Borrowed culture – The “mini-me” Idea

The fact that a number of us look to the world for mentoring is a sad reality. Many of us, despite that we are believers, let the world set the pace for our lives and then try to fit our Christian beliefs in that pace. A lot of us have borrowed culture from Hollywood “stars”, a people made known by their vocation which often places them, in a manner of speaking, “in our faces”. Enabled also by social media, we see them so much, we think we know them and they have become the people we look up to. The problem with this for believers is that we look up to them so much they help form our thinking & culture because we begin to think and talk like them. Unfortunately, Contrary to our belief, it is not possible to look to them so hard and still look to Jesus as we should. Moreover, it is only natural to become like what you admire and most of them are unbelievers who don’t have access like we do to sacred information.

2 Corinthians 3: 18 “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we changed into his glorious image.”

Joshua 24: 15 “choose today whom you will serve.”

So we love Jesus but we also love “the life of the “stars” which is most often unreal. This may not have been a problem but for the fact that we admire them so much, we are unable to focus on Jesus as we should. We gaze on them adoringly; idolizing them. So, they influence our mindsets to the point where we lose the “Jesus mindset” and return to the mindset we were saved from. Sadly, we don’t really appreciate the “born again stars”. We love Jesus Christ and enjoy serving Him; we believe we look to Him when in reality, we don’t. Our general perception of life is shaped by the lifestyle of these stars.   

Hebrews 12: 1b – 2aKJV “… and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

Contrary to the belief of some believers, their lifestyle is not without its cost. If we accept the culture, we must pay the price too. It is only natural to suffer similar consequences if we make similar decisions. If you plant cassava, you won’t harvest oranges except God works a wonder; which He can, but He already told us the wise thing to do which is to plant what you desire to harvest. We also can’t live the borrowed “star” life even when it contradicts God’s word and expect bible result. Indeed some of the things we see about them are a mirage; like most people, they also ‘put their best foot forward’. So we take on extra burden measuring our lives against an illusion and ourselves against people. The end is misery.

Galatians 6: 7 “Don’t be misled … You will always harvest what you plant.”

One the things we learnt from this borrowed culture which has the potential to impact mental health and ruin generations, is the “mini-me” idea. Believers, more than others, should know that no two persons are exactly alike, not even parent and child. Though we all are mad in God’s image, He made each person wonderfully and very special so that we may ultimately, “display His many-sided wisdom”. We all must be allowed to express our individuality within the limits of our God given liberty and as inspired by God’s word. Whilst it is true that some children look exactly like a parent, they are not the parent. Indeed, some children referred to as “mini-me” have grown up looking a lot different from the parent who refuses to accept this truth. Please think, when did it start to matter whether or not they look just like you? I have met people who could be mistaken for me who have no blood ties with me.  

Psalm 139 “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.”

It is even worse when the parent tries to, directly or indirectly, manipulate the child’s response to life or circumstances so that they make decisions they would have made just so that people can say they are really alike. In doing so, they unwittingly truncate the child’s destiny or make it more difficult for the child to be who God made them because they make two personalities in one person; one is who they want the child to be and the other is who the child is. This is especially worse for children who are desperate to please; a good trait the parent exploits. It is not fair to the child and can cause self-esteem issues. It’s almost as though they question God’s choice of who the child should be. Your child is not you and has a destiny to fulfill which they need to be real to do. You don’t have the power to re-create; you are not God.   

Colossians 2: 9 “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

These parents really desire to perpetuate themselves through the child. Some decisions they instigate the children to make have terrible consequences but they are so deceived they erroneously believe they can manipulate the consequences. Many young people are suffering for this kind of “abuse”. The “mini-me” thing is not a God thing and the long term effect of it is devastating. It is time to rethink some of these things we borrow from the world especially in the face of the challenges young people face. Parents, as custodians working with God to ensure children accomplish their God pre planned purpose, must resist the temptation to attempt to recreate a child.   

THE RESTORER OF LIFE – He Restores The Mind

God is as good as He is great. When I think of the fact that His breathe gives life, I don’t understand why He is so meek. Without God’s life, we would be nothing more than vessels formed from earth. Man is in truth, very fragile. It only takes for God to withhold His breathe from us and our journey on earth ends. No one can explain how life enters a being; we know not now it happens. It is indeed a true expression of God’s benevolence. The more one thinks on that, the more one sees the depth of God’s goodness. That He would be so good as not to hold back breathe from the wicked indefinitely is a sure evidence of His goodness especially because He knows He can do it. All life exists because of God.

 

Deuteronomy 32: 39 “See now that 1, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and I who give life.”

If for any reason, anyone or thing loses life and requires restoration, God is able to deal with that; He is the originator anyway. Difficult and almost impossible as it often seems to us, restoration of life is not a big issue to God as long as it aligns with His will. Recall the bible’s account of how man was made. All it took for dust to breathe was for God to breath into it. It is certainly not out of place to call on God for this purpose, whether it is physical or spiritual life needed. He restores any form of life on any and all levels. The thing is, we often forget to turn to God when we need life. For physical life, we turn to the doctors and God definitely uses them, but even then if His breathe isn’t there, the doctors are helpless. They use machines sometimes to keep people going but those have to be switched off at some point and if life is not restored, the person will not survive. As we go to them for help, we must seek life from He who alone has it to give.

John 11: 25a “Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the life.”

