Tag: Jesus

Success and Transformation Require Mindset Change

Transformation and success will not happen without the change of mindset. Fear, hate, anger, and violence will continue to be the bane of your existence until you renew your mental attitude.

Without the change of mindset, we will continue to do what we do and will continue to get the same results. And we will continue to wallow in poverty and ignorance. We will continue to live in mediocrity, believing and wallowing in inferiority and thinking we cannot achieve great heights.

The belief that an individual can overcome challenges and do the impossible led to the invention of the airplane.

Belief makes all things possible (Mark 9:23). Belief enabled man to fly to the moon. Unless you renew your mindset, your miracles will not happen.

Do you not notice the harm, the unrest, the chaos that anger and violence are causing?

The imaginations of the thoughts of the hearts of people are evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Perversity has taken control of people’s hearts, and few people can be truthful, tolerant, and forgiving. The situation will change only when there is a change of mindset.

People are becoming more skeptical each day. Even religious people, including Christians, are becoming agnostics on matters of faith and God.

Anger has become the bane of our social lives. The political landscape is violent and full of untruths. Propaganda holds sway in most political discourses. And negative attitudes are destroying the fabric of our societies. Unforgiveness is destroying the conscience of many people. Even some Christians are caught in the web, and most are reluctant to forgive wrongs.

Mindset is the power of self-realization and self-esteem. Our mental attitudes decide how we perceive things, how we believe in ourselves, and how we respond to challenges.

The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive, can challenge his or her crippled legs to climb the ladder of success and achieve results. The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive can challenge himself or herself to learn to paint with his or her mouth, despite having no hands. The visually impaired who has a strong and healthy mindset will not throw his or her hands up in despair but will forge ahead in the quest to become successful despite physical challenges. There will be no limitations. Our mental attitude towards life can make us do things that people will marvel. Either positively or negatively.

Jessica Cox was born with no arms, but she trained to become the world’s first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless back-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. She graduated in psychology and a minor in communications, drives a car without modifications, and has a scuba certification. According to Wikipedia, she has not used prosthetic arms since she turned 14.

She was in Ghana for a four-day motivational seminar in October 2011. The theme of her motivational seminar was “Just As You Are, Arise and Do Something.” Note that she was born without arms. Yet she is successful in many aspects of life while many people who have arms are languishing in poverty and begging for aid.

Neuroscience buttresses the statements in Ephesians 4:22-32 and Romans 12:2 that we can renew the spirit of our mind and transform ourselves to reach the best in life. We can learn to control our minds or develop our minds and achieve higher aspirations. Therefore, Ephesians 4:23-24 encourages us to change our mindset by renewing the spirit of our mind and become a new, or a transformed, personality.

You don’t have to remain mediocre in life. The Bible explains that God’s Spirit helps to transform our spirits and enables us to live in newness of life (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2).

Per neuroscience our behaviors are developed through repeated actions. Repeating an action will ingrain it in the brain to become a habit, or a characteristic. Furthermore, we deal with anger by controlling it. And we learn to control our anger by delaying action. Therefore, by repeating the action, we form the habit of controlling the anger.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32; NKJV)

Some people have the innate desire for evil. And when they are in positions of authority, they misuse their power and brutalize suspects in their custody. Some police and military personnel use torture to make suspects confess to crimes. That is not right. For even if suspects are guilty, the use of torture can erode the credibility of the confession.

Personally, I find it hard to believe confessions that are obtained through torture. Because people may confess when they can’t endure the pain.

The Bible exhorts us to be renewed in the spirit of the mind and learn to do what is right.

Don’t be upset when you fail in a venture or enterprise. Try again and you will succeed. Put your faith into action, and you will reach the height you envisage. It might take you longer to reach success because of the lack of financial resources. But remember that though the snail crawls slowly it gets to its destination.

Though money makes success easy, yet without money, you can still achieve success. If you have faith, time, good health, and determination you can also reach the top of the mountain. Others may have the means to fly easily and quickly to the top of the mountain, while you may not have the means to fly. However, you have faith, time, health, determination, and vision. Let your vision light your path to success.

