Ministering: Sunday Adebamiro
Topic: I Was Disappointed When I First Met Aliko Dangote And Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
“I was disappointed when I met Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Group with a net worth of $11.2 billion, in person. I was expecting a man with two heads, probably with an extra brain; on the contrary, he dressed like every one of us, and his phone was inferior compared to the ones most of you use. How many doctorate degrees does Dangote have? Alas, he has a winning mentality. Winning is a mentality; if you don’t have it, you don’t have it”.
“In a similar development, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s simplicity cannot be underemphasized. Some of you have more designer bags and shoes than Okonjo-Iweala. She dresses in her Ankara always, but she is the Director General of the World Trade Organization. The first African and the first woman to occupy such a position A two-term Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Some of you dress better than her, but with a smaller belief system. She carries a great belief, which is why no one can stop her. What do you believe? You must believe in your God and yourself.”
These were the far-reaching statements made by Pastor Sunday Adebamiro, the Executive Pastor of The Transforming Church, Gwarimpa on Sunday September 17th 2023 at the Church Auditorium, while preaching on Covenant Secrets for Supernatural Exploits in the Marketplace and Workplace, zeroing on BELIEF.
The Transforming Church is a church with a strong commitment to Kingdom values. The Church exist to lead people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. The church is deeply committed to the essential foundations of discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and mission, with Rev. Sam Oye as the Lead Pastor, he has the mandate to take the message of hope around the globe. He is the Host of the PROPHETIC PRAYER HOUR. His unique style of delivery makes him relevant today.
Defining what belief is, the Executive Pastor said “belief is something one has accepted to be true, ideal and normal even though it may not be true, ideal or normal.” He noted that everyone has a set of beliefs/a system of beliefs they have accepted, adding that there are limiting beliefs and empowering beliefs.
“For instance, some women believe all men are dogs- meaning they flirt and cannot be trusted. The same goes for men. Some men believe no woman can keep secrets. This is most times based on experiences from their parents. Some believe all rich men are thieves, proud, wicked, and arrogant. But does it mean it is true? What is your belief system like? Belief is an opinion you hold about yourself. You have a fixed mentality of who you are.”
He stated that one of the reasons why belief is so powerful is because it determines results and performance. Quoting Mark 9:23, and Matthew 19:26, he said all things are possible to him who believes. Believe puts one in the class of God because with God all things are possible. Your belief determines what is possible for you or not.
Explaining the secrets of belief, he quoted Zig Ziglar “You cannot consistently perform in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.”
He said that the Lion is not the strongest animal- the Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Elephant, Buffalo, Porcupine, Giraffe, Tiger, Bear and others are stronger. But they don’t kill the Lion because of the lion’s belief system.
Stressing the importance of belief systems, he stated that “mentality will always eat ability for lunch any day, anytime”. “Lion stands no chance to pull down an elephant but it has pulled down the elephant several times because of it’s winning mentality. This was what helped David. He killed Goliath in his mind and with his words before he killed him physically. If you believe, you can do exploits. David developed his winning mentality. When you learn how to win, you will always want to win. Believing is the major difference between those doing exploits and those who are not.
“Your belief will affect and influence your results in the corporate world. If you believe you can do exploits, you will do exploits regardless of your background, education, experience, skills etc. It is not about your size, stature or physique; it is about the size of your mind. Belief is the major difference between those doing exploits and those not doing exploits. Winning is a mindset! If you do not have it, you do not have it.” He said
“To further illustrate how essential confidence, belief and the winning mentality are, before the fight between David and Goliath, the Israelites who believed in the same God as David, were from the same nationality as David, were more military-trained than David were losing the battle before David’s arrival because they were already defeated in their minds and their confidence was already shattered.” He said.
“Someone was asked the secret of success and said success is approaching every task and goal as if it were impossible to fail. That’s what successful people do — those who do exploits. Those who expect results get results. If you don’t believe in yourself, you will do unnecessary extra things. The reason you have to do extra sometimes is because you are not sure of yourself. Lack of confidence is easily recognized.
“If you are not confident, the corporate world will intimidate you. Those who are there before you will intimidate you. The bigger players in the industry will do everything to frustrate the start-ups. Don’t let the lions in your sector intimidate you. Nothing can defeat you if it doesn’t first defeat your belief. Hebrews 10:35. Never cast away your confidence. Anything that steals your confidence has stolen your future.”
