Odedeyi Emmanuel

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own yet; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3: 13 (AMP)

Meditating on the experience of Isaac in Genesis 26, where Isaac was sent away from his place as a result of envy and on getting to a new place he decided to dig a well but the people of the land fought him over the land and took it up from him, he named the first well- Argument. But his men dug another well which they fought over again and he named that one- Opposition until he moved on to the one which he named Room enough and no one fought over that one.

Similarly, Peter the experienced fisherman having been frustrated throughout the night without catching a single fish but when Jesus told him to still let down the net for a catch, it was as if all hope was lost but Peter said, “nevertheless I will try because you say so”. And that one more single trial gave him a boat-sinking, net-breaking experience.

How often do we give up after a couple of attempts!

Someone once said, “Your result is the only proof that you have done your best”. The only thing that shows me that you are truly giving life all it takes is the fact that you have results to show for your efforts. This may sound mean but it is meant to propel you to work at your life till you get results.

Apostle Paul was an outstanding man of God who gave his divine calling everything till the point of death and would do anything for the gospel to be preached and so the prison, beatings, hazards, persecutions and afflictions didn’t really matter to him.

Friends, what is your purpose, pursuit, vision and passion for living?
How much time, energy, study and perseverance have you given your life?
What are you contemplating of giving up on?
What aspect of your life do you need to give just an extra attempt?
What well are you trying to dig?
How long have you been toiling without a catch?

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. -Thomas Carlyle

God’s word for you today is to give your life an extra push by refusing to give up easily after a few attempts because until you have results to show, your attempts are not yet enough.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Take time out of your busy schedule to give the necessary attention to your very life and ask the sincere question, Why am I not getting the desired result?

Among others, the reasons why people give up are;

• Lack of a definite purpose for living. Before you can do more than what you are doing now, you must be sure that you have set out a definite purpose for your life which must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound (SMART). Psalms 37: 5

• Lack of divine direction. For me, divine direction is key. Don’t just jump at opportunities because others are doing it, let God lead you. You can only lead a stress-free life by allowing God to lead you through His Word. And one of the acid test for divine direction is PEACE and PROGRESS. Anything you do and you lose your peace is not of God. Be wise! Psalms 32: 8

• Lack of inner strength. See what Proverbs 24: 10 says, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great”. Many just get fed up and tired easily. It is because of lack of strength within. God has what it takes to give us strength from within. No wonder Paul prayed that, “..from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5: 17

Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure. - Benjamin Disraeli


I penned down these words on the airplane enroute Lagos to Dubai last week and I know it will bless you;
Do more than being a jobseeker, start creating jobs
Do more than praying, fast
Do more than receiving, give and be a distribution centre
Do more than complaining, be a problem-solver
Do more than meeting your deadline, be purpose-driven
Do more than walking, run with a vision for living
Do more than loving, be committed
Do more than believing, trust God
Do more than passing through school, let the school pass through you
Do more than saying, I’ve tried my best better to say I can still try more
Do more than being global or local, be GLOCAL!


Shall we pray;
Lord, I receive grace not to give up at the very edge of my breakthrough. Amen