The book of 2 Chronicles 34 v 1 – 3 strikes a chord in me, a chord that bothers decision-making. Making the right decision while you are still young. A decision that serves as a pivotal point to your success in life.
In 2 Chronicles 34 v 1 – 3, the Bible reads, Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty – one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, and idols – 2 Chronicles 34 v 1 – 3. In the above bible verse, the phrase “Whiles he was still young” comes to me as an end rather than the beginning. It appears to me as a phrase in a story, where the storyteller tells of the end of a major character and tries to relate the end (whether good or bad) to the decisions made while the character was yet young.
Every youth will one day be a character in the story of a chronicler to the hearing of a generation. No matter what, you shall indeed have an end in that story, and whether your ending will be glorious or disastrous, strongly depends on the decision and path you make or take while you are still young. To grow and make an impact on this journey of life do not dwell in the hands of people who wait till something happens but rather in the hands of those who make the right decision by taking the right steps to invest in life while the sun shines.
Making decisions to personally develop yourself is one of the most important steps to take while you are still young. It is termed as personal development in our everyday life and conversation but a very critical step to take to distinguish you from the rest. Personally develop yourself if you wish to see growth and impact for life does not give you what you think you deserve; it gives you what you invested in it. If you don’t keep reinvesting yourself, you will lose relevance.
John Andrew Holmes said: “Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting for centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do things”. So, your exploit in life is dependent on how well you develop yourself. The man who owned horses and chariots as a means of transportation some years back downplayed the invention of the automobile and failed to invest in himself because to him it was not possible. The question is, what happened to him when the invention came along?
Personal development consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential. It aims at building human capital, facilitates employability, and enhances quality of life and realization of dreams and aspirations. It is not a one-stop event or activity but rather a continuous process that may take place throughout an individual’s entire life span. Despite its continuous nature, it is instructive to note that early investment in oneself (while you are still young) creates the enabling platform for quick proper development attracting early opportunities, growth, wealth, and relevance. In developing yourself, you have the responsibility of carrying out different tasks, going through different processes, and facing different challenges aimed at maximizing your growth and potential.
Treat yourself as you are, and you will remain as you are. Treat yourself as you could be, and you will become what you should be – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Moses’ father–in–law in the quest to help salvage the herculean task on Moses, gives a criterion in selecting helpers for his administration. In Exodus 18 v 21 – he said, “But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” … “Moses chose capable men from all Isreal and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” – Exodus 18 v 21, 25. The instruction was for Moses to select particular abled men for a specific task – the selected men were men who had a level of built development that qualified them to be chosen. A lot of people missed the selection criteria then irrespective of age but rather submissive to capacity.
Take this advice, do not enjoy momentum pleasure at the expense of future sorrows. Make the right decisions now by walking yourself through this key thematic point of personal development while you are still young, for a brighter future and impact.
I call it KEP – IT – Knowledge Acquisition, Expectation, Positive Pressure, Intimacy with God, and Training. In no order, I would like you to journey with me as I throw more light on these instructive areas:
Knowledge Acquisition (K): Development thrives on knowledge, and acquiring it prepares you mentally with the needed skills to engage the doors of progress in any area of expertise you want. The word knowledge is a combination of two syllabi, thus know and edge. What you know or have acquired so far as knowledge is concerned gives you an edge over others. Your level of knowledge determines how far you go in life, be it social, economic, academic, or professional life. It also determines the rank you are placed among others. So, the saying goes “Knowledge is power”. It is indeed “power” looking at the aura of distinctiveness it brings to an individual who has it, amidst the confidence it generates within.
A typical example of knowledge recognition even in the realm of the spirit is found in Acts 19 v 13 – 16. The Bible accounts that, some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out” …. These Jews went about engaging in an exercise they did not know of. Just because they say Paul cast out demons in the name of Jesus, they taught they could do the same. In the ensuing verse the Bible says, ¹⁵One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Examine how the evil spirit in the possessed man dealt with them. It first acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus and Paul. It was so because he knew by operation the level of knowledge these two gained in the spirit and the ranking in the spirit because of the knowledge at their disposal. Their knowledge was so great to the point that even evil spirits took notice of them, I perceived due to the number of victories they had won. But to the youthful exuberant Jews, their low level of knowledge on spiritual matters exposed them to danger, public ridicule, and disgrace.
In Exodus 18 v 21 and 25, even the selected capable men by Moses (capable because they met criteria) from all the people, were given different tasks to perform. Some were made officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens; “But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” … “Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens – your knowledge gives you rank among the lots and even within the chosen.
The big question is: While you are yet young, how much knowledge have you consumed and what edge has that given you – keynote?