Interestingly, the life God gives does more than keep people living. It is active and fills us with joy. The life is activated on the inside of us and flows out. It releases joy, peace and several other good things that not only make us a delight but delights us and keeps our mind healthy. This God’s life is health to our spirits, souls and bodies. It has been said that a healthy mind is one of the recipes for good health. The problem is that we often forget to also call on Him, alongside doctors or other men, when our minds are troubled. A troubled spirit is sick and so is a troubled mind or body. If our minds are troubled, they are unhealthy and the word of God is the best cure because Jesus Christ, who is the life, is the word. He also is God whose life strengthens our minds when it gives up on itself. He not only heals the mind but keeps it going because He gives life and does so abundantly. If invited, He heals and if the healing is a process, He is also a Balm that softens the pain while the mind is becoming whole. Doctors have confirmed that medicines do not heal the mind, they just make chemical adjustments to the body that they hope will help; but this God’s life heals.

John 10: 10b “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Psalm 16: 11 “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

1 Peter 1: 8b “Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”

Sometimes we turn to other people or things for life for our minds. That is expecting too much from any human who also depends on God for life for their entire being. The most man can do is ignite a fire which leads one to the Source of Life Himself. Of course, the expectation that someone will give us life is bound to be disappointed which leaves one feeling even worse than how they felt initially. Even if it looks like it worked in the immediate, it can never be a long term solution. God’s life which heals the mind is most often transmitted By His Spirit through the spirit of man to His mind. God wants to give fresh life to every mind that needs it and heal every mind that needs healing. Please give Him a chance. Your mind is not too far gone, He can’t restore life to it. He is waiting for you to call on Him.

Change – A Constant In The Kingdom

Over time, I have found that change is one of the things that remain constant in Christianity. We are constantly being transformed: consistently evolving. From the very beginning of our true relationship with God, He begins to change us that He may truly be able to fellowship with us. As one yields oneself to the word of God, the word begins to turn a lot of things in our lives around and the ‘real us’ begins to be expressed. The word won’t allow the real person hide anymore because the ‘real us’ is who God sees and wants to work with. He made that person for His pleasure. This transformation sounds so easy but in reality I would say, it is easy and yet tough. It is tough, not just for the person or persons evolving but also for all those around them. It is a process for all parties affected and one from which they will all benefit. Of course, there will always be those who fight the change because it changes everything for them. Yes! They believe they love you and may be close to you but they are acting in the flesh and unwittingly trying to frustrate their friend’s destiny just like Peter tried to stop Jesus from fulfilling his purpose. It is your responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Mathew 16: 23 “Jesus turned to Peter and said, get away from me, satan! You are a dangerous trap for me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

2 Corinthians 3: 17b “And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from (one degree of) glory to (even more) glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The truth is there is a high price to change for the person changing, yet we must allow God change us. Our God wants us to be like Him. To be like Him is certainly not to physically look like Him since God is a Spirit, but to look like Him in the spirit which is the core of man. Then whatever we are on the inside, will be reflected on the outward. The end product of this transformation work will certainly be beautiful; for our God is so beautiful, He is indescribable. This change is a process because it is in stages which actually makes it more difficult. Just when one thinks they are settled, here comes another exercise and all of these together can be frustrating; so frustrating, it has caused some to fall from the faith. I guess it may have been easier if the change was only in man’s spirit; but it transforms the entire being impacting the soul and body and our wills are not often easy to deal with. The process begins with God’s word taking us apart thereby ensuring that we see ourselves as we are and realize we need to drop certain things, turn away from them and align with God’s Word. No one ever suffers permanent damage for this process; instead it takes us higher from one level of glory to another. In those tough times, before all things become beautiful, we must know for certain that God through the process, is working His eternal purpose and at the end of it all, we will come out beautiful fitting into His picture.

Romans 12: 2 “… be transformed and progressively changed (as you mature spiritually) by the renewing of your mind (focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes)...”

Hebrews 4: 12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our inner most thoughts and desires.”

Though the word of God is not seen, it is active and powerful and as such, does not need man’s help to accomplish His purpose in any life who is yielded to Him and has their eyes fixed on Him. Though we sometimes feel the need to push and prod people to improve on their work with God, I think it just makes us feel like we are doing something because all our pushing does nothing except God’s word does it. To see the written word is to see The living Word – Jesus Christ. To study and meditate on the written Word is to keep one’s eyes on God. Uncomfortable as change is, God demands that we keep changing, getting better and better. If we insist on remaining the same then we cannot be like God. I think we always think the ugliness of the process is an indicator of the finished product so a number of us abort the process. However, it is not so; the result is awesome. So, though we may be afraid of change, we must allow God change us; the benefits are immense.

God Opens Doors: Find Them, and Walk Through Them

I am sure you know the saying “when one door closes, another opens”. It sounds like something people say to make it easier for one to accept that “one door” and probably the only door they have had for a while, is closed. Well, I believe it is true especially for believers in Christ. It is very unusual for a major door to shut for a believer and God not have another door opened. All we need to do is find this new door and walk through it. The problem with some of the doors God opens is that they are often “window size doors” which may be incomparable in size to the ones that shut. As my Pastor would say, “wisdom is to go through the little door that would most likely lead to a much bigger one” which would remain unreachable until one goes through the little door. A number of believers are stuck for looking out for big doors. We often assume God will not open a door smaller than or even same size as the closed one. Unfortunately, it is often not so. Perchance, the journey from the window size door to the big door may expose us to that process we need to keep going forward. My point is “Ignore the size of the door and go through.” Great miracles are born in mangers sometimes.

