US UTS De C RE A B EMMANUEL ANIM BOAKYELast year, | made a commitment to God to share his gift in my life with the world on my birthday by releasing an e-book. This year being my Silver Jubilee, | share this with you. | wanted to write exactly what | wrote in last year’s Pursuing God e-book but | had a change of mind in the last few days of this whole process. | pray this blesses you as much as last year's. It is still available on the website you got this file from. Feel free to download it at any time. God bless you for sharing my special day with me! Emmanuel Boakye Anim 18" May, 2022 ©Creab Studios 2022 Page |iiUnless otherwise stated, all scripture references are from the King James Version of the Bible. Page | iiiDEDICATION To: My parents for being the custom officers who allowed me entry into this world even in their old age of 48 and 42 respectively. My amazing and supporting siblings and my family. | love you so much and appreciate you a lot. After God, | owe you the greatest and this piece is for you. All the 100 students and people who have contributed greatly in my life. Not forgetting the pastors, mentors, mentees and teachers God brought my way.. Page | ivPREFACE Failure can be ascribed to two things; « the absence of the factors that bring about success. « Not having enough of the factors that bring about success. When | first read and thought of this, | never knew it would be the foundation on which | would write this masterpiece. Over the past few years, | given thought to matters concerning my journey in life and how it has been. | thought of this thing called growth, increase, and maturity, the factors, elements, and entities that come to play for one to garner some success in this arena. As | spent many hours in consideration, using my life and that of many others, both alive and dead as points of reference, one factor of success became clear to me. | understood why some fail and others succeed. It became clear that anytime there is an absence or a deficiency of this factor, the growth and maturity we desire will never be established in our lives (see Proverbs 3:19). For this reason, | decided to understand this factor that forms the foundation of what | desired; Growth and Maturity. At this point, you may be wondering what | am referring to. It isa simple, straightforward, and often Page |vheard subject regarding our interactions and communication; UNDERSTANDING. Some of the things | understood about this factor that drives success is why this masterpiece came to being. Even though | am not there yet, | am content with where | am and hoping to explore the vast opportunities available for improvement. | am glad to share what | have learned and experienced on growth. As you go through the pages of this book, may you be inspired to understand all the factors you need to know to become who God purposed for you to be before the foundations of the earth. May you not lack understanding in anything and may it be abundant unto you. Have a nice read, and I'll see you at the top! Page | viTABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION PREFACE. TABLE OF CONTENTS.. WHAT IS UNDERSTANDING?, UNDERSTAND THAT GOD EXISTS AND HE IS THE SOURCE OF ALL. GROWTH.. soe UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF GOD'S GREATEST GIFTS YOU HAVE IS YOUR PARENTS... eS UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION AND RECEIVE THE GIFT OF MEN. soe T UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE THE MANAGER OF YOUR OWN LIFE AND NOBODY CAN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FOR YOURSELF...8 UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE YOUR OWN STANDARD; ALWAYS COMPARE YOU TO THE PERSON YOU ENVISION AND NOT OTHERS os nD) UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN; THERE ARE UNIQUE ONES INSTEAD. UNDERSTAND THE SEASONS OR PHASES OF YOUR LIFE AND ENJOY IT. ol UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTIONS, YOU ARE GOING NO WHERE.. 1S UNDERSTAND THAT BEING GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE AND TO OTHERS IS THE KEY TO INCREASE AND GROWTH... AT UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT COMES FROM GOD. 19 UNDERSTAND THAT UNTIL YOU SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE, YOU CANNOT RECEIVE, 21 ALIFE IN CHRIST JESUS.. 22 Page| viiTHE 10 UNDERSTANDINGS OF GROWTH Page | viiiINTRODUCTION WHAT IS UNDERSTANDING? There are many things that come to mind whenever | hear the word growth. Nevertheless, these past five years of my life leading to my silver jubilee have made me choose a statement that summarizes what growth is all about. “Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet.” — Charlie "Tremendous" Jones My youth pastor never ceased to repeat this statement anytime he met us, and | did not know why until | gave it some casual attention. | appraised the past five years. of my life and that of my peers and noticed that the changes we experienced in our lives, either good or bad, were a function of new people we embraced into our circle and the knowledge we exposed ourselves to. Two things come into play here; ¢ Environment « Content of your environment The understanding | got from this appraisal pushed me to seek to know more and understand growth the more, so | would not remain the same person as | was. One of the products of my adventure is what you are reading. | cannot