In the world today, Anthony Robbins is regarded as one of the top management consultants of international repute. How? He chose to seek knowledge that could make him a solution center so far as the development of people is concerned. A young man who had no college degree changed the narrative of his life by reading about 600 books on personal development and psychology and attending several seminars in America on personal development to gain knowledge. Today he sits amid global giants, decision-makers of nations to advise multimillion-dollar CEOs and Presidents. He is regarded as an authority in the field of intelligence and knowledge on earth – the Power of Knowledge.
In 2 Timothy 2 v 15 KJV, Paul continuously admonishes Timothy to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God ….” for a man worthy of any good work is the one who has proven himself by the knowledge at his disposal. I believe God takes an interest in well–studied men especially those who desire to know more of Him and has some level of knowledge to show forth. Your depth of knowledge exposes your abilities and capabilities in handling tasks. If you cannot handle it God is not ready to trust you with treasure.
The lives of Myles Munroe, Deepak Chopra, Nick Vujicic, and other renowned world speakers on personal development are evidence of the need to passionately develop yourself through knowledge. The level of affluence and impact they carry, the number of books they have authored, the travels all over the world, and the caliber of people who sit under their counsel are a testament to what knowledge does to one’s capacity and development. Even at this point of their fulfillment, most of these celebrated personalities still learn to add to their knowledge. In the words of Albert Einstein “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know”, knowledge never ends, keep learning.
You can’t afford to be mediocre, so far as your development is concerned – Keynote.
The young of today especially Christian youth should not hide behind spirituality and church to neglect this all-important factor but rather seek quality information as an important tool for development. Start reading books if going back to school is not possible now. Not dwelling only on formal education as a channel but harnessing the informal way of education for better growth. What matters is to acquire some level of knowledge at the end of the day.
Peter and his fishermen brothers were men who had not been to school. Men who had no formal education but were well informed about the ‘hows’ of fishing. They were well vested with the skills, and technical know-how in the fishing business. They had something to offer even though not formal but very important information so far as fishing is concerned. Jesus knowing of the enormous knowledge at their disposal was delighted to work with them and to realign them to their original purpose of fishing for men – Mathew 4 v 19.
What you have in terms of knowledge is the key to your higher height – keynote.
As the saying goes, your outward appearance is a true reflection of who you are made inwardly. Therefore, if you stop growing internally you stop growing externally.
Expectation (E): We develop ourselves by developing a large appetite. It’s good to celebrate what God has helped you achieve but don’t celebrate forever.
A preacher of the Gospel said that he held a city-wide crusade in a stadium, and it was filled. He was so happy after the program and went to see his mentor. His mentor after a short excitement about God’s faithfulness towards his mentee’s crusade went ahead to ask the preacher, so what next? The preacher was taken aback because he was still in the celebration mood.
You are done with your first degree, okay what next? You are done with your second and third degree, good, so what next?
You should be grateful to God after any achievement but quickly ask yourself the most important question – what next?
Consider these two scenarios; a situation where two people are referred to as formal champions. One lost his title or championship because of being defeated in a competition and the other retired as a champion in his discipline. Even though both personalities are referred to as former champions the truth remains that the retired champion carries more honor than the other. It is better to retire as a champion to attain the title of former champion than to lose the title while active in service in your prime.
Don’t ever believe you have arrived for Jesus said you are the light of the world, so till your light hits the world you are still jogging. Move from one accomplishment to the other seeing yourself as the light, thus where you are now is nothing compared to where God is taking you to. The wise king Solomon in Proverbs 4 v 18 (message bible) said “The ways of right living people flow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine”. Premature satisfaction is a killer of great destinies.
Taking a brief swipe into the life of Bishop David Oyedepo. In his numerous achievements in life, one will demand him not to expect any new thing, but he said after every major achievement he projects twenty-five years of new plans and strategies to actuaries them. I am not saying to be greedy but what I am saying is, so far as you discover your major assignment, keep pushing forward! Expect more, and move from one success to another. Competing with yourself and expecting something bigger is the way to develop yourself.
The word of God says “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still Bear Fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing (Psalm 92:12-14). Colonel Sanders at the age of 65 started Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) what excuse do you have young man and woman?
The expectation is to have a large appetite for more accomplishment. It is trusting God to take you from one glory to another. Will your name gain prominence in America, Spain, Germany, and Britain when mentioned? Then why should you sleep for hours every day celebrating your tiny achievement forever?
Paul among all his achievements in life so far as the gospel is concerned had this to say in Philippians 3:12 -14 ” Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on…. brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. A man of that caliber saying he forgets past achievements and hunger for more. What are you saying, let’s enlarge our capacity today through continuous expectation.
Training (T): Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle – Psalm 144 v 1 NIV.
