You Can Succeed You Can Prosper Even in Time of Crisis

By Augustina Ekwunife

You Can Succeed You Can Prosper Even in Time of Crisis

This great work is aimed at challenging everyone not to give up no matter what he or she is going through in this historical moment in our human era. It is a call to wake up the giant in us, the true source of our being, without which we can achieve nothing. It reveals the secret as well as the fact that the key to unlock the secret lies within us. You are stronger than you believe! In this simple, straightforward guide, you will learn how to stand up against any adversary, hold your head up, and never give up on your dreams. After reading this book, you will be ready to embark on a journey that, before now, you may have believed was for only a special group of people. You deserve to have your dreams come true! You deserve an amazing life! It is your birthright! So get up! Take the bull by the horns, for you can do it, if only you will believe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496996466

Augustina Ekwunife

Augustina Ekwunife is a dynamic evangelist and a counsellor in many areas, such as difficulties in marriage, how to hear-out the teenagers, and how to build a business success based on biblical truth of what real success is all about. In her work she teaches people to apply biblical laws and principles to achieve success and fulfilment. She is one of the few women of our time who teach with charisma and character. The intelligence and wisdom of God upon her life has taken her to places such as Italian television and civil rights movements for the less privileged in her community. Augustina resides in Veneto, Italy, where she collaborates with groups of advocates to see that people in her sphere of contact receive legal rights and benefits. She is gifted with a giving ministry and has sown into the lives of many, financially, materially, and otherwise. Augustina is not just a mother and wife; rather, she is a powerful weapon in the hand of God. She has deep insight and is spiritually enlightened in the interpretation of God’s word. She uses this insight in her teaching and mentoring ministry, and this ministry has impacted so many lives. She is empowered with such great anointing that anybody who comes in contact with her feels her charisma. Augustina is a woman of valour and dignity. Apart from being rooted spiritually in all things of God, she is also the managing director of a promising business in the fashion world; her boutique is situated in the heart of Padua city, Italy. She is a business inspiration and a source of blessing to many today, and promises to remain so even in times to come! Augustina lives in Padua, Italy, with her husband and children. —Minister Bell Apah -The Glorious Singers (The Glorious Singers’. (An evangelistic gospel music vision birthed by Minister Bell Apah in 2012, Padova -Italy)

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© 2014 Augustina Ekwunife. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Ekwunife Augustina shares her insights and personal experiences as a young immigrant wife, mother, worker, and a bussiness owner. She sheres how God has strenghtened her in every area of her life by applying the principles in the word of God.

Published by AuthorHouse  12/11/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9645-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9644-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9646-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1:   Knowing Him as a Father

Chapter 2:   Know Who You Are!

Chapter 3:   You Are Not Forgotten

Chapter 4:   You Are Loved!

Chapter 5:   You Are a Freeborn; Therefore, You Are Free!

Therefore, You Are Free.

Chapter 6:   He Can Heal Our Wounds!

Chapter 7:   Walking through Your Desert To Become Stronger and Full of Power

Chapter 8:   ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’ (John 14:6 NIV)

Chapter 9:   The Mind of Jesus Christ: His Message and Ministry

His message and ministry

Chapter 10:   The Kingdom Mindset

Chapter 11:   Learn How To Pray: Prayer as Taught by the Master

The prayer as thought by the master

Chapter 12:   Meditate Upon the Words – That is Where the Power Is!

That is where the power is!

Chapter 13:   Faith Is One of the Keys!

Chapter 14:   Wisdom Calls!

Chapter 15:   Righteousness – What It Is!

And how it can make you succeed

and prosper; even in times of crisis.

Chapter 16:   ‘Where the mind goes, the man follows.’ – Joyce Meyer

Chapter 17:   We Are All Called By Him

To fulfil the mission together, the mission to love!

Chapter 18:   ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done’ (Matthew 6:10 KJV).

His rulership on earth

About the Author

I dedicate this book.

