This is the sequel to last week’s article titled, “Unlimited Power of the Sixth Sense.” If you missed it, check The Sun newspaper’s website. Everyone knows that every human being has five senses, viz, sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. With these senses, we are able to live a full, normal life.
Anyone who lacks any of the five senses is disabled, ab inito, at least in that particular area. We also know that disability only happens in two basic areas: sight, in respect of blindness, and sound, pertaining to deafness or being dumb. Rarely do we ever hear of anyone who has no sense of touch, taste or smell.
The point here is not about all of that. We’re dealing with the limitations of the five senses as regards the achievements of lofty objectives. When you look at your goals this new year, your senses may tell you that you don’t have the capital, ability, knowhow or connections to achieve those goals. Yet, we know that people still fail to succeed even when they obviously have all it takes to succeed.
You may have capital, ability, connections, capacity, good family background, first class degree, etc, and success may still elude you despite all your qualifications, if you lack the grace. People who are less equipped to succeed in a venture make it all the same because they have the grace of God upon them. What makes the difference often between success and failure is the enabling grace given to an individual.
It is God that qualifies the least qualified. Education developed the world. Without it, we’d be in darkness. That’s a fact no one can controvert. Sense-knowledge is informed by education, training and experience. Like I mentioned in last week’s write-up, the senses enable us to function in the world. The senses keep us alive and well. I posit here that in the world today, sense-knowledge and western education, experience, training and all that, have their limitations – if you want to succeed in any sphere of human endeavour.
The grace of God, which the Bible defines as unmerited favour, is an essential additional to what sense-knowledge, education, connection, training, courage, etc, give you, to enable you succeed in this highly competitive world that we live in today. Therefore, in addition to faith in God and yourself, like we said last week, grace upon your life would make the great difference for you in 2020. So, pray hard for greater grace than you have presently. That’s the New Year gift I have to give you.
Why am I talking to you about grace to succeed in 2020? There’re people who made first class in business studies but can’t make it in the world of business. You’d see mediocre folks run rings round a genius in the same profession, while the genius fails abysmally and the “idiot” succeeds brilliantly. There’re people we call “money miss road” because, though rich and powerful, they are of low intelligence, nevertheless.
You wonder why Aliko Dangote is the richest black person on earth when he’s not a professor of business and finance, whereas more intellectually endowed people suffer in business. It is grace at work, my brethren.
Look at this: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari were begged to become president twice, yet the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo struggled all his life to attain the position, to no avail. This coveted office of Nigerian President fell on the laps of Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Ernest Shonekan and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar when they didn’t even ask for it. It’s the grace of God that did it.
That’s why the Bible says the race is not to the swift. But for grace, I shouldn’t be the one writing this column. With no one to motivate or inspire me, I came to Lagos in December 1973 as a motor mechanic, but ended up seven years later as a celebrated entertainment columnist in the Punch newspaper (1981 – 1985). If you read my story, you’d agree that my second name should be GRACE!
So, friends, you need grace and help from above to achieve your long-expected breakthrough in 2020. You have to look up to God for grace, to achieve a goal where sense-knowledge can’t take you.
There are probably millions of preachers in this country, but we only get to hear about Pastors E.A. Adeboye, W.F. Kumuyi, Chris Okotie, Tunde Bakare, Chris Oyakhilome, Matthew Ashimolowo, David Oyedepo, Paul Adefarasin, Paul Enenche, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, Lazarus Mouka, etc. It is the grace of God working in their lives. Think about it.
God’s grace is never deserved, that’s why it is unmerited. When grace is working in your life, you’d be at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing to get the right result. You may think you are smart or lucky but the word luck doesn’t appear even once in the Bible. It is actually grace that works things in your favour.
Some people, unable to understand the way God works, think that grace is serendipity. It is not. If you want to know about grace in full detail, read the Bible book of Galatians. Let’s leave it at that for now, my brethren. I wish you more grace in 2020.
Weekend Spice: Today is experience; the future is life – Lolu Ogunmade
Ok folks, let’s do it again next Friday. Stay motivated.
•Ayodeji is an author, rights activist, pastor and life coach. He can be reached on 09059243004 (SMS & WhatsApp only)