7Ps To Greatness
7Ps To Greatness
7Ps To Greatness
Greatness
I appreciate the most high, the giver of all inspiration and the
motivation that keeps all inspiration moving. The Backing that keeps
me scaling all hurdles of Life. You are all I've got.
I appreciate my Lovely parents and the entire ABIOLA family,
with your support I can boldly stand and say I am Joseph Ayo
OMOABIOLA.
I cannot but also appreciate the Great Minds around me;
Onigbinde Francis Tope of Franconix Media, ALABI Victor
Tolulope of Heavenly Minded Souls Ministries, OLAJIDE
Nathaniel, Olatunji Tosin, Miller Joyce to mention a few.
I also appreciate mentors and models for all your impact. I pray
God continue to uphold you.
I will be an ingrate if I fail to recognize the impact of my able
and Vibrant Pastor in person of Pastor Oluseye David Oyeniyi. God
will increase you all round In Jesus Name.
Conclusively, I Appreciate everyone that deemed it fit to get this
rare material. I pray God keep you scaling all hurdles on your journey
to Greatness.
Thanks
I am Joseph Ayo omoAbiola
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DEDICATION
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INTRODUCTION
Peace.
Joseph Ayo ABIOLA
2016
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CHAPTER ONE
PROBLEM OF INSIGNIFICANCE
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fatherly love like no one ever.
As much as Jacob loved Joseph, his brothers never loved him.
They hated him, they hated the way he walks and the path he chose to
follow, they hated every fatherly care he enjoys, and they hated and
envied him to the extent that they cannot speak with him in peace.
His father out of love, not knowing that his elder brothers now
envies him bought and presented him a beautiful multicoloured coat.
This made his brothers envied him the more.
The matter grew worse in Genesis chapter 37 verse 5: 'Now
Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him
even the more”
Joseph that they already developed hatred for now calling them
to hear his dream. His dream made them to hate him the more.
One thing I noticed from the verse in that chapter is that, it is not
the dream that really got them on rage but their involvement in his
dream, it was the part they played in the dream that caused them an
increase in hatred.
"There we were, binding sheaves in the field, behold, my sheaf
arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all
around and bowed down to my sheaf" Genesis 37:7.
If it were to be that Joseph in his dream was only helping them
to bind their sheaves without having a sheaf of his own, they would
not have hated him the more. But because Joseph being the younger
one carried a greater portion of the glorious dream, they hated him
and his brothers said to him, shall you indeed reign over us? So they
hated him even more for his dreams and his words”
The Yoruba's would say: 'eni ti a ko fe n'ilu, to nda Orin': You
and your existence is not needed in a place yet you seem to grow
wings and you think you will be appreciated. This was the enviable
challenge Joseph had with his elder brothers that made them to sell
him into slavery.
That was the case of Joseph, you still haven't gotten the image
of Joseph am painting in you? You are like the Joseph in the Bible,
examine yourself, take a look at your story, and make a critical survey
of what you are going through if it is different from what Joseph had
gone through.
We are all Josephs, most of us are insignificant either by birth;
you might be the youngest in the family; you might not have a say in
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the decision making of the family,
Some are insignificant by Education; they might not have
enjoyed qualitative education; you might not have gone to a well-paid
school; yours might even be a public school; the educational
knowledge you had acquired might be insignificant when compared
with people around you,
Some are insignificant by performance; you might not be
performing too well like you really expected or as expected of you;
you might even discover that your result is nothing to compare to the
efforts invested,
Some are insignificant by recognition; your family members
might not see anything good in you; your society might not even
recognize you...
We are all insignificant in one way or the other (yours might just
be different from mine) just like Joseph in the Bible (the Eleventh (11)
son out of twelve sons of Jacob). But as insignificant as Joseph seem
to his brothers, he had a significant and mighty Dream.
You and the Joseph in you might look small in the sight of man,
financial constraints might be a bound tying you down, background
factor might make you look small but I tell you today that you have a
Great Dream that you must accomplish here on earth. You have a
great purpose that only you must fulfill that no other man on earth
can fulfill except you.
