Many people fail to answer this question, and because of that, they fail in life.
God asked Moses, “What do you have in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” God said, “Cast it down.” He cast it down, and it turned into a snake.
On the crown of Pharaoh’s head there was a serpent symbol. So when the staff turned into a snake, God was making Moses realise, by implication, that he already had authority in his hand—even while he was using it merely to guide sheep.
Later, when Moses went to Pharaoh’s palace and the magicians threw down their staffs and they turned into snakes, Aaron’s rod swallowed theirs. That encounter symbolised the superiority of God’s power over the powers of Egypt.
There is always something more than what you think you are holding in your hand.
Take this avocado, for example. What am I holding in my hand? An avocado.
This avocado has a price tag. I can sell it, just like the ones my wife plucked and sold on her way to school. A foolish person will throw it away or only think of eating it. But inside this avocado, there is more than flesh—there is a seed, and inside that seed is a tree.
Most of us consume what is in our hands without thinking about the seed inside it.
Your salary has a seed.
Many years ago, around 1998, I was treating patients for a company that was dredging sand, and they paid me ₦35,000. I used that ₦35,000 to publish a book, Hold On to Your Vision.
That book came from a morning devotion I did with my family on the life of Joseph. It has sold thousands of copies and has brought in millions of naira.
What was in my hand was not just money—it was a seed.
You may be given a topic to speak on. Inside that topic is a book.
I once spoke to 4,000 men at Church of God Mission in Benin. From that message, I wrote a book, The Family and Its Finances. The sales were so much that Abraham counted money till midnight.
I spoke again on overcoming difficult times, and from that message I wrote another book that has sold more than 2,000 copies.
That message, that assignment, that duty—there was a seed in it.
I planted it, watered it, and it produced wealth.
That is how wealth is created progressively: through repetition and reinvestment.
Do something. Let it produce a result. Repeat the process.
There is always a seed and a potential in what is in your hand.
Liberate that potential to create another potential, and reinvest it again.
Elisha once asked a widow, “What do you have of sale value in your house?”
She said, “Only a little jar of oil.”
We always have a way of underestimating what God has given us while admiring other people’s potentials.
That little bottle of oil expanded into abundance.
Elisha told her, “Go, sell the oil, pay your debts, and live on the rest.”
Her financial future was embedded in one small bottle of oil.
What is in your hand?
It could even be a problem, a limitation, or something people mock.
Some people have turned their physical differences into opportunities.
There was an albino musician, Yellowman, who used his voice and talent to become a reggae star known around the world.
There are comedians today using their unique appearances or challenges to create wealth.
There are actors like Aki and Pawpaw who turned what people might call limitations into global recognition.
There is something in you.
Do not look down on yourself.
Some key areas we often fail to harness are:
1. Your exposure
Being exposed to the Igbo spirit of enterprise in Aba helped shape my mindset.
2. Your education
My medical education taught me how to present cases, seminars, and think critically.
Later, during my Master’s in Public Administration, I studied the sustainability of small and medium enterprises, with special reference to local production and entrepreneurship models.
That knowledge became part of what I teach today.
3. Your experience
I have spoken to men’s groups, churches, institutions, and conferences across the country.
My exposure, experience, and education became tools in my hand.
4. Your employment
It is not just about the salary.
Most people retire without converting their experience into wealth.
You retire as a principal—why not become a consultant for schools on administration?
You teach economics for 25 years—why have you not written a book?
Many of us remain where we are because we have neglected what is already in our hands.
So after reading this, re-evaluate your life.
Look at what is in your hand.
Add action to it.
Add insight to it.
Add advice to it.
Push it.
Your future is in what you already have in your hand.
God bless you.