Ruth 2: 11 & 15 “Boaz replied ‘But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers… when Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her, and pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time.”

Ruth was humble. She started out gleaning like the others but before long, had barley left deliberately for her. What if she hadn’t gone out to glean because it was too low a job for her? Pride, which God opposes anyway, is a major stumbling block to believers. It prevents us in various ways, from enjoying all the goodness God has laid out for us. Sometimes it does this by ensuring we choose the losers package which is often more attractive; God’s best gifts sometimes come in tiny sizes making them too small for “our big egos”. Worse is the fact that it also disconnects between God and us so we are unable to see from God’s perspective or enjoy His grace. This either leads to frustration or discontentment and finally, murmuring and complaining pushing God even further away. Until that wrong attitude of mind is changed, one suffers when God already laid out good which remains unreachable, for pride.  

James 4: 6 “And he gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

I sometimes think it may be easier for successful people to be humble. They should not feel the need to prove any point. I see a lot of people who seem to be going through “temporary difficulties” struggling with pride. They desperately want people to think they are doing great when they really are not. Sadly, very often, the people they think are watching them don’t even see them. They are themselves very busy trying to resolve their issues. Meanwhile, God is ever willing to help if and when we humble ourselves. He will restore us also. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes to get to the top of the next mountain which may be much higher than the last one you were on, it may be compulsory to walk through a valley. Walk in humility and listen out for our Shepherd who guides us through the journey to the next mountain. Too many believers are wandering in the valley who ought to be at the top of a mountain. If Ruth didn’t take the lowly gleaning job, she would never have ended up in the lineage of Jesus Christ and we would not be talking about her today. It was not the most convenient thing but her attitude was right from the

Ecclesiastes 10: 18b “idleness leads to a leaky house.”

Another sad thing is many of us try to anesthetize the pain from the valley experience but it fails. Instead of investing energy in making it less painful, we could leave that to God and invest all our energy in going forward instead. We can’t see clearly or hear correctly when in the valley if we are also focused on making the pain feel better or hiding it from others. Our Shepherd is managing the pain as it should be and if any pain seems outside of His care, He allowed it to build us up for the next level. The shame of returning with nothing made Naomi call herself “bitter”. She already felt “put down” when God had not put her down. She wanted to ‘say it’ before someone else tells her. The truth she had forgotten is that a chain of bad occurrences never determine your life’s destination except you allow that. Only you and God have the power to determine that and God’s plans for us are always good to bring us to a glorious end. 

Mathew 18: 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

He Is Working; You Just Don’t Know How

Today, I am thinking of Naomi and cannot help but be glad that Ruth came into her life. Interestingly, Ruth was not even her own child but we probably would never have heard about her if Ruth did not enter her life. Her own children had all died. They died too early for her to reap the full benefits of having children. However, it was for one of them that Ruth came into her life and I guess this was God’s way of consoling her; no wonder the saying “the replacement is always better than the first”. I wonder if her children would have done all Ruth did for her and even put her in Christ lineage. The thing is, God works in mysterious ways and we must give Him room to do that which He does best. Most of the bible stories are nothing less than fascinating but someone paid the price for us to either be corrected or even encouraged by them. We must learn to wait patiently for God even when it looks hopeless because He is very often working to cause everything to work together for our good.

Hebrews 10: 36 “For you have need of patient endurance (to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising), so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.”

Ruth 1: 20 “Don’t call me Naomi, she responded. Instead, call me Mara, for The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me.”

Naomi had become so bitter at her God that she had decided to alter the course of her destiny, by asking to be called “bitter”, to align it with the events of her life as she saw it then. What she did not realize was that she had enough time left on this side of eternity, for God to change her story and enter her name in this book that will be read as long as earth remains. In her opinion and to all intents and purposes, the best period of her life was over and there was nothing to live for anymore; but God was just beginning. There was no indication of an exciting future for her. She more or less returned home hopeless which is understandable given her circumstance; but she forgot that God is Himself, Life. Naomi must have loved and trusted God at one point otherwise her daughters in law would not have met with and fallen so deeply in love with her God that they wanted to serve Him but tragedies of her life had dulled her love.  Love is obviously more than a feeling; it is a commitment. True love endures all and is long suffering. It takes a commitment to see love through to the end inspite of all.

Revelation 21: 8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshippers, and all lairs-their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I wish God would always move just when we are about to give up but it is not always so. We can’t explain it either. I think it gets more complicated because He doesn’t tell you that He is working on “it”, not does He let you know that it will soon be over. God truly wants us to trust and love Him. Thank God for Ruth who trusted God enough to believe Him to the very end despite everything. It is worthy of note that Naomi went from that woman whose life drew others to God, to the woman who was so disappointed in life and frustrated with God that she complained to the point where she asked everyone to call her “bitter”. This is not unlike us when God seems to be looking the other way as terrible events unfold in lives. Sometimes, they happen so rapidly that it seems like God has set out to destroy one; but it is not so. Not only is He setting such persons up for great good, He is also preparing them to deal wisely in life.