To fulfill this Purpose, You must first be sure that there is a
greater portion that you bring to this world that must manifest
because most times, your thought and it's assurance determines your
actions and how far you will go in life.
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Life's battle don't always go to the stronger
Or the faster man
But sooner or later the man that Wins
Is the man who think he can win...
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CHAPTER TWO
THE PARENT
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because parenting is the first experience a man has in life. The
parental care is the first care a child receives in life; they give birth to
you, they feed you, they cloth you, they educate you, they take every
responsibility over your life as a child. When you were growing, it
was even the Parent that determines what you will do, they determine
where you will go, they dictate what you will wear, what they provide
is what you will eat because you are new in this world and it's only the
parents that are in the best position to give the elementary guide
before a child grows up.
Take a critical look at the life of Joseph that we are examining,
if there was no record of the existence of Israel, there might not be the
record of Joseph in the scripture. And after Joseph was born, they
took up the responsibility over him as a parent, they began to fend for
him what to eat, what to put on, and everything that made life
conducive and comfortable for him.
Joseph did not just become a successful man in the land of
Egypt, he had gone through some steps and the very first stage of his
success is his parents. He was a child under his parent, subjected to
them and to whatever instructions they give, he lived his life in line
with the guide of his parents. He enjoyed every parental care a child
should enjoy. Under his parents, he passed through brotherhood
every child must experience, his brothers contributed to his success in
life, their positive and negative impact, their torture, their
domineering spirit and lots more all in the life of Joseph became a
pivotal strength that keeps him moving forward.
So also you and I, before you can fulfill your destiny, before you
can become great in Life, before the plan of God over your life can
come to pass, you must have passed through your parental stage of
life. Since you did not evolve, you were born out of the union of your
parents, they must also take their portion in your life.
Since parent is the first mentor a man knows, their ways of life,
their belief system, their approach to life unconsciously becomes part
of you and they stick more than glue to shape what you become.
Why do you feel a child that his parent is an armed robber does
not need a trainer or training to start stealing his friends' property in
school and a child whose parent are preachers, you might not need a
soothsayer to tell you because the parental trait will tend to manifest
itself in them.
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I remember growing up as a child in the elementary school, end
of the year part was always a fun time for us all and as a child we all
love to be part of the drama to be performed and I remember I had
worked up to our coordinator like 3times that I want to swap the role
am always given every year that I want to act the naughty character in
the play but she would always tell me you are not the type that fits into
the role that your type of person portrays the priesthood and he will
always make me act Joseph in the play or make me cover up to act an
Angel. I often think then to know what the Aunty meant... Even
pupils that we are in the class together unconsciously would call me
Pastor not because they knew my Father was a Minister and not that I
sat them down and asked them to call me Pastor but I know there
must have been some traits that must have been passed down to me
from my Parent that they see in me that made them call me by that
name. And I remember there are some in our class that our class
teacher treats with contempt because they will always cause the class
one trouble or the other or even disobey the laid down rules of the
school, it was the day one of them was followed to school by his
Father because he was denied access into the school that I discovered
this child was a replica of his father because even the father could not
apologize for his child's misdeed and rather he also caused a scene in
the school that we all have to carry ourselves to view the scene. No
wonder the Bible says
“Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb
against you: 'Like mother, like daughter!' Ezekiel 16:44'.
Automatically, a male child will take after his father and a female
child often takes after her Mother.
There are times in your life when you don't live for yourself but
for your parents... 'Joseph being seventeen years old, was feeding the
flock of his Father with his brethren... 'Gen37:2 KJV
You must take your part in building your parent's goal, whether
you like it or not, whether it is convenient or not you must take your
part in building their own set goal. If your father is a Carpenter, there
is no escape route, you must at one point follow him to his work place.
It might be during breaks in school and you had planned to tour the
nooks and crannies of the town during holiday playing your time
with your friends and your father is saying dress up and let's go to
work. As a child you will not be pleased with the decision of your
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father but there is no choice you've got, you must follow him to the
work place, get hammer for him when he needed it, hold woods when
he cuts and things like that. There is no way as a child that you will
not take your place in your father's profession.