give you a clear-cut definition of what understanding is. What | can do is tell you some of the Page |1things | discovered about understanding. The following points are some of the things gleaned from the Bible, literature, and my experience with understanding. Things you need to know about understanding. « Ability to grasp knowledge. * Comes by the word of God (Proverbs 2:6, Proverbs 4:7) * Obtained when one receives instructions (Proverbs 1:5) * Obtained when you make time to consider * Judgment/Opinion « Disposition * Countable e Agreement or Harmony « Sympathy « Understanding always walks with wisdom and knowledge | had purposed to put together a full text packed with some of my experiences and literature, but | could not do as | intended. Let this whet your appetite for the entire project that may come out later. In the few chapters ahead are the things | understood over the past few years that | believe, when embraced intentionally, will propel the growth we seek as individuals. Page |2POINT1 UNDERSTAND THAT GOD EXISTS AND HE IS THE SOURCE OF ALL GROWTH It is given to wise men who understand the mechanism of invention and creation to believe in God. Someone asked me why | believe in a God who doesn't exist and | didn't have any answer to give the person on a rational level because the person's scope of reference was reasoning. Many years later, this is my answer to the same question; If a human being can sit down to imagine something and create it, then it makes sense to say that this world and all that is in it was created by someone who exist and not the Big Bang Theory. You may wonder what this reason of mine has got to do with growth. Well, it has everything to do with growth. God created the world and everything including growth. Failing to acknowledge this fact is failing to acknowledge your sources and subsequently, the source of all growth and increase. Let anybody who doesn't believe in God say what they want to say, this is what the book of the principles of higher living says about God and growth/increase. then | will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Page |3- Leviticus 26:4 .» Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. - Matthew 5:45 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. -1Corinthians 3:6 This understanding of God which is but a tiny fraction of who He is has produced so much value in this earthly realm. | pray you catch this understanding. Page |4POINT 2 UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF GOD'S GREATEST GIFTS YOU HAVE IS YOUR PARENTS One day, my mother told me a story of my childhood; “Paa, your dad punished you for doing something bad and you came to me to ask, ‘Why did you marry this man?" | was young and in pain so | referred to my father as “this man" in a demeaning and an inappropriate manner. We live in a time where many young people like myself have no regard for their biological parents and it is a very sad thing. No matter how wrong they are, our parents are still our parents because they are the ones God used as an entry point into this world. They were the custom officers who checked us in and they deserve every respect and honour due them just as the Bible says in Ephesians 6:2-4. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” | know that some parents do provoke us to anger but that does not give us any right to disrespect them. They may not be the best parents or the kind of parents we want but may | suggest to you that they were chosen Page|5by God and so deserve every respect they need. It does not even matter the circumstances surrounding your birth, God chose your parents and requires that you respect them. “Before | formed you in the womb | knew you..." - Jeremiah 1:5 Just as you'll treat an expensive gadget, say an iPhone 13, SO Must you treat your parents. Page|6POINT3 UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION AND RECEIVE THE GIFT OF MEN Looking at my life and that of my peers, about 15 of us, | noticed one thing about our growth. Each one of us had some people come our way that changed something about us. It is true we were praying to God to help us but the response to our prayers were in men. Alot of people make the mistake of ignoring the people God bring their way and miss the blessing or answers to their prayers. Receive the gift of men or the people God brings your way. Respect everybody no matter who they are. You lose nothing for being polite and respectful to everybody. However, you have to be careful who you allow into your innermost circle because not everyone is God sent. Just as God changes our lives using people, so does the devil destroy using people. | pray that God will give you the grace, wisdom and eyes to differentiate between who is for you and who is against you. The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. - Proverbs 13:20 Page |7POINT 4 UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE THE MANAGER OF YOUR OWN LIFE AND NOBODY CAN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FOR YOURSELF Among the topics I was planning to write on as my gift to the world this year was the subject of being a manager of your own life. In the coming years, | hope to do that. This is what I want you to know. Having studied a few businesses and companies, | noticed one common thing among their managers. They reported and accounted for the resources and time they were given. Relating this to my life, | realized that God made me a manager of my own life and I'll account to him what I used the talent, the time, ideas and every other thing he gave me to do or accomplish including the people he brought my way. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. - Romans 14:12 Page |8POINTS UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE YOUR OWN STANDARD; ALWAYS COMPARE YOU TO THE PERSON YOU ENVISION AND NOT OTHERS A lot of young people get off their growth tracks because of unnecessary, unhealthy comparison and | am no different. Instead of focusing on becoming better versions of ourselves, most of us compare ourselves to our peers and some already established folks who are even out of our league. There's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from others but when you make them your standard, you sometimes end up sucking the life you have to live beyond your potential or even get off the track God has. ordained you walk in before the foundations of the earth. It is true that similarities exist in what we do and we'll look at that a few chapters ahead but it does not warrant inter-personal comparison. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. Page |9-1Corinthians 10:12 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10 Page |10POINT 6 UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN; THERE ARE UNIQUE ONES INSTEAD After going through a few training programmes and meeting a number of people both for school and on a personal level, | noticed something similar and common yet unique about all of them. Something that made them different. Something characteristic. This does not make them new. It only makes them unique. It is no different from the growth we seek. Many people in my generation find it difficult to approach people who are already established in areas they seek growth to ask of them something that will help them become who they want to be. lasked about 40 people in this category they are unable to approach those they ought to approach and surprisingly, 38 of them gave me similar responses, “| am original and so it my process and growth." | wondered where they were going with this mindset. | learnt that whatever | am trying to do, someone has already done it and it is best to find such people and ask them how they did it, the circumstances under which they did what they did, sit down to think on how | can apply what they shared with me in my own journey. Page |1lThis has helped me in so many ways than | can imagine. Writing this piece, | got stuck at how to write the introduction even though | had all 10 points already written. | just went into my book shelf, picked 2 books written by my father in the Lord and mentor. In a matter of minutes, | had a unique introduction. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. - Ecclesiastes 1:9 Page | 12POINT 7 UNDERSTAND THE SEASONS OR PHASES OF YOUR LIFE AND ENJOY IT | have always heard that life is in phases and stages and | always thought it was in reference to the schooling systems we have. | figured out later that even though this is partly true, there is a main system which the school system just falls under as a category. Many people have different categories or systems but | think the one that most young people today can relate to; « The conception stage (capturing a vision) « The gestation (preparation stage) « The parturition (birthing and manifestation stage) The social media and microwave age we find ourselves in has sucked the life of so many young ones like myself in such a way that instead of us enjoying the stage, we run after what we are not even prepared for and eventually lose what we have and what we were looking for. When | understood that, | had to capture a vision for my life as God has planned my life to be, it saved me the stress of comparing myself to others and also helped me enjoy the process and preparation that | had to go through to manifest that which | had seen. Page | 13Identify where you are and enjoy the perks that comes. with it even though some stages may have some level of pain you may have to go through. Appreciate who you are and where you currently are. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God... Wherefore | perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? - Ecclesiastes 3:1, 13, 22. (read the full chapter) This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 18:24 Page | 14POINT 8 UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTIONS, YOU ARE GOING NO WHERE A lot of young people today do not want instructions. Even when we are doing the wrong thing and the aged, elderly and the experienced step in with counsel and instructions, we ignore it and do as we desire. When | understood this, | decided to test this principle in my own life and see the outcome. At the time, | had a couple of things doing at a go. | sought counsel from experts in the field and subjected myself to their instructions but | decided to do it my own way and how | thought it was to be done. At the end of the test, | noticed that | excelled at the one | took counsel and did not do so well at the other. | noticed that most of the things | fail to seek counsel, mentoring and instructions but just do them out of my wits, | end up failing and sometimes | get into serious troubles for. This is the story of many young people today. For some people, it is not that they do not have counsel but they are not willing to follow the counsellor as they are supposed to. This reminds me of a statement Myles Munroe Jnr made that got me thinking for over a month. Page |15Someone can choose to mentor you but it is impossible to mentor you the right way if you do not choose to be mentored by them. I think this is the problem of many and | believe God by exposing us to our pride will help us to humble ourselves for counselling, mentorship and follow instructions so that we can become who he intended for us to be. To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; ... The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. - Proverbs 1:1-2,7. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. - Proverbs 8:33 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety - Proverbs 11:14 Page |16POINT 9 UNDERSTAND THAT BEING GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE AND TO OTHERS IS THE KEY TO INCREASE AND GROWTH It is very easy to lose track of what you have and the valuable gift of people God has given you. Whenever this happens, we fail to be appreciative for the gift we have and eventually the abundant supply ceases. Be grateful to people for being a part of your journey. Be grateful for their time, their gifts and all that they can offer. Be grateful for the opportunities they give you. A lot of people today do not value some opportunities. It used to be me until | needed one and did not have it. | learned to appreciate the opportunities people give me the hard way. Honour and respect people both for who they are and what they offer, it is also a sign of gratitude. You have nothing to lose for saying thank you. Be intentional and sincere about it. In the first month of the year, | learnt to write down 3 things | was grateful for in each day and | still do it. It was so liberating doing that because | went to bed each day having an awesome internal atmosphere because | know something good happened to me. Page | 17The funny thing is, | realized the things | was grateful for came to me through people so | changed the heading to The 3 people/things | am grateful for. Complete liberation and healthy growth is a function of gratitude. Never stop being grateful Learn to say thank you because it is the most powerful key in opening earthly and heavenly doors. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:15 Page |18POINT 10 UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT COMES FROM GOD We started with God, went through it with Him and we must end with Him. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. - Proverbs 4:7 Understanding is something the scriptures says we should get in addition to all that we strive to amass. It means, it is that which holds everything together. The NIV of the Proverbs 4:7 says; .» though it cost you all you have, get understanding. It is something we cannot live without. How do we get this thing called understanding? The answer here with us. Understanding is a gift God gives freely through His word (see James 1:17). Proverbs 2:6 says; For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. God had freely given us this good and perfect gift, if it will cost us all that we have including staying off social media to engage his word, we must do it so we can get it. Page |19May understanding be given unto you as you open the scriptures from today in the name of Jesus Christ. Page | 20CONCLUSION; THE BONUS POINT UNDERSTAND THAT UNTIL YOU SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE, YOU CANNOT RECEIVE | used to be a hoarder of many things and yet desired increase and growth in many things. No matter how hard | tried, | was getting nowhere with it. | decided to study the heroes and icons who were making headway in what | wanted and found out that these people were constantly sharing what they knew and had. | went through the scriptures and found so many instances where people shared what they had and got what they even weren't expecting. Fast forward, | let go of this hoarding mindset and | can say that | have received more than | even gave. Thank you for reading this piece and God bless you. It means a lot to me. | end with this; each and every one of us must understand that; .u[t is more blessed to give than to receive. - Acts 20:35 Page | 21ALIFE IN CHRIST JESUS You are able to read this guide because of Jesus Christ and the work He did for me who was once lost and sinking deep in sin. He transformed and changed everything in my life and what more testimony can | share but for His unconditional love. This guide is proof of the saving power of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross; dying and taking away the penalty of the sin of mankind. If there is anything you need if you have a desire to pursue God, it is a life in Christ and nothing else. Want to give your life to Christ? If you do not know Jesus and you'd love to give your life to him, say this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing your son to die for my sins. I declare today that Jesus is the Lord over my life and heart. | am a new creation, | am born again, | am a child of God in Jesus name, Amen! Congratulations! If you said this prayer, tap here to reach my friends and | on WhatsApp to help you grow in Christ. creab.bookmark.com ©Creab2021 Page | 22NEL CAR UKE UTIL SSS