1|P a g e

THE GREAT
ADVANTAGE

Emeka Anslem

2|P a g e
First published in 2017
Copyright © Emeka Anslem
[email protected]
facebook.com/emekaanslem01
Phone: +2349024529639
WhatsApp: +2348065582482

3|P a g e
 JUST BEFORE WE BEGIN…
Christianity does not limit you from being the
best you can be; instead, it enables you to be
more than the best you can be. Christianity is
a great advantage to the life of man; if Daniel
could be ten times better than his peers
without Christ, imagine the depth and
distinction a man with Christ can enjoy.
Christianity multiplies our abilities; it makes
our eyes see farther, it makes our ears hear
better. It gives us the mind of Christ, so that
we can think like Christ.
I’d like you to get set, because God is about to
break every limitation around your Christian
life through the revelation in this book. God
bless you richly!

4|P a g e
 YEAH, YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW THAT…

FAITH WITHOUT
WORK IS DEAD
When you see me pray to God about a
particular matter, then it means I've
exhausted all my options. And from
experience, whenever I do pray with that
mindset, God responds instantly.

How do we know what God will do when we

keep pushing the things we can do to Him?
God can do all things, but He's definitely not
going to attend classes on your behalf. He's
not going to be the husband to your wife or
the wife to your husband, He's not going to
study for you, He's not going to write those

5|P a g e
promotional or professional exams for you,
He's not going to sit in your office and do your
job for you. He's not going to do those things
He has given you capacity to do.

Moreover, the Bible didn't say "all things are

possible to God"; rather, it says "all things
are possible with God". And that literally
means that there's no restriction to what we
can do, as long as we are working with God.

If we read through the scriptures, we'd

discover that God mostly intervened on
matters that seemed impossible with men.
Mark 10:27 says "And Jesus, looking upon
them, saith, with men it is impossible, but
not with God: for with God all things are
possible". If it is impossible with men, then
expect God to do it. And that also means you
don't need to burden God for a challenge that
6|P a g e
you can easily solve, whether independently
or with the assistance of another man.

A lady once shared her testimony with me on

how she was willing to pay a professional to
teach her a particular technique in cake
baking. Her fee was ready, but the
professional didn't seem to have time for her;
she stabbed all her appointments. This lady
became really worried, because she needed
to use that technique. After a while, she
prayed to God about it, and God taught her
the technique that very moment. That's how
this Christian faith works; you must be willing
to try something by yourself, then go to God
when you've exhausted your options. This
way, you'd become more experienced in
dealing with the issues of life. God is looking
for men like Moses; men who would face
Pharaoh with the things they've learnt, then
go back to God when they've exhausted their
7|P a g e
options. He doesn't like it when people
trouble Him with prayers when they still have
a "rod" in their hand.

I've seen believers who live with headache for

days, only because they refused to take a
simple aspirin. If you ask them why they
refused to use medication, they'd tell you
they have faith that God will heal them. And
so a little ache aggravates to fever, and then
to typhoid. Before you know it, they'd need
intensive medical attention. Most of them will
tell you that the headache is a spiritual attack;
but from experience, the ache and sickness
that many believers experience is usually
because of their ignorance on how to live
healthy. Even if you take all the anointing oil
and communion you have in the house, if you
stress your body unreasonably, you'd pay for
it. I've had to visit many strong believers in
the hospital, and the report was usually the
8|P a g e
same, "We had to rush him/her to the
hospital".

We need to apply wisdom to our dealings.

The bible has already told us that if our
strength fails in the day of battle, then our
strength is small. The fact that you feel ache
on your head simply means that your
strength is small, and that's not a time to start
claiming faith. Of course, pray about the
challenge, but do not hesitate to consult an
expert if you need to. If we focus on
developing our faith, we'd all get to a point
where we effortlessly overcome the world
like scripture says; but before we get there,
we need to act smarter than the devil. God
wants you to be well either way.

Don't get me wrong; even medicine still

requires faith to work. I've heard of people
9|P a g e
who used really expensive medicines and still
lost their lives. Taking medicine doesn't mean
you don't have faith. Taking medicine is not
even a sin, though it's a weight that is totally
avoidable - if you know what to do to stay
healthy.