No matter how big the project is, or how far out of sight it might appear, if you work step by step, you will reach your goal – your success. You may not have enough funds for the project, but you can still achieve your aim by working and saving a little at a time. Though it may take longer for you to reach the pinnacle of success, you will eventually get there.

Julia Carney wrote in her poem, Little Things, or Little Drops of Water, about how each effort matters, however little. Every little thing can change the situation, or even change the world.

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land. And the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. So, our little errors Lead the Soul away, From the paths of virtue, Far in sin to stray. Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above.” (Julia A.F. Carney’s Poem, Little Drops of Water).

I like the proverb that says, “You can eat a whole elephant if you take a bite at a time.” A daunting task can be done by taking a little at a time. You can eventually raise the money for your investment when you save a little at a time. So, eat that elephant by taking a bite at a time.

Have a change of mindset and press on toward the prize – your success – your goal. You will reach the goal if you persevere (Philippians 3:13-15).

Years that pass may redefine your vision into a new or different one. But your vision to be successful should not die.

Your spouse might have forsaken you, and friends may not believe that you can make it. Your resources may not be adequate. But you still have time, hands, legs, determination, and health. Your hard work, perseverance and hope will take you to your goal. Have a strong mental attitude and you will get there.

Life will not smile at you when you are striving to reach the top of the ladder. But don’t be angry when things do not go the way you want. Anger will not solve your problems.

You may be physically challenged, or you may lack resources. These can slow you down, but they should not stop you from reaching your goal. Do what is right, leave the rest to God, and all will be well.

It may take years to reach your goal, and the going will be tough and unpleasant. But God will see you through. Have the mindset to believe that no matter how poor you are, how young or old you are, whether you are male or female, God destined you to be a success in life. You can eat that elephant (poverty, illness, or whatever the challenge is). Just take a bite at a time. It might take a long time to finish eating it, but you will finish eating it if you don’t lose hope and if you don’t give up.

God was with the Children of Israel in the wilderness journey. Yet that did not stop enemies and the Devil from attacking them. They faced many challenges. There were times they did not get water to drink, or the water was bitter. But amid the challenges, God performed miracles.

The night may be very long and lonely. But if you live an honest life before God, Jesus will always be by your side and guide you. God searches our hearts and gives us what we deserve (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:6).

Don’t lose hope when help is delayed. It may take some time before your desire materializes. But “if you can believe, all things are possible…” (Mark 9:23). Be patient when learning perseverance. You won’t achieve success at a go. You must practice and repeat the actions till your mind and your body accept the new information you are feeding your mind.

Remember that you must take a step at a time. Repeat the actions until your mind accepts them. Whatever you are doing will need time. Initial stages are not pleasant. You might not see success at once. But if you practice your beliefs, your mind and body will gradually learn to adapt, and the rest of the journey, including the spiritual, will become easy.

It becomes easier as you continue working or practicing. The easier it becomes, the more flexible it becomes for the body to get used to.

Your brain adapts or changes in response to what you feed it. It reorganizes its structure or functions, as new information is fed into it. Therefore, Ephesians 4:22-24 instructs us to shed off our former conduct or way of behavior, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, by feeding the mind with new information on action or behaviors. In Ephesians 4:25-32, we are told to discard the negative behaviors and replace them with positive ones.

Practice, they say, makes perfect. Just as constant practice gives you dexterity in playing a sport, or in what you do, so also deliberate repetitions and practices are needed for new habits to become habitual and automatic. Therefore, Ephesians 4:28-32 tells us to feed the brain or the mind with positive thoughts of actions. The positive thoughts will stimulate positive actions. What we feed the mind is what will be acted on.

And so, as most people continue to feed on evil thoughts, so evil acts continue to engulf the world (Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 6:14; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-22).

No matter your age, you can change or learn a new attitude or habit. In Romans 12:2 we are encouraged to be transformed by the renewing of our minds to know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God so that we can practice and become new or transformed persons. Discard the old conduct and put on the new nature (Colossians 3:5-10).