I remember when my father had to shut his company down for a
full time ministry and we have to engage in farming to boost the
income, we'll have to go with him to the farm even when we are not
used to it, we learnt how to do it. There are times I'll feel like I'm not
going to step out of this house and whenever I hear him mention farm
to anybody, I will fake sickness the next day, this worked for me two
consecutive times until the next time I did the same and he asked to
follow by force. I had no choice than to follow back then. And now all
the things I felt are rigorous back then had contributed a long way to
my personal sustainability.
It is the totality of the efforts you put in place when you are
under your parents that will determine the efforts you face life with
when you are no longer with them.
Often times if parental stage is taken with a hand of levity, it
becomes a great challenge one must embattle before moving forward.
Imagine a child takes parental care with a hand of levity and there is
nothing he does to help his or her parents, especially ladies, you don't
wash, you don't sweep, you don't even cook, how do you think such
lady will be able to live peacefully in the larger world if not wasting
resources to get things done for her.
Imagine Joseph had carelessly joked away when his father
called 'and Israel said unto Joseph do not thy brethren feed the flock
in Shechem? Come, and I will send the end unto them. And he said to
him, here am I. ' Gen37:13
Imagine Joseph never answered his father, imagine Joseph
never left to check his brothers as instructed by his father, he might
not have moved to the next phase if Life not to talk of starting a next
step to greatness.
The time you spend under your parents is a time to utilize the
power of dream that is latent in you, it is a stage where you shape and
sketch how you want your life to be, it is a time you think big and
develop potentials and resources to actualize that dream.
Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of
human spirit. We are all in the same notion: The potential of
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greatness lives within us and this power of dream can best be put to
work at the stage of live when you are under your parents. Joseph at
this stage had developed a dream that will bring his brothers to bow at
his feet and he did not stop there, he also developed another dream
that will give to his Parents also to bow at his feet.
Lucius Annaeus says: 'it is a rough road that leads to the heights
of greatness.
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CHAPTER THREE
THE PIT
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bury his talent.
His brothers never wanted his glorious future to materialize,
they threw him into the pit. So also is everyman that comes to this
world with a special assignment to fulfill (Destiny) can at one point or
the other find himself in the pit of life.
"Every Gold that will shine must pass through fire”
Your glorious future is just like a gold that must have the
experience of a flaming and furry blasts as that is what gives it a
lasting radiance. Every destiny must be faced with a pit or the other as
that is what will make the destiny a lasting one.
Your own pit might surface in the physical, it might be
emotional pit, to some it might be psychological pit, some might be
financial pit and some might even fall prey of spiritual pits... But
whatsoever your own pit might be, it's just a rehearsal ground for your
manifestation because:
"No cross no crown”
I know of a young man whom the Lord endowed with
academic wisdom to the extent that he hardly come second in class.
After his common entrance examination into the secondary school,
the result came out as expected he passed excellently and got
admitted into one of the best secondary school on town. He sat for
the SSCE after his days in the school and made all his grades
awesomely but was unconsciously thrown into his own pit by his step
mother.
The step mother came between him and the father and the
matter got worse to the extent that his father no longer take
responsibilities for his schooling. He had to engage in a kinds of
menial jobs to get himself through the university. Though it was not
too easy but he never relented and at the long run, he became what he
aspired to be.
Pits are kept in place to shake your feet off the route to success
and make you drop your goal.
That challenges that you are facing can picture the magnitude
of the glory thereof but most times people don't tend to see the
picture that lies after the pit and they settle for the pit and what do you
think happens if pits are not well utilized?
Danette Crawford said in his book "Don't Quit in the Pit" that
often times we find ourselves in the peak, in a pit or somewhere in
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between. Whenever you find yourself in the pit, you still can't afford
to park (remain) in the pit.
Your life and your ultimate destiny depends on you
determining to trust God and get out. For Joseph, that pit looked like
a dark dead end, but it was truly a Pathway to the palace.
