Selfishness Is Not Christianity - to be Christ like Is To Be Selfless

More than ever before I am convinced that God works through us to accomplish His purpose on earth. It is sad that we often do not want to yield to God because our reluctance to yield to Him must be limiting the extent to which God can work on earth. Obviously God needs us. He needs yielded believers that He may work through us to give people the miracles they need. Obviously, it sometimes just takes one person doing some things for some other people's miracles to be fully manifest on earth.

Galatians 6: 9 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."

Unfortunately, the world now believes so much in 'self' that life is now all about "you." Selfishness now looks right and even believers now live very selfish lives. So selfish that we are missing out on our blessings; we sow no good seeds and consequently, reap no harvest. Our first thoughts have become - is it convenient for me? and thereafter, what is in this for me? How very sad because ultimately we suffer loss, great loss indeed, and we are unable to enjoy the full benefits that is our God given portion. Whenever giving is mentioned amongst believers, we think of money but there is so much more that one can give. The giving of yourself to help another is truly the ultimate which money cannot buy.

John 15: 13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

Christ could have paid for our salvation with money but He give Himself; in shedding his blood, He paid the highest price because He put His own life on the line. He paid the highest price which satan could never have thought of because He is too selfish to even understand how anyone would do that. Many of us are like the devil in that regard, we are yet unable to comprehend how anyone would give of themselves. Interestingly, God is not asking us to die for anyone. All that may be required of us could be to inconvenience ourselves for another which would today be seen as doing too much for another.

Philippians 2: 13 "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

Hebrews 6: 10 "For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do."

This is the thing - God needs us that He may through us work on earth. However, when He works through us, He is setting us up to be blessed because in Him working through us, He is causing and enabling us to do good. He is causing us to sow seeds that will yield a bountiful harvest of blessings in our life and someone else is giving thanks to God because of our goodness. So the yielded person receives miracles just like the person He did good received a miracle. It is all intertwined and we are all somehow woven together. God intended it for good but our selfishness appears to be creating a problem which limits God. It is time to take another look at our lives and make the principal decision to live for God. That is selflessness and that is the life we are called to. In truth that is Christianity.

You Are More Than A Conqueror

Most believers are of the opinion that nothing bad should happen to a believer. We act like God ought to be grateful we chose to accept Him as our God and in return, keep the challenges of life away from us so that we are surprised and angry with Him when "life" happens. We complain and murmur so much that we frustrate God making it more difficult for us to get out of these challenges that life throws at us sometimes and all this because we are totally unprepared for the reality of life having deceived ourselves into believing that only good must come our away forgetting that His promise is to cause all things to work for our good.

Romans 8: 28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Some people wake up from the initial shock of having to deal with these challenges but some never do and such people believe that these situations are enough reason to turn away from Him. My question is this - who do you then turn to after having lived and moved in Him?The truth is there is no reason good enough for turning away from Him especially if you have tasted of His goodness. One thing I know for certain is that no matter how bad the situation you may find yourself in, He will bring you out. Even where He had nothing to do with your getting into that situation, He is big hearted enough to bring you out. We just need to be patient.

2 Peter 2: 9 "So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment."

Life happens even if you decide to hide deep in the midst of believers. Indeed, life would most likely work through them to create that very painful issue. No one can be shielded from "life" even if they spend all their time in the house of God. Please note that I am not talking about the issues you face because you are a believer but life's issues that everyone faces. Unfortunately, believers will still face persecutions that arise just because they are saved and all that appear to make his/her life tougher. However, we must remember the word of God that says "we are more than conquerors"

Romans 8: 37 "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

It is sad that the word preached in churches today is often not the true gospel so it does not prepare us for life like the true word would; however, everyone has a responsibility to themselves to seek the truth. God has promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him which is a promise made to everyone and not just to preachers or ministers so you owe it to yourself to seek Him that He may help you prepare to face life. Life is like a jungle and only the strong will survive. Thank God who made us in his image and likeness so that we are also lions supernaturally empowered by God.

1Samuel 30: 6 "David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God."

We truly ought not to give up in any situation. God is a restorer so He knows how to work it for your good. Your wallowing in self-pity will not bring about a change in the situation and if you turn away from God, you only are burying yourself deeper in the bad situation. Some people have walked this route as a result of which they lost their joy and others their life. When life happens, like David we have to learn to encourage ourselves in The Lord. Tough times come and go but strong men remain. These are men and women who have buried themselves on the word of God and love him enough to try to be true to what His word says.

Daniel 11: 32b "But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him."