You can achieve the height you aspire. Age is not a barrier. Joseph was 17 when he had the vision to become great. His family considered him too young (Genesis 37). But God proved Joseph right. He took Joseph out of prison, promoted him to be second to Pharaoh in Egypt, and used him to save the world from famine.

David was also considered by his family as fit only to tend sheep, but God anointed him to be King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:11-13). Moses was 80 years old when God commissioned him to lead the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. And he led them 40 years.

It is not only in the Bible that age does not pose a barrier. George Mueller, at 70, and resigning from the orphanage, embarked on a worldwide missionary tour. For 17 years he visited 42 countries until he was 87. He died at age 92. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She started painting seriously at the age of 78 when arthritis made her unable to embroider. She was a self-taught artist. Some of her works have sold as much as $1,360,000.

Neuroscience tells us that the brain can rewire itself and enable us to reframe our mindset. The ideas (or thoughts) we feed our brain change our mindset. If you feed your brain with thoughts of patience, endurance, perseverance, love, and goodness, your mindset will change and adapt to those behavioral thoughts. You will be renewing your mental attitude, or the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:22), to be conformed to the will of God (Romans 12:2).

What your mind accepts will become beliefs. If beliefs grow, faith increases. The mind adapts to the new thought patterns or behaviors you feed your brain. Your behavior changes or reshapes to the new patterns as you act on your beliefs.

God’s spirit activates his power in your spirit (Acts 1:8), enabling you to achieve your aims (Acts 2:4; Mark 16:17; Acts 19:6). And your actions lead to achievements.

God’s Spirit becomes your teacher and leads you into the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:12). God, who knows the mind of his Spirit, knows what you want because of God’s indwelling Spirit. Moreover, the Spirit makes intercession according to God’s will (Romans 8:27).

God who gives you the vision of what you can and should be, knows and understands your vision, even when other people do not understand. It is your vision. No one can understand it as you do, and no one else can have the passion for your vision more than you.

Alas, many will  read or hear this message but only a few will practice it. Many Christians believe and wish, but only a few actualize the power of the Holy Spirit. It is time to arise and actuate the power given to us by Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

God believes in you. Press on to success.

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Nothing can stop you from reaching success if your mind is decided

Failure can be reversed, so don’t let it make you angry. Keep pushing forward towards success.

Some people are upset when they fail in a venture or enterprise. A failure should not mean the end of a venture or enterprise. You can try again and succeed in later attempts.

Nothing can stop you from reaching success if your mind is decided. God defined your destiny before he formed you in your mother’s womb. If you put your faith into action, you will reach the height you envisaged. Despite the hard knocks of life, you can climb the ladder to success. It might take a long time for you to get there because of the lack of finances or some physical conditions you might have. But you will surely get there, even if you must crawl.

Do not stop even when circumstances make you crawl. Keep moving till you reach your goal. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26; ESV) Faith will keep you going.

If you believe in your vision, you will work assiduously to make it happen. And God will be by you to confirm his word. (Mark 16:20; Acts 14:3)

Determination and perseverance will decide how you succeed or fail.

Thomas Edison made thousands of attempts when working on the light bulb. Later a journalist asked him how he felt when he failed a thousand times. Edison replied he did not fail a thousand times. Those were 1,000 ways he learned would not work. He said, “The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Thomas Edison was not upset anytime an attempt proved wrong. He did not lose face. He knew he could try as many times as possible until he got it right. And he did.

In Genesis 4:6-7 we read,

“The LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.’” (ESV)

Cain and Abel were two brothers who presented offerings to God. God respected Abel and his offering but rejected Cain’s offering. Cain was not happy and was angry with his brother. But God told him that he was wrong to be angry or upset. If he did what was right his offering would be accepted.

The bottom line was that Cain did not do what was right to receive a favorable response from God. But instead of addressing the issue, Cain vented his anger on his brother Abel.

It was not Abel who rejected Cain’s offering. God rejected the offering. Therefore, Cain should have directed his anger to God. But he misdirected his anger and vented his anger on Abel.

God told Cain he was wrong to vent his anger on his brother. Besides, he wasn’t even right to be angry at all. God would have responded favorably to him and accepted his offering if he did the right thing. When Thomas Edison made corrections, he eventually got the light bulb right.

