Wired For Success

By Mark Nyarko

Each of us has a dream planted deep in our hearts. This is a vision deep inside that speaks to our very soul. It is the thing we were born to do. It draws on our talents and gifts and appeals to our highest ideals. It keeps popping up in our thoughts, on our lips, in our dreams, in our imagination, and would never leave us un l we give expre

• Language: English
• Publisher: CMD
• Release date: Jan 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781952046094

Mark Nyarko

Originally from Ghana in West Africa, I have lived in the UK for almost 35 years. I am married to Victoria Bosompimaa, a very industrious and talented woman, who has encouraged me to tell the world my story since the day we met. We have a lovely daughter Chantelle Nyarko . Together we pastor a small but dynamic Word-based Church in Streatham, South London named Mount Zion Revival. I thank The Holy Spirit, the greatest teacher, for His grace on my life that enabled me write this and other books. How can fail to mention Mrs Vivian Sackey and Mrs Sheilagh Ashiley for their commitment, support and loyalty over the years. Pastor Michael Boadu Mensah of Spurgeon’s College, London, deserves a mention for assisting with the I.T aspects. I have been a teacher most of my life, starting first at the School of Administration, University of Ghana, Legon, in the early 80s, where I was a Teaching Assistant for a couple of years, after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Administration Degree, and then in several Colleges in London where I have been teaching Business studies to young adults. I have always enjoyed sharing with others, whether it’s my food, money, clothes or knowledge. My greatest passion is to share the word of God with other believers. As a consequence, I have a passion for disciplining believers in their faith to become mature in their walk with the Lord, apply the bible to their daily lives and to meet the standards of our high calling by the enabling power of the Spirit of God. For over 2 decades, I ran a one man Charity OPERATION HOPE to help disadvantaged children in my native Ghana, using most of my personal earnings as a teacher to sponsor their education at all levels of the educational strata, educating several hundreds, perhaps a few thousands, in the process. Through the charity I built a number of fully equipped computer suites in several communities and schools in Ghana, fifteen of them, to be precise. By the same token I shipped secondary level books to many schools in Ghana, refurbishing many libraries in the process with books withdrawn from UK college libraries. We were also able to supply photocopiers to several schools and colleges. We even had occasion to provide clothing and school uniforms to very needy schools and individual students and pupils. From this I learnt that you don’t have to be rich to be generous, and that you can always start where you are. At 63, I think I have learnt a few lessons in life to share with others in my writings, especially the young, in their life’s journey. A good mentor could be worth more than a university degree, and that is what I hope to be to the many who would read my books. This I hope to pursue with the same passion and vigour as I have anything I have had to do in life. Regards, Mark Nyarko

Book preview

A Dream Has Power

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Ephesians 4:28

E ach of us has a dream planted deep in our hearts. This is a vision deep inside that speaks to our very soul. It is the thing we were born to do. It draws on our talents and gifts and appeals to our highest ideals. It keeps popping up in our thoughts, on our lips, in our dreams, in our imagination, and would never leave us until we give expression to it or die with it unfulfilled.

God says in Jeremiah 1:5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations’.

To succeed in life is to discover God’s purpose for your life and live it out, whatever it happens to be. Your purpose will be different from everyone else’s, because we are all wired differently for different things in life. It is a tiny but unique slice of his image he deposited in each of us to express his glory in the earth. There is no expiry date on your potential so long as you have the breath of life in you.

The greatest secret in life is to discover your purpose in life and fulfil it.

I will praise You, for [a]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. ¹⁵ My [b]frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:14-16

According to Psalm 139 above each of us was intentionally created and wired and gifted for a specific earth assignment. No two individuals are the same in this respect. God wired and knit each person together with their unique gifts, skills, aptitudes, insights, abilities, flairs, temperaments and endowments and wisdom that we will each need for our particular assignment. Our significance is in our differences and when we realise that all competition and envy should disappear from our lives. Some gifts are obvious but others may require diligent inquiry but all gifts need to be nurtured and optimised through use and diligent stewardship.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Our gifts and purpose is God’s deposit of eternity in each of our hearts to fulfil on the earth.

Henry Ford, the American auto industry pioneer asserted; ‘The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.’ It is important to know that you don’t decide your assignment, you discover it.

A person who has a dream knows what ‘he is willing to give up, in order to go up.’ There will always be a trade-off to achieve your dream. This means it will cost you something or you will have to give something up, make one sacrifice or another and make the necessary adjustments to your life in pursuit of your dream. This is so because every dream comes as a seed (an idea, a raw talent that needs cultivating and perfecting), to be sown and nurtured before it matures into fruition. This may start with your recognition of your distinctive potential, making time for it, rehearsing, practising, training, developing it until the required level of dexterity and then un-vailing it, by which time flowing in it becomes second nature. Hence the sacrifice

1. A dream gives us direction.

2. A dream increases our potential

3. A dream helps us to prioritize; concentrates our attention, and not keep all our options open like juggling balls.

4. A dream adds value to our work; the reporter at the construction site where 3 men were working, the 1st person when asked what he was doing replied he was ‘earning a pay check’, the 2nd said he was ‘pouring concrete’, but the 3rd who had a bigger picture said he was ‘building a hostel for the homeless’ and enthusiastically proceeded to show the reporter where the kitchen, the dormitory, etc would be.