So also you and I on the way to greatness must know that you will
surely come in contact with the pit but be sure it's a pathway to
greatness.
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CHAPTER FOUR
PORTIPHA'S WIFE
The story of Joseph did not just end after he was lifted from the
pit. The favour of God located him and his brothers who threw him
into the pit brought him out and sold him into slavery
“... and sold Joseph to Ishmaelite for twenty pieces of silver: and they
bought Joseph into Egypt"
Gen. 37:28
It was slavery that brought him to Egypt, the Ishmaelite bought
him from his brothers, and Potiphar bought him from the Ishmaelite.
On getting to Potiphar's house, because he found favour in the sight
of God, "and the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous
man" Gen. 39:2 his master made him the Overseer of his house, "and
Joseph found grace in his sight,
And he served him and he made him
Overseer over his house "Gen 39:4 to the extent that everything
was under his care except for his Master's wife.
Naturally for everyman, after getting out of a pit (overcoming a
challenge), we tend to relax and feel too comfortable, a lot of people
will even forget the God that saved them from the problem, they focus
the pleasure without the consciousness that another problem might
arise.
Joseph never forget where he was coming from and where he is
going, he never forget the experience of the pit, he never forgets the
persecution faced with his dreams, he never allows the pleasure in
Potiphar's house to cover his face from the gaze of his glorious
destiny, he never loose guard. He was always prepared to face any
challenges in life and that is the reason why he never gave in to his
Master's wife.
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"And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast
her eyes upon Joseph and she said lie with me"
'But he refused" - Genesis 39:7-8
She tried so hard to make Joseph lie with her but because Joseph
was always prepared to face whatever might come his way as a
challenge even in the face of Pleasure in the House of Portipha, he
could overcome the temptation.
Just like Joseph, you and I should always be prepared to be
confronted by challenges of life at any stage of life. Even when we
face one and we overcome, be prepared another might surface in the
future.
In Portipha's house where Joseph was the overseer, challenges
came up (his Master's wife) and this landed him in the prison but he
was able to manage himself well and that's one of the factors that
contributed to his greatness in Life.
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CHAPTER FIVE
THE PRISON
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even be that man you are always loyal to bit in a bit to save himself
from troubles now land you into trouble.
I remember watching a home video sometimes ago with the title
"Life for Life". There were two brothers who lived a directly opposite
life. One is good and the other bad. Every effort to change the bad put
in place by the good amounts to nothing. But a certain day the bad
brother got himself into trouble and in a bit to save himself from the
trouble, he ran home and made his brother suffer in his place because
they both look alike. His brother (the good) suffered in place of his
bad elder brother.
It might be someone that is so close to you, someone that you
are so confident in that will land you in trouble. All these are bound to
happen on your journey to greatness.
Even Jesus Christ had to suffer much affliction from what he
knew nothing about because of the greater Glory that is before him.
You must always be sure that:
"No Cross No Crown" and like the Yoruba adage will always say:
"Ikoko to ba ma je ata idi re gbodo koko gbona”
Interpretation:
"A pot that is ready to prepare a soup
Must be prepared to get fired”
If you must reach that greater height in life, you must be ready to
handle difficult times and problems that comes your way.
Imagine Joseph gave in to his Master's wife and committed such
sin to God and against his Master, he might not have ended up in the
prison but he would have ended up in the jail of purpose. He would
have automatically lived the rest of his life as a slave in Potiphar's
house. But he took his stand even when he was flashed with things
that should be fascinating.
Also imagine that Joseph was not thrown into the prison, what
will be the end of Joseph in the land of Egypt? He would have died
unfulfilled.
It was in the prison that he met with dreamers like himself, it
was in that prison that he met the King's Cup Bearer and that
encounter presented him before King Pharaoh and made him
achieve his purpose of existence.
It was the Cross that perfected the salvation story Jesus came to
write in the world. If Judas had not betrayed Jesus, if he was not
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persecuted, if he had not suffered for the sins of man, if he was not
hung on the cross, our salvation story would not have been made
perfect. Jesus would not have been referred to as the Saviour of the
world.