To all who are struggling financially, trying to make ends meet. To men and women who yearn to emerge, despite the fact that the reality they see around them is trying to press that seed of faith down. To the young people who are looking out into the world with skeptical eyes. And to all those who are less privileged, suppressed, and oppressed by what they hear and see around them. I encourage you to go out into the world and make a difference. Do not fear, for the Lord will prove Himself God in your life.

And to my lovely children, especially, Loreta and Whitney, whose unconditional tender love and strong belief in me encouraged me to press on when everything around me was shouting, ‘Quit!’ I will never forget the look in their innocent little eyes as they said to me, ‘I know my mummy can do it.’ And Whitney agreed wholeheartedly. I love you, girls, with the greatest love any mum could ever have for her children.

Acknowledgements

With special thanks:

To great men and women whose works have changed my life and illuminated my path in the journey of life through their books,

recordings, and seminars. I owe you my most heartfelt appreciation.

To my prayer partners, God sent you to me. You have always been around the corner, until God began to reveal me to you and you to me. That was when I knew that the time for me to take up the ministerial work more seriously had come.

You are the greatest assets in my life in a moment like this. I could not have asked for more. More joy to you all.

To my publisher, AuthorHouse.

You are a godsend to me. You emerged into my life at the right time.

And to the editors who did a wonderful professional work on this manuscript. A big thanks to you all for your wonderful teamwork!

To my beloved husband whose choices and decisions have contributed to shape the woman I am today. Ladies, God will always give you the man you need, and not the one you want. The one you want may not be

the one you need in order to produce that very character the Lord is

seeking in you. May God visit you; Dear, with His amazing love. Thank you!

To my dear friends Brother Collins Anigwuoeje and Minister Bell Apah – ‘the Glorious Singers’. (The Glorious Singers is an evangelistic gospel music vision birthed by Minister Bell Apah in 2012 here in Padua Italy, she uses her songs to spread the word of God) – who insistently reminded me of the potential locked within me and could not wait to see them manifest.

To Pastor Pius Olisa (Freedom Gate Chapel, Vicenza Italy)

A good man with a good heart! God did not make mistake when he choose him to pastor His sheep. Thank you so much for your encouragements, Sir!

To Pastor Lucky Odika (co-pastor Global Christian Community, Padua Italy) A man with great zeal for the Kingdom work. Thank you all for taking the time to read and correct this manuscript. I appreciate.

My most immense heartfelt thanks go to:

My Father; The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords, The Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscience. Friend, Love, Light, Companion, Comforter, Councilor, Business Partner, Provider, and Guide.

He fights all my battles! To You be the Glory forever.

You are my everything! You showed me what real love is by giving restoring my self-worth, confidence in myself, and an incredible inner strength that, before now; I never knew I had!

You mentored me into that woman you desired. You are shaping and molding me, and every day I am becoming just the woman you designed me to be. I give you all the glory.

I love you, Father! For loving me first.

Notes about the Bible verses included in this book:

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

CHAPTER 1

Knowing Him as a Father

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Son-ship.

And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’

(Romans 8:15 NIV).

Are you expecting the unexpected and preparing for the unforeseen? Do you possess the necessary

mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual tools to successfully and effectively weather seasons of

turmoil? Always remember: the Kingdom of God is

never in crisis. God knows what to do—He cares for you. God has never failed His people.

—Myles Munroe

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world

(John 16:33 NIV).

When faced with an immediate problem that needs an urgent and concrete solution, you look around for that solution. When you find no solution or help, your mind is driven to panic, fear, anger, and then frustration. Why? Because you need an immediate solution to your problem, or some help in finding that solution. Sometimes the truth is that you refuse to allow some changes! You try resisting and fighting any change instead of letting go and allowing what should be. Yes, I understand that it hurts to let go, especially to something to which you have an emotional or sentimental attachment. But this is what growth is all about. This is what we call change! There will never be growth without a change! And the resistance to this change, in any area of your life, is what causes crisis.

