“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father” (Genesis 26:3)

It’s important to examine your mentality as a minister; are you the influencer, or are you being influenced?

Many times, churches and ministers are influenced by their environment, and unless you’ve conditioned yourself to be on the offensive in changing and influencing your environment, it’ll surely influence you.

Take a cue from Abraham – He was proactive; he was the influencer and changed his environment; whenever he came into a place or city, he came in with a vision, with the right mentality – the mentality of a king.

He never analyzed the advantages of his environment before contemplating whether to go there or not. Rather, he went in with the consciousness that he was the blessing.

That’s why when God said to him, “Go to a place that I will show you…” he didn’t ask where; he knew he would make that place whatever God wanted.

This is the mentality of a king; this is the kind of man that God would walk with, because He is looking for someone who has His mentality, and His way of thinking.

Some might think they need to go somewhere that’s suitable for ministry; they may be dependent on the economy of their environment or the government of that city or nation for their success; that’s not kingly-thinking! We are the seed of Abraham; we make the economy, the economy doesn’t make us.

Be the influencer today

During His early ministry, the Lord Jesus displayed absolute mastery over the circumstances of life, including the forces of nature.

On a particular occasion, He was hungry and walked to a fig tree, hoping to find some fruit to eat. But the tree was fruitless, as it was not yet the season for figs. The bible records that Jesus spoke to the fig tree and said, “…no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And His disciples heard it (mark 11:14).

The master talked to a tree; He spoke out so loud, His disciples heard Him!

The next day, Peter, recalling what had happened the previous day, called the master’s attention to the fig tree, saying, “Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away” (Mark 11:21).

From his response, Jesus made us understand that we can talk to anything- we can influence anything, and effect any changes with our words: “for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (mark 11:23)

Here, Jesus wasn’t talking figuratively, as many people assume. Remember that in the previous verse, He had talked to a tree! He was showing us the power and efficacy of our words, and He proved it on numerous occasions.

Jesus spoke to the winds and the waves, to fish in the water, to dead bodies, etc, and they all heard and obeyed Him.

You, too, have been imbued with the same ability to effect changes with the word of God in your mouth, for “as He is, (Jesus), so are we in this world” (1 john4:17). Your faith-filled words determine the quality of life that you live!

It doesn’t matter the situation or circumstance in which you’ve found yourself; you can effect changes with your faith-filled words!

There’s a huge difference between those who honour the Lord and those who don’t, and this difference extends to their children. Let’s examine this from the Scriptures.

Isaiah 49:25 says, “But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.”

What a commitment from God! He promises to fight for those who honour Him, contending with those who trouble them and saving their children.

This promise is reinforced in Isaiah 54:13. It says, “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” This is God’s assurance: children of those who honour Him are taught by the Lord, and they experience great peace.

What about those who don’t know God? Psalm 58:3 reveals their plight: “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” The wicked are separated from God even before birth. From the womb, their lives are misdirected, growing up in deceit because they lack the truth of God’s Word.

If you’re reading this and you’re not born again, more so if you’re an offspring of unsaved parents, the Bible explains why your life might seem directionless and spiritual things appear incomprehensible to you. You were estranged from God from birth, programmed to follow a path away from Him.

This isn’t something you can change by your efforts alone. You need the mercy and grace of God. Ask the Lord to come into your heart and give you a new life.

You can do this right now by turning to the *“Prayer Of Salvation”* page; say that prayer, and mean the words from your heart, and you’d receive the life and nature of God.

For parents who are already in Christ, their children are spiritually impacted even from the womb. A child conceived by Spirit-filled parents carries the blessing of God’s Spirit before birth. This is the stark difference between those born to parents in Christ and those who aren’t.

The word “accepted” in the scripture above is “charitoo” (Greek), and it means to grace; that ̄ is, to be imbued with special honour; make accepted or be highly favoured. So, the scripture should actually read, “…He has made us highly favoured in the beloved.” Hallelujah!

Someone in Scripture who got such a description was Mary. Luke 1:28 says, “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured….” And that’s exactly what God is telling you; you’re blessed and highly favoured.

Mary was blessed and highly favoured because she was to carry Jesus in her womb through the Word. Today, you’re carrying Jesus in your spirit through the Word. Glory to God! His Word isn’t just in you; His Word is your life, for you’re born of the Word. What a life He’s given us!

What does it mean to be favoured? It means that you’re blessed beyond measure; you’re blessed of God even when you don’t seem to deserve it.

In essence, look beyond your ability; look beyond whether or not you qualify; God Himself is your ability and your sufficiency. That’s what it says in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Our sufficiency is of Him.”

Being highly favoured means everything you do prospers. Even when others fail or make losses, you excel, because you’re sponsored by the Spirit; he orders your steps. Even if you were surrounded by critics and detractors, it’ll make no difference because you’re God’s man or woman, piloted by grace.

As God’s favour is manifested in your behalf, doors and opportunities which can’t be humanly explained are open to you. The Bible says, “And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance…” (2 Corinthians 9:8 AMPC).

This is God’s desire for you. Psalm 5:12 says, “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” Everywhere and every time, throughout this year, be conscious that you’re blessed and highly favoured.