14th January, 2022.

START THE YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT Pt.14

Prov 22:7: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender.”

PLAN TO OWN ASSETS

My dad got born again in the early 70s. The church he attended with some of his brothers was one of the holiness churches of that time. They were extremely conservative in their approach to life because heaven was the only thing they heard in all their messages. For me, that's good because that message has been lost in most churches. However, their approach about life then was not balanced. My uncle told me that they were taught not to have more than N3000 in their account because having more than that meant you've become worldly and that Jesus can come anytime. When he comes, having more than that will mean wastage. My dad also told me that some of the elders didn't encourage them to build their own houses because it was deemed worldly. A number of them in that generation were satisfied as tenants though a few wise ones built secretly.

Later in life, most of them began to have problems with their landlords most of whom are unbelievers. Some were persecuted and hated for their faith in the houses they rented. Prayer& house fellowship gathering became a problem while some had diabolical landlords. As a matter of fact, I witnessed the evils and troubles we faced with our landlord while growing up. Most of those elders and Christians who adhered to that teaching regretted bitterly for not building their house when they had the means. Whenever I'm talking with my dad, he'll always tell me that if he had known that things will become what it is in Lagos, he would have built about three houses because they were begging them to buy land In the 70s. In some places, they don't measure land for buyers as I was told. All you need do is to throw a stone, wherever it lands from where you are standing is the size of your land. There was allowance for payment by instalment but wrong teaching blindfolded their eyes.

Most of the landlords of that era are long dead but their children are enjoying that investment today because it has appreciated in value. Dearest, one of the steps you need to take this year is to invest in assets. It is better to own than to rent. An asset is something that add value of gain to you while a liability takes money from you. As children of God, owning solid assets makes us stake holders and deciders in the scheme of things wherever we find ourselves. Hence the term "Landlords". The lords of the land are key figures anywhere. Why buy a car worth millions and live like a king in a rented apartment when the same money can make you a landlord? A lecturer told us how he desired to live in two bedroom apartment as a young man. He raised the money( N65,000) but before paying, someone told him to come buy a plot of land with the same amount. He refused. After some years, the very area where he was told to buy land at N65,000 has appreciated to N2.5M per plot. He was pained when he spoke to us. Ladies, why buy human hair that can comfortably make you a landowner in some places? This year, don't be foolish with your finances. Start thinking posterity, think assets. Don't suspend common sense for trends and fashion. Don't eat your tomorrow today.