Abrahamic Success

By Dag Heward-Mills

* * * * *

Copyright 2000 Dag Heward-Mills

Published By Dag Heward-Mills on Smashwords

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Quotations from John Hagee’s Final Dawn over Jerusalem have been used with permission from Thomas Nelson Inc. Publishers

E mail Dag Heward-Mills :

info@daghewardmillsbooks.org

evangelist@daghewardmills.org

Find out more about Dag Heward-Mills at:

http://www.daghewardmills.org/

http://www.daghewardmills.org/lci/

http://www.daghewardmills.org/healingjesuscrusade/

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Dedication

To

My late father, Nathaniel Heward-Mills.

He was a great father and a great blessing.

Contents

Chapter 1-Decide to Succeed

Chapter 2.-The Secret of Obeying God

Chapter 3-The Secret of Believing in God’s Word

Chapter 4-The Secret of Family Service to God

Chapter 5-The Secret of the Tithe

Chapter 6-The Secret of Intercession

Chapter 7-The Secret of Sacrifice

Chapter 1

Decide to Succeed!

If you are a little observant, you will notice many examples of people who are successful. Some of these people are Christians, some are not. There are also many biblical examples of successful people. It is our duty as Christians to learn from all these examples.

Someone may ask, “Why should an unbeliever be successful since he doesn’t believe in God?” Dear friend, God has established certain principles. Anyone who abides by them will experience success. From today, I want you to understand that success is not an accident.

There is a road that leads to failure, and another that leads to success. I am writing this book so that you will learn the principles that made people like Abraham successful. One of the things that I do in order to succeed is to observe successful people.

I once spoke with some friends who were launching out for the first time in the music industry. After listening to their music, I told them that their music was nice but that I didn’t think it would sell. Then I showed them the music of some very successful singers. I sat down with them and played the music of these successful artistes. I said to my friends, “Do what these successful musicians did, and you will get to where they are!”

This is such a simple principle yet it escapes most people. Many people prefer to obey instructions if they sound complicated. People have little confidence in simple sounding words. Do you want to be a successful pastor? It is difficult and yet it is easy. It is easy because all you have to do is to follow closely someone who has succeeded in that field. It is also difficult because it is sometimes not so easy to follow someone else.

In order to succeed, you must understand the very nature of a principle. Principles are not changed by circumstances. They are not altered with time. They are not even affected by your prayer and fasting. Principles are invisible rules that must be obeyed. If you break a principle, the principle will break you!

The law of gravity is one such principle. If you jump off the roof of a seven-story building, you will die! You will die even if you are a Christian. You will die even if you are a spiritual person!

You can fast for seven days without eating or drinking water. You can pray seven hours a day for seven days. But if you break the principle and jump off a seven-story building, you will break your neck and die. You may even ask your pastor to anoint you with oil before you jump – this will not change anything.

I believe in anointing people with oil, but I also believe in the reality of a principle. It is a reality which many

Christians do not want to face. They feel that because they are Christians, they don’t have to study to pass exams.

No matter who you are, you have to study hard if you want to pass your exams. It is a principle that applies to prayerful and non-prayerful Christians.

Some Ministers Don’t Understand Principles

I have watched many anointed pastors destroy their gift as they broke principles of administration and management. In fact, some of the most anointed ministers are the ones who break the principles of administration. Please understand the nature of a principle. The principle does not care who you are. It is in force whether you like it or not.

I often wonder when I see young pastors breaking certain principles in ministry. A young pastor, in his zeal to establish his own ministry, breaks someone else’s church, speaking evil of the senior pastor. Time and time again, this same pastor who has broken the principles, is then destroyed by his own mistakes.

If you break somebody’s house down in order to build your own, you will reap what you sow. This is the law of the Bible (Galatians 6:7).

The Troubled Marriage

If you are a young person, you have an opportunity to apply the principles of success to your life. Someone came to me once and said, “My wife is evil.”

I said, “How come?”

He said, “She has evil spirits.”

“Oh, I see.”

Their marriage was virtually broken down. I questioned him further, “Do you want to be married?”

Yes, but my wife and her entire family have evil spirits.”

So I asked, “What are we going to do about this?”

“I need deliverance and so does she.”

I said to him, “What you need is good counsel from the Word of God.”

As I spoke with him, I realized that he had not been faithful to his wife. He had had multiple extra-marital affairs.

“You are not being faithful to your wife,” I told him. “That is what is breaking your marriage. I don’t know how you got your information about evil spirits. What I know is what the Word of God says and what the principles in the Bible teach us.”

He still asked whether he needed deliverance. But I insisted, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. When you walk in the Word of God, it will establish you. When you keep to the principles in the Word of God, they will help you have a wholesome marriage.”

Dear friends, you may be delivered from leviathan spirits or jupiter demons but if you do not keep to the principles in the Word of God, your deliverance will have little effect.

Happy marriages are built on the solid foundation of biblical principles!

Many of you reading this book are young enough to start applying the principles of success. If you start early, you will live to reap the fruits of a godly life. There is hope for the future. We can do well and we will succeed in our generation.

No Fast Road to Success

Everyone wants a quick way out! I’m sorry to inform you that there is no quick road to success. It seems to me that it is the nature of man to desire a quick fix. That is why the miracle and deliverance ministry is very popular today.

People do not want to live right. They don’t want to serve God. They don’t want to pray everyday. They do not want to read their Bibles. They don’t want to change their lives and they don’t want to do what is right. Folks just want things to work out instantly.

