Do you know that one of the major problems confronting us is the quest to know what we ought to do at every stage of our life? Do you also know that millions of men and women die without doing anything about their purpose and some people, dead or alive, don’t even know their purpose?
Do you again know that sixty-five percent of youth in Nigeria who gain admission into higher institutions study a course that they will not practice when they finish from school? A lot of people are working in a place where if you pay them a million naira to stop the work, they will.
While reading the book, “UNDERSTANDING YOUR TRUE IDENTITY”, by Clement Uko, I discovered that identity is what sets aside the rich from the poor, the successful from the un-successful. The only way to have all round success is to know who you are and what you are created to do in this world.
Clement said in his book that “understanding is released whenever you adjust your mind set and seek God wholeheartedly. It is your understanding of a thing that causes you to prosper and stand out in that area of your endeavour.”
One of the things I will be doing in this edition of BookTalk with ToluBooks is to let us have an insight into what the book entails from the author, Clement Uko, who is the Senior Pastor of Powerhouse International Christian Center, in Lagos. In this interview, you will discover what gave birth to the title of the book, what inspired him to write the book and how the book can be of great benefit to you.
TOLUBOOKS: What one thing in your background and experience inspired you to write this book?
CLEMENT: Growing up and going through different phases of life, I have come to learn and discover that through the divine and great potentials God has blessed man with, we are more than what we think we are and can actually do better than what we are currently producing as results. There are more treasures inside you than what you see physically on the outside. So many think that extraordinary exploits or great achievements and attainments are meant for a particular people alone, but the truth is that it is meant for everyone who cares to know and understands his or her rightful position in destiny. Psalm 49vs20 says, “A man that is honoured and understands not is like a beast that perishes.” Any relegated person can become an outstanding success if only he or she understands where God has placed him or her in destiny.
TOLUBOOKS: What is the best thing that could happen to a person with identity?
CLEMENT:In the first place, you cannot give what you don’t have; even when you have it and you do not know you have it. You cannot still be a blessing to others. Your identity is not just who you are, but also what you have and what you are created for. When you mention Bill Gates, what comes to you immediately is Microsoft. Myles Munroe, purpose. Mike Murdock, wisdom. Your identity speaks volume of what you carry on your inside. Your identity can open great doors for you and can as well close doors of opportunity against you. Your identity is more or less your character; it is also the secret that will determine the result you command in the open. It sets aside who you relate with and who relates with you.
TOLUBOOKS: Some of the things authors want from their books are to bless lives with them and make money, how can an author be a best seller?
CLEMENT: I believe that people don’t just buy books because its packaging looks attractive. Of course, that could be a strong reason, but authors’ books get to sell more if people are impacted by the knowledge or insight that turns their trials to triumphs. Once a group of people gets blessed or transformed by a book, they pass the message on to others who in turn keep passing it on and that makes the author the readers’ favourite.
TOLUBOOKS: In your book, ‘Understanding Your True Identity’, you said “Stop bothering your head on what you think others have that you don’t have”. How can one stop bothering?
CLEMENT: Seek to know and understand what great gifts, talents and potentials God has put in you, it will help you to appreciate who you are and also place great demands on your endowment to produce maximally in your favour. A wise man once said, “If you keep looking outward, you will see what others can achieve, but when you start looking inward, you will see what you are capable of producing.” So, believe in yourself, encourage and assure yourself that YOU CAN MAKE IT!
TOLUBOOKS: What advice do you have for people who don’t know anything about their identity?
CLEMENT: Go for knowledge! Whatever you do not know is above you. No one can grow and prosper above the level of what he or she knows. It is what you know that will determine where you will be in destiny. How much you know of whom you are and where God has placed you in life will go a long way to tell how far you would go. Hosea 4vs6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” and another scripture, John 8vs32 says “but when you know the truth, freedom is guaranteed.”