While you are still young, training plays a key role in your self-development, translating to life success. You need to engage in training around your mandate, calling, or talent. You cannot succeed in something if you don’t engage in constant training to put you in shape and ready for execution.
Pursue training with everything you have, irrespective of the cost attached to it, if you are sure of your calling, purpose, mandate, or ministry then it is worth going all out to get yourself trained either by someone, a body, or by self-dedicated training. You cannot excel in your area of calling without dedication toward training. Check nationally and globally people whose work has gained recognition and impact, and you will see traces of continuous, dedicated levels of training. Name them in basketball, music, football, dancing, business, politics, journalism, movie production, ministry, etc.
Using Usain Bolts as an example, amidst numerous personalities in various professions. The records have it that Bolts’ single greatest goal ever is to become the greatest and have a place in history. Fortunately, history has that ambition of Usain recorded, as one of the greatest and fastest athletes of all time. This success Usain says was motivated by advice given by his coach Glen Mills – “Everybody on the circuit, everybody at the championships are talented athletes already. It’s the work you put in that makes you a champion, or better than the other talented person.” Coach Glen pitched training as the catalyst for success and the tool to becoming a champion. This is the reason Usain Bolt trains for eleven months a year, six days a week, and twice a day (morning and evening) to be the champion we all look up to and admire.
Don’t just be in a hurry to execute your mandate, you might find yourself in deep trouble. There are rudiments/principles you need to pick along, so you minimize mistakes and become sharper in your delivery. Every outstanding personality was engaged in serious training to attain whatever feet they have now. …an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules – 2 Timothy 2 v 5 ESV. Your crown is attached to your obedience and adherence to the rules of engagement. Of course, without complying with the set rules, you stand no place to be recognized as a champion, and training is the tool for engaging rightly since it spells out the hows and ways of every competition in life.
Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it – Proverbs 22:6 KJV. If the instruction is to train, then there is a supposed figure (coach/mentor) to train a child (mentee). Get a mentor or coach in your quest to train, a coach with the requisite skills, knowledge, experience, and technical know-how to help you in the training process.
Apostle Paul was well trained by a famous Pharisee mentor by the name Gamaliel – Acts 22:3. Even though Paul’s early works were wrongly directed, his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus gave a redirection of life. The point here is his training later became a tool for his massive exploitation of the things of God. Indeed, he was trained for excellence which showed in all his works. To date, his contribution and labor in Christ cannot be over-emphasized.
You can talk of Timothy, a young man of seventeen (17) years of age under the tutorship of Paul the Apostle. Taking instructions from such a general of the gospel and having the privilege of sitting under his teachings and being referred to us a son in the faith. Timothy got the best of training and mentorship so far as his calling was concerned showing in the excellence of his ministry – 1 Timothy 1 v 1 – 4, 4 v 6 – 16
Esther had Mordechai his uncle as her mentor, listened to his instruction, followed his teachings and practically obeyed and lived according to the tenets of his training. This led to a beautiful well cultured queen and savior for the Jews in history – The Book of Esther.
Yes, we agree God has called you into a particular profession but that does not imply you only pray and wait for miracles to happen, get up and train yourself for the big task.
Positive Pressure (P): Should one feel relaxed and satisfied with an easy life just because it’s stress-free and makes one okay so far as they can pay bills and live a modest and undemanding life?
Positive pressure is another major tool for self-development as a youth. The emphasis here is pinned on Positive pressure and not just pressure. We are lackadaisical about life, leaving everything to chance without stretching ourselves enough to think big and differently about what we are made of what we can do, and the extent to which we can make great strides and impact.
To develop yourself, you need to take up new challenges, huge tasks, and new assignments that will stretch your thinking abilities and bring out the best in you. Self-development thrives on the wheels of big tasks and big risks that stretch your thinking making you a reference point in this life.
Come out of your comfort zone and release the hidden you to the world. Pick up an assignment, work as an intern to see the other side of you, engage in community service voluntarism, partake in church and club activities, go in for the leadership position available, all in the name of developing a skill, identifying gray areas about yourself that you can harness, building a productive system in you for success take off, developing a character for success and above all fulfilling to the fullest your God-given purpose in life.
I remember how nervous I was when the thought of contesting for a hall executive position crossed my mind. Honestly, I knew that wasn’t going to be easy considering the stress academic work has on me. To most of my friends, that was going to be a distraction to my studies, especially looking at the huge task one needs to deal with so far as student politics is concerned. Somehow, I knew I had some untapped leadership skills that needed to be unearthed for the benefit of people. Lo and behold I won the position and served meritoriously to the people of Ogua Hall at the University of Cape Coast 2012/2013 academic year and still graduated with flying colors.