Applying principles in your life is not a formula that leads to instantaneous answers. A principle is something you abide by, which in the process of time yields results.

Ask any successful person you know whether he attained success overnight. The next time you see President Mandela, ask him how long it took him to become the president of South Africa!

In Ghana, many successful people have been persecuted for their success. Some have even been to prison. It seems that there is a very long road to success and there is simply no short cut. Principles must be obeyed and they will eventually bring you to success.

Success Means Prosperity

One facet of being successful is being prosperous. Poverty does not help anyone. The devil has made us believe that a spiritual person is a poor person. The fact that some priests take oaths of poverty only goes to emphasize the notion that there is some virtue in abject poverty.

When I read the Bible, I do not see any such doctrine. In fact, the people God walked with often turned out to be rich. It is obvious that Satan has done a good job in making us all believe that poverty is more spiritual than prosperity.

Poor people are often frustrated people. Someone once said that he doesn’t trust poor people because they don’t show their true character. I have noticed that many people change when they become prosperous. What does this mean? It means there was something hidden in them, which was exposed when they became prosperous. I believe God wants you to prosper in this life.

You are of little use to God if you live on Discouragement Avenue next to Disappointment Alley. When frustration and despair are your next-door neighbors, you cannot achieve much in life.

God wants to give you more money than you can use, but He wants you to love Him more than money. Money is not evil! It cannot be evil! It is when you love money more than you love God, that you are in danger of backsliding.

It is the love of money that is evil.

For the love of money is the root of all evil...

1 Timothy 6:10

No one can tell me that a television is an evil thing. It is not! However, if you use your television to watch evil films, then it has become an instrument of the devil in your life.

God wants us to be successful. He wants His children to be rich and prosperous. God wants His people to build houses and to own cars. God’s will for you is to have an abundance of all things. God wants you to live in a nice house and have a nice garden. What do you lose by believing this? Nothing!

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

Jeremiah 29:5

If God told the Israelites to build houses and to plant gardens under the Old Covenant, then He is telling us to do the same. The New Covenant is a better covenant!

Some time ago, I realized that unless I speak prosperity in a firm and confident way, it will not come into the hands of God’s people. God has impressed upon me to confidently speak about riches and prosperity because it is His will. I know that many people will still remain in poverty, but through a strong message of prosperity, many people’s faith will be lifted up to receive from the Lord.

He wants you to be a millionaire, and even a billionaire. I am not saying that if someone is poor, he is out of the will of God. There will always be poor people amongst us, but it is our duty as preachers to speak the general truth of the Word of God. The general truth of God’s Word is explicitly and implicitly prosperity, riches, breakthrough, happiness, peace and success. Receive it because that is God’s desire for you.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

3 John 2

Decide to be someone who will build a house during your lifetime. Decide to be someone who will own a car. Decide to be someone who will help other people financially. Decide today for prosperity and riches. Decide that you will accomplish something in this life. God does not want you to borrow money; He wants you to be a giver. Don’t believe the lies of the devil. I’m not saying this to you because I want money from you. I could have a lot more money practicing medicine. I am saying this because I want to help you. I am saying this because God has sent me into your life to help you climb out of darkness.

God is telling me to tell you that prosperity is for you now! No matter who you are or where you live in this world, prosperity can be yours by faith. I see you having a breakthrough in your financial life. I see you living long and prospering. I see you without debt. I see you with great riches. I see you getting stronger and stronger. I can see you in your house. I see you standing in the garden you have planted. I see you owning many cars. That is God’s plan for you!

Medical School Oppression

When I was in medical school, I noticed two types of lecturers. Some lecturers were kind and taught us what we needed to know. They provided all sorts of support to help us pass our exams. On the other hand, there were some lecturers who were extremely wicked to the students. They would ask unreasonable questions during examinations and fail students unnecessarily. I have personally watched friends drop out of the medical school after repeatedly failing oppressive exams.

One lecturer once told me, “To be honest with you, the standards we demand from you students are higher than they should be at the undergraduate level.” Under the oppressive and wicked lectureship of certain doctors, I watched two students attempt suicide. One of them succeeded. It was a great tragedy for our school!

I always wondered why some of these lecturers were so unreasonable and mean to their students. I often asked myself, “Do these people not have children who will one day be medical students?” “What do these lecturers benefit from intimidating and threatening students?”

In stark contrast, there were very kind lecturers who would spend a lot of time with the students. In particular, I remember one gynaecologist who spent a lot of time teaching us on the wards. When the exam time came, he was very concerned that his students passed. He helped us a great deal.

Their Frustration Led to Their Wickedness

As I inquired into the background of some of these lecturers, I found a general pattern. Many of the wicked lecturers were frustrated doctors. Some of them did not even own cars. Some of them came to work in ambulances! They were fetched from their homes by ambulances which carted dead bodies from the wards to the mortuary.

Many of them were impoverished with low salaries and very poor working conditions. Can you really expect pleasantness from a frustrated and disappointed person?

Their frustration was being passed on to the students. Many of the pleasant doctors were a bit more prosperous. The poverty and deprivation of highly educated lecturers was showing up in an unusual way. A frustrated person tends to frustrate other people!

Dear friend, poverty and frustration are not good things. God plans for us to succeed. He intends that we do well. What did Jesus say? He said that we should ask for whatever we want so that our joy may be full.

Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name: ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:24

When we are joyful, we are strong. What does the Word of God say? The joy of the Lord is our strength!

