Ten Thousand Teachers!!!

Hi people, how ya doing? I am fine here, and today I bring you one of my favorite topics.. teachers. Ten thousand teachers!

I love learning 😁

and I can boldly say I am a product of many teachers...I loveeeeeeee teachers. Female teachers, male teachers, Nigerian, International...just name them. Teachers of the word, teachers of any word that benefits my life and destiny. Learning is really nice in my opinion.

I am that person that would attend a program, get back home and check out the speakers online, (sometimes I don't even wait to get home sef) Then download their sermons, songs, books etc and lean into them as the Holyspirit directs me. Then I make sure to check them out online too..that's one of my favorite activities in this life; discovering teachers. I should be qualified to bag a degree in that already..where's my award??

False teachers exist, for sure, the Bible makes mention of it. But I ensure I am not distracted by their existence. I only pray they come to the knowledge of the truth. And you shouldn't let yourself be discouraged by that too. You cannot stop believing in God because of a person's mistake or error. That's why in the first place, you're to learn from them and not worship them. 

It's absurd how people give up on their faith because of another's fault. And that's exactly what the devil wants. Don't let him win. Someone asked this question and it's so profound…

"If Elon Musk became poor today, will you stop trying to make wealth?" I'm sure you answered in the negative. So why do we give ourselves the permission to relent and backslide 'cos of another person's mistake??

Just. Stop. It

Learn from them, but run your own race…

Honor and celebrate them, but worship only God..

I don't let myself get bothered about false teachers and all. Neither do I ignore the inspiration of God in men.

I simply focus on those that are immersed in their assignment and are committed to their call and purpose. I just lean in and learn from them, while praying that they remain in Christ.

Teachers in whatever field are a blessing, no jokes. One of the beauties of their existence is that they help shorten your learning curve. Imagine having to learn something in three years by experience, when you can learn it in a shorter time by example..which one sounds better?

Trust me, you can't afford to learn from only your experience. You should learn to leverage on the experience and example of others. This is one of my secrets and I have learnt a lot from and I'm learning from the likes of: Pastor Mildred and Kingsley Okonkwo, Rev. Funke Felix-Adejumo, Pastor Debola Deji-Kurunmi, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Steven Furtick, Heather Lindsey, Mama Joyce Meyer, Priscilla Shirer, Joel Osteen, Pastor Oge C. Ogwe, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Mrs Tolulope Gbemiga-Adejumo, John and Lisa Bevere, Dr Kim Kimberling, John Obidi, Mrs Eziaha Bolaji-Olojo, etc, etc. Most of which are authors, pastors, writers and coaches.

Guys, I didn't even scratch the surface of my list. That'd require a whole post of it's own, and probably a sequel. They are like ten thousand, literally. I legit have a teacher for every interest I have, from cooking to writing, teaching, marriage, relationship, interior design, business, leadership and of course; my faith etc

Like I mentioned here, your teachers are not just pastors and preachers of the word, before you roll your eyes at me.

Now, according to the English dictionary, a teacher is one who teaches. And to teach is to show (someone) the way; to guide, conduct; to point, indicate. To pass on knowledge. And there are people who God has given the ability to teach, coach, mentor, motivate, advise, help others, whether they are actively teaching or just living their lives.

In Nigerian parlance today, you'd have heard people say: follow who know road. And I'd say follow who God dey show road.

So basically, anyone who knows road, has shown you or shows you the way is your teacher. And thank God for this age and time, with the internet they are littered everywhere. 

I'm talking about those who by simply being committed to their assignments provide you with knowledge for your journey and leave behind a slipstream to learn from. There are many teachers, ten thousand like Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:15. You just need to be sensitive, lean in and learn as your need demands. 

If you are careful and observant enough, you'd be able to scoop from their slipstream wherever you find them... Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, etc etc So get to learning on the go... leverage social media for your effective growth and development.

While at it, a few guardrails will help you maximize your learning experience. Don't cheat yourself and lengthen your learning curve by holding on to the belief that you should only learn from God and the Holyspirit.