You look stagnant because you have assumed a state of rest, a state of am okay hence your inability to grow in life. A force needs to push you into action and that force is positive pressure, bringing you to the place of wanting to do more, wanting to explore, wanting to succeed. Take up a bigger task that will cause you to think, analyze, strategies, and be restless so that your mental muscles can be stretched. Go in for the huge task, join the team of experts to undertake that job, and do something abnormal that will get you thinking, and finding a solution for that is your breakthrough.
Always see uncomfortable situations like your very gold mine and an avenue to carve a niche for yourself. If you claim not to be comfortable with that situation then dare to turn things around. See every uncomfortable situation as a positive pressure in the form of positive tension, creative tension, and tasking pressure forcing you to have a retrospective analysis of yourself to ascertain your strengths, weaknesses, and the skills and resources needed to change the narrative.
A friend of mine many years ago told me how excited he becomes anytime he sees problems and troubles. He said, “I always see money when a problem arises, so I always go out looking for one”. To him, problems serve as an exchanged commodity for money provided, he gets solutions for them. I can confidently say your success is tied to problems (Pressure), so avoid running away from Problems.
Never be familiar with your impoverished conditions, it kills positive pressure leaving you unprogressive, stagnant, and unchanged circumstances. Avoid sayings like: “am used to that’, “business as usual”, “am not in a race”, and “and am not pressuring myself”, for they tend to eliminate the needed positive pressure that could get you pushing till you succeed. Kill mediocrity by having a fatherly mentor or friend who will not tolerate your average life but rather push you so hard to become like them and even better than them. Anthony Robbins in one of his sayings said, “You need to find yourselves some billionaires and begin associating with them, they will get you thinking at their level.”
Checking through history, wealth and lasting success comes the way of people who dare to change the status quo, people who dare to start when everybody has given up, and people who dare to ask the right questions (WHO, WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW) just to make a difference.
In Ghana, is one of the African waste management experts by the name of Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong, Group CEO of Jospong Group of Companies? His quest to succeed in life developed in him a seasoned entrepreneur who has to his credit dozens of companies despite his challenging background as a young growing youth. This positive pressure quest saw the establishment of arguably one of the leading waste management companies (Zoomlion Company Limited) in Africa. A feat not even the government with all its resources has dared to venture into was handled by one man who had the pressure to stretch his mental ability and entrepreneurial skills to bring a lasting solution to waste management. While others, including government institutions, ran away from waste, Agyapong asked the right questions to produce the right pressure for success.
Moses one of the greatest leaders in history was nurtured with a silver spoon in his mouth in the Palace of Egypt. He looked good physically but wasn’t ready to lead three million people who had been slaves for four hundred and thirty years – so God had to orchestrate a move that would enroll him in the wilderness to have a feel of hunger, restlessness, Pressure for forty years, all in the name of developing a leader for greatness. That pressure produced one of the meekest men ever in the world.
Joseph actualized his dream when he was taken out of his father’s pampering arms by God. The young man if told of the challenge ahead in realizing the shining star in him, would have rejected it. But God knew the young man needed Pressure that would help him grow, starting from the pit to the slave market, bought like a piece of property, engaging in hard labor, then to the prisons, creating positive pressure, hence producing the ability to interpret dreams. When that ability was developed, God opened the palace for him and finally the leader in Joseph emerged (it took thirteen years of intensive pressure to unleash his potential) – Genesis 37 – 50
Avoiding pressure is the major reason we have mediocrity around us. If you run away from tension you will go into extinction.
Intimacy With God: I reserved this point for the final part since it is the pivotal point of all development and as young men and women the absence of it is the end of a godly future.
You hear of Elijah overtaking a man who was riding on a chariot, and you think that is science, No. The man spent quality time with God and His hand came mightily upon him – 1 Kings 18 V 46
Jesus’ experience in Mark 1 v 35 gives an account of how early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place, where he prayed. He spent days fasting and praying in the desert to have an intimacy with God and to be engulfed in His presence. After that encounter, he stepped out and was easily identified by demons and principalities of who he was and is.
It is at the point of intimacy that heaven will make sense of all the phases you have been through – knowledge acquisition, training, positive pressure, and expectation.
I urge you to set aside an hour daily to meet with God. If you do it constantly you will begin to hear from God clearly, He will give you direction on how to pursue your assignment on earth and reveal a secret to you that you may never have known. You can’t spend time with God and end up in disgrace, do it consistently some thirty minutes reading the word, twenty minutes praying and ten minutes meditation, and then your life will never be the same.
In conclusion, while we are yet young may we be led by the spirit of God to search for nothing but the truth who is Christ Jesus for a glorious manifestation of the Glory of God through us. I pray and honestly hope to meet you at the positive end of your story as a reference point for the generation after us.
God bless you
By Elder Sampah Owusu Odikoman District
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