The Haves and Have-Nots
We have a gas cooker and I was happy enough to have it to cook our regular meals. One day we had a friend visit that was so ecstatic about it and honestly, I didn’t understand why she was so excited about the cooker because it was “just” a cooker until she mentioned it had racks that help with grilling or barbecuing food items. I became way more excited about it because I could visualize several fun ideas I could do with our meals. It moved from being just a regular cooker to a super cooker in my mind. In the very same way, when God created each and every person in a family, they weren’t “regular” people but “extraordinary” people/carbon copies of God (remember we were made in the image and likeness of God- Genesis 1:27).
Deposited in each person is a valuable treasure and it takes discernment to discover it and extract it to produce its fullest potential. Your spouse, your spouse-to-be, your children, your parents all have valuable gold on the inside of them but it takes the help of the Holy Spirit to identify that gold lies on their inside and allow it to gain full expression. My spiritual dad once told me “celebrate what you have and minimize what you don't have”. This is the perfect advice in dealing with the 80/20 rule - Celebrating your “Haves'' (which seems like 80%) and Minimizing or Belittling your “Have Nots, for now” (the remaining 20%). Let’s examine some case studies of people who applied this principle.
Case Studies
The Widow with the Jar of Oil
This widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 did not recognize the potential and value that lay on the inside of the “little but mighty” jar of oil in her home. In her sight, it was so insignificant that when the prophet asked her what she had in her home, she said “Nothing, but this jar of oil”. In her mind, the jar of oil was so insignificant that she classified it as lower than “nothing”. Little did she know that the “nothing” oil would end up being “something” that would take her out of poverty.
2. Abigail
Abigail in 1 Samuel 25, was a woman married to Nabal, with her husband’s name meaning “foolishness”. Not only was he called foolish but he actually acted as such. You would have said she had a double whammy lol but despite what might have seemed as if the tides were against her, she was able to harness something good out of him, to a point where he ran a successful business despite his foolishness. Even God uses the “foolish” things of this world to confound the wise
“God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.” (1 Corinthians 1:27, Good News Translation)
How to Bring Out The Gold in What You Have
1. Desire to See the Gold
Nothing is ever created or manufactured accidentally. It starts with a desire to meet a need and from there, research and development begin. Likewise, before the value God has placed in you, your relationship, marriage, family, children can be discovered, it takes a desire to actually see it. Desire is the driving force that would push you to take the steps needed in discovering the beautiful value in what God has entrusted to you.
2. Discover by Asking
When hunting for hidden treasures, treasure hunters make use of clues and maps that were discovered during their research, which helps point them in the right direction of where the treasures are hidden. Desire is great but without action, it is a wish list. The bible reminds us that one reason we sometimes don't have what we want is that we do not ask.
“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 4:2, New Living Translation)
The daughters of Zelophehad knew this principle and asked for their inheritance that was promised to them by Moses and it was given to them (Joshua 17:3-4). Ask and it shall be given but without asking, it is only by the mercy of God for such a person to receive. In discovering the value that lies in your relationship, marriage, spouse, family, or children, it is wise to ask the Holy Spirit. He was in the very beginning and He knows all the priceless gems God placed on the inside of what has been entrusted to you. He is that divine map that will take you to the very location of hidden treasures on the inside of you or your marriage/family/children. Remember He is the creator. Proverbs 25:2 says:
“It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.”
3. Contend for It by Beholding
There is a saying that “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. Whatever you behold will appear beautiful before you. Sometimes the inner gold God has placed on the inside of you or your relationships/marriage/family/children, may still be in the raw stage. It takes beholding the future God intends for what He has entrusted to you to begin to see the beauty even in its raw stage. Sometimes, you need to have a physical picture of the future you desire in your relationship/family/children. This can be referred to as a vision board.
Beholding is a form of warfare to ensure that the future is secured. The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he''. Our future is dependent on the steps we take today. In order for the future state of our entrustment to manifest itself, we need to begin from what we are envisioning and meditating on.
4. Create an Atmosphere that Encourages Its Expression
For a good seed to flourish and become a mature tree, it requires the right conditions such as sunlight, water, and good soil to germinate into a tree. Likewise, in order for what we are beholding to germinate and actualize, we need to create an atmosphere and environment that allows for its expression. For example, as parents, you cannot think and behold your kids as brilliant and excelling in their academics, yet be calling them stupid. Such actions would cancel out everything you have beheld. Parents, allow God to use you in promoting the giftings on the inside of your children. Husbands/Wives, use your words and actions in edifying your spouse and not pulling them down. My spiritual dad says some spouses are traumatized by their own spouses. We are reminded in Proverbs 14:1 that a wise woman builds her home but a foolish one pulls it down with her own hands. Let your words be filled with grace and mercy.
“The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].” (Proverbs 14:1, Amplified)
5. Develop Strength to Resist Opposition
“But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region. 13 Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land.” (Joshua 17:12-13, New Living Translation)
In the above passage, the descendants of Manasseh were given some lands but were unable to possess them until they became strong enough. It takes strength to possess and keep what you desire to see and actualize in your relationship/family/children. There are times when opposite thoughts of what you desire come, you need to resist such thoughts from prevailing and one way you do so is by making declarations of what you desire and what God has revealed to you. In the times of battle, it is what you have previously gathered spiritually, that would come out. If you faint in the day of adversity or battle or attack, it means your strength is small (Proverbs 24:10). For example, when a child brings a school result that isn’t pleasing, don't fall under the pressure to speak negative words to them. Remember as an authority, you have the power to create the future you want to see in their lives. Instead, keep reminding them they have the minds of Christ. Rachel went through pain while giving birth to Benjamin and because of such pressure, she named him “Benoni”, which means “son of sorrow” but thank God for a sensitive father, who cancelled that name and renamed him “Benjamin”, which means “son of my right hand”, with the right hand symbolizing strength (Psalms 80:17).
Look inside your home, your family, or whatever God has entrusted to you and begin to see the raw gold that lies on the inside of it and seek the divine creator of your spouse, your children, yourself, and ask Him how to extract the value on their inside in order for it to gain full expression.
God is not wicked in creating your family, spouse, children, or relationship without anything valuable inside them. Everything God creates is fearfully and wonderfully made. It takes the help of the Holy Spirit to discover that treasure and His wisdom on how to make it blossom. Accessing that help from the Holy Spirit requires you to give your heart unto Jesus Christ. If you will like to gain access today, please say this prayer after me:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the Son of God and I believe You died for me on the cross of Calvary. I know I am a sinner and today, I come to You to forgive me for all my sins and to make me a brand-new creation. I accept You as my personal Lord and Saviour. Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me and making me born again, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Congratulations!!!! You are now born-again! This means you are part of the family of Jesus Christ. If you made this decision, I would love, love to hear from you today and provide resources for your new journey! Please leave a comment on this post or reach out to me at https://www.cccghq.org/contact-us