By David Oyedepo
I often wonder when I hear people say they have spent years looking for a job. This is because I  believe that if nobody hires you, you should be able to engage yourself in productive activities. This is because God’s creative abilities reside in you, especially if you’re His child.

You shouldn’t keep waiting for things to happen for you, especially now that the year is coming to an end. If you keep waiting, you might wait for eternity. Instead, you can create and make things happen for and around you, by putting the rich creative abilities inside you to work.

I have come to realise that wisdom, not money, is the real capital one needs to become outstandingly successful. You can become successful through creativity, which I define as the ability to create. I also define creativity as productive mental activity.

Every activity or product in life was invented or created by someone. After God’s six days creation, men, who put God’s creative abilities in them to work, made every other addition to His creation.

Many, especially Christians, have thought that salvation is equal to the disuse of their minds and brains. But I have got good news for you: many inventions and disciplines were by Bible-believing saints!

For instance, Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity, Charles Babbage invented the calculating machine, while James Simpson invented chloroform. Chemistry was established by Robert Boyle, computer science by Charles Babbage, genetics by George Mendel, and electro-dynamics by James Clerk Maxwell.

Your not having any formal education is no excuse to leave your creative abilities fallow either. For example, Michael Faraday, the inventor of electricity, had no formal education. Yet he rose to become a giant in the field of science that was the same with his former boss, Sir Humphrey.

Success is not a gift; it is a choice that becomes a reality by one accepting responsibility. There is no problem on earth without a solution. All you need to do is to come to yourself and make your brain work.

Jacob’s success story in Genesis 30:28-43 is a celebration of wisdom and the triumph of creativity. Jacob employed the creative ability in him to put an end to a life of slavery and captivity in the house of Laban. By being able to produce ringstraked, speckled, and spotted cattle, Jacob got all the strong cattle, leaving the weak ones for Laban.

I believe mental failure is the reason for mediocrity, and mental failure is as a result of disuse of the senses. I like what E.W. Kenyon said: “Make your brain work. It will sweat, but it will improve. It will develop until you become the envy of those around you.”

There are great creative abilities inside you. But you have a responsibility to stir them up. With only twenty thousand naira (N20,000.00) and creative thinking, you will be guided into building a multi-billion naira business. But another man with one million naira (N1,000,000.00) and no creative thinking, will be back in the labour market in no time.

This will not be your portion in Jesus’ name!

Look to see the creative resources wasting away around you and put them to good use. There is a place for you at the top; you must get there by the creative use of your mind.