14/09/2025
THE OBSCURITY OF PROGRESS
1 Sam. 2:26 — “And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.”
Luke 2:40 — “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
“Growth is Gold”
Obscurity is consistent with destiny. Those who will become propellers in all walks of life must embrace the first phase of greatness: obscurity. Obscurity is the security of every new dream.
Pay the price for usefulness when others are playing so that you will play when there is a payout. The Holy Scriptures reiterate this truth clearly: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Every person must, of necessity, have a taste of obscurity. You can’t miss this class, because this is where incubation for progress transpires. Endurance gained during the nights of ceaseless preparation, you may still be weeping in the morning of accomplishment. Somewhere, somehow, we will all one day pay this price, either the price of attention or the price of neglect. The price of neglect is unquantifiable and unimaginable. “Had I known” is always the concluding verse of an unplanned life.
Today, millions across different nations are blessed by our ministry materials and teachings because I decided to pay the price of endless study and prayer during one of the most strenuous and difficult seasons of my life. I wrote this book when I was 23 years old and working as a security guard (gateman). I took my study materials to work, and like Mordecai, I kept an eye on the future. I had my season of obscurity, but like a seed buried beneath the earth, I broke forth through laborious study and travail. Nothing hinders relevance like ignorance, and nothing activates greatness like knowledge. Knowledge averts bo***ge. The Scriptures declare, “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Prov. 3:35).
The inheritance of the wise is guaranteed, but shame and pain shall be the promotion of fools. Come to think of it, comrade: who is a fool? Scripture defines a fool as one who says in his heart, “There is no God” (Ps. 14:1). A fool is anyone who refuses to place God and His kingdom as the priority, putting everything else above Him. Hard as it is to say, there are many who profess Christ yet trivialize spiritual growth and kingdom stewardship. How can you claim to be a child of God and hardly prioritize kingdom advancement, spiritual growth, and service? You live as if you own your life.
In maximizing your season of obscurity, have you not read about Jesus, our ultimate role model, who in the days of His earthly sojourn “offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears”? He “learned obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:7–9). Jesus was distinguished through intense preparation, and you are not exempt.
The language of sonship is responsibility. Children are born, but sons are given. Imagine what life would be if men had not taken responsibility for tending and developing the things we enjoy today. Irresponsibility is a curse on humanity. The kingdom of God will suffer loss if, like Adam, we toe the line of excuse-making. As a young lad, I once heard a wise teacher, Bishop David Abioye, affirm, “Excuse is what excludes men from greatness,” and I chose never to give excuses. The preparation you make determines the result you get. You can’t participate in a future you avoided. You can’t feature in a dream whose realization you never labored for. God has a dream for the entire world. Your preparation will guarantee you a spot among the generals: Jotham, Elijah, Paul, Peter, W. F. Kumuyi, Gbile Akanni, Bishop David Oyedepo, E. A. Adeboye, David Ogbueli, and many others.
An unprepared man will end up repairing his life in old age. If you want to make progress, you must prepare for it. Preparation must meet opportunity. When opportunity meets an unprepared man, it causes panic and disaster, like handing a plane to a three-year-old to pilot. Now you see why God can’t use certain people. Alexander Graham Bell put it well: “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” We keep progressing only as we keep preparing. The day you stop preparing, you start depreciating. Paul knew this truth. He remained focused, pressing forward for that which only eternity can reward. He never succumbed to the shallow satisfaction into which much of the present-day church has fallen. He sustained the holy pursuit of the God who encountered him on the road to Damascus.
When we refuse to draw near to God, we are officially telling Him we are self-sufficient and capable. God responds to the thirsty and hungry. Those who are full He sends away empty. Emptiness is often a sign of neglect. Revival begins when men draw near to God in total humility. Preparation in the secret place is what gives us victory in the open. Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus could have been enough to sustain him for life. After all, he heard the audible voice of Christ and received clarity about his assignment on the spot. Yet he was determined to know more. He even withdrew to Arabia to seek God more deeply and prepare to do more for Him (see Gal. 1:17).
Listen, friend. The fact that God gave you promises or that you had heavenly visitations, including hours of interaction with the Invisible, does not mean you should relax and fold your hands. Genuine encounters are preserved by continuous preparation. God cannot use an unprepared man.
Thought for the day: The inheritance of the wise is always guaranteed, but shame and pain shall be the promotion of fools.
Prayer: Lord, help me to maximize my days of obscurity.
© Godspower Odok
Propellers Network Int'l
- PNi
