By Pastor Emmanuel Oladimeji
Date: Sunday, January 2nd, 2022
Venue: MFM Int’l Youth Church HQ
Every one of us is trusting the lord for this year to be better than last year but one thing you must know is that for every success, there is a secret and for every achievement, there is something you need to do. What then do we need to achieve more in 2022?
- You need a vision. Genesis 37:5-9; Proverbs 23:7
- What you do not see, you cannot seize.
- Whatever you cannot picture this year, you cannot capture.
- This year 2022, you need to understand like Joseph, that what you do not see coming will not come to you.
- This year 2022, note that you cannot move from where you are until you see beyond it.
- This year 2022 you need a vision or a dream to get to the top and achieve anything meaningful this year.
When opportunity meets preparation, it becomes success.
2. Dare to be different Genesis 39:2
“The Lord was with Joseph, and he [even though a slave] became a successful and prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian”. (AMP)
“As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master” (MSG)
Joseph was a different person from his brothers. Be the person others want to be like, not, the one struggling to be like others You do not make waves until you make moves. Be unique, heaven and earth will reward you by how unique you are as a person. This year when everybody is standing out, be outstanding. BE DIFFERENT.
3. Avoid envy, jealousy and bitterness this year Genesis 37:1
If your desire is to achieve anything meaningful this year avoid envy, bitterness, offences, jealousy. This year learn to celebrate greatness and good things. What rendered the brethren of Joseph useless was the jealousy and envy the demonstrated toward Joseph that was what kept them in the background.
Jealousy is a product of life without vision. When you take your eyes off your focus, goal or pursuit in life and fix it on someone else success or results, you open yourself to jealousy.
When focus is lost, speed is lost. Do not criticize people who have testimonies, and do not allow anyone to criticize where you are. What you celebrate you must attract.
When you see anyone who is always criticizing successful people he/she has the spirit of witchcraft avoid them.
When you see something good happening around you, celebrate it, don’t envy it.
… whatever you celebrate, you attract
4. Cultivate and maintain good character this year Genesis 39:7-9
Good character is one of the secrets that took Joseph to the top. God cannot do anything serious with someone whose character is out of order.
The strength of your character determines the weight of your destiny. Until your character is adjusted your destiny cannot be established.
ASK YOURSELY- WHAT IS IT IN MY LIFE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED?
5. Maintain a buoyant prayer life
Ensure that God is the first person you talk every morning. If your voice is known to God all the place of prayers that voice must to be heard on earth. Prayer was the secret of Esther’s life as well as Daniel. Hear from Him first and speak to him first.
6. Maintain a very strong passion for the kingdom of God this year.
Anyone who favours God’s cause is a candidate for the success that God gives. Your passion for God determines your passion on the earth. Your passion for God’s Kingdom this year determine your success and achievement.
Let God be the reason for which you live and the reason for everything you want to achieve in life.
7. Maintain divine presence of God. Genesis 39: 2
“The Lord was with Joseph, and he [even though a slave] became a successful and prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian”. (AMP)
“As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master”. (MSG)
Without the divine presence, a man is nothing, notwithstanding what he has or where he is.
This year go for the presence of God it will open doors for you anywhere. It will make you stand out in the crowd. It will give you great favour where others have been rejected.
8. Be faithful. Proverbs 28:20
“A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings, But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished”. (AMP)
“Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are rip offs”. (MSG)
Do not be a chameleon – both with God and man this year. Be trustworthy, be reliable, be dependable. This year 2022 if your faithfulness to God will increase, the blessings of God in your life will also increase. Refuse to back-stab, refuse to double-deal. Refuse to short change people that God brings in contact with you. Be faithful in all that you do.
9. Accept responsibility. John 5: 17
“But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now [He has never ceased working], and I too am working.”
You do not have to sit where you are and lament or give excuses why you are still where you are. There is no greatness without responsibility.
10. Be diligent Proverbs 22:29
“Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work? He will stand [in honor] before kings; He will not stand before obscure men”. (AMP)
If you truly desired to achieve anything real this year be diligent.
You cannot do ordinary things and expect extraordinary results. You must make up your mind to be diligent this year.
11. Connect your life to divine guidance. Genesis 26:1-3
12. Refuse to be distracted. Nehemiah 6:12
“Then I realized that God had not sent him, but he spoke this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him”
Prayer Points
-This year 2022, Lord Jesus, increase me.
– This year 2022, Lord, help me to please you.