The 3 men were all doing the same work, but only the 3rd was motivated by a bigger picture and hence found what he was doing purposeful.

Have a big picture for your life, and then fit in the details. When we get the big picture for our life, every chore, every activity, every task we undertake assumes added significance they would not have as isolated disparate tasks.

You are not just coming to college, or doing homework, or completing a unit assignment but you are building a great future, as a Doctor, as an Accountant, as a Corporate Director, a great family for yourself and your spouse and your children, brick by brick, one step at a time. This gives context and meaning to even seemingly mundane tasks we have to do daily. As a student, if you see these chores clamouring for your attention and effort in isolation, they will not make sense, nor seem beneficial but together they each contribute to your desired future. You may not enjoy your maths homework that much but maybe without a credit grade in maths you may not be accepted unto your dream A level course, nor even unto your choice degree programme in University. Pastors and men and women of God need to see the often mundane tasks they do with the same big picture lens of fashioning eternal destinies of their flock to rule and reign with Christ in God’s eternal kingdom. When you see every little thing you do with the big picture in mind, then even routine tasks like sermon preparation, christening babies, visiting the sick, counselling out of harmony couples and settling marriage disputes all begin to take on eternal perspectives and significance. We never saw it as training the task force that will be used of the Lord Jesus in administering his vast cosmic empire for all eternity. What a privilege and a daunting task all in the same breadth.

What do you think I am doing through these seminars? I AM SHAPING GREAT DESTINIES. If we saw parenting in this light, shaping great destinies of the next generation, to be Presidents and lawmakers, corporate executives, superstar athletes, great wives and fathers, it will all make sense and be worthwhile.

Look at the way Abraham and his servant reported the same situation and note the subtle differences in their different perspectives in Genesis 24:3, 37 and I will make you swear[a] by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;

Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;

Do you see the subtle difference in how Abraham saw the current situation saying the Canaanites among whom I dwell and Eliezer reporting the same words later but saying in whose land I dwell? To Abraham the fact that God has promised the land of Canaan to him settles the issue. The fact that he is currently dwelling amongst the Canaanites does not change the facts on the ground. The land was his by divine decree. That is visionary leadership. It sees far into the future. It sees the big picture, and that provides the necessary backdrop and context for everything one does in the present. Eliezer, who was a servant saw the situation differently. To him Abraham was a squatter as far as he was concerned because he sees the Canaanites all around and for now they seem to be in possession of the land.

5.  A dream predicts our future- what we are likely to become.

‘No matter what a person’s past may have been, his future is spotless’ ‘Yesterday has gone forever. Tomorrow will never arrive, but today is yesterday’s tomorrow within your reach. What are you doing with it?’ Dare to dream and act on that dream. Don’t forget that ‘yesterday ended last night’, today is a brand new day. Every day comes with a new set of challenges and opportunities, seize them.

Do you see a man who excels in his

work? He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:29

6.  Having a definite purpose develops self-reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline and concentration of effort. It will impact how you use your time, the relationships you develop and keep, and how you use your money.

Go to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,

⁷ Which, having no [a]captain,

Overseer or ruler,

⁸ Provides her [b]supplies in the summer,

And gathers her food in the harvest.

⁹ How long will you [c]slumber, O sluggard?

When will you rise from your sleep?

¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep—

¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man. Proverbs 6:6-11

DEVELOP A MAJOR PURPOSE.

1.  Write out a complete, clear and definite statement of your major purpose in life, sign it and commit it to memory.

2.  Then the LORD answered me and said:

"Write the vision

And make it plain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2

3.  Draw a clear plan to achieve your purpose (with timescales) Isaiah 28:10

4.  Make your plan flexible enough to permit changes anytime you are inspired.

5.  Keep your major purpose to yourself

Wise men share most of their riches generously but share their confidences (secrets) sparingly. Wise men listen much and speak with caution. They know that one may learn through listening, but one only speaks what he knows already.

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,

But he who restrains his lips is wise.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

The heart of the wicked is worth little.

The lips of the righteous feed many,

But fools die for lack of wisdom. Proverbs 10:19-21

Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;

When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. Proverbs 17:28

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; James 1:19

Uncommon men are simply common men who have recognised their uncommon gift.

There are many little scratches in human relations (petty annoyances), however, these are nothing but just that, little scratches, and need not be reacted to as though they were deep wounds. Learn to ignore minor distractions and petty offences by others because they can sap your emotional energy and slow you down in life.

HOW BIG ARE YOU?

It takes a big person to succeed. Because it takes a big person to see what is big, beyond the now and immediate and what is worth one’s attention. When you see how you damage yourself by bearing grudges and resentments, you can put small annoyances in the past.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:18-19

Successful people are successful, not because they are smarter than the rest of the population, or have some special intelligence or genius, but they have learnt to be SUCCESS CONSCIOUS. They think success, positive, can do, ‘why not!’ To them, problems and obstacles are opportunities to build emotional muscle and stamina. All their talk is about results, achievements, possibilities, solutions. Unsuccessful people, on the other hand always complain, talk about whose fault it is, who is conspiring to bring them down and one problem after another. Remember this, whatever you talk about the most, you eventually reproduce in your life.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

WHEN YOU CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR PURPOSE IN LIFE AND BEGIN TO PURSUE IT, something strange begins to happen:

1.  Circumstances begin to