... for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

Follow After Success

If you want to succeed, follow successful people. I study about pastors who are successful and try to do what they are doing. I did not have the opportunity to go to a Bible school. All I have learnt in the ministry, I learnt through the observation of other successful ministers.

I studied the pastor of the largest church in the world. I studied anointed teachers who taught the Word. I read books written by ministers ahead of me. In my own city Accra, I read the books written by other successful pastors. I am no fool! I know that God has given everyone a gift and I intend to tap what I can from them!

Choose God’s Way

It is time for you to succeed in life. I remember the testimony of a young man who wanted to succeed. Instead of obeying simple principles that are in the Word of God, he felt that there could be a shorter way. After deliberating on what to do, he went to see a fetish priest. The priest was going to lead him to success.

The fetish priest described what he was going to do. He was going to take a chicken and pluck off its feathers. He continued, “I will put the chicken in a room for seven days without food or water. Then you will put your hand in a bowl and pick as many large grains of corn as can fit into your hand. You will then drop them on the floor for the chicken to eat.”

Then the fetish priest explained, “When the chicken eats the grains of corn, whatever number of grains are left will be the number of years you will live after I make you successful.” He continued, “You will see the chicken walk out on its own into a fire I have prepared for it outside.”

This young man thought to himself, “Wow! Is that how my end will be? Will I walk into the fire just like this chicken walked into the fire? Suppose the chicken leaves only three grains of corn, does that mean I will live for only three more years?”

This brother decided against using the fetish priest’s method of success but rather choose God’s methods. Today he is a successful man of God.

Friends, success is not an accident! It is not just good fortune. It is the ability to follow principles and secrets of the Word of God until it brings you to a place of victory.

Chapter 2

The Secret of Obeying God

It is time to study about a successful Bible character. Let us look closely at the life of father Abraham. What did Abraham do that made him such a great man? The Bible teaches that we should follow after people who have successfully inherited God’s promises.

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 12:6

The first question we have to ask ourselves is, “Was Abraham successful?” I believe he was. The Bible teaches us a number of important truths about him.

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Genesis 13:1,2

Abraham was a successful person. He was married and had children. He was very rich in cattle, silver and in gold. In our day, he probably would have had investments in banks, properties and in stocks. Abraham was a person who knew God. The Lord spoke to him many times and answered his prayers.

Abraham also fought and won some battles in his lifetime. Finally, Abraham died at a good old age having seen the mercies of God throughout his life. Even in the New Testament, when Jesus told the story of Lazarus and the rich man, he mentioned that Lazarus was taken to Abraham’s bosom. That meant that Abraham was still an important person even after his life on earth. Some people are only important in this life. In the next world, they become insignificant to society. They are banished to hell to be punished for their sins.

If Abraham were alive today, people would be asking him for an interview. You should want to ask Father Abraham, “How did you do it? What were the secrets of your success? How did you become so famous and prosperous?” You should want to ask Father Abraham, “Why did God choose you and speak to you?”

Although we are not living in the days of Father Abraham, we have in the Bible an accurate account of his life and his success. By studying the Bible, we can learn some of his secrets and principles. Instead of waiting for some false prophet to ask you for the teeth of a lion and the tail of a tiger in order to succeed, join me now and let us learn the secrets of Abraham’s success.

Obedience of Abraham

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3

The first time we hear of Abraham in the Bible, the Lord was giving him an instruction. God told him to leave his country and travel to a strange land. Abraham immediately obeyed the Lord. This first and great principle is something that every believer needs to accept.

If you obey God, it will bring blessings to your life. God told Abraham that He would bless him and that everybody who blessed him would also be blessed. God told him that he would make a great nation out of him. Notice that all the blessings of Abraham were on the condition that he obeyed God’s command.

There are many people in the world, and God has a blessing for everyone. However, the key that makes the blessing manifest is obedience to God. Abraham took the decision of a lifetime. He decided to leave his family and his country and launch out in obedience to God.

In our lives, we are likely to make two or three of such decisions. These are decisions that change the entire course of our lives.

Remember that greatness is dependent on obedience to the voice of God. Blessings are reserved for those who hear and obey.

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth:

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

Deuteronomy 28:1,2

Disobedience Leads to a Curse

There are many people who cry and say, “It is difficult to obey God.” I want you to know that it is more difficult to disobey God. Anyone who disobeys the Lord will experience curses and frustrations in his life.

Remember the story of Adam. God put him in a garden and told him that he could eat the fruit of every tree except one. Adam disobeyed God and look at where we are today! Adam was cursed and the entire human race was cursed with him.

All men are now cursed to sweat and struggle in their lives in order to make a living. I know of no human being on the earth that is exempt from this curse. The poor man gives several hours of hard labor and is rewarded with very little. Yet, he has to continue the hard work in order to survive. The rich man works twelve hours a day, seven days a week in order to maintain his riches. He sweats as much as the poor man but in a different way. All of us are struggling under this curse.

Women have been cursed to desire husbands, although their husbands will rule over their lives. I have rarely seen a woman who does not want a husband.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 3:16

Husbands rule and dominate their wives, yet women still want to be married! Women were also cursed in childbirth. A woman will tell you that there is no pain like the pain of childbirth. Where did all these things come from? They are a result of Adam’s disobedience. He disobeyed God and his life became frustrated. But we see a second Adam, Jesus Christ.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

Jesus was obedient to His Father. One act of obedience has brought so much blessing to the human race. A lost and dying world now has a life in Jesus Christ. God has highly exalted Jesus and given him a name above every name. Exaltation comes through obedience. If you want to be promoted in your life, begin to obey the Lord. Promotion comes through obedience to the Word of God.

