Christ has redeemed (brought us up, rescued us from loss, or improved our opportunity for) us, from the curse of the Law… that the blessing (commendation, fine speaking, benediction to make us prosper or benefit) of Abraham, (God’s storehouse of blessing) might come on the gentiles (you and me) through Christ Jesus”. (Galatians 3:13-14). Christ is the channel, connection or your bridge to Abrahamic blessings (so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”). Without Him as your Lord and Saviour, you are lost without hope in the world.       

2. Help You Execute And Fulfill Your Mandate

A mandate is authority given somebody to perform a certain task or assignment. For man it is to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion or rule over the fish…birds…and over every living things that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Simply put, it is to be a good and faithful steward of God on earth. When you understand your mandate, you become unstoppable at least before you finish your assignment. (Joshua 1:1-5). Allow me to give you a word of caution:- “Stay out of the way of a man or woman with a  divine mandate and they know it.” The divine deposit of significance attracts others and announce you, hence opening bigger and greater doors for you to enabling you to accomplish much in a much shorter time – call it speed anointing. Significance fishes you out of the wilderness of oblivion and situates you on to the highway of destiny, opening a world of begging opportunities, “Whose son are you?” (1 Samuel 17:58).

3. Greatness is a core part of your gene.

“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). The psalmist says “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and His goodness is unsearchable (unmeasurable) – Psalm 145:3. the above scriptures are proof that you are created great from the word go, that is to say  that by divine nature, purpose and intend you are a great person, at least in the inside of you.   

4. Help You Overcome Personal Weaknesses

Greatness provides a support system through subjects and systems which more than overwhelms your shortcomings, effectively overshadowing and covering them. The quick tempered and cynical Naaman got it from his company “Then his servants.. Spoke to him (and said)…had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? So…he dipped himself…and his flesh was restored” (II Kings 5:13-14). Moses got support from Aaron and Hur and brought victory to the Israelites. “Moses’ hands were heavy (became tired) and Aaron and Hur helped keep his hands up… and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” (Exodus 17:12). It is therefore critical that you build, mentor, support and grow others into greatness and also impress upon them to do the same to others after them.  Greatness attracts support. Support the leader to realize victory, for the anointing flows from the top (Psalm 133:1). Some hands are better held up for our well being. 

HOW TO BECOME TRULY GREAT 

1. Through Relationships

God is very great and so when we relate intimately or closely to Him, we naturally through that divine connection become great. When you touch a live wire, your body immediately assumes its voltage. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and the man was perfect, and upright, and one that feared God and shunned evil…this man was the greatest of all men of the East.” (Job 1:1-3) Job was so great and upright to an extend that God took pride in and boasted about him “…the Lord said to Satan, have you considered (noticed) my servant Job?” (Job 1:8). To finish great, keep the company of the great. “…and Enoch walked with God and was not because the Lord took him” (Genesis 5:24). Even ungrateful and disrespectful Lot flourished when he stayed on with Abraham (Genesis 13:5,6)

2. Through the Spirit of servant hood.

When you saw good into the lives of others by way of service, that is what you also reap. (Galatians 6:7). “Whoever wants to become great (large, important, strong) must be your servant and whoever wants to be first (important) shall be the slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44)

Have the attitude of Christ and so empty yourself to serve with humility and obedience to the legitimate authority over you and God will highly exalt you in due time. (Philippians 2:5-9)

3. By Forgiving, Releasing And Praying For Your Offenders.

“When Job prayed for his ‘friends’ (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar), the Lord gave him twice as much as before…so the Lord blessed  Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning” (Job 42:10,12-17). Speak thus to yourself, “My second half is going to be much better than my first, my time for restoration has come.”

4. By Recognizing And Honouring Greatness.

You attract what you honour, so respect God’s people and honour them. Appreciate their positive achievements – verbally if you can, speak well of them and you will become what you speak. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it (to talk) will reap its fruit (consequences)” (Proverbs 18:21). If you want a car, speak well of others’ cars, if you want a wife, speak well of others’ wives. If you want money, handle it responsibly and wisely. Every entity you treat well will always come to your possession, even Greatness.

