Transcription
I don't know why. I just heard this last night, and I'm hearing it now. God says I should tell someone here that there are some positions that are not so high, but they are more powerful than the highest position. The driver, the driver to a man, to a woman, is more powerful. Is more powerful. That said, certain top people occupying top positions in that land, the driver.
Now, when God wants to position you, don't just have your mind on one high position. No, God can position you by attack, in a claw. [Applause] Position somewhere that God is taking, somewhere that God is going to make something else. When God wants to settle you in life, he does not have to settle you with a high position. He can settle you in a close relationship with a strategic person.
Then in Genesis chapter 45, Genesis 45, verse 4-9, he says that God influenced the emergence of Joseph, yes, to become the prime minister in a foreign land, in Egypt, in order for him to use his position, prime minister, for the financial emancipation of God's people, Israel. Genesis 45:4-9, Easy to Read Version. He says, "So Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come here to me, I beg you. Come here.' When the brothers went to him, he said to them, 'I am your brother Joseph. I'm the one you sold as a slave to Egypt. Now, don't be worried, don't be angry with yourselves for what you did. It was God's plan. It was God's plan. It was God's plan for me to come here. It was God's plan. It was God's plan for me to walk in the church. It was God's plan for me to be in that strategic relationship. It was God's plan. I am here to save people's lives. This terrible famine has continued for two years now.'"
Can somebody say, "Two years now"? One more time. I want you to take note of something. Take note of something. It was just after this that Joseph approached Pharaoh and told Pharaoh, "My brothers, my family has come. Please, you know, can they settle?" And Pharaoh said, "Go ahead. Pick whichever part of the land you feel best for them." And they settled for Goshen.
Favor from God, favor from God was what overwhelmed Pharaoh when he instantly chose Joseph to become Prime Minister. But watch what is going on here now. This is two years after that. Pharaoh could still give Joseph in that his high position as prime minister. This favor now partially dependent on what he has seen in the personality, in the character, in the attitude.
So Joseph said in verse 7, he says, "So God sent me here ahead of you. God sent me here ahead of you." Ahead is not one month ahead. When they saw him, he was 17. When Pharaoh made him prime minister, I was 30. And here he's telling them, this is two years after now. So we are talking of 15 years ahead of time. 15 years ahead of time.
In relationships, there are levels of trust. There are some levels of trust that you cannot enter into that level except time has passed. Read time. So you can't just meet the person in one day, in one year, and the person will have that level of trust in you. No, it takes time. And then different things. God will allow different things to play out that which will show where you stand and where your own values are in life. Where your values are in life.
And you could see yourself here saying, "God sent me ahead of you so that I can save your people in this country. It was not your fault that I was sent here. It was God's plan. It was God's plan. God made me like a father to Pharaoh and the governor of all his house and over all of Egypt." In other instances, you see how God influenced the positioning of different people.
So what are the closing takeaways? God deliberately positions people ahead of time for a purpose. For a purpose. You need to discover and pursue God's purpose for your life. Starting from the beginning of your life, there's a purpose for your biological appearance. Why him in particular? Why she in particular? Your bedtime. There is a purpose. For instance, John the Baptist's bedtime was timed with that of Jesus. So that's the reason why John was born at the same time, conceived at the same, within the same year that Jesus was conceived. By at that particular time, there is a purpose why you were born in the year you were born. There's a purpose why you were born in the month you were born, even the day you were born. Why were you not born much earlier? And why were you not born much later? There is a purpose for your place of birth. Stop denying your birthplace. He shall be born in Bethlehem. So when it was time, Providence arranged to be there. Why in that particular nation? Why Nigeria? Oh, no. Later on now, when the glory of Nigeria begins to shine and shine and shine, he will not be proudly telling people that, uh, you know, I mean, in fact, you will be, you will see Nigerians now. The field that was not relocated, I will still be there because Nigerians will still be all over, but they will be coming home, flying home regularly, flying home regularly. This place will be booming. [Applause] This place will be booming.
When I entered the City Mall, the City Mall, I entered the premises of the City Mall in Dubai 2000 and, uh, and and 14. The moment I, I saw the glory there, my spirit, there's a way my spirit came out. It was like, this is it. So there is something my spirit has already seen ahead, and it's going to play out. It's going to play out in our nation. Nigeria will be better and greater than Dubai in terms of infrastructure. [Applause] Happen. People made it happen. I've made you in Nigeria, but the time is coming soon. Everyone will be proud. Even those that are married to Nigerians will be telling people, "I'm Nigerian." But no, no, you don't look Nigerian. You are looking a white man. Say, "My wife is a Nigerian." Wife is a Nigerian. [Applause] If you want to clap. [Applause]
There is a reason. There's a purpose for your position in the family. There's a reason why you are the first child. There's a reason why you are the first son, the first daughter. There's a reason why you are both the first son and the first child. There is a purpose for your special abilities. There's a purpose why you have that talent, why you have that, that virtue. There's a purpose why you have that personal strength. There was a reason why Samson had the power he had. Now, before, even before he was born, it was already known he, God was going to use him to deliver Israel from the Philistines. There was a reason why he was going to have that kind of power, supernatural power.
There is a purpose for your material assets. There's a reason why God will bless people and make them billionaires, multi-millionaires, millionaires. There's a reason why God will empower you with so much wealth, not just for you to brag around and tell people that, you know, you have a private jet, you have this, you have that, you have that. No. There's a purpose beyond you. The bigger the blessing, the bigger the endowment, the bigger the purpose, the bigger the impact that God wants you to have. There's a reason why God is blessing you with income. We are talking now about positioning you. God empowering you is for a purpose. It's for a purpose. Your position is for the purpose. Your office is for a purpose. That promotion is for a purpose. Your appointment is for a purpose. When God helps you to win an election, it is for a purpose. Your cycle of influence is for a purpose. Your cycle of influence. There is a reason why God gives you increases, your level of influence, your level of influence. Your marriage partner is for a purpose. Your marriage partner is for a purpose. God giving you that man to marry is beyond what he is today. In fact, you will not discover yet until much later.
Learn to follow God. We need God. God can lead you to join the armed forces. God can lead you to join the paramilitary forces. God can lead you or your son to join one of the intelligence agencies. And one of the things that happens in life, some of the things you couldn't achieve, your biggest dreams, your heart's desire, there is a way God sometimes will make that dream fulfilled through one of your children. That thing you wish to be, God will make one of your children fulfill that desire. Anytime God is leading you, don't look at the immediate picture. Joseph, he was in Egypt, he didn't know why, but there was a reason. If the location was key, your church is not. I have said this many times. A good university is not about student population. How good a school is is not determined about the number of students. Say where God wants you to be. Later on in life, you will understand why. You understand why God led you, gave you peace, restrained you from going to other places, and kept you somewhere. You will understand why.
Stand on your feet. Stand on your feet. I pray that as God is positioning you, you will also allow God to use you to position others. [Applause] You will also allow God to use. [Applause]