Every man will at one point or the other in life, be involved in building projects be it ministry, marriage, career. (Matthew 16:18; Proverbs 14:1).

▪️Some Construction Lessons From Nehemiah: 

(1). In building anything, make the project a divine one (Psalms 127:1). 

Do not make projects a personal one, once you do, you give the impression of being independent of God. 

Do not attempt to build projects that God will never be involved with. One way to recognize a divine project is the constant attitude of prayer towards the project (Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 2:4; Nehemiah 4:4). 

Ensure to know that divine projects are:

- conceived - clarified - initiated and nurtured - preserved in prayers in terms of retaining its original quality and authenticity - completed in prayers (Nehemiah 6:15-16; Galatians3:3) 

(2). Capital and Resources 

The first capital needed for a divine project is burdens and not money (Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 2:2). It is burden that sustains a divine project. 

For every divine project, human resources are fundamental and needful. Money cannot substitute for human resources.

Although prayers facilitated favour for Nehemiah before the King's presence, his life was also attractive to the King; and one of the things that endeared him to the King was how he spoke. (Proverbs 14:35; Proverbs 16:13; Proverbs 22:11)

(3). Satan often laughs at, ridicules and despises divine projects (Neh.4:1-3); one's reaction towards the mockery of the enemy should be prayers (Nehemiah 4:4-9). However, projects are not just done by prayers, rather, but also done by making certain decisions and moves (Nehemiah 4:10-23)

Understanding the life and ministry of Daniel will help to deduce the right lessons, and one of the greatest lessons to be learnt from him is how he kept his faith in relevance with political career. 

▪️Some Consecration Lessons From Daniel:

 (1). The life of Daniel is a proof one can live an excellent life in a pervert world. 

It should be noted that Christianity is not church's life which limits its potency, rather, it should be a lifestyle. The Kingdom of God is within men and not the church; Kingdom expansion is to live differently in the way of the Lord wherever we find ourselves.

Consecration is a light bulb in the darkness; the Kingdom will advance by consecrated men. As a Christian in every sphere, your consecration is your advantage; it is also a great tool in the hands of God. 

2). Daniel was not rude, rebellious or a mediocre. 

Excellence in appearance and consecration are compatible (Exodus 28:2); God is beautiful and also, holy. Mediocrity and excellence cannot work together. Do not be a nuisance at work place by using religion; you can't have a bully attitude in a work environment. Also, have a blameless record (Daniel 6:3). 

Your conviction will be tested; if you're not yet ready to suffer and even die for your conviction, it's not yet a conviction. Your conviction must be deep. Conviction must first, be built on the character of God before the blessings of God. 

(3). Concerning Daniel, he was reputed for prayers. 

It is prayer that deepens conviction. Prayer gives stamina and concrete ability to conviction. Daniel's prophetic ability was birthed in prayers (Daniel 9:2-27).

When we study the Patriarchs, there are lessons that typifies and serves as pointers to the person of Jesus. Just as the lifting of serpent in the Book of Moses typifies the crucifixion on Jesus as to men being saved (Numbers 21:8-9; John 3:14-15), so does the story of Joseph gives us the understanding that although an action may be meant for evil, God used it for the good of many (Genesis 50:20; 1 Corinthians 2:8). 

▪️Wisdom Lessons From Joseph 

(1). Wisdom of Dreams 

- Dreams should not be discarded as a channel for divine revelation though, there must be a proper discernment from spiritual dreams and soulical dreams. 

(2). Wisdom of Retaining God's Consciousness 

- The pursuit of wisdom must not be outside the scope of God. The perversion of the modern world is as a result of not retaining God's consciousness. Practical wisdom is found in the fear of God (Genesis 39:9; Genesis 41:16; Romans 1:20-32, Proverbs 3:5-6). 

(3). The Wisdom of Forgiveness as Shield against Bitterness 

- You must be able to keep a tender heart even when being offended (Genesis 42:23-24). Spiritual gifts cannot function where bitterness or vengeance exist (1 Corinthians 13:1-2; 1 John.4:12). 

(4). The Wisdom of Dealing with Temptation 

- there's no season without temptation; 

You are vulnerable to temptation when: 

- you're close to leadership 

- you feel you're deserving of certain rewards

- you feel you're making progress from past sin and you begin to pat yourself in the back 

- you're not armed against suffering

 To be a complete, whole and robust Christian, you will have to read and study both the Old and New Testament because every scripture is given for our learning (Romans 15:4). 

▪️The Lessons culled from the Book of Esther are: 

(1). Distinguishing the worldly royalty from heavenly royalty 

– Royalty in heaven is fundamentally about service (Matthew 20:20-26). It is about humility, meekness, obedience and tenderness (Philippians 2:3-8), unlike the world's definition of royalty which connotes selfish ambitions, fame, self exultation and glorification. 

(2). Being prepared for the big chance – Preparation time is not a wasted time. Live ready! Preparation is the key to reigning in life. 

Signs that show you're not ready for royalty is: 

- if you have poor human relations skill 

- if you cannot adapt to various environment and still be at your best 

- if you insist on being perfect before embracing God's verdict 

- if people's opinion are more important to you than God's opinion. 

(3). Have an edge in life because competition is fierce. For you to succeed, you cannot afford to be a mediocre. Don't despise your edge; edge may be as simple as walking in love, having integrity, supernatural favour and or good character. To beauty, add intelligence, diligence, courtesy, good behavior and fervency.

The word "Almighty" refers to nothing being beyond God's reach, showing Him as all powerful (Psalms 24:7-8). Nothing or no one can measure up to God's power. The description of Jesus' work while on earth was regraded as "mighty works". 

