PAY THE PRICE PART 1
By: Hephzibah U. Emereole
Tags: Study, Dilligence, Consistency With God

Hello dear readers, I hope you had a great week. Welcome to another time in God’s presence. Shall we pray. Heavenly Father, creator of the heavens and the earth, hallowed be your name. We thank you for another time in your presence and we pray that you will teach us as we spend time with you today. Come, dear Holy Spirit, and take control. AMEN

Today we will be understanding what it means to pay the price to achieve success in any area of our lives. I believe that many of us have dreams and goals in life and we will see what God has to say about achieving them. Let us dive right into the word!

Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 2 v 15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth(KJV).

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In 2 Timothy 2, Paul was admonishing Timothy to be strong and committed to the work of God bestowed upon him. Timothy being the spiritual son of Paul was a teenager when he was given the position of a leader in the church of Ephesus. Paul counseled him in 1 Tim 4 v 12: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity (NIV). Right from 1 Timothy 4, Timothy had a mandate to live up to. He had a goal which was to become a good ambassador of Christ as a youthful leader in the church. Paul being an experienced child of God knew that Timothy’s success depended on his ability to pay the price of walking with God. That is why Paul said in our memory verse, study to show thyself approved. The Berean Study Bible puts it this way- Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth. The emphasis here is to make every effort. God requires our diligent efforts spiritually, academically, pastorally, musically, professionally and in all areas he has called us to.

The Holy Spirit shared a few examples and illustrations to enable us to understand how to pay the price. He said many of us have dreams and goals of becoming a famous singer, pastor, apostle, prophet, speaker, professional e.t.c but not all of us understand what to do to attain these heights. The truth is there is a price to pay. Behind every success is a price paid and that is why we should not be envious of genuine successful people but thank God for them. These people have paid the price of walking with God and have been diligent in mastering the skills in whatever area they have been given. It is not bad to have dreams or goals that are in line with God’s plan for your life because God said in Habakkuk 2 v 2: And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it(ESV). The next step after writing the dream is to ask God to teach you how to get there.

HOW DO WE PAY THE PRICE?

Based on scripture, I will share some strategies you and I can employ in our journey to success. They include:

MINISTRY OF PRAYER- The bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16–18: v16Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. As children of God, we cannot succeed in this world without constant and consistent communication with our father. Pray always and anywhere. Always ensure that you don’t only communicate with God at a particular time e.g 10 pm but all the time. Yes, it is good to have a quiet time but also employ the strategy of praying while eating, in the class, in your office, while walking, in the car, speaking to your friend. e.t.c Always be in a prayer mood all the time of the day. The Bible says we should be alert in Ephesians 6:18, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people (NIV). MINISTRY OF DILIGENCE: Proverbs 22 v 29: Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people. (NLT). Some people think that they ought to be committed to God but treat their secular jobs anyhow. That is not true because even in our secular roles, we need to glorify God in the roles/positions we have been assigned. Remember, we are God’s ambassadors. You have to be his ambassador in school, at your work, in your church, in your country, in your marriage, in a foreign country e.t.c. God does not like idleness, he likes hardworking people. Colossians 3 v 23: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men (KJV). Dear friend, when next you are in church, in your home, at work e.t.c, work as unto God and not for man. For instance, if you are in church, praise God genuinely and not because your Pastor will see you. If you happen to be in a situation where you think, you are not appreciated despite your hard work, go to God in prayer and tell him. Don’t complain or grumble or rebel against your boss, pray about it and let God vindicate you. I pray with you that God will vindicate you because he is a righteous Judge. May he relocate any evil man or woman against your destiny. May your glory shine forth as you work diligently for him. AMEN

Dear friends, may we understand that we can achieve our goals spiritually and in other God-given areas as we decide to pay the price at all cost. May God build our capacity and give us the strength to be diligent and prayerful. AMEN. Join us next week as we continue by his grace with part 2 of the word.

Thank you so much for reading. Please, kindly remember our memory verse in 2 Timothy 2 v 15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth(KJV). Memorize it and may God give us a retentive memory to his word. AMEN.

Have a blessed week and God bless you.

God loves you best.