1 Corinthians 10: 13 “The temptations in your life are no different from others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Sadly, complaining and murmuring against God is never a solution; instead it facilitates our disconnection from God. Though complaining may be instinctive sometimes, we must practice self-restraint at times like that seeking help from The Holy Spirit. God is not pleased with complainers and murmurers. Whilst it may not be unusual to get to that point where one is fed up; it is what we do when we get there that is most important. That is the point when one seeks help form The Holy Ghost like never before. Don’t try to do it yourself or in your strength which will fail you: we have no capacity in ourselves to carry the weight of life’s challenges. Life throws very hard punches sometimes and often when we are ill prepared, but God is never caught unawares. One day you will find that you came through it all and you are still standing.

God Already Took Care of It - Our Minds

No doubt, life has changed so much in my own lifetime. The changes are so significant that if I don’t, myself, make a number of changes I probably would not be able to survive. So, life is a lot different now from what it used to be. With all the civilization, what should have been an improvement on our lives appears to be more of a problem. It feels like hell unleashed demons like never before; and much more sophisticated ones too so that all the innovation meant to be a blessing seem to be destroying lives much faster than they are improving them. There is always one demon waiting to use that new idea against humanity. Yet, not one of these has taken God by surprise.

Isaiah 60: 2NKJV “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”

Job 5: 12 – 14 “He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed. He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted. They find it is dark in the daytime and they grope at noon as if it were night.”

Truth is that many believers do not believe that God always knew that all of these would happen. We seem to think the devil takes God by surprise with his every act. Almost like God only starts putting His response together after every satanic attack: but that is not correct and it is sad that we don’t know better. It is sad not only because it belies God’s greatness, but also because that mindset would ensure that we never respond correctly the challenges. There is truly “nothing new under the sun”. God saw it before the beginning of time and already did all that is required to ensure satan is never the victor in any challenge we face. This truth must be real to us so we can live it. Sadly also, we often don’t even care to know Truth; we would rather that God does all the work, fixes the problem and we wake up to the solution. Unfortunately, it is not so. God completed His part, we must do ours. We always have a part to play and God has given us Help in the person of the Holy Ghost who is a very willing Helper.

Proverbs 25: 2 “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the King’s privilege to discover them.”

Ephesians 1: 13 “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

As soon as we get born again, we are sealed with The Holy Spirit so that from the very beginning we have all the help we need to survive in this “tough world”. God immediately goes to work on our minds knowing that in a strange way, we fall or rise in our minds. In giving us The Holy Spirit, God is already working from the very beginning to ensure that our minds are kept very healthy setting the stage for our victory in every difficult situation. He then goes further to let us know how to work with the Holy Ghost so we can enjoy having His help fully. Straight up, one of the first things that happen in us after we get saved is soundness of mind which The Holy Spirit facilitates. Our minds are healed.

2 Timothy 1: 7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.”

 

God knows that a sound mind is required to live a successful life and the devil knows this too so he works assiduously to ruin our minds. The Word of God who is also Jesus Christ, is the biggest healer of the mind. The fact that life throws challenges at us is not surprising; we were warned from before the beginning of time: our challenge is with the health of our minds because that is the determinant of whether or not we will be taken down. God gave us a very healthy mind, we must work to ensure it remains so by ensuring its alignment with God’s truth. This is the real issue – are you allowing your mind that transformation? The world has always been known to have superficial values; but when one gets saved, to desire to retain the superficial values whilst yet seeking to grow in Christ leads would only lead to an unhealthy mind. Keep your mind healthy.

Romans 12: 2 “And do not be conformed to this world (and longer with its superficial values and customs), but be transformed and progressively changed (as you mature spiritually) by the renewing of your mind (focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what the will of God is.

Jesus Christ Ought To Be Lord In Our Minds

It has been a while since I was here and not for the best of reasons. Thank you Pastor Yinka for that video. It helped me adjust my priorities. So, it is all about our minds today. It is now a fact that even believers suffer from medically diagnosed mind related issues. It really bothers me. If I seem a little worried, please bear with me especially since science does not have a solution to these issues which they only manage. It is time to return to The One who keeps our minds healthy and heals troubled minds too. As I write, I have on my mind, blood washed and tongue talking believers who have been delivered from the grip of death and are now enjoying eternal life in Christ Jesus. A people whose minds ought to be given to Jesus Christ and who enjoy the benefits of salvation. Since we are family, we are compelled to tell ourselves truth so that anyone who perchance has been trapped in their minds, may begin to enjoy the liberty that is in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5: 1amp “It was for this freedom that Christ set us free (completely liberating);therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (which you once removed.)

Salvation is much more than our spirit man receiving life. Whilst it is true that our spirit which was dead is made to live again by reason of our redemption, it is just the beginning of a lifelong process that impacts on our lives after we are done on earth. Our spirit is given life by The Spirit of God; that life then impacts our entire being including even our mortal bodies and mind, making major changes to the way we think. The decision to allow this kind of impact in our minds, is ours. It is only to the extent that we are open to the Holy Spirit that He would move in our lives, to change us. The plan of God is for Jesus Christ to take full charge in and of us, so that He is Lord in our lives. As we know, we are spirit, soul and body. The challenge we are often faced with is allowing the Spirit of God take charge of our minds thereby establishing Jesus as Lord at that level. Who or what ever possesses one’s mind is in control of the person notwithstanding the state of the person’s spirit. I have found that in the times that we are in, a lot of believers are very reluctant to allow the Spirit of God possess their minds and for various reasons. Unfortunately, unless or until that happens, the believer only received the power to become a son of God but is not and as such, is unable to exercise the rights.

John 1: 12 “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Romans 8: 14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

Galatians 4: 1 “Think of it this way, if a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.”