Talking about spiritual attacks; medicine

won't work on spiritual attacks. I once had a
migraine that lasted for four days; on the first
day, I refused to use medicine by faith. The
ache became more intense, even till the
second day - when I was eventually
compelled to use a painkiller; yet, the ache
didn't go away. I woke up with the same ache
on the fourth day, with a nudging in my spirit
to seek knowledge from God's word. While I
was studying, I found a scripture that made
me scream "HEADACHE GO NOW!". And
immediately, the ache disappeared. I also
remember when I had a mysterious bone
10 | P a g e
dislocation on my right leg. I visited my
office's medical centre to explain how it felt,
but the nurse only gave me a balm. I called on
my colleagues to help me do a massage, but
even the strongest hands could not shift the
bone. That was when I knew that only God
can do it. I prayed a very short prayer
afterwards, "Lord, they've all tried their best,
but they couldn't do it. Now, over to you".
Five minutes after, I heard a “cracky” sound
from the same leg, and that was it. When it's
a spiritual attack, you'd definitely know. I also
had a strange ache in my right ear that made
hearing difficult for me. I got really concerned
that I had to ask the Holy Spirit what was
happening to me. And He didn't hesitate to
tell me that I was exposing myself to too
much cold, and that my body was simply
reacting to the cold. Immediately, I put on a
sweat-shirt, and the pain started reducing
until it disappeared. That wasn't a spiritual
11 | P a g e
attack, but the consequences of my
ignorance. Many people are in the sick bed
today, only because of their ignorance. Just
imagine if I had stayed in that cold a little
longer.

EVEN IN CAREER...
I used to encourage job seekers to walk up to
any organization in faith to submit their CV.
But the question I never asked them was if
their CV had an employable content.

I like miracles, but I prefer the one I worked

hard to get. I prefer the one I applied
knowledge to receive. Unfortunately, many
people, believers especially, are looking for
cheap miracles. A Christian brother once
visited me and asked me to pray for his
business. I told him I didn't have a problem
praying for him, but does he have a plan to
12 | P a g e
manage the miracle that he desired? I prayed
for him, even though he didn't seem to pay
attention to the things I was saying. He made
great profit the next day, but only to return
few days after to complain that customers
were not coming. If only he had listened to
my counsel that "He needed to learn how to
grow a business". Many believers are like
that; they run businesses with little or no
professional ideas on how to grow a business.
All they know about growing a business are
the things they learnt in church. Many of
them even ignorantly think they are growing;
meanwhile, they are performing below
average.

This thing is simple; if it's impossible to learn

how to grow your business with man, then
grow it with God. If it's impossible to build
your career with man, then build it with God.
But why do we sit on "God will do it" when
13 | P a g e
we've not explored all the knowledge that
man has to offer? If you need a promotion in
your career, then do some promotional or
professional courses. If you still don't get the
promotion afterwards, then go to God. Isn't
this why the bible says we should bring forth
our strong reason? Is it not even easier to
pray when we have all the evidence to show
that we deserve what we're praying for?
Bishop David Oyedepo has often shared a
testimony of how he planned to pray about a
particular challenge. But before he
commenced, he prepared himself by
searching for scriptural evidences on why his
prayer must be answered. Just as he was
concluding his preparation, he said he heard
the voice of God saying "I've heard you". He
didn't pray, but God still answered. And that's
because he was ready.

14 | P a g e
This is also relative to physical preparation.
Many people won't need to pray about
getting a job or a promotion if they would
commit to developing themselves enough.
You may not agree, but I believe that one of
the reasons why God chose Paul was because
he was educated to a reasonable extent. Paul
was more educated than most, if not all, of
the disciples. We must understand that the
same way we pray to God for employment in
a good organization, those good organizations
are also praying to God to give them good
employees. And no matter how much you
pray, if you're not good enough, God won't
refer you to such organizations. Trust me,
God won't mind converting an unbeliever
who is more qualified just to answer the
prayers of such organizations. That's exactly
what He did for Paul. The "good spouse" that
many singles are praying for are also praying
for a good spouse. The good school many
15 | P a g e
students are praying for are also praying for
good students. God will definitely answer
both sides, but He won't give you to the
school if you're not good, and He won't put
you in the school if the school is not good.
I know the bible is against putting our trust in
man, but it didn't say we shouldn't use the
innovations of men. Come to think of it, every
good idea we see in the world today are gifts
from God. Career development courses,
professional exams, business success secrets,
medicine, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and so
on. God made them all. And He made them
so that we can use them. We may not put our
trust in them, but it doesn't mean we should
not use them.

AN ADVANTAGE TO DO MORE...
Paul said "I am what I am by the grace of God.
Nevertheless, I laboured more than them all".
16 | P a g e
That's the advantage we have as believers;
we have grace to work more than the world
can. When the world begins to get weary, we
have grace to continue. Grace is God's ability
in us to continue the work, even in hard and
impossible times. When Paul was stoned to
death, he rose up after a while and continued
his work. But when the other disciples were
caged and slaughtered, their work ended. The
other disciples probably didn't understand
the function of grace like Paul did. If they did,
maybe they would have come back to life,
even after they were slaughtered.