Many people express their anger wrongly and aggressively and hurt (mostly) innocent people.

Anger is an emotional response to threats. We may use anger as a defense when attacked, insulted, or mistreated. Some people, however, do not use anger rightly. Like Cain was angry with his brother.

Lack can make some people angry. Lack of money limits people’s ability to do what they want. And some people are angry when they can’t get what they want. Lack of confidence can also make a person believe that he or she cannot achieve his or her ambitions. This may also make some people who think they are stuck in their hole angry and bitter. And make them envy those who are successful.

Certainly, money makes success easy. However, without money, you can still achieve success. Otherwise, we would not hear stories of people rising from “rags to riches.”

You may lack funds now to execute your project or business. That doesn’t mean your vision should perish. It is a temporary failure, not a permanent one.

Have faith in God. You can put it on the back burner for a while. Not because it has lost its importance, but because of the lack of funds. It could take months, and sometimes even years before you might come back to it. But no matter how long it takes, you will come out someday and shine.

Just don’t give up. Your present lack of funds should not be the demise of your vision. Consider it a temporary setback and keep it on the back burner until you can raise funds to continue the project. But your vision stays. A genuine vision should not die. Years that pass may refine, or even redefine it into a new or different project. But the vision should not die. Genuine visions do not die easily.

Violent people express their anger through aggressive behaviors. Non-violent people, on the other hand, control their anger and are non-aggressive when they express their anger. Though they may not like what is done to them, or said about them, they have control over their emotions and so can express their anger without being violent.

Some people become volatile when they are upset. When they don’t achieve a purpose, they lose face, and in their anger, they hurl invectives. They resort to incendiary rhetoric to even the scores or make others feel as bad as they feel. Even those who did not cause their problem are not spared.

Incendiary remarks are the fuel that ignites conflicts. The remarks act like petrol on fire and make the fires of hate and conflict burn intensely.

In their efforts to prove their religions superior, some religious advocates use inflammatory remarks on people who hold contrary views. Some politicians also spew out invectives at each other on radio and television.

Jesus taught us not to be antagonistic or inflammatory.

We can always try again whenever we do not achieve the results. If there are corrections to be made, make them, and try again.

Certain places are notorious for conflicts and are regarded as flash points. Unfortunately, people in such areas use inflammatory speeches instead of toning down their discussions.

Religious militants display confrontational attitudes when advocating their religious doctrines. They are angry and violent when people don’t accept their doctrines. Instead of using persuasive and intelligent discourse, they spew out vituperations against other religions.

Attacking the beliefs of your opponent is not peaceful dialogue. You are pouring fuel onto a fire. And you make people dislike you when you do that.

John Locke, writing in 1689, asserts that, “… true and saving religion consists in the inward persuasion of the mind, without which nothing can be acceptable to God.” And that, “Confiscation of estate, imprisonment, torments,” can never really make people “change the inward judgment that they have framed of things,” (unquote… from “A Letter Concerning Toleration,” page 20, published in Buffalo, New York by Prometheus Books, 1990).

Do Not Use Compulsion.

Religious militants believe that polemics is the right way to prove their religions as the best. They insult and attack other people’s beliefs.

Discuss the essence of your religious beliefs convincingly.

Some people do not know how to present their views convincingly, and so resort to insults. They use physical violence to compel people to accept what they are offering.

Christians, however, have been recommended to emulate Jesus in convincing their listeners. Jesus was not antagonistic and was not violent. He was peaceful. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

As you believe in your opinions and religion so also your opponent believes in his or her opinions and religion. Using force will not make your opponent understand your views. Use persuasion and logic to convince your listeners.

Jesus used logic, wisdom, persuasion, and love to make the Samaritan woman listen to him (John 4:6-42). Paul used the same method when he spoke to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at the Areopagus (or Mar’s Hill – Acts 17:22-34). Though some mocked him, many believed him. You may not win all, but you will win some. Those who could not understand his resurrection statement told him he could come again another day to explain that.