As I said, a person will probably take two or three of such major decisions in his lifetime. A good example of a major decision is the decision of whom to marry. If you obey God concerning marriage, your life will be relatively peaceful. If you marry the wrong person, unhappiness will follow you like a never-ending stream.

Many people do not obey God when they get to the crossroads of marriage. They listen to the flesh and to the opinions of friends. One thing that will influence your state of happiness more than anything else is your marriage. You can never escape the reality that you are married. When you come home, you meet your marriage partner. When you go out, everything you do will be related to the fact that you are married. If you obey the Lord, God will establish you with His blessing.

I Obeyed the Call to Ministry

Another such decision is the decision to obey God and do His work. On the 10th of March 1989, I qualified as a medical doctor. After seven years of hard labour, I had arrived at a point where many people in the world would have liked to be. I was now a medical doctor! Nevertheless, the Lord spoke to me to leave the medical practice and do His work full-time. I obeyed Him and that decision has changed my life completely.

One day whilst standing in Jerusalem, I wondered, “How did I get to be in this place?” The Lord told me, “It is because you are following my voice that I brought you here.”

You do not know the far-reaching effects of obedience to the Lord. Sometimes I stand in church and see all the people whose lives have been changed and I wonder; “Would these people have been saved if I was a practicing doctor in a small clinic somewhere?” Sometimes we don’t have any idea of the effects of our obedience.

I think that many people will not know the effects of their disobedience to God until they get to heaven. I think some people will get to Heaven and be told, “There are thirty seven thousand people who were supposed to be in heaven through your ministry! They are all in hell right now, because you refused to obey my call.”

They will answer, “Oh, I thought it was just a little teaching in Sunday school that you wanted me to do. I felt that if I didn’t do it someone else would be able to do it.”

That little thing that God wants you to do has a snowballing effect. It will lead to the salvation of many souls. Just do it and be blessed! Obedience is the first key to Abrahamic success.

Obey Fully

When you do decide to obey God, do not obey him partially. Do not add on things which God did not ask you to do. God did not call Abraham with Lot. He called Abraham alone.

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: FOR I CALLED HIM ALONE, and blessed him...

Isaiah 51:2

Abraham made the mistake of taking Lot with him. This caused many problems for Abraham.

You see, we do not always understand the rationale behind God’s instructions. God was trying to separate Abraham from his family. He was trying to set up a special line and a special person through whom he would bless all the nations of the earth.

The mistake Abraham made is the same mistake many people make when they are launching out in business or ministry. They long to take people with them. They try to form partnerships which God has not ordained. As far as ministry is concerned, God does not call a group of people. He calls a man.

And I sought for a man among them…

Ezekiel 22:30

The Bible doesn’t say that God sought for a group of men. God deals with us as individuals. God sought for a man.

Going with a Partner

Years ago in Ghana, there were not many vibrant Charismatic churches. However, there were many vibrant singing and drama ministries. With the passage of time, God began to call some of the members of such groups into the pastoral ministry. Many of the leaders of these ministries were led to establish churches.

However, some of these people made the mistake of launching out as a group into the Church world.

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him: and Lot went with him…

Genesis 12:4

That was a big mistake! God was not calling a group. He was calling the individuals. Many people who were generally called to be successful pastors had their ministries stifled by the people they took along with them. You see, many of these people who were taken along, felt that they had equal power and an equal say with the leader. Executive committees ran the singing and drama ministries, but a committee does not run a church. A church needs a strong leader supported by wise and loyal assistants.

If you read the Bible, you will notice that there was a time when the servants of Lot quarreled with the servants of Abraham. Lot did not tell his servants that they were even privileged to be with Abraham. He did not remind his followers that it was Abraham who was called and that he was just taken along by the grace of God.

Abraham had to settle the dispute. Abraham took the initiative to separate from Lot. When Abraham asked Lot to choose one section of the land, he took the best part and left Abraham, the real leader, with the leftovers. Sometimes when you do things as a group, the people around do not realize who the real leader is. They think that it is the group effort that is making things work.

Dear friend, it was only after Lot was separated from Abraham that God began to fulfill Abraham’s call.

Often, when people are launching out in business they should really do it alone, but they go in for partnerships. I have watched many partnerships break up very painfully.

If God wants you to set up a garment factory, go ahead and do it! Believe God to be able to accomplish it.

Sometimes when you get yourself involved with partners who are like Lot, they forget that you are the one who had the vision. The time may come when they will even drive you out of the business you created. Just decide to obey God and to obey Him fully. If God has called you alone, go alone. He will bring people to help you. Don’t be afraid! Strength is not in numbers; it is in God.

Promotion does not come because you are part of a group. Promotion will come because God has called you. Promotion will come because you are obedient!

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Psalm 75:6, 7

Chapter 3

The Secret of Believing God’s Word

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

The Bible teaches us that Abraham believed in God. That is one of the most notable things about him. He is called the father of all those who believe. Because Abraham had faith in God, God was pleased with him.

In the ministry of Jesus Christ, many people were healed. Jesus often told those who were healed, “Your faith has made you whole.” It was the use of faith that brought the miracles to these individuals. In order to experience the success that Abraham did, you need to operate in faith.

How is it going to be possible for you to own a car? How is it going to be possible for you to own a house? How much does a car cost? A good car costs thousands of dollars.