   

5. By Deliberately And Consciously Investing In Greatness In Good Time.

Seek out and discover early the great things (genes ) of this life like, a good attitude, love, unity, the fear of God, righteousness, peace, honour, finances, wisdom, health, good relationship and your divine purpose and invest your time and resources in them in a greater measure. “These (Berean Brethren) were more noble (open minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scripture daily to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” (Acts 17:11). You prosper and become great as you invest your life in the word of God. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein, for you shall make your way prosperous and then you shall have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

6. By Walking Obediently Under God’s Leading.

“And there was famine in the land…and the Lord said (to Isaac) “Go not down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell you of. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you… then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundred fold and the Lord blessed him and the man became great. For he had possession of flocks, herds, store of servants and the philistines envied him.” (Genesis 26:1-3, 12-14). Let your attitude, decisions, geographical position and activity not be dictated by physical or spiritual conveniences but rather by God’s word if your intention is to become great. God has the capacity to greatly prosper you even in the desert situation, so trust Him and obey His word. As for as God’s word for Greatness is concerned the process is hear, believe, obey (sow) and reap. Speak to yourself thus “God is bringing much possession my way through my spirit of obedience.”  

THE PILLARS OF GREATNESS.

A short case study of the qualities or attributes of David the shepherd as recorded in 1 Samuel 16:18 gives great insight on the tenets or building blocks of greatness.  They are as follows:-

1. Foundation

It has been said that you can only go as deep as your foundation. Great people consequently spring from great foundations. David is the son of Jesse, a seed of the Great Abraham (Genesis 12:2). Through Christ we have become the seed of Abraham, and in Him we are born into greatness. Speak to yourself thus: - “I am great by virtue of my Abrahamic foundation”

2. Skill

Skill is the ability or the power to use knowledge effectively. This calls for wisdom or shrewdness, right information inflow and persistence or tenacity. Skills are cardinal building blocks for excellence. Only the diligent, the faithful at work are able to sharpen their skill to the optimum level. Don’t just perform, do it skillfully.  Add the important and necessary dimensions of skill to your vocation.  Give your assignment a thorough and smart short and deliver beyond expectation.

Say to yourself, “I purpose to and will excel through skill in all my work”

3. Worship

It has been said that ‘you attract what you honour.’ Let me add anew dimension to this and say, “You are consumed by and become part of what you worship” David pursued God’s presence and Godliness from His youth. Through the tabernacle of David, he taught us a new way of bringing God down to us to answer our prayer (Acts 16:5-40), through temple praise and worship as opposed to only offering animal or grain sacrifice. When we praise and worship God from our heart, we establish a heart to heart connection between us God, which brings effects that are far reaching and greater than other wise.

 “You are holy; Oh you inhabit the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). When you pray, God sends His angel, but when you Praise or Worship God, He comes down himself with the answer. (Acts 16:25-26, 12:3-10)

4. Braveness and might

Like David Livingstone and Dr. Ludwig Craff   brave people have a pioneer spirit. They dare to, and go where others have not and dare not go. They break fallow ground and adventure into new frontiers. Brave people are tenacious and people of strong character. Once they start moving they are unstoppable – at least until their mission is accomplished. We see that in King David in dealing with the vicious Philistines. David was a mighty man of God who still realized his divine destiny even when Israel was faced with the most hostile of enemies, both within and without. The result of his exploits are narrated later by his son and heir King Solomon in 1 Kings 5:4. “But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.  Don’t hand over to posterity what is your responsibility; give them a clear and good launching pad from which to take off  into their destiny.