I've heard that and I wonder why anyone would wanna shortchange themselves. You are to learn from the word of God and the words of men inspired by God. God has left legacy in men for this time and season, be strategic in your positioning so as to learn all you can. Remember, wisdom is the principal thing...and wisdom comes from applying knowledge. So you need knowledge, you need to be in the know of something. 

Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo of David's Christian Centre would say: "you don't have to know everything about something, but you should know something about everything". Yes guys, be in the know. This is the information age and ignorance is not an excuse. Infact he also said ignorance is a result of ignoring knowledge. Wow! Do you see that? Will you keep ignoring knowledge??

So the guardrails I mentioned earlier…

✓Don't be Lazy.

There's this quote; "when the student is ready, the teacher appears". You'll agree with me that in any learning adventure, the bulk of the work is done by the student. You can't afford to be lazy. 

Teachers are like signboards. What do sign boards do? They give directions and provide assurance that you're on the right track. No matter how nicely placed a signboard is, you'll not get to your destination by just staring at it. You'll have to walk the road yourself, or drive. Same as with teachers. No matter the course you buy, masterclass or coaching you pay for, you must still work the work. 

And for teachers of the word, they can only help you, provide you with tools to work out your salvation. No man of God can walk with God for you. Get ready to do the work. 

These people are to teach and not babysit you. Read that again. To get knowledge, you must be prepared to do your part. Don't go asking them questions in the DM when you haven't checked their resources for the answer first. Don't abuse access please. It's possible that your question has been answered in a podcast, sermon, book, workshop, coaching call, masterclass, article, interview, blog post, YouTube video or even a social media post. These people are busy, as much as possible, don't add unnecessary work.

✓Be Strategic.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 for everything, there's a time and season. You can't listen to everyone at the same time. Let the Holyspirit highlight to you your specific teacher per time and season. 

✓Know your need.

There's usually a need before you can identify the source of the supply. There's a teacher for every thing you want to learn. From matters of faith to skills, no matter what. You remember the quote: "Jack of all trades, master of none"?

No successful person would have that label. So your teachers, no matter the level and diversity of their knowledge, experience and expertise, there would certainly be a particular area of expertise that'd be needed to fill the need you have.

Learn to identify the specific knowledge gap you want to fill before you set out to look for them. There are specific teachers I lean into for different knowledge gaps I have. For example, John C Maxwell is very well known for Leadership, his books on Leadership just serve me well. My current read is his Today Matters; such a great read by the way.

✓Learn and Not Copy. 

Imitation is limitation and nothing else. I like how Mrs Ibukun Awosika said: "everything you learn from others remains a suggestion until God makes it an instruction". So true. And even at that, He'll show you how to apply specifically to your life and journey. Knowledge is very well customizable. There's no one size fits all. Learn to apply to your life accordingly.

✓These Above All, to Thyself be True.

That's a Sheksperean quote and it rings true forever. Be true to yourself, what do you really want from these people? Knowledge or fame? If knowledge, they don't need to know you. It might happen eventually, but that shouldn't be your goal. 

Someone said to not strive to have what they have but rather to know what they know. 'Cos if you only have what they have without the knowledge, you'd mismanage it. Wisdom is what preserves a person in whatever stage life places them. Whether public or private. Your primary concern is to gain knowledge, any other thing is by the way. 

I remember one time I was always pumped and hyped about them and would tell everyone when I discovered a new teacher. I was telling someone one day and she said 'they don't even know you.'

Mehn, it caused me to shrink, recoil and just shut up at some point. But it didn't stop me, today I know better. I really do know who to tell what, 'cos the goal is not for them to know me.

So there you go guys, you have no reason to ignore knowledge, not in this age and time.

Get to finding out your own teachers and cheers to learning as your soul desires.

PS:How about you let me know your teachers in the comments section? I'd love to discover more teachers😉😌

Love and Light,

Nancita ✨