Reading for Personal Transformation

“Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, and interesting” (Aldous Huxley)

“Your mind is a gift from God loaded with the ability to store unquantifiable information. However it remains dormant until it is stirred with the right materials in the right direction” (Ben Carson)

READING has power to produce a lasting CHANGE in you. Mensal Utabi in his message “Transformed Destiny” outlined seven factors that make a man does whatever he does per time. You are not an exemption. The same factors are responsible for your actions as well. They are: ENVIRONMENT: What others think and do; KNOWLEDGE: What you know; EXPERIENCE: What you go through; BELIEFS: What you accept as true; VALUES: What you treasure; CHOICES: What you see as right; ACTIONS: What you do. In other words, a man’s action is a function of the choice he has made. His choice is determined by his value system. His value system is a product of his beliefs which is usually shaped by his experience. His experience however is colored by his knowledge which is largely determined by his environment.

Although human being can learn in many ways, it has been proved that books are the best source for acquiring knowledge and experiencing personal and global transformation. Reading is a means of seeking knowledge, information or entertainment through the written word. This can be through books, journals, magazines and newspapers. Developing a reading culture has become very important for any individual and society in the 21^st Century.

As you go through this book, I want you to make up your mind that a positive CHANGE will occur in your life so that you can also become a global change AGENT. What comes to your mind when you hear names like Paul the Apostle, Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, John Maxwell, Myles Munroe and David Oyedepo? These are world class leaders who effected a decisive change in their nations and generations. Some of them are still alive. You will be reading some of their books in the next pages. One thing is sure about all of them: they were all avid reader.

 Let me therefore share with you 12 reasons why you must be committed to a conscious and purposeful reading:

• You must read because Jesus, the greatest leader of all time was a great reader when He was on earth (Luke 2:46; 4:17).

• You must read because Books contain fantastic ideas and ideas Rule the world.
• Reading is a way of exposing your mind to a higher thought.
• Reading is a way of stirring up the gifts of God in you and exploring your talents.
• Reading is the cheapest means of overcoming ignorance.
• Reading pushes you to use your imagination and makes you more creatively inclined.
• The books you read create an environment of enlightenment for you.
• Reading enhances your memory capacity.
• Reading helps you to build your level of confidence.
• Reading helps you to get exposed to other places and cultures.
• If you can read and you don’t read, you are not better than an illiterate.
• Every reader always turns out to be a leader.

Gideon Akanbi, PhD

International Director

Godly Brains Ministry Inc.