I wish it would be correct to say that we struggle with Christ ruling in our minds by His Spirit for very good reasons; but I have found that more often than not, it isn’t. It is often silly reasons like our strong desire to be perceived a certain way. We want to be considered “cool” by the world and yet we want to be believers. Carnality is not godliness. The two run as parallel lines and anyone attempting to merge them will only end up with a “situation”. God’s standard for greatness is not set by the world and vice versa and as we all know, God’s standard is better esteemed. As believers, we must open up our minds to the influence of God’s word working with the Holy Spirit. It is not possible to sincerely spend time with God whether in prayer or study of the Word and not be impacted by the word. Anyone who does these things sincerely will never remain the same as long as they are open to God. Indeed one of the things that would happen is strength will be released in such persons that enable them eject ungodly thoughts and ideas. Our “inner man” is as strengthened or weak as we allow. To strengthen one’s mind with the word of God increases His presence in us and darkness has no choice but to leave. It is always our decision and as often as we make decisions that align with God, we have a ready helper who will helps us ensure that we win.

Romans 8: 6 “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

Ephesians 3: 16 – 17 “I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

2 Timothy 1: 7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (he has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.)”

Infact to deny Jesus ruler ship at this level of our being, is to reject Him and it won’t be long before a contrary spirit takes over. In truth, no matter how much we would like to lie to ourselves, no one is in charge of their own life. It is either God or satan; our best option is Jesus who is God. It is time to be deliberate about who we hand over authority over our minds to. It is one thing to “give our lives to Christ” and another to ensure that He is in charge of our minds. When Jesus is in charge, His Spirit is in control and strengthens us from deep within. He doesn’t make us timid and/or weak in our minds but He gives strength on the inside and soundness of mind. It is impossible for any mind yielded to Him to be emotional troubled. He doesn’t need help to heal a troubled mind; He is Himself, the healer. If only we would yield to Him.

Managing Success – Attitude

I checked the English dictionary for the word “attitude” and the Oxford dictionary describes it as “a settled way of thinking”. Of course, a way of thinking is always a matter of choice; one has to choose to settle in it. I honestly do not know if success by itself really impacts on our attitude or it just exposes what is already there, as I am inclined to believe. I believe very much that people with bad attitude are often exposed when success happens because success gives an unreal kind of confidence that makes one feel like they can do whatever they feel like doing and get away with it. It is often a previously settled way of thinking regarding life that is exposed when one begins to walk in this promised life; but an attitude which we can allow the Word of God alter. What is interesting is that we are sometimes a little hasty so we perceive ourselves as successful just a little before the success and then expose our ugly mindset a little too early. This has cost some dearly. One of the principal things God desires for us is that we allow His word alter our thoughts, attitudes and/or perception of life so that our settled way thoughts or attitude on anything would be based on His Word but we struggle with that.

 

Romans 12: 2a “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

The problem with having the wrong attitude of mind is that it can truncate one’s success story. Naturally, life throws things at us that may attempt to bring us down but at the end of the day, they fail except we allow them. There are times in the life of the believer when it seems like the devil has succeeded in bringing them down but it not so: it is instead an experience allowed by God to further lift the believer. Therein lies the unexplainable wisdom of The God whose thoughts are far from ours. Whilst it is true that the devil works assiduously to destroy the believer, what is even more true is that he fails as often as he does; but the one enemy who can bring the believer down easily is the enemy within and bad attitude is one such enemy hence God in His wisdom counsels that we see through His eyes which is through His word, that we may succeed and remain successful notwithstanding what we may be going through. Success does not mean we won’t “go through” challenges but we will always “come through” and God will be in it all with us.

Psalm 23: 4 “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”

Isaiah 55: 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says The Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Saul, unlike David, saw office and power as something to be grabbed or hold on to. David understood that it was given to him freely by The One who had the authority to give it to any who He chose to give it to and so He sort to please The Owner instead of grabbing power. Anytime we forget that we are not self-made, we get carried away and our attitude becomes very offensive. If we must be successful consistently and in increasing measures, then we must watch our attitude and ensure that it aligns we the thoughts of Him from whom all success comes. Nothing is worth holding unto except our faith in God through Jesus Christ his son. Our “attitude” or perception toward anything in life is always a reflection of our relationship with God. It doesn’t matter how spiritual or godly we may think we are, our true state is always displayed in our attitude. Our interpretation of any situation or circumstance is always impacted by our belief system. If for example one thinks of themselves as “more equal than others” then there is certainly a problem with their relationship with God. Isaac was so well taught that even after his father died and the Philistines kept striving with him over wells he dug, he just left them and dug another. His attitude toward “things” was right and God blessed him. We must fill our minds with the right things that we may think the right thoughts. This also has to do with the people we “hang out with.” We have to be deliberate about choosing the right company. Jesus Christ had the right attitude of mind even before He came down to earth and remains successful even today.

Philippians 2: 6 “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.”

MANAGING SUCCESS – JESUS, NOT SUCCESS, MUST BE LORD

True success is from God; and through He whom all things are made and in whom they all consist – Jesus Christ.  This is the lasting, all-encompassing success which does not come with sorrow. God is the only source of true success. I am by no means suggesting that a successful person is one who doesn’t face challenges; but God is not only with every such person through every challenge but also brings them through to a better place and causes every experience to work good for them. Life will always throw challenges but God’s people come through. One of the most important things in life is to have a knowing that we own nothing. We came into this world with nothing and will leave everything behind when we leave so success is not success until it facilitates our success in eternity. The life we live here must prepare us to live a good life hereafter so we do not want success by all means because we know that the end does not justify the means; true success begins with the means. It is of utmost importance that we all as believers are very mindful of this truth. The assumption that “the means” isn’t so important is a fallacy that is weakening the church at least in my Country, making us less impactful. It would appear that our “means” have left us very handicapped.

