This is the last of a 4-part series intended to help you navigate the murky waters of 2018 and emerge victorious at the end of the year. When a new year begins, we have lots of hopes, our prayers are that we achieve our set goals or expected end.

The point is prayer alone won’t get you there. You need to plan your projects carefully and commit them to God prayerfully in unshakable faith. That’s how you can succeed at any venture. Faith without work doesn’t avail. To expect something and do nothing is to exercise faith without work. (        ). Your part is to plan; work and exercise strong faith in prayers, God’s part is to grant your request if it aligns with His will and give you the grace to take you to your expected end.

Good planning entails research, observation and logical realism. You have to be realistic that you have the ability through training, sound knowledge of your field and the right mental attitude to achieve your set goal. Nothing falls on your laps just by wishing or day dreaming. You have to work, work, and work  and be persistent in prayer and faith. That’s the perfect combination that spells success.

There’s a principle in scripture I’d like to share with you. God knows the end from the beginning. You are also to develop yourself spiritually and academically to be able to discern the end of a project from the beginning. How do you do that? Spiritually, you develop yourself by reading and studying the word of God (Bible) diligently; praying fervently, and meditating day and night. (Joshua 1:1-8). The Holy Spirit would then give you the enabling grace to succeed beyond your expectations.

How do you develop practically? You read books that are relevant to your field of study on the internet, there’re a surfeit of material in the domain that can help you. Get a mentor to help you. Make big, bold plans. Pursue these plans with vigour. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t work out as quickly as you hope.

Also, be careful with the rich. Some don’t even want you to climb out of poverty because you then become independent. You gain freedom and they can’t use you or send you on errands anymore. Some big ogas and their over-pampered madams want you to keep washing their cars and carrying their bags. These type don’t want you to make it and compete with them up there. You have to be circumspect. I advise young entrepreneurs to work hard and save their startup capital. That’s the best way to start.

Every year presents peculiar challenges. This is campaign year. The general elections come up next February and politicians would soon start to throw money around. Some of the stolen money they stashed away in secret bank accounts, cemeteries, soak-away vaults and other weird locations are going to be deployed to try and buy their way to power. Rather than work for those rogue politicians as thugs or killer squads, do something positive for yourself.

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If you have good plans, good focus and a good project, the sky would be your limit. Make sure you plan from the end back to the beginning. That’s like doing things in reverse order. It may sound strange. You can pre-determine an outcome if you have the skill to think deep and do scientific scenario building. You’d be like a prophet or God Almighty who sees the end of a thing from the beginning. You know for instance that ten litres of fuel could run your car for a specific distance. Before you embark on your journey, you plan for a refueling along the way. That’s how you plan from the end.

If you pay your annual rent every January, you know the landlord would come after you by November or December preceding your due date. What do you do? You start saving toward that rent immediately you pay the current rent so that when it finally falls due, you have the money in your account ready to pay your landlord. That’s one way you plan ahead.

In your home, you don’t wait for the foodstuff to finish before you restock. You plan ahead. You know what quantity of foodstuff and provisions you consume every day per time. You do arithmetic with your wife if you are married. You make a budget, prioritize your spending and buy the basic necessities in advance of daily consumption.

When a woman is pregnant, she has a 90-day notice to plan for delivery, which could either be natural or by caesarian section. So, her husband prepares. They buy all the ante-natal and natal post products and get all items needed for safe delivery. Couples don’t start running helter-sketcher looking for baby things when the woman is in labour. To do so is to abide in folly. At this eleventh hour, prayer won’t avail because God cannot be tempted. God doesn’t respond to foolishness of faith. Beloved, plan well to achieve your expected end in 2018 and beyond.

Weekend Spice: The wealth of your resources is limitless if you allow God to open your eyes to your possibilities- Myles Morroe

Ok folks, stay motivated! Enjoy your weekend until we meet again next Friday. 

• Ladi Ayodeji is an Author, Rights Activist, Pastor and Life Coach. He can be reached on 09059243004(sms & whatsapp only).