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Sesan Oguntade
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Notes from Visionary Business Project seminar on building wealth as a Christian - Christian Personal Development

This is the transcript of the Visionary Business Project online training program for CAC students fellowship group of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The theme was ‘Building a wealthy tomorrow from today’. Please enjoy it and let me read your comments.

Prayer: Father we thank you for a moment like this. I thank you for the opportunity to teach and learn from your Word. I trust your Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth.

I know and I am sure that it’s your desire that we create clean Wealth and use our resources to serve you and humanity. Father, help us to discover the truth today that will liberate us financially in Jesus name. Amen.

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Who am I?

I am Sesan Oguntade, founder, Visionary Business Project, a mission with the vision to raise problem-solving business owners and workplace professionals. We have used the platforms of books and information products to deliver the message for many years now.

I also own and run the following online organizations:

What’s God’s thought about Wealth creation?

We need to know because our duties and responsibilities are to do the will of God because He is our Creator and Savior.

3 John 1:2
[2]Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. (AMP).

I also read this in the bible:

Isaiah 60:4-5
[4]“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
[5]Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. (NKJV).

(Voice note to explain the bible verses…)

Purpose of wealth

Now that we know that it’s not a sin to create wealth, we can confidently go ahead with this seminar knowing fully well that we are on the same side with God.

But before we go ahead, can we talk about the purpose of wealth, riches and money? I believe we should. I always tell people that you need to know God and you need to know the God purpose of money, riches and wealth before you make efforts to create or make them.

If you don’t, you may end up allowing this same Wealth to drag you along the path of the devil – I pray that will not be your lot in Jesus name. Amen.

I will give you a bible passage that sums it up below:

Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

God created all things (including wealth and riches). For His pleasures and will they were created. If He owns them, then they shoould be used for His cause on the earth.

(Voice note to explain the passage above and give more passages..)

4 categories on building Wealth

Now we can go on now powerfully. Let us look at these four important and relevant categories. If you want to create a wealthy tomorrow from today, you must understand:

  1. You need financial education.
  2. You must make money.
  3. You must save money.
  4. You must invest money.

Let’s take them one by one:

1. Financial education

You shall know the truth and it shall set you free. I have always told people that the first step you need to take if you want to be free from poverty or start creating a wealthy tomorrow from today is to give yourself in to proper education.

Really I am not talking about the education you are getting from the University at present. Yes that is also relevant but the type of education I am talking about goes beyond that. It’s the proper financial education.

Proper education about an issue brings in light and when light comes, darkness or poverty is destroyed or taken out. In John chapter 1, the bible says Jesus is the light that shines and darkness cannot comprehend it.

How do you get this type of education?

1. From the Word of God in the bible. You must must be a diligent student of the bible. I have been led through the bible on this topic for many years now. I have written several books to show this. You can’t get great values from the Word of God, except you are born again.

(Voice note to call for salvation)

2. From people who already have clean Wealth. The bible says, Go to the ants, o you sluggard, learn their ways and be wise. Become their mentees, read their books, attend their seminars, meet them one on one if you can.

3. From financial books or books that teach how to use money. I read Think and Grow Rich and a lot changed about how I saw welath creation. I also read Parable of Dollars by Sam Adeyemi and I saw practical definition of welath creation from the Christian perspective.

I read Breaking Financial Hardship by Dr. David Oyedepo and I also saw how the God Wealth is created and sustained. You can’t go far to build a wealthy tomorrow from today if you are not reading books in that line. I have read lots of books on this topic.

I love to read the books of those who have results to show. As students, begin to invest into your library with books on this topic. The internet is filled with lots of books you can even read for free.

NB: You can let me know if you want me to recommend websites to you.

4. Attend seminars and read blogs online. You should also be attending seminars and conferences where topics on financial education are being taught. You can also read blogs and subscribe to their newsletters. I am subscribed to over 40 email newsletters on this topic and that of Publishing and Marketing. So I have the latest information on this topic around the world at my fingertips.

NB: You can let me know if you want me to recommend websites to you.

Let us go to the next category: You.must make money.

2. You must make money

I want you to look at these passages:

Luke 19:13
[13]So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

‘After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, ‘Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?’ ‘Yes, he does,’ he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. ‘What do you think, Simon?’ he asked. ‘From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?’ ‘From others,’ Peter answered. ‘Then the children are exempt,’ Jesus said to him. ‘But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.’ Matthew 17:24-27

I am sure you are familiar with those bible passages. They showed the necessity for you to engage in useful or business activities to generate or make money.

(Note: Voice note to explain the relevance of the bible passages.)

If you want to build wealth, you must learn how to make money. It’s Godly and it’s legal so far you don’t go against the rules of God and your country.