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

Psalm 23: 4 “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

If we understand that success is from God, then we would not struggle to hold unto to it. It is needless and vain to wickedly fight to hold unto or perpetuate it down family line. Some believers get so desperate to perpetuate success down their family lines, they wreck the lives of their children and still end up unable to do so. The only way to achieve this with God given success is to ensure that one passes down the very same principles that got you there; those are the most important things. Everything that comes from God starts from the spiritual. We must do all to ensure that our success is not allowed to compromise our relationship with God because it has a way of taking on its own life and attempting to mislead the successful. Sometimes, it is wise to write down the things we must not forget to do before we get there especially since we know that success is definitely our portion. The earlier we make decisions regarding what must not be compromised, the better for us. That way, success is tamed and will fail when it attempts to take on a life of its own. It is so easy to forget the basic things that took us there when success is allowed to take charge. We must be controlled in all things.

Hebrews 11: 3b “what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

Proverbs 16: 25 “There is a path before each person that seems right but it ends in death.”

King Saul is for us, an example of a man who was misled by success. He did not start out hungry for power. Infact he was shy initially and even hid himself when he was elected at the general assembly: but after success, which he did not earn because it was purely a gift from God, he changed. He was so drowned by it that he even wanted to kill to ensure that his son became king after him. Such is the craftiness of untamed success and this could be some of the problem of today’s church in my Country. Could it be that success has craftily led us away from God and we don’t know it? Could it be that we moved away from Him so much that “the philistines” seem to be taking over land? Could it be that success met us ill prepared and as a result is drowning us? From what we see in the bible, sometimes our inability to deal and/or destroy the enemy is not so much for their strength but for our own weakness. Separation from God weakens the believer. We may not have carried our success well. Pride in anyone or form is terrible. Just as it does evil to the poor, it does even greater evil to the successful. How so presumptuous to assume that your son will be king just because He made you king. Pride does not lift anyone up. It just creates a false sense of lifting. All promotion comes from God who is also able to put down.

Psalms 75: 7 “It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.”

MANAGING SUCCESS – THE POWER OF OUR THOUGHTS

Our mindset is a major player in managing success. It is therefore important that we check our hearts frequently to ensure that the things hidden therein are not only appropriate, but also what we intend to store. They must be right thoughts; right because they align with the word of God. It is true though, that the enemy often suggest thoughts to us which must not be retained hence the need to check our hearts frequently so that we can very quickly identify, expunge and replace such thoughts with the right one. Just expunging wrong thoughts is not enough, we must be deliberate about having them replaced with the right thoughts. It is our job to ensure that we are always in control of what we think on; no one can do it for us. It is easy to assume that it is okay to think any thoughts since no one sees them but not only is that wrong because God sees them, but we also are the product of what we think on. At the end of the day, our thoughts are made manifest in our actions. They are not hidden even from man, forever. So we must be deliberate about ensuring that our thoughts concerning every issue are thoughts that will do us good and not bring us to shame or cause us to act disgracefully. Many believers have failed just because they thought of themselves a little higher than they should have.

Philippians 4: 8 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about the things that are excellent and worthy.”

Psalm 119: 9 “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.”

Romans 12: 3 “…I give each of you this warning: Don’t think of you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

It is of utmost importance that we do not wait until we become “successful” to begin to give great consideration to who we chose to be and how we desire to carry ourselves. Without a doubt, there is enough convincing revelation today that we are destined for greatness, so that success should not take us by surprise. We must therefore be prepared for it. It may be too late or cost much more to learn to manage success when you're already there. It is wise to cultivate the right attitude of mind whilst on the path to it so that what God meant for good to us remains so. We must bear in mind that all good and perfect gifts, including success, come from God. No doubt our participation is required for our God given blessings so I am by no means suggesting that we be lazy; but God sets the stage, empowers us to do what is required and then breathes upon that which we have done to make it successful. Just knowing this makes us a little more balanced helping to ensure that we return the glory to whom it rightly belongs - God. Of course there is always the other voice which always suggest that we take the glory but if we prepared our minds already, we will not be deceived or lured away by that voice. The gift actually belongs to the one who originated it and we are but stewards who will be required to give an account for the way we managed the gift. If we always remember that we are only stewards for the success, we will most likely deal correctly.

James 1: 12 “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father”

It is not wise to expend energy guarding all we have which we can never really guard. The Giver of all good gifts is the best watch man and is able to keep all that is committed to Him. We must do our part and then, let Him do His which leaves us with more strength enabling us to effectively guard our hearts which is our job to do. There is a real need for us to guard our hearts, even from ourselves, because our hearts truly determine the course of our hearts. Even our own thoughts may not be really helpful because our minds have the capacity for more evil than we know. Our propensity for evil is only tamed by the Word of God hence the need to store God’s word in our minds and think on them. What we allow to feed us will eventually determine how we end up with the success. God wants us to enjoy all the success that comes from Him so we must do all that enables us do that.

Jeremiah 17: 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is.”

