Taking Over Through Diligence

Taking Over Through Diligence

By Apostle Felix

3  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

Ecclesiastes 5: 3

10  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Ecclesiastes 9: 10

Diligence is the careful, persistent, and hardworking effort applied to any duty—the absolute antithesis of laziness. True success and leadership are never handed to us on a silver platter; they are delivered solely on the platform of hard work. God Himself embodies diligence; He rejects idleness and refuses to promote it. In fact, when He created humanity, He provided us with assignments to fulfil, not miracles to rely on.

15  The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden in order to have him work it and guard it.

Genesis 2: 15

Within many church circles, work is mistakenly viewed as a curse. This misconception births popular phrases like “favour, not labour,” as if divine favour and work are antagonistic. Overemphasising favour at the expense of hard work has made many to believe that work is not important. We forget that the two are not opposing forces—they are complementary partners. Consider the Apostle Peter, whom Jesus instructed to fish to pay their tax obligation. Jesus did not grant Peter a favour that bypassed work. Instead, the favour Peter needed was entirely wrapped up inside his labour. Favour was waiting for Peter, but it wouldn’t show up until he actually went to work.

27  Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Matthew 17: 27

Even though Jesus possessed the ultimate power to perform miracles, He still sent Peter to work. Because Peter was a fisherman, Jesus directed him back to his trade to secure the tax money. Jesus knew that humanity was designed to exercise dominion and succeed through diligence, not shortcuts. Ultimately, a diligent person will always rule over those who merely chase miracles. Unfortunately, the contemporary church in Africa has done a profound disservice to the continent. By elevating miracles above hard work, it has raised a miracle-seeking generation that shuns labour—praying for “miracle money” instead of working for it. Churchgoers across Africa now expect success to arrive supernaturally, completely bypassing the divine principle of work.

12  And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. 

Joshua 5: 12

God delivered Israel from Egypt with a clear destination in mind: the Promised Land. The wilderness was never part of the original blueprint; it became their reality solely because of Israel’s stubborn, stiff-necked rebellion. God never intended for His people to wander for forty years, surviving on temporary, supernatural rations. Manna was strictly a daily allocation—gathered every morning except on the Sabbath—because God did not want them growing comfortable with a survivalist mindset. He allowed them to eat that same manna for forty years to prove a point: human beings were never designed to live on food raining passively from heaven, but on the fruit cultivated from the earth. The original mandate remains unchanged: be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth, and take dominion. Your fruitfulness is bound to the specific land God has assigned to you. Today, your “land” is your calling, your gifting, your purpose, and your potential. Occupy yourself with what the Lord has placed in your hands, and you will see supernatural multiplication.

13  Before he departed he summoned his ten servants together and said, ‘I am entrusting each of you with fifty thousand dollars to trade with while I am away. Invest it and put the money to work until I return.’ 

Luke 19: 13