Reminiscing on last week’s message, Pastor Adebamiro said after last week’s sermon, someone walked up to him and told him they didn’t commit suicide because of the message they heard. He said when one has a vision, committing suicide won’t be an option nor will one be discouraged.
The Executive Pastor added, “Sometimes all you need to do is to accomplish a major feat or result for your sector to open to you. God wants us to do exploits in the industry, our workplace and the marketplace, not just in church. Our influence should be everywhere, in politics and governance nation, media and entertainment, and so on. Nations can translate to sectors and industries.
“You must have a vision to make an impact. Vision is the revelation of God’s plans and purpose for our lives. The discovery of your purpose or assignment is vision. It is the revelation of a preferred or better future. There is a better future and plan God has for you. Psalm 46:10, Revelation 11:15.
“There is something better ahead of you. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. You will still laugh and rejoice again. Vision determines access to opportunities and possibilities. It determines dominion, provision, and focus.
Don’t allow your distractions to deter your vision.
“To maximize your vision, you must write it down, break it down/simplify it, review it, pursue it/run with it, and wait for it. Any vision you don’t pursue will not be accomplished. It’s just a wish if you are not running with it. The end determines the potency of the vision. You must be patient to wait for the manifestation of your vision.”
“It is essential for us to always believe in our God and, after that, believe in ourselves. Whatever is impossible for you right now is what you have not believed in and started working towards. We should cultivate the habit of questioning what we believe in. David had a winning mentality because he developed it in the wilderness for years before facing Goliath. The winning mentality did not just show out of nowhere when he was facing Goliath. He had won against lions and bears before. This teaches us that when you learn how to win, you will always want to win.”
“Just as winning is a mentality, failure is also a mentality. If you fail and accept it as a belief system, even with the greatest opportunities, you will still see yourself failing. One of the secrets of success in doing exploits in the corporate world is to approach completing every task like it were impossible to fail. Those who expect good results will get good results. When you do not believe in yourself, you will do more than necessary to compensate for your inadequate confidence. If you are confident that you can do something, you will simply do it.”
“Sometimes, doing extra or more than necessary is proof of you being unsure of yourself. Those who do exploits simply do what they need to do as a result of accumulated confidence and growth in expertise. They do not have to do extra to be recognized because it is a matter of confidence. In reverse, a lack of confidence in one’s self is easily recognized.”
“In the corporate world, you cannot survive if you are not sure of yourself. As a result of this, the corporate world will intimidate you. Goliath attempted to intimidate David before their fight but David was unmoved. The big players in every industry are always intimidating to the newbies. If you are not confident in yourself, you will be intimidated by them.”
“The lion understands the power of belief so they always ensure they rob other animals of it. This is the reason for a lion’s roar. They roar to paralyze the belief of other animals because they are well aware that their major advantage over the other animals is their belief. Nothing can defeat you without first defeating your belief. Your confidence is an essential core of your being.”
He emphasized that everyone must believe in their gift. “David knew his strength and specialization when Saul gave him his weapon, uniform, armour and helmet to wear before facing Goliath. David responded by saying he could not fight with these things because he was not used to them. We must be aware of our gifts and what we have mastered. We should be careful not to use the gifts not meant for us to perform exploits, there would be no harmony. Do not use things you are unfamiliar with to operate in any situation you find yourself in, it will greatly hinder you. It is what you have mastered that will distinguish you in the corporate world.”
“We are all gifted; regardless of what anyone else may think. Our gifts may not be the same, but everyone has their respective gifts. Regardless of amount, quality, skill, mastery and other factors, we all were given talents to express. We must believe we have something that the world needs. It is possible we have not discovered it; however, we do have it. Ensure to cut yourself off from anyone who tries to convince you that you are not gifted or you do not have anything that the world needs. If we do not realize these things concerning ourselves, we will neglect what we already have. There is always someone out there that needs what we have.”
“A chicken might not have the flying capabilities of the eagle; the ability to see the world from a higher view; the eyesight of the eagle; or the instinct that an eagle possesses; however, the chicken is one of the most consumed meats worldwide (not the eagle). You would never go to any restaurant and see them selling eagle meat! The chicken has bragging and claiming rights to say it is tastier than the eagle.” He said
“We all have a mission to accomplish on this earth, believe in that fact. Believe in your mission, regardless of the opposition and delays in its discovery and manifestation. Nobody will believe in your mission if you do not believe in it yourself. If you allow people to stop you, they will mock you; if you do not allow them to stop you, they will have no choice but to join you.”