Many people who are reading this book, earn less than one hundred dollars a month. This is the reason why we need faith. You must know how to believe even when it seems impossible. What do you have to lose? Faith will bring you many blessings!

People talk about riches and the power of the occult. What about the power of God? You must choose to believe that God’s power will destroy the power of the enemy. As you read this book, I can show you several reasons why you may not be alive next week. You will find out that there are many reasons why you could be dead by next week. But why think about that? Why live in fear? Why not exercise faith in the goodness of God?

Hospitals Can Be Frightening

In my short medical experience, I saw many frightening things. I remember one day, I saw a young lady who had a fever. She was just twenty-four years old. Initially, we thought she had malaria. After giving her several doses of chloroquine (an anti-malaria drug), we realized that she was not getting better.

We soon discovered that the fever was due to leukemia (a deadly cancer of the blood). Right there I realized that not every fever was malaria and not every fever was curable. This young lady was on her way to her grave and it was just a matter of time.

Later, I saw a patient on the ward who had abdominal discomfort. This was a successful businessman in the prime of his life. When his tummy was examined, it was discovered that his liver was as hard as a stone. He had cancer of the liver and was on his way to his grave. It was just a matter of time before all these people died!

I remember seeing the dead body of a young man who lived with a doctor in the apartments nearby. He was driving the doctor’s car when it went out of control, somersaulted and crashed, killing him. It was indeed frightening.

When you see evil all around you can easily be frightened. But you must be able to say with David,

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Choose to believe that God will keep you.

When you have faith in God’s protective power, you please the Father. Believe that God will give you long life. Believe that you will live to a good old age. Believe that you will live to see your children and your children’s children! Believe that although a nice car costs thousands of dollars, you will have one! Expect that you will also have a nice car to give away to someone one day!

Abraham was ninety years old. He had stopped committing love with his wife. He was an old man when God told him that he was going to have a child. The possibility of Abraham having a child was nil, but he believed God. God was so happy with Abraham because he believed. God gets really excited when you have faith in His promises!

...Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Hebrews 11:6

Read through the Bible and see how people looked foolish when they believed God. Do not be afraid of looking odd when you step out in faith. By faith are we saved! I promise and predict that in spite of everything, God will select you and superimpose His purpose on your life. I see God superimposing His blessings on your life in spite of contrary evidence and contradictory circumstances! God will do this because of your faith.

The more you exercise faith, the more you will prosper. But the more you are blessed, the more people will speak against you. The more you prosper, the more people will hate you. Ignore their hatred, keep on and make sure that you please God with your faith. Faith was one of Abraham’s key principles for a successful life.

Chapter 4

The Secret of Family Service to God

One of the reasons why God chose Abraham and blessed him was because God knew that Abraham would command his entire family to serve Him. Look at Genesis 18:19 carefully and you will see that God was about to destroy Sodom and Gommorah. The Lord thought, “Should I inform Abraham about this? Should I speak to him?” Many people would like God to speak to them. Why did God speak to Abraham? The answer is in the Bible.

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment...

Genesis 18:19

Many people who have children do not care what happens to them spiritually. They are concerned that their children attend “good” schools and universities. In contrast, they take the spiritual development of the child for granted.

I would not like to bring a child into the world that would end up in Hell.

If you are going to be successful, you must be concerned that your household serves the Lord. It is more important that your children serve the Lord than that they have a good education. God said, “I know Abraham. He’s going to bring his children to Sunday school. He’s going to make them study the Bible.”

Your children should attend Sunday school and learn about David, Abraham, Joshua and Jacob. They must know all the stories of Jesus Christ. They must learn about Absalom, Lucifer and Judas. It is not just mathematics and science that are important!

You cannot attend church and leave your children languishing at home watching evil films on television. God wants you to ensure that your entire household is serving Him. God worked with Abraham because He was confident that Abraham would make his entire family serve the Lord.

If you are a young man, you must marry a Christian. Some people marry women who are not even Christians. Some men just marry a wife because she is fair and beautiful. Yes, she is a fair and beautiful barrel, but she may be an empty barrel. You must marry someone who has the Word and the Spirit.

God said, “I know Abraham, he’s going to marry a believer. He’s going to bring them to church.” God wants you to attend church with your spouse.

Some Christian men allow their wives to get out of control. They come to church on their own whilst their wives stay at home. They say, “She didn’t want to come, so I left her.”

Not so with me! I am the head of my house and I lead the way. Everything in my house is under the influence of the Holy Ghost. You’ve got to keep your household under control: servants, visitors and even the dogs and cats must serve the Lord.

I have some relatives who come from abroad with their live-in girlfriends. Although I have guest rooms, I don’t permit them to stay with me. I don’t want people to come into my home and openly practice adultery. I want my whole house to follow the Lord.

Some of you women are married to non-Christians or lukewarm Christians. That means you are the automatic spiritual head of the household. You must use wisdom to ensure that your home has the right spiritual atmosphere.

Your husband may concern himself with educating the children in science and math. You must make sure that they have a good spiritual education. Your husband may just watch cartoons with them, but you teach them the Bible. Cartoons cannot help a child become what he is supposed to be.

Ensuring that the whole household serves the Lord was one of Abraham’s secrets of success.

Chapter 5

The Secret of the Tithe

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

The verses we read above tell us that God is going to freely give us everything we desire. If God did not hold back His only son, do you think there is anything else that He will withhold from you? Satan, the master liar, has deceived the whole world.

