Ahead: Emergence of Future Problem Solvers

By Mike Olawale

The Sons of Issachar were two hundred leaders from the tribe of Issachar who understood the signs and seasons of the times. Their knowledge and good understanding of times empowered them to know what to do, the right decisions to take and preparations to make in order to prevail against their current challenges, laying the foundations for generations ahead to thrive (1 Chronicles 12:32-33).

For believers and the whole body of Christ, we must engage the power of the Holy Spirit to know what to do now and in the future. It is crucial to see ahead and be prepared, to proactively know the courses of action to take, so as not to be caught off guard.

For the Body of Christ to carry out her divine assignment, we must be more versatile and dynamic. Going beyond the four walls of our church building, we must begin to think outside the box of religion, and begin to better understand sectors, industries, trends, current affairs and people’s needs according to their ages, cultures, and races. So we are better equipped to know what to do to meet those needs now and in future.

The church must be ready for change, Christian men and women must be ready for change, because the change has come and we either change with it or we are left behind. My prayer is that the next wave of frontiers, pathfinders and great inventors shall emerge from the Church, making the Church of Christ Jesus on the earth become the true light that brings solutions to the world, and true salt that rescues the world from decadence.

Matthew 5:13 KJV – [13] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost hissavour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but the becast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. [14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781698705088

Mike Olawale

Mike Olawale is the presiding pastor of Christ Dominion Church of God International, with headquarters in Upper Malboro, Maryland, United States. Mike believes not only in preaching the word of God, but also in teaching the word of God. He is a firm believer in the truth that the word of God must be ‘lived’ and applied practically in every aspect of daily life in order to reap its fruits. He is also the founder and president of The Mike Olawale Foundation (TMOF), a NGO founded in 2012, which serves as a platform to extend the love of God to those who are in need. TMOF’s core activities focus mainly on supporting families, by equipping their youth with the encouragement they need to achieve excellence in their educational goals and aspirations. He is the author of several books, and workshop materials needed for spiritual growth and development. He is married to his beautiful wife Pastor Olori, and they are blessed with three wonderful children.

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Copyright 2021 Mike Olawale.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0507-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0509-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0508-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021901294

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.

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Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Public Domain

Trafford rev. 01/22/2021

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 Understanding The Season Of Change

Chapter 2 Biblical Inventors and Trailblazers

Chapter 3 Lesson from The Ants

Chapter 4 Embrace The Values of Work

Chapter 5 Become A Tomorrow Thinker

Chapter 6 Power of Understanding

Chapter 7 Provisional Power of Wisdom

Chapter 8 Play Your Part and Make A Difference

Chapter 9 Develop A Finisher Attitude

Chapter 10 Here Come The New Problem Solvers

Chapter 11 A Winner with Trophies

Conclusion

References

Other Books By The Author

To all ministers who served with me during the COVID-19 crisis in our church, I thank God for your lives and total dedication to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you be rewarded abundantly.

To my first personal assistant, Ms. Idunnuoluwa Mary Olawale, you are such a great blessing to have as a daughter. You shall be successful in life.

To Professor Ninuogooluwamilasola and Bishop Adunifeoluwa Olawale, my able researchers, I love you both beyond words can describe. You shall excel and become leaders of leaders for your generation.

Finally, to all the new sets of young dreamers like Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk … who are determined and desperately want to walk in the fullness of their God-given potential, better days ahead of you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I acknowledge the total commitment of my team, The Royal Intelligence Team, who painstakingly worked on the editing and proofreading of the manuscript for this book. You all are fantastic and you are such a blessing to me. My God shall help you to reach the topmost heights in your various professions in Jesus’s mighty name.

INTRODUCTION

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart, (1 Chron 12:32–33, KJV).

The Sons of Issachar were two hundred leaders from the tribe of Issachar who understood the signs and seasons of the times. Their knowledge and good understanding of times empowered them to know what to do, the right decisions to take, and preparations to make in order to prevail against their current challenges, and lay foundations for future generations to thrive.

For believers and the whole body of Christ, we must engage the power of the Holy Spirit to know what to do now and in the future; for example, against the backdrop of the current COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled the whole world and particularly its impact on the operations of the church systems.

It is crucial to see ahead and prepare for the course of action to take in order not to be caught off guard again. Society in general is changing, the method of communication, business transactions, and transportation are changing rapidly. The church cannot remain traditionally rigid with doctrine, focusing solely on one thing rather than the whole gospel, and still expect to be relevant in this generation and future generations if Christ tarries. For the Body of Christ to carry out her divine assignment, we must be more versatile and dynamic. Going beyond the four walls of our church buildings, we must begin to think outside the box of religion and begin to better understand systems, sectors, industries, trends, current affairs, and people’s needs according to their ages, cultures, and races so we are better equipped to know what to do to meet those needs now and in future.

For example, our church organization experienced increased outreach and impact during the pandemic and lockdown than before the crisis started. We embarked on more social media outreach initiatives to carry out our services with the intention of reaching a wider global audience with love of God and the comforting words of hope, which are urgently needed during this challenging time. The resultant effect is phenomenal.

Christian businessmen and women should rise up from just focusing on the four corners of the church building and understand the season we are in. They need to think globally and think ahead, and use their various business platforms to spread the gospel in the marketplace by meeting the various needs of their communities in the manufacturing sector, music, arts, government, banking, etc. For example, the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, understood the dynamics of delivery systems, which made his company stand out for fast delivery of products and services to the remotest area of the country. His net worth at the time of writing this book in 2020 is estimated to be USD 192.2 billion.

The time has come for the Church of Jesus to proclaim the gospel of Christ with greater understanding of the times we are in and explore all available opportunities to maximize the benefits of the season to her advantage.

The Sons of Issachar used their good understanding of the time and worked with the troops to give their overwhelming support to install David as king of Israel.

Knowing what to do to prevail and remain prevailing requires your total focus and your ability to pay the price for new frontiers. Change is necessary for growth and progress. Your ability to accept change and not reject it will enable you to know what to do to accommodate the change and apply the appropriate wisdom necessary to enjoy the profits of change.

The industrial revolutions and technological advancements that make life and commerce available today were products of past generations who saw ahead, knew what to do, and paid the necessary sacrifices to make it happen. People like the Wright brothers, who are known as American aviation pioneers; Henry Ford, an American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor company; Thomas Alva Edison, frontier in electric power generation, mass communication, and sound recording; Alexander Graham Bell pioneered the telephone; Steve Jobs for Apple, Bill Gates for Microsoft; and so many others.

The church must be ready for change. Christian men and women must be ready for a change because the change has come, and you either change with it or be left behind. My prayer is that the next wave of frontiers, pathfinders, and great inventors shall emerge from the church, making the church of Christ Jesus on the earth become the true light that brings solutions to the world and true salt that rescues the world from decadence.

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it