You may have the truth, but listeners will not be convinced if you cannot articulate your message wisely. Religious militants and politicians who cannot articulate their views convincingly resort to lies and vituperations. They use violence and aggression to force people to obey or accept.

When politicians use provocative words against their opposers they argue that they are exercising their rights and freedom of speech. Freedom of speech, or the right to free speech does not mean one should use insulting language to express one’s views or disagreements. Use persuasion to speak to the minds of listeners. That will help them to make informed decisions. And they won’t feel they have been coerced to accept your views.

Persuasion, however, must be sincere, without manipulation. You must be able to explain the sincerity of your beliefs.

Anger is a normal emotion that we can use to stop people from doing wrong. Anger becomes a problem and abnormal when it gets out of control and turns violent. Then it becomes destructive.

Do not be angry if things do not go the way you want. Anger by itself does not solve problems. God told Cain, “If you do well you shall be accepted.”

Do not use anger as an excuse to hit a fellow human. Always express your anger positively. Talk about what you don’t like and how you feel you have been wronged. Using the positive method will get you favorable or good responses.

Some people are frustrated and angry because of their physical conditions. Some are even angry with God because of their physical disabilities or because of poverty. They vent their anger on everyone and blame others for their lack or inability to be like others. Envy makes them regard the world and everyone as enemies.

You, too, can become successful if you are determined to be successful.

Physical challenges and lack of finances are not permanent disabilities that should prevent you from excelling or from becoming successful in your endeavors. They will delay your success but can’t stop you. Nothing can stop you from reaching your financial and spiritual goals if you decide in your mind and believe in your heart that you can be successful.

Many successful people you see today were once like you. Some of them labored for other people, doing menial jobs to buy bread for survival. Some lived without food for days. Some slept on the streets, at bus stops, and other open spaces with the sky for their roofs.

Don’t be upset when things don’t happen the way you expect. Don’t lose face when you try and fail to get to the top. Don’t feel humiliated. Defeats or failures are temporary. Let them spur you on to get back on your feet. Don’t be ashamed when you have those temporary failures. You can always spring back onto your feet and continue pursuing your goal (Job 5:19; Proverbs 24:16).

You will surely rebound when you fall because God takes note of what you do.

“For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.” (Hebrews 6:10; NLT)

Therefore, don’t be angry when things don’t happen as expected. Everything will be all right if you patiently endure. Always do what is right. Faith and perseverance will take you to your goal.

It may take years to reach the top. And the going will be tough and unpleasant. But a sweet ending awaits you.

Some people may not believe in you. And some who believe in you may not be able to aid you. Believe in yourself, be committed to your cause, and do what is right. Friends who believe in you will be praying for you. They might not be able to support you financially, but their prayers will touch God and goodness and mercy will follow you. God, the ultimate provider, will give you the provision.

God cares even when people do not consider you. He knows your heart. He provided for others. He will provide for you, too.

The night may be too long and lonely. But Jesus will always be by your side. He will guide you if you ask him. He will encourage you and lead you to success.

Live an honest life before God. God searches our hearts and gives us what we truly deserve (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:6).

Hebrews 10:35-39

35 “Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. 37 ‘For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’ 39 But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.” (NLT)

Some people look at their conditions and slump into self-pity. They are convinced that they cannot do anything worthwhile. When help is delayed, they lose hope. But you should not lose hope for God is waiting to help you.

Some people do not even suffer from physical challenges, yet they give up hope and consider themselves incapable when they meet challenges.

God gives strength and ability to the weak and the physically challenged.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Adjei, who has gone to be with the Lord, was my lecturer at the Ghana Christian College and Seminary, now Ghana Christian University. The Rev. Dr. Adjei told me one day in class that I had great potential. I had just given a presentation. After listening to and evaluating my presentation, Rev. Dr. Adjei told me I would achieve great heights and travel internationally if I continued to work assiduously.

I had no financial support. I struggled to feed myself and buy clothing to wear. By the grace of God, the college had absorbed my tuition and lodging fees. That provided some relief. But I still needed to cater for myself in other ways.

