The Agencies Of Dominion In The Workplace (Part 1)
Chika Ebuzor
Author | Certified Digital Marketing Associate | Digital Media Content Strategist
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Genesis 1:28 says: ?And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Dear believer, it gives our father pride and joy when his kids enforce his dominion mandate in Genesis 1:28 on earth.
It is his design that you, his precious child, should be the most sought-after everywhere you go.
You cannot call upon his name as his child and end up in shame. That is not his desire for you.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were in today's context, prisoners of war, immigrants, industry newbies, interns, or trainees in Babylon but they stood out by the help of God.
Take a look at what the bible had to say about them in Daniel 1:19 & 20 (MSG), When the king interviewed them, he found them far superior to all the other young men. None were a match for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.?
Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom put together.
When God promised the children of Israel that he would make them the head and not the tail in the book of Deuteronomy, there was a condition.
Let us see Deuteronomy 28:13-14 (MSG); God will make you the head, not the tail; you'll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today.?
Don't swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.
In other words, if you stick to the strategy I will show you through the Holy Spirit and the word without going the world's way, you will become influential.
Being the head does not necessarily mean that you will become the CEO or the founder, though that is great, but God was pointing at a level of influence that cannot be ignored.
Do you know that you can be a boss with all the paraphernalia of office and a big title and still not have influence?
Let us take a look at how Esther, also a prisoner of war became the most influential woman in the kingdom where she stayed as a foreigner, before we come back to Daniel and his friends.
One thing you must understand is that your status, location, and background will only be a hindrance if you let them.
A Brief Background Story: After a palace incident, the king wanted to take a new wife and so called for a beauty contest.
Esther was among the ladies who got to the finals and were about to see the king so he could make his final choice.
Let us follow up on the story in Esther 2:15-17. It says: Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Notice that when it was Esther's turn to go see the king, she did not just pick the makeup, clothes and perfumes she felt would dazzle His Royal Highness.
She sought the advice of Hegai, whom the Bible described as the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women.
Hegai knew the king's taste in women, and so he gave her tips and as they say, the rest is history.
This also played out in the lives of the four gentlemen - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in Daniel 1:8-16 (MSG).
It says: But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king's food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet.?
The head of the palace staff, by God's grace, liked Daniel,?but he warned him, "I'm afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he'll have my head!"?
But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:?"Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water.?
Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see."?
The steward agreed to do it and fed them vegetables and water for ten days.?At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust than all the others who had been eating from the royal menu.?
Notice that they also had someone in the palace to help them out and allow them to choose their diet. That takes us to the first agency of dominion in the workplace.
1. Your Relationships
One of my mentors always says "not everybody will like you but you better pray that people will speak up for you when it matters."
In other words, in the workplace, you have to learn how to build relationships strategically. This does not mean that you should start scheming or involving yourself in office politics and gimmicks. No!
You have to make up your mind to train and position yourself to be a person of value through service.
Also, get an industry mentor you can learn from directly or from afar - online, through books and seminars.
People will naturally gravitate towards anybody they know can offer relevant value that meets their needs. You do not have to scheme, just be diligent and patient.
Be kind and nice to people as you go about your daily tasks and also understand that you do not know it all. Learn!
Make friends with, and serve colleagues who are making positive impact in the organisation or on your team. Find out what they do to achieve their results.
As you build strategic relationships, please make sure that you do not get carried away by the desire to please people or your ambition.
Do not forget the values, ethics, standards and principles of the kingdom which you represent in your organisation.
In today's context, this is what the bible meant when it highlighted that Daniel and his friends refused to eat the king's food and wine.
In other words, they chose not to soil themselves or do things in a way that will not glorify the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14 says: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
In other words, as you decide to set yourself apart and honour God according to his standards of living, you will enjoy divine help and a level of discernment that will guide your activities.
Here is how the Message Translation puts Hebrews 12:14. It says: Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God.
2. Your Mind
Dr Myles Munroe describes the mind as the hub of thoughts, which also holds the keys to the outcome of a person's life.
That is why the bible admonishes you in Proverbs 4:23 to guard your mind diligently because issues that might make or mar your life will emanate from there.
The Bible in Proverbs 23:7 says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. In other words, your life will produce the dominant thoughts you allow your mind to feed on.
So, if you think you can't make any positive impact on your team, the universe will automatically agree with you and deliver your order of negativity.
The thoughts in your mind will direct your words, which in turn form your attitudes and then actions that will deliver proportional results are carried out.
Take charge of your mind by cutting off negative and limiting thoughts and meditating on the word of God.
If you don't, it will have a negative impact on your work and relationship with people on your team.
Train your mind to think and come up with possible solutions whenever problems arise in the workplace.
The human mind has enormous potential and you will not enjoy its advantages if you do not put it to work.
You must also learn to identify and manage negative emotions so they do not affect your mood and productivity in the long run.
3. Your Skill
To be relevant in the workplace or in your industry, you need to have and develop the skillset needed to creatively solve problems.
To also remain relevant, you have to constantly do an audit of the changes and needs in your organisation and industry to ascertain whether your skillset can match the challenges.
All through the scriptures, the move of God was first initiated by him anointing and equipping a messenger that will administer his authority.
You are God's messenger at your place of work and it is your duty to find out what he wants to do in your industry or workplace and then equip yourself with the required skills to make it happen here on earth.
God wanted to showcase his sovereignty in Babylon through Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so he equipped them with unique skills that will differentiate them from their mates.
Our Father, being a master strategist, knew the skills that would be required by King Nebuchadnezzar at that point in time.
According to Daniel 1:17, God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life. In addition, Daniel was gifted in understanding all sorts of visions and dreams.
To stay relevant in today's competitive world you have to think of how to gain a competitive edge with your skills.
In the scripture above, you will notice that God gave Daniel a competitive edge. Much more than acquiring skills, you have to look for unique ways of applying them in different work scenarios to solve problems innovatively.
Your ability to uniquely communicate and carry everybody along, your confidence and strategic way of thinking might just be what will stand you out from others on your team.
Please always remember this: Soft skills are the wings with which technical skills rise.
I pray that the Spirit of dominion rests on everything that concerns you in the name of Jesus. Amen!
Thank you for your time and Merry Christmas in advance.
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