Proverbs 4: 23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

MANAGING SUCCESS – THE BANE OF MANY A BELIEVER

3 John 2AMP “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health (physically), just as (I know) your health prospers (spiritually)

 

There is no doubt that every believer is called to be successful. That one ultimately fails or succeeds in life has nothing to do with God anymore because He has equipped or endowed us with all we need to succeed. Let me say, that success means many different things to different people. If however, we go by the scripture above, then it involves every area of our lives. So we are certain that God’s plan is that we prosper in every area of life. It is therefore surprising to find that success is one of the things we struggle with as believers; well, in my own area of the world. Meanwhile, it should be one of those things we walk into easily and remain well grounded. In my opinion, it is a major struggle both with the highest of believers or the smallest amongst us. It is almost as though we never thought it would happen so we live unprepared for it. It is becoming so consistent for believers to handle success badly around here that it is beginning to look like when the devil realizes he can’t stop one from succeeding, he waits for you to succeed and watches for when (i.e. if) one gets so deceived that they are lured out of the will of God. It is so easy to point at people who are failing but the struggle is real and we must bring an awareness to this seeming reality so that we better prepare ourselves for that eventuality. If God’s word is real as we know that it is it, we shall all have good success.

James 1: 14 “Temptation comes from our own desires which entices us and drag us away.”

Romans 12: 3 “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning. Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

I recall that I once heard Bishop Jakes talk about how tough it is managing success well; it was indeed an opener. As I pondered on that sermon, it became even clearer to me that since success is bound to happen to believers, we should prepare for it as we prepare for every other thing that we expect to happen to us. We do all sorts of things including making financial investments just preparing for what we often refer to as “the rainy day” which we don’t really hope for, so we ought to be deliberate about preparing ourselves for success. It is very interesting to note that success as with several other things, can be deceptive otherwise, Adam and Eve, who in my opinion are the ultimate of success, would not have fallen for the trick of the enemy. They had everything they needed and more yet they were lured away by the desire for greater success. Surely, God never meant for us to be drowned in the success so there must be a few things we could do better. Please note that success here is not limited to money, success is success even if it is “success as a preacher” which is particularly interesting because the work is in truth, done by the Holy Spirit but if we are misled, we tend of think of ourselves a little higher than we should.

Ecclesiastes 5: 19 “And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life-this is indeed a gift from God,”

Ecclesiastes 1: 9 - 10 “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say ‘here is something new! But actually it is old, nothing is ever truly new.

In preparing ourselves, we have a host of witness, even in the bible, to look to. Some who failed because they were successful; and others who remained successful to the end. Maybe also those who never succeeded; perchance we may learn from them, some things we should never do. We shall together look at some such people from the scriptures in the next few blogs. Please remember, there is no height of success that has never been experienced before now. Whatever we see today, was; and will also be. There is indeed nothing new under the sun so we really ought to be calm but more often than not, we aren’t. Also, if we truly believe that all we are and have belong to God, which is something we say often, then it is easy to remain unmoved by all that God allows us enjoy because we are well aware of the fact that we remain stewards because we own nothing. Of course, a good steward is first partaker of the fruits but they don’t get carried away with them. The effort that God puts into preparing us to be good stewards for all He places in our care reveals the importance He attaches to good stewardship. It is important that we do not fail.

Jesus Christ - The Health Of Our Countenance!

Jeremiah 8: 22 “Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?

I found out recently that a number of people there are who believe that once saved, nothing bad should come their way. It is their firm belief that God keeps everything bad from believers so that their lives should be some form of a dream in which everything goes the way it ought to. For such people, if anything goes in a direction they think it shouldn’t or out of the script they wrote for themselves (God’s will notwithstanding), it would mean that something bad which is capable of negatively impacting them forever has happened. Such people are hit very hard when faced with challenges. They struggle with processing difficult moments because they don’t even know how to turn it over to God since they made up their minds that bad things should not be happening to them “in Christ”. They become bitter and disappointed in or frustrated at God and refuse to accept that they need to adjust their expectations making it better aligned with the word of God. This is a real problem amongst us and some of the reasons the number of depressed believers is increasing. If we don’t deal with this now, we will shortly start having problems of great proportions which we don’t need.

Psalm 43: 5 “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my Savior and my God.”

I understand that there are some things we don’t like to talk about and even more so in Africa where I reside. Some believers will not even mention a challenging physical health problem because they are convinced that to be sick suggests their relationship with God is not as it should be and they would hate for people to even think so because everyone wants to be seen as having the best relationship with God, reality not withstanding. With mental health, it is even worse. Whilst it is true that we ought not to suffer from these things especially mental health challenges, we do and God knew that we would so He already made provision for our healing as well as tell us how we can prevent it from happening: and all of this is hidden in His word. If heaven has not judged anyone disgusting for any illness, then there is no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed by a health situation; even more so when it is a resolvable one. These things would definitely be easier to deal with if we allow ourselves to be to one another, what and who we ought to be.  Life is full of highs and lows so we somehow need one another from time to time and to varying extents. God made it so for reasons He understand perfectly. If it was not best for us, I am certain He would have found a way to fix it.

Jeremiah 8: 8 – 9 “How can you say, we are wise because we have the word of the Lord. When your teachers have twisted it by writing lies? These wise teachers will fall into the trap pf their own foolishness, for they rejected the word of the Lord.”