There is evidence everywhere that crisis is hitting hard on our economy, which affects our lives, work, families, relationships, and in the end, our health. But remember, the economy of God is never in crisis. We all must see God as our Father, whose desire for us is to have an abundant life, not a life of limitations. It is also true that we do face crisis in different areas of our lives. If we allow Him into every part of our lives, He will make a way for us, even when men say, ‘There is no way.’ For in the eyes of man, it is impossible, but not with our God. With God all things are possible to those who believe.

There are different types of crisis, and they may come in different ways. It can be financial crisis. It can be a crisis in your relationship. It can be crisis in your career. A crisis can arise in your health. It can be global, national, regional, religious, or economical, but how you define crisis will determine how you will come out of it. How do you see crisis? How do you define crisis? What is your attitude when faced with a crisis? Answer these questions sincerely, and you will understand what you need to do to come out of one, or even how to go through one.

We are usually not prepared for crisis. We do not expect them; therefore, we don’t have the tools ready to work through them as we are faced with them. Sometimes we feel helpless, and sometimes we tend to give in to despair. But we need not give in to fear or get discouraged. All we need is to stand strong on the word of God. It will see us through.

I remember how I use to be so scared I hardly could sleep at night.

When I used to be faced with a negative situation I couldn’t have predicted, or was not in any way expecting, I used to be so scared I hardly could sleep at night. It was difficult for me to eat regularly or to do my duties well, as I had lost my appetite for food due to nervousness. I was really afraid. I had to do something fast, but what and how? I was hopeless and penniless, but I remember I had no option other than to do the only thing I knew I could do – trust in God to see me through. After all, worrying was not taking me anywhere. After all, God never promised that we would never have problems. "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all" (Psalm 34:19).

That is why you must know the word of God, so that you can apply it to your problems as they arise. You must search the scriptures for those words that speak to your current challenges and begin to speak the words to yourself. For that is the only way you will have the chance of crossing over in that moment, for it is just but for a moment; it will never last forever. Sometimes crises are just for your benefit; they are not meant to destroy you. They are there to help you become stronger, wiser, and better prepared. It is wrong to always think in a negative way about whatever you are passing through at any given time. Your attitude matters a lot. When faced with crisis, if it is possible, it is better to see them as challenges rather than think the devil is being let loose after you.

Sometimes we tend to focus so much on the problem itself that we get distracted from the opportunity that is presented to us, because in every problem there must be a solution. Don’t focus so much on the problem itself that you forget to look for lesson you can learn from it. And most of the time we miss that opportunity. When I am faced with these crisis that I called challenges, I start to speak the word of God to myself. I try to encourage myself. I try to find strength in His might.

When I started speaking those words to myself, I began to generate courage and confidence.

The scripture says, ‘Let the weakling say, I am strong!’ (Joel 3:10 NIV). What does that mean? It means to strengthen yourself, and to stand up on the inside even if the situation is forcing you to sit down on the outside. It means to refuse to give up or to quit. When I started speaking those words to myself, I began to generate courage and confidence that everything was going to work out fine in the end, even if the evidence was yet to be seen, because His word says that all things are working together for my own good. And for sure, in the end, He always gives me victory over my adversaries. He sees me through them all!

Although sometimes I can be stubborn, and I refuse to listen to what my spirit is saying to me, it is as if I like to punish myself by staying in that negative attitude. I will stay like that for at least a day or two, then gradually, gradually I will start to come out of my shell. I will start to do the wisest thing I know I am supposed to do, which is to apply His word, exercise patience, and believe. If you can put on a smile and maintain a positive attitude, sooner or later you will begin to see changes, and some of them might surprise you!

‘They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven’ (Deuteronomy 28:7).

‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31). ‘The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven’ (Deuteronomy 28:7). ‘A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you’ (Psalm 91:7). His word says that this deserter will not come near your dwelling; it will not harm you. For in the kingdom of God there are no crisis. What sort of father would ever allow any evil to befall his children? God is always on our side, believe it or not. Even when we do not see the results immediately, that does not mean that He cares less about us or that He is doing nothing about our problems. You may doubt your doubt, but don’t doubt God.