5. Warring Spirit.

“The Lord is a man war, the Lord is His name” (Exodus 15:3). Warfare is apart and parcel of every true man of God. We live in hostile territory and the only way to forge ahead and advance the course of heaven is through warfare. Satan will not release what he has taken into his possession, lying down, so for you to make an impact and recover lost ground warring especially in the spirit is not an option but an absolute necessity. David was a seasoned soldier who had fought even with the hapless (unfortunate) lion and bear and killed both. Every great man of God is driven by divine zeal and is a fighter for the good or divine courses. It is in battle where you separate the men from the boys.  Declare:- “In the Lord Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors and win every battle”

6. Prudent (cautious and sensible) in Speech.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21a). The very greatest of exploits are not accomplished physically or otherwise they are mooted through the power of the spoken word. Next time before you open your mouth to speak, think through what you want to say before you become an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God – speak sense, speak life. Operate your tongue from a divine perspective. Your tongue portrays what is in your heart, thus betraying you publicly. The tongue is a small organ yet a very significant or powerful member. (James 3:5-12). What you say is what you get “Just as you have spoken in my hearing, so I will surely do to you” (Numbers 14:28). Speak therefore with understanding, discernment, knowledge, regard, and intelligence.

7.  Be smart, look good, look great

You are royalty, so go out of your way to present yourself as a Prince or Princess. Before people accept what is in you, they must first see and accept your physically. A human being is body, soul and Spirit and each of these is important (body included). Do not ignore your body – feed and treat it well, it is the horse which will help you carry God’s message to the world. Eat well and balanced (variety). Feed yourself with the right stuff (mind wise too) away with junk food, you are not a gabbage bin. Get enough rest and so wake up fresh ready to give life your best shot. Brush your teeth, shave or work on your hair and looks. Dress up clean, put on well done contemporary attire. “Then …King (Nebuchadnezzar) ordered…his officials to bring in some of the …royal family and … nobles, youth in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge and …ability for serving in the king’s court” (Daniel 1:3-4). Operate with an all round balanced personality. This will project you as the great person you are and grant you favour with men. Good looks have the power to open the closed doors before you.

8. God With You

Without this premise all the other previous pillars of greatness are null and void. You need God’s presence and by extension divine favour to be clothed with greatness. That is why Moses said to God, “If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here” (Exodus 33:15-16). It is God’s presence that distinguishes you from the rest of the people, making you the preferred choice in the face of competition. Your success is only assured with God’s presence in your camp.

20 CHARACTERISTICS OF GREAT OR SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE.

1. Great people are great sowers – they know what, when, where and how to plant, cultivate and reap
2. Great people, discover recognize and effectively use the ‘rod’ ( the tool at their disposal)
3. Great people cherish, seek out and apply great ideas; they are people of great minds and ideas.
4. Great people recognize and exploit opportunities optimally before others do.
5. Great people are not procrastinators.
6. Great people know and understand that time and chance are critical to destiny.
7. Great people are properly and firmly networked with other great people.
8. Great people are committed to mentoring others to greatness, they ooze greatness.
9. Great people speak great things and follow it with correspondingly great acts.
10. Great people major on the important things of life.
11. Great people aim at excellence and quality apart from quantity.
12. Great people know what, when, how and who to delegate to – they trust other great people.
13. Great people are vision driven and are not at home with the status quo.
14. Great people know when to set up camp and when to break it up and move on.
15. Great people know how to turn ‘failures’ into success – to them points of failure are stepping stones to significance.
16. Great people are good and faithful disciples or followers.
17. Great people know when to handover the baton and move over to the side lines and cheer their successors.
18. Great people speak well of others and major on their strengths.
19. Great people birth many more greater people.
20. Great people leave a legacy of greatness and lasting positive impact and influence, in other words, great people never die.

Do yourself and us a great favour, like a tiny seed that grows into a great tree – become the great person that you are.

….I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you (Genesis 12:2). And the man (Isaac) became great and went forward and grew until he became very great (Genesis 26:13)

REV. PETER ODHIAMBO

 DELIVERANCE CHURCH – NKOROI