Jeremiah 8: 10b – 12a “… yes even my prophets and priests are like that. They are all frauds. They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all-they don’t even know how to blush!”

Interestingly, the one place we have difficulties turning to for help in challenging times is the very place we don’t turn to - The Word of God. This is truth that most of us know yet we won’t turn look in God’s word because it seems too ordinary to deal with such huge problems. Also, it won’t talk to us like as a man would so we don’t see God revealed in it and consequently, do not see the power in it too. We would rather turn to men because it feels easier and more often than not, we are looking to the men to do something which God only can do. Meanwhile, these men dare not point us to God because we will consider them failures without “power or anointing” so a number of them would step into God’s place and try to do what they certainly cannot do so that the end is futility whilst more and more believers lose their minds. We must accept our reality which is that we have a God who though is not physically identifiable yet His existence is confirm by the nature and all that He made including man. I know that it is tough for us to trust one whom we don’t even see but it is what we have to do. To be a Christ follower, we must believe that “He is” and that we must do, even in the face of all that the world throws at us. We must tell ourselves the truth about our very selfish expectations. It is time to manage them differently.

Jeremiah 46: 11 – 12 “Go up to Gilead to get medicine, O virgin daughter of Egypt! But your many treatments will bring you no healing.”

Jeremiah 30: 17 “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says The Lord.”

It is indeed a wonderful thing to have a God like ours at a time like this - an ever present God. Christ presence in any life is a privilege with great benefits; but only those who access these benefits will enjoy them. To do that, we have to give ourselves to studying the word and with open minds because The Word we read is not enough, it is the word we let into our lives that makes a difference.  In these perilous times, there is nothing we need more than God’s word; for therein is our strength. Every Word we understand or is revealed to us, is accompanied with power to do what the word says because He who reveals The Word, will always make available, the power to do the word. The darker the world gets, the more we need Jesus Christ the Son of God (The Word of God) who will guide our decision making so that we are able to make decisions that further facilitate the enforcing of our victory.  We cannot afford to let life determine our stability; our God alone will be allowed to do that.

Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Job – A Life Filled With Lessons For Every Believer PT 2

I was listening to a sermon online recently where the preacher, Bishop TD Jakes, asked this question “are you willing to suffer a little to get to the next level?” My answer was, I am not. I love “the next level” which is like a cliché amongst believers where I live and about which we get excited even when we remain on the same level. Going to the “next level” is an enduring dream for believers around here. This should not be strange though, since the bible talks about us going from glory to glory, shining brighter and brighter and so on; consequently, there is no doubt that God’s working in our lives is not only continuous but takes us higher and higher. He doesn’t start and complete everything He promised us in one day. So, we are consistently getting better in every area of life. We should therefore be making quantifiable progress in every area of life. So that people can see and testify to God’s goodness in our lives. I am convinced, that with God, there is always an outward evidence of any development going on inside of us. God wants men to see it and give Him glory. Of course, not often from the very beginning because there is always the period when “God is digging downward in us ensuring that our roots go even deeper; deep enough to carry the next level of His goodness. At this stage, there is no outward display so God is working “secretly” to facilitate our readiness.

 

3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health (physically), just as (I know) your soul prospers (spiritually).

So the problem is not with the next level, we love God’s next level, it is always with God’s method of getting us there which is made worse by the fact that He does not warn people around us to pay attention to what they say about what we may be going through because He is the one at work. So whilst one is dealing with the pain and inner turmoil, they also deal with lying tongues, strange counsel and scornful looks which are all part of satan’s package to ensure that one aborts the process. He knows that if he succeeds with getting one to abort the process, he has succeeded in facilitating their separation from God unto sorrow or depression and loneliness. Job was obviously a man greatly blessed of God who was sensitive to God’s methods and did not want to have any of those painful experiences so, he ensured that he had no sin at and that his children’s sins were also forgiven. He was so careful that he covered sins that may be committed. He definitely did not want to offend God preferring to avoid the painful experiences which he had assumed were only a product of sin not realizing that at a certain level, one was bound to have those experiences; those ones that make one wonder if God is still with them.

2 Corinthians 4: 17 – 18 “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we see now; we fix our gaze n things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

James 1: 2 “…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

We are aware that God does not do evil. So we know that these experiences are instigated by our enemy, satan, who hopes to destroy us via the experience but God who knows that the victory is won and we are well equipped to enforce it coming through the experiences to “ a wealthy place” just like Job did. Job went through what may have seemed like the worst of the worst but he came out to a very wealthy place. Jesus Christ, when He died, seemed like a lost case because he was even buried; yet He came up again. The joke is always on the enemy who expects us to drown in his river of pain but again and again we keep surviving. Job thought his end had come but it was just an inconvenience that preceded another level of joy. Whilst we obviously may not like the suffering, it happens and often without warning. I believe very firmly that God bears with us at times like this knowing how tough it is for us, but we must be careful not to ruin everything with our words. As God watches over us closely, providing all the needed support in these tough times, He steps in like He did for Job, just when think it is all taking a turn for the worst. Until we go to glory, there will always be a next level and God’s plan is for us to get there. It will be sad if a believer lived their entire life only talking about the next level whilst remaining on the same level. Much as we hate the pain often associated with going on to the next level, our desire to keep going higher must outweigh the hate. Unlike Job who in his difficulty did not know he would come through, God has done more than enough to let us know that we would; and that the joy which awaits us outweighs the pain and glory will be returned to God who deserves it all.

James 1: 12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will received the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”