If Elijah did not confront those Prophets of Baal, who will call
on God of Elijah that answers by fire today?
If Elisha had not managed his experience behind Jordan very
well, whose dead bones will wake the dead?
If Esther was not taken captive, who will deliver her people
from Haman who is determined to destroy them all?
If the story of Moses had not been so twisted the way it was,
who will deliver the Israelites from the captive of Pharaoh and
Egyptians? So also, if you are not faced with hard times like you are
experiencing, what will prepare you for that task ahead?
Guard yourself well and face that prison with every severe
strength God has given to you as it is a border between you and your
fulfillment.
When you cross it, you enter into higher realm.
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CHAPTER SIX
Most times when people here the Name Pharaoh, what cones to
fore in their mind is that Wicked ruler who kept Israelites in Bondage,
that King whose heart was unbending against the will of God, that
King that met his demise trying to stop the Israelites.
He is also a Pharaoh, but Pharaoh is a common title of the
monarchs of Ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty. So the Pharaoh
we are talking about is not the wicked and unbending Pharaoh.
After Joseph had suffered much in the hands of his brothers, in
the pit where he was kept, on the journey to another man's land in
slavery, in the Hand soft the Median, in the House of Potiphar, with
the wife of Potiphar, in the prison... he came in contact with people
that mattered to his destiny and he was brought before King Pharaoh.
It was a dream that gave Pharaoh hard time because he knew not the
meaning of the dream, he had tried every means possible within his
might to interpret the dream, he thought over and over again, he
consulted his wise men and magicians but they had no interruptions
for his dreams...
"Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled,
and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise
men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who
could interpret them for Pharaoh." Gen 41:8
Until one of his offer remembered Joseph who interpreted his
own dream in the prison, Pharaoh had no rest of mind.
"Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember
my faults this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and
put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me
and the chief baker, we each had a dream in one night, him and me.
Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own
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dream. Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant
of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our
dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own
dream.
And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened.
He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.” Gen 41:9-13
He immediately sent for Joseph and that day marks the
beginning of another wonderful turn around in the life of Joseph.
And when Pharaoh narrated his dream, he put into practice the talent
he had been developing over year, the talent that his brothers envied,
the talent that brought him into slavery and with the help of God, he
was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream.
His encounter with Pharaoh and his ability to interpret and a
Godly wisdom catapulted him to a higher ground. I believe Joseph
also applied God given wisdom when dealing with Pharaoh, he said:
“Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and
set him over the land of Egypt."
Genesis 41:33
Why do you think he never stopped at the interpretation alone
and leave Pharaoh to decide how he is going to manage the dream
being interpreted? Why do you think he suggested appointing a
"Discerning Man" even when he knew all the wise men Pharaoh had
could not discern the meaning of the dream?
38. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this,
a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you
all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. He applied
wisdom and this automatically brought him to power.
41. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land
of Egypt.”
42. Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on
Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a
gold chain around his neck.
When you are also faced with one challenge or the other, don't think
that's the end of the road, the Lord had possibly put beside you some
people that would lift your hands and get you to that top that you have
been hoping to get to. Just like fellow prisoner helped Joseph to stand
before Pharaoh, some other people are patiently waiting to be
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impacted by your gift and they are the ones that will project your
name.
What now happens if you had been discouraged on the journey
and you both longer see life from the perspective of what you can do
to change this life?
After every Tunnel, there must surely be a light. Don't relent
because of what you are presently facing, don't stop because of
persecution around, don't stop because of competition, don't stop
because people don't understand you, don't stop because people see
no sense in what you do because you don't know how close those that
will bring you before your own Pharaoh are and you don't know the
position of power that your Pharaoh will take you to. I see God
helping you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joseph Ayo ABIOLA popularly known as AyoImpact is a
Socio-Religious Impact Maker, A Writer, A Speaker and A
Columnist. He is a Graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University
(ADEYEMI College of Education) from the Department of English,
a Human Resource Personnel.
He speaks at conferences, seminars to help people make
rational decisions that will keep them in line with divine purpose.
He blogs at www.ayoimpact.com
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