But here is my point; how would believers

work more than the world has worked when
a large percentage of them are still "trusting
God to do the work for them”” It's amazing
how people who were working really hard
became lazy when they gave their lives to
Christ. They claim to have faith, forgetting
17 | P a g e
that faith without work is dead. Many
believers are clearly operating a dead faith;
and that's why they have nothing to show for
their Christianity. I studied hard when I was in
the world, but when I gave my life to Christ, I
studied even harder. Christianity adds joy and
peace to you to do things with pleasure; and
that's something the people of the world do
not have. If that's the case, it means we can
be working really hard and still feel restful
about it. No wonder Jesus said "come to me all
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest". Jesus gives rest, even in hard labour,
so that we can continue working.

BUT ANSLEM, WHY DO WE HAVE TO WORK

THAT HARD?

Let's see an answer from scriptures;

18 | P a g e
Isaiah 61:
1. The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit.
He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news
to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To
announce release to captives And freedom to
those in prison.
2. He has sent me to proclaim That the time has
come When the LORD will save his people And
defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort
all who mourn,
3. To give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and
gladness instead of grief, A song of praise instead
of sorrow. They will be like trees That the LORD
himself has planted. They will all do what is right,
And God will be praised for what he has done.
4. They will rebuild cities that have long been in
ruins.
5. My people, foreigners will serve you. They will
take care of your flocks And farm your land and
tend your vineyards. (GNB Translation)

19 | P a g e
Those verses explain the assignment of Jesus
and what He came to this world to achieve for
us. But verse 4 tells us why He saved us; it
says "... They will rebuild cities that have long
been in ruin". In other words, if you can still
see cities that are experiencing ruin, then you
have work to do. Building a house is not
child's play, now imagine what building a city
will be like. If you're one of those Christians
who just wants to sit down and wait for God
to favour you with a miracle house, then you
may not understand what I mean by "working
hard". Joseph had faith in God, but check out
his work from his father's house to Pharaoh's
palace. Jacob had faith in God, but check out
his work from his father's house to Laban's
house.

The life of Bishop David Oyedepo inspires me

a lot. He is a man who works for about 18
hours daily, sleeps for less than 4 hours, and
20 | P a g e
still feels healthy. And if you check the results
he is commanding, they are great exploits. If
you have been to Canaanland, then you'd see
the reality of Isaiah 61. That place is a city on
its own, which also houses a school that is
currently rebuilding the image of Nigeria. All
these cannot be gotten with a dead faith, it's
faith with hard work. I've not seen a man in
his field who has achieved what he has
achieved in the same space of time that he
did. And the difference is work. Paul worked
more, and he achieved more. I've met
believers who say they don't want to be really
wealthy, that all they want is to be
comfortable. That's selfish! And that's not
what Jesus saved us for. He saved us so that
we can rebuild cities, not to be selfish. Every
believer has an obligation to be really
wealthy, because we can't rebuild a house, let
alone a city, without wealth. And wealth
answers to hard work. Ps 1:3 says "we shall be
21 | P a g e
like a tree planted by the rivers of water that
brings forth fruit in its season, its leaves shall not
wither, and whatever he does shall prosper". In
other words, prosperity is for "doers", if
you're not a doer, you're not permitted to
prosper.

YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE MORE...

Do you sometimes feel like what you get from
God is too small, and that you deserve more?
Well, you are not the first. In Joshua 17:14-18,
after Joshua had distributed inheritances
among the people, the family of Joseph came
to him and complained that the portion of the
land that was given to them was too small,
considering the fact that they are great
people. Great people? Someone would have
thought that Joshua made a mistake, and
would assign another land to them. But
surprisingly, the response was different.

22 | P a g e
Joshua acknowledged that indeed the family
of Joseph were great people, and that he
assigned a small portion of land to them. But
then he told them that "they were not only
entitled to that small land, but all the lands on
the mountains can also be possessed by
them, if they defeat the oppositions". In other
words, they had bigger land space than any
other family, except that they had to contend
with the enemy in battle. Personally, I have
discovered that God does not have problems
giving me ideas that will give me plenty of
money, but whenever I asked Him for money,
He gives me a small portion. When God does
not give you as much as you asked for, then it
probably means you have what it takes to
have more than you have asked for.

23 | P a g e
Greatness is at a price. If God has put
greatness within you, then He will not waste
it. Do not always expect him to give you
things that the things He has put inside you
can give to you.

SAVED FOR SOMETHING...