How to make money:

  1. You can get a job.
  2. You can start a business.

For both, there is the need to continually improve your skills. I studied mechanic engineering but I have continually improved my skills and professionalism over the years in a particular industry.

This has helped me to make money or generate money over the years. Even if you are an employee, you must also learn to improve your skills continually. It can help your promotion or help you get better jobs.

Ensure you are adding values and solving problems of the people. With this, money will always flow into your tent. Even if it appears money is not flowing in enough, you should be persistent.

Keep adding values, keep solving problems, keep improving your products and services if you run a business, keep improving your skills if you are an employee. The money will come, the law of sowing and reaping will always apply. See Genesis 8:22.

Let us go to the next Category: You must learn to save money.

3. Learn to save money

If you are good at making money but not good at saving money, you will not be able to build wealth. Every billionaire I have investigated over the years have had a good saving culture in place.

You will need to save before you can be able to execute effectively the next category item I am going to discuss today.

Look at this interesting Bible passage:

There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it. Proverbs 21:20

The bible calls anyone who spends all his earnings a foolish person! God wants us to have parts of our income in savings so that they can be used for other good purposes that can make us wealthy.

It’s necessary you must start learning how to save as students. You need to learn it. You need to be disciplined. You need to pray to God to help you.

If you want to embrace savings, you must be ready to forsake wasteful spendings. You must be ready to buy your needs and not your wants.

It requires top level discipline. You will be able to become a master of this with time if you are dedicated to the task.

I also found out from experience that if you want to be able to do this appropriately, you must learn to be yourself. You must have financial goals set for yourself. You should not allow friends to influence you into lavish and wasteful spendings. Paddle your own canoe.

Let’s go into the last category now: You must learn to multiply or invest money.

4. Learn how to invest money

Please read the continuation of the passage on the parable of talents:

Luke 19:22-23
[22]And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
[23]Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

The guy with one talent and who failed to do business with it was sharply rebuked by Jesus. Jesus said something important about investment here. He said, “Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

Putting money in the bank was the least form of investment Jesus recommended. At least the money have yielded the least possible interest on investment.

God wants you to invest and multiply money. Money you make and save but does not multiply through investment is a waste. As students you should be involved in one investment or the other. You can start small to develop your skills.

Start now as students

Gone are those days when you have to wait till you graduate from school before you begin to take your Financial destiny seriously. Many undergraduates and post graduates abroad are birthing great companies and doing great with them.

The owners of the most popular search engines online today, Google, gave birth to this great company during their undergraduate studies.

Mark Zuckerberg, The Facebook co-founder and CEO co-founded Facebook at the age of 19 in the year 2004 and became a billionaire at the young age of 23 years old.

So you’re not too young to aspire to start running businesses and create wealth. The earlier you start, the better for you.

But you won’t be able to invest or multiply money if you don’t have money saved in the first place.

Ways to invest

1. In God’s Kingdom. This is the best form of investment for Christians and anyone. Seek you first the Kingdom of God and it’s righteousness and all other things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33).

The compound interest on money you invest in God’s Kingdom is huge and it’s infinite. Your children’s children and more will also benefit from it. It also act as security for other investment you do too. In my family when we make a huge sum of money and we want to do some investments, we first of all invest into the things of God.

You have the following avenues to invest into God’s Kingdom: paying your tithes, giving offerings in church, sowing into the life of a called servant of God or your pastor in your church, investing into projects in your church, printing tracts or books and distributing them, giving to widows, orphans, motherless children and more.

2. Business investment. This is about starting a business. If you want to start a business, you must have an idea, have passion for the business, read and study what the business is all about, be ready to add values and solve problems of the people.

You can ask for my book, How to launch your business as a Christian. You can also join our Visionary Business Project online training program for May as we are discussing this Interesting topic. Register at https://sesanoguntade.com. Fill the form on that page and we will inform you how to be part of the free event.

4. Investment in stocks and shares of companies. You need to register with a stock broker to have your CSCS account created for you so that you can begin to buy and sell shares. You need to read more about investing in shares before you begin to invest your money.

5. Bond and treasury bills investment. Just like the stock and shares of companies above, you can get useful information from your stock broker and online. So it’s important you regiter with a stock broker today immediately.

You can visit nairametrics.com and jobzonenews.com.ng and subscribe to their newsletters to read and learn from the various articles teaching money, investment and business.

Finally

I believe I have been to show the path to follow to start building wealth already. You may need to go over this teaching again and again. You must ensure you are always creating time with God and His Word and for prayer over this topic.

God is the one who is able to give you or me or anyone the power to make wealth. When you pray and you ensure your connection to Him and His Spirit and His Word, He will be there to help and favor you. God bless you.

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