Not As Though I Already Attained …But I Press

Church is such an interesting place don’t you think? By church, I mean the body of believers. So many amusing things happen in our midst though they are sometimes annoying. I accept that the bad things that happen can be so bad they cut really deep but in all, it is wonderful to be with believers. We say and hear so many interesting things that make one laugh even in sober moments. I must admit though that some of these things are better left unsaid. No wonder the Psalmist prayed that God would set a watch over his mouth. Honestly, we talk and live too carelessly as believers often forgetting that the things we say may stand against us in judgment. 

Psalm 141: 3 “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.”

One of the things I hear often is believers commending other believers for doing well in their walk with God whilst they admit that they are doing badly and state categorically that they can’t live the life yet they are believers. What I find amusing is not the fact of them commending other believers but that they are okay with doing badly themselves and have all the reasons why they would be unable to do right by God. They understand their reasons for doing badly so well that they can truly never do well until they alter that mindset. Reality is that everyone doing well as a believer struggles with doing wrong in various areas of their lives neither are they on the right path because they have any extra strength or are better than the next person but they are people who have chosen to go on with God at any cost. They have decided that there is no price too high to pay that one’s life may give God pleasure.

Philippians 3: 13 – 14 “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus, is calling us.”

There is no one who has attained; for there is none who is yet perfect but we have the Spirit of perfection inside us so that if we yield to Him, He will through us express the perfect life of God. Yielding to Him is tough but it is the extent to which one yields that one can live that life that pleases God. The secret is not for us to work it ourselves; if we do, we shall surely fail at some point. The secret is in yielding to Him. Yielding to Him does not require strength but weakness instead. We admit that we are weak in ourselves so that we are then totally dependent on Him. There is no amount of strength that could make one succeed in their Christian walk hence the bible says “by strength shall no man prevail.”

Galatians 2: 20 “my old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

We often fight to do right but if our strength could give us the right result with God, then Christ would not have been required to die for mankind. When we “press” that we might attain, it is a pressing to yield to the Holy Spirit so that in yielding to Him, we are submitted to God with Jesus as Lord in our lives. The truth is no man has attained, not even Paul could say he had but we keep pressing, doing all we need to do to, tapping into His grace that we might live the life that pleases God. If you are still struggling in your strength, please let go and let Him help you so that your walk with Him then becomes sweet and a life you love instead of that heavy burden which is the portrait we often paint of our faith.

Please Fight For To Keep Your Faith – Satan Is Still Out To Destroy

 Now more than ever before, we need to fight to hold onto what we believe. We have to fight to ensure that our belief is not unwittingly altered. If we must lose our faith, then it should be something we do deliberately. In the times that we are in, one cannot assume always that they are on the right path; you have to do all you know to do to ensure that your belief in Christ is not altered unsuspectingly. The fight is to ensure that Christ is always Lord in one’s life. There is so much contention for our lives; the devil is looking for smarter ways of taking control of our lives whilst we are still speaking in tongues, praying several hours daily and even evangelizing or preaching. These are very difficult times.

2 Corinthians 2: 11 “so that satan will not outsmart us. For we familiar with his evil schemes”

There was a time when believers were so sincere that they instinctively stayed from gatherings of believers or the things of God when their life was not right with God. So, it was easy to identify anyone who needed help and/or support to go on in their walk with God. Unfortunately, it is not so today. Our hearts have been so seared that we have no problems with pretentiously carrying on even when we know that all is not well. We are able to attend church regularly, do ‘”great exploits in God’s name” even when we have become instruments in the hands of the devil to derail other believers. Sometimes we don’t even realize because we refuse to look inward or use the Word of God as a mirror for our lives. If we must serve God acceptably, we have to constantly judge ourselves against the word of God.

1 Timothy 4: 1 – 2 “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”

To contend for our faith personally is to check our lives against the word of God from time to time and wherever we find that we are walking contrary, we make every effort to re-align ourselves. The Holy Spirit, acting as our conscience, would normally act as our guide letting us know when we may unconsciously be walking away from God. Unfortunately, today we are so tuned off the Holy Spirit that we never hear Him even when He is trying to let us know that we are going in the wrong direction. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is so bad that His ministry is almost non-existent in the lives of several believers today so that even when He leaves, we do not notice. We indeed have not learnt to depend on Him so His presence or absence wouldn’t mean anything to us; how so sad.

The enemy’s style of attack against believers these days is very subtle yet very impactful. He lures many away from the faith and the victims don’t know they have left the faith. Everything appears to be going well and they may even be making more money than they ever made and since, to many, money has become the measure for the extent of God’s presence in a man’s life, everything looks good to the victims so they go to sleep – “the sleep of death” but they don’t know it. The devil’s plan is for them to continue in this state until they are totally backslidden. Infact he is hoping to kill them in that state so that they do not have the opportunity to reconnect with God. Everyone has to take responsibility for their lives and contend for their faith. No one can do it for you.