You must know Him as a father; you must open your heart to Him. The scripture says, ‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8). Seek Him while you can find Him!

Knowing God as a father is an experience most of us find very difficult to comprehend or to accept as being possible, yet when something unexpected happens to us, we exclaim, ‘Oh, my God!’ or ‘God help me!’ But we fail to understand that God is real and active in our lives. He is not just a mere exclamation. He desires that you know Him better, that you create a continuous intimacy and relationship with Him. He wants your companionship. He longs for your awakening. He wants that you know Him as a father!

God is the essence of your being. He is your very life, the very breath that you breath, the emotions that you feel, the love that you feel deep inside you. God is in us. If we agree that, when a child is born, he has the same blood of his parents running inside his veins, then we will in no doubt agree that the very essence of God – His source, His spirit – is what keeps us alive. The scripture states, ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). Jesus said, ‘Because I live, you also will live’ (John 14:19).

We are made in the image of God!

We are made in the image of God: ‘Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26). ‘In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27). Psalm 103, verse 30 tells us, ‘When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth’. God breathed into our nostrils the breath of life; therefore, His spirit is keeping us alive. Without His spirit in us, we would drop dead immediately. We are created in the image of God. We have the spirit of God in us. We can do, have, and be everything we desire. This is because we are His image, not in the physical, but in the spiritual. You have the potential of God in you. He is a creator, so you also are a creator.

Yes! You can create anything your heart desires. You can achieve any goal and conquer any obstacle. You can eliminate any barrier and move ahead. You can pull down any mountain of problems facing you. But to do so, you must first recognize the fact that you are not just a bunch of meat and bones, you are not just a person bearing a particular name. You must know that you are a spirit and that you reside in that body of yours. You must know that the spirit of your Father, God, is residing inside of you, and that you are just a part of Him. You will understand that to live without Him is to be stripped of strength. It is to be naked!

When you recognize this fact, then you can rest assured that your perception of yourself will change. You will begin to operate from a higher level. You will no longer go around feeling hopeless. You will not allow situations and circumstances to bend you low. You will stand up straight in every condition, no matter what. Even if the situation is forcing you to bend or crushing you down outwardly, you will have the strength to stand up on the inside. Like the prodigal son, you will no longer live behind a slave mentality.

The low self-image will no longer dominate your spirit. Like the prodigal son, you will learn how to stand up on the inside and say, ‘I have to go back to my source. I can do more than this. I can be more than this.’ ‘The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). Your eyes of perception will open. You will become aware! Just like Adam and Eve, you will no longer walk about in darkness and in nakedness of strength. You will understand that to live without Him is to be stripped of strength; it is to be naked!

You can think, feel, and use your imagination.

The poorest person in the world is the person without a dream. The most frustrated person in the world is the person with a dream that never becomes reality. I am convinced that God created and gave us the gift of imagination to provide us with a glimpse of our purpose in life and to activate the hidden ability within us.

—Myles Munroe

You are the image of God because you are from His very source. With your mind, you can think, feel, and imagine. You must be careful how you use or do not use your imagination. If you don’t develop the power of imagination within you, then you will never start to live. And at the same time, if your imagination is only projecting fear and failure into your future, that is a sign that you are weak. It means that you have little or no faith at all. It means that you are building on the sand, and when the waves come, waves of challenges! They will wipe everything away.

You need to build on a solid rock, rock of faith. And to do that, use your imagination. Imagine how you want your life to be in the near future and move towards that goal. Imagine the life you would love to live, the relationships you would love to be in, the kind of job or business you would love to have. If you cannot see your life as you want it to be, you will never get there. You will never be in that picture. You must see and do what you see your spiritual father is doing.

‘Jesus told them, ‘Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing, What the Father does, the Son does likewise’ (John 5:19 ISV).

What do you see as you look into your future?

You