Many people think that success, riches and prosperity are evil things. He has led us to think that it is good to be poor. Unfortunately, the Church has perpetrated this lie. It is not unusual for the Church to perpetrate lies. It is a historical fact that the Church has believed wrong things for centuries.

Church Father Perpetrated a Lie

I want to prove to you that the Church can sometimes make mistakes and champion the teaching of wrong doctrines. We all know that Martin Luther was a great man who brought about the Great Reformation. It was interesting for me to learn about some of the things he taught concerning Jews.

His theories about Jews surprisingly gave support to Hitler’s Third Reich during the Second World War. The Germans had fuel to emphasize what they felt about Jews. Hitler’s government developed a theory that they used to exterminate six million Jews.

Read this little passage below of what Martin Luther said about Jews,

*Luther – who at one time wrote of the Jews, “We are aliens and in-laws, they are blood relatives, cousins, and brothers of our Lord” – changed his views when the children of Israel did not convert to his reformed Christianity and join his assault on the Roman church. Luther said of the Jews, “All blood kindred of Christ burn in Hell, and they are rightly served, even according to their own words they spoke to Pilate.”

Moreover, “The only Bible you have any right to,” he told the Jews, “is that concealed beneath the sow’s tail; the letters that drop from it you are free to eat and drink.” What a crude insult to the people of God!

The most vicious, hateful statements Luther ever wrote are found in his tract “On the Jews and Their Lies.” In this work he wrote, “Know this, Christian, you have no greater enemy than the Jew.” His tract called for the enslavement of the Jews because they were children of the devil and should never touch a Christian’s hand. Luther demanded that their synagogues be burned to the ground, their books destroyed, their homes laid waste, their cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them, their rabbis be forbidden to teach, and “their tongues be cut out from their throats.” He also advised that “young and strong Jews and Jewesses be given the flail, the ax, the hoe, the spade, the distaff, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their noses as is enjoined upon Adam’s children. We ought to drive the lazy bones out of our system…”

“If, however,” Luther continued, “we are afraid that they might harm us personally, or our wives, children, servants, cattle, etc., then let us apply the same cleverness [expulsion] as the other nations, such as France, Spain, Bohemia, etc., and settle with them for that which they have extorted from us, and after having divided up fairly let us drive them out of the country for all time.”

“To sum up, dear princes and nobles who have Jews in your domains, if this advice of mine does not suit you, then find a better one so that you and we may all be free from this insufferable devilish burden – the Jews.”*

These words were spoken by Martin Luther himself. This is his opinion of Israelites and how they should be treated. Many people believed these things and applied them. But you and I know that they are not right. Is it not amazing, that Church leaders can convincingly teach things that are erroneous? Is it not surprising that the whole nation of Germany believed in this theory? Is it not amazing that such ideas can be propagated and wholly accepted by the Church?

Sometimes the Bible says one thing and Church leaders say the opposite. For example, the Bible says that Jesus became poor that we might be made rich. This is not my own idea. We are reading from the B-I-B-L-E.

For we know that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

The Bible says I wish above all things that you will prosper and be in health (3 John 2). Many people who prosper are made to feel as though they are doing something wrong. In many societies, people think that because someone is successful and wealthy, he must be up to some kind of evil.

The fact that you are a pastor or an ordinary Christian does not mean that you have to be poor. Poverty is not from God. Poverty is one of the curses in Deuteronomy 28. To be rich is better than to be poor. The Bible says that the Lord is a sun and a shield, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Begin to approve of success from within your heart. Do not hate successful people. You can never become something that you hate. You can never be blessed with something that you fight against. If you hate something, you cannot have it!

Years ago the Lord told me to respect certain Christian leaders in my city. He told me to bless them and warned me never to fight against them. He showed me that I would never become an important Christian leader in my city if I fought senior Christian leaders. Do not let the devil deceive you. The Bible calls Satan “that old serpent that deceiveth the whole wide world” (Revelations 12:9). If Satan can deceive the whole wide world, he must be very good at deception. Do not let success be taken out of your hand.

Secret of the Tithe

The secret of the tithe is truly a secret. In every church, there is always a small percentage of people who tithe. You may also have noticed, that it is only a small percentage of people who prosper. I call it a secret because it is hidden from many people.

You read in Genesis 14 that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all.

Genesis 14:20

Melchizedek was a priest of the most high God. He represented God and the Church. All successful people, who have walked with God, know that it is God who gave them what they have. Once, David was giving an offering. He said something very important; “I’m only giving You what You first gave me.”

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

1 Chronicles 29:14

When you realize that it is God who gives you something, you will always want to acknowledge Him.

Nebuchadnezzar the king got to a place in his life where he began to boast about what he had. God does not like people who boast about things which were given to them. God does not like it when people boast about things which they acquired by grace. God struck him down with a disease that made him think that he was an animal. For seven years, he played in the grass like an animal. When he came back to his senses, he gave glory to God.

Wherever you are in life, remember that God has made you what you are. Are you intelligent? Are you skilled? Are you beautiful? Everything is from God.

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

1 Corinthians 4:7

When God elevates you to a position of influence and authority, please remember that you are there by the grace of God. Every powerful position has an expiry date.

Belshazzar—another king, learnt this lesson the hard way. He was so happy in his palace that he sent for drinking glasses from the church!

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

Daniel 5:1

He just didn’t want to drink wine. He wanted to drink wine from the holy vessels.

He wanted to desecrate the Church. He ridiculed churches and pastors.

Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king...and his concubines, might drink therein.

Daniel 5:2

That was a mistake! He drank wine from the holy vessels.

Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Daniel 5:3, 4

Every position you hold in this life is by the grace of God. If you do not decide to give glory to God, He will divinely displace and replace you.

One of the ways a successful person can give glory to God is by acknowledging the grace of God. Do you have Power? Money? A husband? A wife? Cars? A position? You must remember that these things are from the Lord.

Abraham knew that secret. He knew that he had to acknowledge God for his success in life so he gave tithes. He gave a significant chunk of his money to the Lord.

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave them tithes of all.

And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.

Genesis 14:20-22

I want you to notice a great blessing that came unto Abraham after he paid his tithes. God was stirred to give more blessings to Abraham.

After these things [paying his tithes] the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward…And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Genesis 15:1, 4

This was the first time that God specifically told Abraham that he was going to have his own special child which would not be his servant’s child. Abraham had everything in the world but he didn’t have a child. God knows what you don’t have. He knows where your need is greatest. He gave Abraham what he could not buy with money.

Abraham was a great man, he was successful and rich but he didn’t have everything. He didn’t have a child. He was so powerful that he had his own private army. His private army had just fought and won a war. How many people on earth today have their own private armies? Abraham had wealth, prestige and long life but he didn’t have a child.

Please read your Bible and see for yourself whether what I am saying is true or not. In Genesis 14 Abraham paid his tithes and then in Genesis 15, in the very next few verses, God told him that he was going to have his miracle. God blesses those who pay tithes. Miracles are for those who obey the principles of God’s Word.

Go into a church and find out those who have been paying tithes consistently for years. Their lives are different from those who have not been paying tithes. Come to the Lord and honour Him every month.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9

God gave you the job you have. Successful people know that and respect that fact! The first fruit is for the Lord. Paying a tithe is not something that you must be reminded of. The fact that you are alive must remind you to pay tithes. When you give tithes to God, you become more spiritual. It makes you more committed. When your treasure is in the house of the Lord, you become interested in the church.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21

I think that the reason why some people have difficulties in giving to the Lord is because they do not believe or understand that it is more blessed to give than to receive. If it is more blessed to give than to receive, then those who give have an advantage over those who receive.

If it is more blessed to give, then those at the receiving end are at a disadvantage (relatively speaking).

The so-called developing world has been receiving aid from Western powers for years. What has it done for us? Very little! The more people give to us, the more our poverty deepens. When we rise up and give, the Word of God teaches us that we are moving into a realm of blessing. Many people grapple with this reality to their own destruction.

Some time ago, there was a terrible earthquake in Japan. Ghana made a donation of Golden Tree Chocolates to help the Japanese earthquake victims. Someone may ask, “What will these chocolates do to help the earthquake victims?” Probably not much! But it makes Ghana a giving nation. At least we gave something. Giving helps a nation to rise out of poverty into prosperity. Learn this secret now and become a giver.

Even if you have a little, you can still give something. God calculates your giving in relation to what you have in total. God wants you to give in relation to what you have.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites… and [Jesus] saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Mark 12:42-44

I see you rising out of poverty, as you become a giver. I see you tithing. I see you paying your first and best fruits to the Lord. I see you joining that small group of people who are successful in this life.

Listen to me, God doesn’t need your money! He doesn’t need our little offerings. Whether you pay your tithes or not, the Church will go forward. God is just trying to help you. Abraham knew that God needed nothing from him. The Word of God says that the silver, gold and cattle belong to the Lord. If God wants to make meat stew, He will not ask you for meat!

God is the one trying to reach out to you. God wants to bless you. As you read this book, enter the realm of divine approval and divine promotion. I see God giving you divine promotion. I believe with all my heart that the Spirit of God and of success is coming upon you.

Divine promotion and elevation are yours for the taking. Go forward and never go backward. God is taking you from the minimum to the maximum, and from the negative to the positive. God is taking you forward. This is one of the principles of success – the principle of the tithe.

Chapter 6

The Secret of Intercession

The Bible shows us that Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. When Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah, he was fulfilling a divine principle. Most Christians are engrossed with their own problems. Women who are married to unfaithful husbands are constantly praying for them.

Many wives are consumed with the problems of their troubled marriages. They want to be prayed for and anointed over and over again. But the problems never seem to go away.

Abraham had his own problems but he prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham didn’t have a child. He may have been suffering from incurable azospermia or oligospermia. The doctors had no solutions to his medical problems.

Abraham also had family problems. He had so much wealth and he didn’t have anyone to inherit it. There were only servants to inherit his life’s work. He had no children. Abraham also had marital problems because of a maid he had slept with.

In spite of all this, Abraham found time to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah.

His prayer was so sincere and intensive that God agreed to answer his prayers. This prayer was so significant that it was recorded in the Bible.

And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

Genesis 18:23,32

I believe that this is one of the keys to Abrahamic success. Forget about your problems and make God’s kingdom and God’s problems your concern. You will begin to experience supernatural breakthroughs in your life. You will not even understand why God is blessing you.

When you begin to pray for others, you have graduated into another level of Christianity. I rarely pray for myself. I know that many successful Christians rarely pray for themselves. They are always praying for and counseling other people.

Most Christians think; “When everything is okay and God has blessed me, I will start to pray for other people.” But what you don’t realize is that there is a divine order that must be followed. They are trying to put the cart before the horse, but the cart cannot go before the horse. Seek first the kingdom of God. After putting the kingdom of God first, you can then tackle your own kingdom.