The purpose of His might is to save. You can agree that God is mighty but you must agree that He is mighty to save so as to be at the receiving end of His mighty deeds. 

Our salvation is not just a product of our choice or God's mercy but also, the product of God's power (Exodus 3:19; Matthew 9:2-6). 

▪️There are three dimensions of salvation that shows the mightiness of Jesus:

 (1). Salvation as Reconciliation unto God (Hebrews 2:10-17). 

(2). Salvation from Dominion of Sin (Romans 6:5-12). 

(3). Salvation as Deliverance from every effect of sin, especially diseases, sickness and bodily affliction (Matthew 9:2-7). 

It is okay to desire greatness but the path to greatness must be known. As believers, the scripture gives us the description and the definition of greatness. From the scriptures, we can see that to glorify God is to live a great life.

A great life is a purposeful life - a life that finishes the work that has been sent to do (2 Timothy 4:7-8). A great life is also a blessed and productive life.

To be productive means to be fruitful and yield result. Productivity is not just a desire, it is a command from God; lack of productivity brings punishment (Matthew 25:15-30). God is not indifferent about productivity (2 Peter 1:5-8)

Principles Of Living A Productive Life

(1). The principle of operating in the intelligence of seasons

The fundamental proof that we're favoured of God is that He poured out His essence into us by the Spirit (Romans 8:15; Acts 15:8). The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life is first of, given for personal welfare, to teach, to provide, to guide and to lead. 

To grow in favour means to grow in the influence of the Spirit (Acts 10:38; Luke 2:52). The word 'favour' is a supernatural advantage that is as a result of the power and activity of the Holy Ghost. 

The word 'favour' in Greek is 'Charis', which means beauty, grace, comeliness, gift. However, it did proceed to 'Charisma', which depicts supernatural abilities being powered by the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 12:4). 

▪️How To Consistently Operate In The Favours of The Spirit: 

(1). Accept the truth that Jesus is enough (Galatians 3:5). 

(2). Have a strong appetite and desire for spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1; Romans 1:11). 

(3). Do not despise prophecy and prophetic activities (1 Corinthians 14:5; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:20). 

(4). Cultivate passion for edifying other people (1 Corinthians 14:5) 

(5). Giving yourself to fervent prayers (Acts 4:31; 1 Corinthians 14:13).

The ultimate expression of the spirit is to live in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16&25). Living and walking in the Spirit is not just the function of what the Holy Spirit does in/for us but also, the dimension of what the indwelling Spirit of God does through us. 

It's all about submitting to the authority and influence of the Holy Spirit. Hence, the concept of the spiritual man is more about the discipline than grace. 

Take responsibility for your spiritual life. To walk in the Spirit means to direct one's life, to bring it under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It is fundamentally about discipline; the issue of discipline is very underrated in this generation, and this is because most Christians are soulical - that is, many believers think more about how they feel than what is being done. 

▪️The Disciplines For A Spiritual Man: 

(1). Fasting 

(2). Bible reading

(3). Prayer

(4). Church attendance and relationship 

A believer cannot be called the spiritual man if he cannot analyse and evaluate things. As believers, we must be able to differentiate, distinguish, examine, judge and discern all things (1 Corinthians 2:15). 

There is God's Spirit (John 6:63), evil spirit (1 Timothy 4:2-3) and the human spirit (1 Samuel 16:6-7); you must be able to clearly discern these three from each other, else you may take evil spirit for God's Spirit (2 Corinthians 11:14). 

Just because a man is led by the Spirit of God does not rule out the possibility of the devil's influence (Matthew 4:1-11), therefore, you must be able to thoroughly discern through God's word. 

It is by mastery (what is written, its interpretation, application and implication in specific situations) of the Scripture that one can truly discern things. Once it does not align with the scripture, it must be discarded. 1 John. 4:1-3

▪️How To Test Spirit: 

- Check if it tallies/fits into the Scriptures 

- Examine if the spiritual encounter/experience makes you walk in the Spirit or do the biddings of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-22) 

- Examine if the experience leads to glorification of Jesus or exaultation of Self. 

- Check if it facilitates the practice of Righteousness or emboldens towards Sin. 

- Examine if it produces fear, worries and anxiety or if it produces Faith, Hope and Peace.

The Spiritual realm is always interacting with the physical realms in terms of influence by extension of its authority and power to the physical (John 3:8). 

The four major characters in the spiritual realm are: 

(i) God (ii) Satan (iii) Angels (iv) Demons and (v) Man. 

Angels are servants of God, referred to as 'spirits'. This does not mean they aren't tangible, rather, their components are made of wind and fire while that of man is made of flesh and blood (Psalms 8:1-5). 

The man in Christ, in terms of spiritual location, is superior to angels, but in terms of strength and wisdom, angels are superior to man. 

God created angels and they have free will; this is what Lucifer (Devil) had, but through rebellious act and alongside some angels, they fell. 

It is believed that the fallen angels are Demons. Demons have certain influences but it starts with deception (1 Timothy 4:1). 

One of the features that differentiates Man from every other creature is that he is made in God's image and so, it speaks much about compatibility and intimacy with God, which positions man as spirit (John 3:6). Another argument is that man rather being spirit, he himself has a spirit (1Thess. 5:23; Luke. 24:39).  

The doors or pathways into the spirit realm is by words (John 6:63; 1Timothy 4:1), actions (1Corinthians 10:20) and meditations. The Word of God is enough in making decisions of life; revelations, trances or visions are divinely granted and not by searching for these things outside the original pattern that God would have us navigate them through.