Deuteronomy 28:13 ‘And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God.’

DAILY READING; Luke 14:1-24; Genesis 25; Psalm 18

Do Won Chang was born into a poor family in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954.
He started work at a young age in coffee shops. Before he clocked 25 years, he already had his own coffee delivery business. However, the harsh economic situation in South Korea forced him to seek greener pastures.
In 1981, he relocated to the U.S with his 18-year old bride and his parents to stay with his sister at Los Angeles.
As a Christian, Do Won Chang desired to follow God’s plan for him in America and so he went to the top of a mountain to pray. As he prayed, he said God told him he should open a store and that it would be successful.
Do Won Chang initially thought this success would come from the coffee industry, where he already had a vast experience. He began his first job at a coffee shop where he was paid $3 per hour. He decided to augment his income by working at two more jobs: at a gas station during the day and cleaning offices at night. This increased his work time from 8 hours daily to 19 hours in a day. His wife also supported him, working as a hairdresser to make ends meet.
At the gas station where Do Won Chang worked, he would shyly ask his customers who drove expensive cars “What do you do?”. From the answers he got, he found that many of them were in the clothing business.
So, he took another step of faith and got a job at a clothing store, where he was determined to learn the ropes on merchandising and marketing.
At his new office, he worked as if it was his own business and this impressed his boss.
After three years in the U.S, Do Won Chang and his wife managed to save $11,000. On 16th April 1984, they opened their first Fashion store called Fashion 21 in Los Angeles. While his former boss made only $30,000 in annual sales, Do Won Chang’s clothes shop hit $700,000 in its first year.
The business did so well that Do Won Chang and his wife opened a new store every six months. The company’s name was later changed to Forever 21.
By 2016, Forever 21 had more than 790 stores across 48 countries, a staff strength of 43,000 employees and an estimated $43.8 billion in global sales. Do Won Chang and his wife became listed among The Forbes list of wealthiest Americans.
They openly attribute their success to God and boldly declare their faith by printing John 3:16 on their shopping bags. They endeavor to run their business through divine counsel and by daily seeking God in prayer, they get the business ideas and insights that propel their business forward.

God guides the steps of His children who seek Him in prayer.
When we commit our lives to the Lord and daily seek His divine direction, He leads us to success and exploits in our endeavors.
Every redeemed soul is a potential star.
In Revelation 22:16 Jesus declared ‘I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star’
Just as Jesus came as the bright and morning star, we are ordained to be stars on the earth.
However, it takes drawing closer to God who is the Father of lights, for our star to shine.
It is only when we come to God, that we will begin to manifest our redemptive heritage of being the head and not the tail; above only and not beneath.
As you diligently seek God, though you may initially lack needed resources, your connection to the Almighty God will elevate you. He is the God of supernatural miracles, who is able to crush insurmountable obstacles and turn around any situation.
It doesn’t matter how small your beginning may be, if you give God first place, your later end shall surely be great. It is only a matter of time.
When God is for you, though the chips may seem stacked against you, certainly, you will break through the barriers and limitations. Through faith in God, you can overcome all the adversity thrown at you and wildly surpass all expectations.
When we put God first in our affairs, He goes before us to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and convert barriers into blessings.
In Isaiah 45:2 God says ” I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.”
The truth is that none of us can overcome insurmountable odds by our own strength, but when we engage the barrier -breaking, yoke destroying power of the Omnipotent God, the obstacles on our path become miracles.
Therefore, as we run our race on earth, let us endeavor to always honor God and make Him our greatest priority in life. As we do, He will catapult us far ahead of our peers and cause us to stand out on the earth.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to honor You continually with my life and make You my greatest priority at all times. As I do, I thank You for enabling me to arrive at the glorious heights You have destined for me in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE:
The purpose of prosperity is for you to proclaim the Gospel. – WORDBITE 222.