In the Lord’s prayer, the first topic is “Thy kingdom come and thy will be done”. The first prayer is not, “Bless me, give me and help me Lord!”

I often counsel people who need God’s help; “Get involved in the work of God. Bury yourself in God’s work! Pray for other people! Let other people’s problems become your concern!” You will be surprised how things will take a dramatic turn.

When God sees that you want to build His house, He will be interested in building your house. Many years ago I heard a great man of God say, “If you build a house for God, God will build a house for you.” I have found this to be a true and reliable statement. God wants people who concern themselves with His work. Paul said about Timothy,

For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.

Philippians 2:20,21

Notice from this Scripture, an age-old problem: Everybody was looking out for his own welfare. Nobody really cared about God’s work. Everybody is thinking about himself and his problems. If you make God’s kingdom your primary concern and intercede for people like Abraham did, you will attract God’s supernatural blessings. As I have served the Lord these twenty years, I have made the Lord’s kingdom the most important thing to me.

In 1985, while in the third year of the medical school, I took a decision for the Lord. I decided not to seek for academic laurels anymore. I had just finished the second year and had concluded that it was not worth striving for earthly crowns. I remember telling my beloved (fiancée), “From now, I am not interested in qualifying with a distinction from this school.”

“I don’t want any prizes. All I want to do is pass my exams.” I added, “From now on, I’m going to build God’s kingdom and the church.”

It was from that point onwards that I began to develop into a pastor and eventually established Lighthouse Chapel International. It is interesting to note that when I took the decision not to seek great academic laurels, I ended up getting distinctions and winning awards.

You see, in the kingdom, the way up is the way down. In the kingdom, the way to get is to give. In the kingdom, the way to solve your problems is to solve God’s problems.

Have you ever read about Job? He had more problems than any of us? Job had friends who needed spiritual help. Job decided to pray for his friends and look at what happened!

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:10

Who got the blessing when Job prayed? Who was being prayed for? It was the friends of Job who were being prayed for. But when God moved, it was Job’s problems that were solved! Is that not amazing? Job got the blessing when he made intercession for his friends. Isn’t that interesting?

You pray for others and you get the blessing! This is an eternal principle.

This is one of the principles of success. Husbands, wives, businesspeople, please turn your attention to the things of God. In Abraham’s day, God’s major concern was the deplorable state of the nation Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham made that his problem and prayed earnestly about it. Because of this, God blessed Abraham above all men in his generation.

This is one of the keys to a successful life on this earth. Seek first the kingdom of God! Intercede for others! Help other people! Build God’s church! Build a house for God and God will build a house for you!

Chapter 7

The Secret of Sacrifice

God had blessed Abraham with a child. After this, Abraham faced the ultimate test. God asked him to sacrifice his only son. That was a very big request from the Lord. God wanted to see whether Abraham was ready to give up everything for Him.

I believe that God wants to have you as His own. I do not think that it is only Abraham who was tested in this way. I believe that every Christian will have an “Isaac” that God will ask for one day. Will they be prepared to give up their Isaac? You can only give up your “Isaac” if you are fully surrendered to God.

When you begin to walk with God, He will ask you about all the “Isaacs” in your life. He may start with music. Next, He may ask you to give up some friends. Then He may ask you to give more time to Him. Perhaps I should warn you, do not let anything become too precious to you.

Anything that becomes too precious will attract the attention of the Lord and He may ask for it. God wants to be the only God in your life. Our God is a jealous God. He hates the very smell of idols.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

1 John 5:21

A Vision of Gold

Many years ago, when I started out in ministry, the Lord gave me a vision. I was walking on a long and winding path. On this path were heaps of some substance. They looked like heaps of sand. As I kept walking on the path, I got closer to one of the heaps and discovered that it was a heap of gold. I immediately heard the voice of God telling me, “Don’t stop! Keep on walking!”

Then God told me, “This is the road of ministry for you. As you walk on it, you will meet many of such heaps of gold.”

He said to me, “Don’t stop at the gold. The gold is not important.”

He continued, “There are many such heaps further along. Why should you stop at one of them and settle there?”

Since that time, money has in a certain way, lost its importance to me. I only see money as a tool. I see it as something I will meet along the way. It is not something I must search for and pile up.

God gave me that vision to help me to see Him as being more important than anything else is. I realized that just following the Lord in itself would lead to a supply of all my needs. As soon as something becomes too precious to you, it becomes a potential idol.

The Lord did not want Abraham to replace the love of God with the love of Isaac.

Dear friend, Abraham was about to become the father of many millions of children. Before God could trust him with such a blessing, He had to make sure that the blessing would never replace his love for God.

Before God can bless you in a special way, He needs to be sure about you.

Don’t hold back anything from the Lord! Give it all to Him and He will make you a great and successful person in this life!

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Other Best-Selling Books by Dag Heward-Mills:

*Loyalty and Disloyalty

Leaders and Loyalty

Transform Your Pastoral Ministry

The Art of Leadership

Model Marriage

Church Planting

*The Mega Church

*Lay People and the Ministry

*These titles are also available in Spanish and French. Information about other foreign translations of some of the titles above may be obtained by writing to our email address.

Table of Contents

Decide to Succeed!

The Secret of Obeying God

The Secret of Believing God’s Word

The Secret of Family Service to God

The Secret of the Tithe

The Secret of Intercession

The Secret of Sacrifice