God does not only save us from something,
He saves us for something. Salvation is not
only a move to deliver us from going to hell;
it's also the platform where we can secure
the posterity of many generations. Salvation
is not a one-time confession, it's a long-term
profession. The bible says we should work out
our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Every believer is supposed to be known for a

good work. In Eph 2:10, the bible says we are
God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance
24 | P a g e
for us to do. I feel very sad whenever I meet
idle believers, because there's no room for
idleness in God's salvation agenda. John 15:16
also makes it clear that God saved us so that
we can be fruitful in life. Many believers don't
work, only because they've not found what
they like. Well, before you find what you like,
do what you find. It's not really about the
kind of work you do, but about the glory of
God that shows. I've heard of shoemakers
and domestic cleaners who built a house with
the little they earned. The glory of God is
mostly expressed by working; so find a place
to work, even if it is for free.

Let the salvation of your soul become a joyful

thing to the people around you. Do all you
can to discover the good works that God has
prepared for you, and work in them.

25 | P a g e
BEFORE YOU FIND WHAT YOU LIKE, DO
WHAT YOU FIND?
A certain brother completed his MBA and
searched for a reputable job for many years.
When a job wasn't forth coming, he decided
to buy a "Shoe Polishing kit". He polished
shoes for a living until he bought a
wheelbarrow which he used to haul goods for
market women from one location to another.
One day, while he was pushing goods for a
customer, he noticed a job opening in a bank.
He quickly went back to his Park to change to
a more corporate outfit. Meanwhile, every
time he left his house in the morning, he
dressed corporately. And when he gets to his
work space, he'd change to a work cloth and
hang his corporate cloth somewhere. He got
to the bank and joined the other people who
also came for the interview. Miraculously, out
of over 100 people who came for the

26 | P a g e
interview, this brother got the job as the chief
accountant for the bank.

You may have read Law, but if you don't find

a platform to practice, do what can easily be
found. That brother had a good degree in
accounting, but before he got an accounting
job, he did what he could find. The undoing of
many believers is that they often think that
they deserve more than what is available,
unknowing to them that what is available
creates room for what is obtainable.

I remember how I looked for a job in the year

2016. And when I couldn't find one, I offered
my skills as a volunteer service to a bible
school. I worked with them for about 3
months without pay; and sometimes, I even
had to trek from home to the bible school, all
because I couldn't afford the transport fare.
27 | P a g e
But just at the end of the third month, God
gave me a job. I'm convinced that the reason
why many believers don't have a job is
because they are not working. I was working,
even though I didn't have a job, and then I got
one. Even the bible tells us that "the desire of
the slothful kills him because he refuses to work".
It didn't say because he doesn't have a job,
but because he refuses to work.

LET ME CONCLUDE WITH THIS...

While you wait on God to do a miracle, if you
can still think of a good work to do, go ahead
and do it. Ecc 9:10 says "whatsoever your hand
finds to do, do it... ". Phil 4:8 further explains
the things to do when it said "finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be

28 | P a g e
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things".

While you're trusting God to give you a good

life-partner, build yourself into someone that
deserves a good partner. Trust me, it's far
better to learn how to fix certain errors
before you start a relationship than in the
relationship. While God is working on giving
you a career breakthrough, do what you can
to be on top of your career. Take professional
courses, and even do professional exams to
gain more qualifications. While you're
trusting God for a huge capital to run your
business, do the little work you can to start
the business.

Sometimes, it's not our goodness that

qualifies us for God's blessing, it's our
preparation. Jesus needed to feed 5000
29 | P a g e
people; He found a boy with 5 loaves of bread
and two fishes, which obviously would not be
enough. But despite the insufficiency, He
continued His preparation for God's
intervention. He made them sit down in
groups of 50. Right after that, He thanked
God for even providing the 5 loaves and 2
fishes that were available. At that point, God
didn't have a choice but to perform that
miracle.

You may not have what it takes to get the big

thing, but if you look around you, you'd find
what you'd need to get the big thing started. I
remember the story of a poor man who
wanted to start his own business, but had no
money. It was during the times of consistent
blackout; he looked for a job but couldn't find
one. It suddenly occurred to him that he
could supply candles to the retailers who also
travelled long distance to buy them. He didn't
30 | P a g e
have money to implement this idea; however,
he negotiated with all the retailers around the
community to pay him the cost of buying the
quantity of candles they needed and a
subsidized amount for transportation. They
all agreed, considering the fact that it was
cheaper and easier for them. Amazingly,
because he was buying in large quantities, he
paid a wholesale price for the candles, and
also enjoyed free transportation. That's how
he became rich enough to start his own
business.
Christianity is a great advantage to us who
believe. We just need to learn how to make
the most of it.

My prayer is that your life will become a true

example for other Christians to follow.
God bless you, I love you, and don't forget to
send me your testimony!
31 | P a g e
32 | P a g e
33 | P a g e