Rev. Dr. Adjei himself surmounted physical challenges to rise to the top. He had polio at a tender age and his legs were crippled, compelling him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

He did not give up on life. He studied assiduously and eventually gained a doctorate. Proverbs 18:14 says, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?”

What the Reverend Dr. Adjei said about me indeed happened. I studied assiduously, gained a scholarship in the United States, and secured degrees up to the Doctoral level. I have lectured in tertiary institutions in Ghana and Singapore. I have given lectures, and academic presentations and preached in the US, and the UK. Other countries I have also been to are France, The Philippines, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Zimbabwe, among others.

Your desire may take time to materialize because you presently lack funds. But Jesus said, “…If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes,” (Mark 9:23).

Keep yearning, thinking, and believing in your heart, wanting to achieve the best. Pull yourself together to do what you want. Your entire personality will pattern itself to the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of your heart. Your mind and body follow the dictates of your heart. You will achieve your desire according to how strong your heart yearns, and how enthusiastic you are.

Proverbs 23:7 — “… as he thinks in his heart so is he…” People strive hard to get what their hearts yearn for. That is why some, unfortunately, will even kill or use their children, spouses, or relatives, for rituals to gain wealth.

The heart and the mind dictate or influence our passions. The mind conceives the idea and sows it in the heart. It germinates and grows into a strong desire. And the whole human personality is influenced to do what the heart dictates. Use this power that is in you for positive things. Shun the negative.

Be strong in your mind and body. The journey is long, and the lack of funds is hitting you vehemently. But you can do the impossible through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

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Lies and the Impact of Lying

Falsehood is dishonesty. Falsehood is untruth, even if the person saying it may think he or she is saying the truth.

Some people lie intentionally. They lie deliberately to mislead.

Though falsehood is untruth, not all falsehoods are intentional. A person may be telling a lie and may not know he or she is lying.  However, that does not make such falsehoods true.

Lies have become normal for many people. Because of that sometimes it is not easy to identify the truths in our daily interactions with people.

Some people lie to boost their egos, and some lie just for plain fun. Some, too, are habitual liars. They lie to feel good.

Some people delight in tarnishing people’s reputations by lying against them.

It is painful when a spouse deliberately lies to outdo a partner. Some spouses lie deliberately to appear as victims when they are, in fact, culprits.

If you notice that your partner regards the relationship as a competition, then it is time to reevaluate your marriage and the relationship. Why does he or she want to outdo you? What is it that drives your spouse to want to win against you? Why would he or she regard your relationship in the marriage as a competition?

Usually, the wrong person is the unsavory one. They have unhealthy pertinacity to insulting behaviors and comments towards their partners. They will only yield if they win or are allowed to do what they have determined.

Unhealthy pertinacity ruins marriages or relationships. Yet obstinate persons do not listen to advice, not even from their relatives, mothers, siblings, uncles, friends, or pastors.

Most of them know that they are wrong, but their ego will not let them admit that they are wrong. They are jaunty in all their demeanors. They display self-confidence in their egocentric strides and exude malicious superiority feelings towards their spouses, or any other persons.

Lying has become a normal behavior for many people. Some people feel good when they tell a lie.

But some people may not know that they are lying even when it is obvious that what they are saying is a lie.

Lying is so common and regular that parents will brazenly tell their children that they are going to the next house, or somewhere not far away when they are going elsewhere. Most women in Ghana say that to their children when they don’t want their children to follow them to where they are going. They think such deceptions are not lying. But that is falsehood. And every falsehood is a lie. Every lie is untruth.

Why can’t they teach their children that ‘yes’ is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is ‘no’? If you deceive anyone, no matter how small a lie you think it is, God sees it as a lie.

The use of mobile phones is also making people lie. John was driving and talking to Mark on the phone. John wanted to know if Mark had delivered a parcel he had asked Mark to deliver. Mark answered that he was at that moment near the house where he was to deliver the parcel, so John should not worry.

As soon as they ended their conversation, John noticed Mark driving ahead of him. John then wondered why Mark told him he was already near the delivery point. Mark lied when he told John that he was around the delivery point.

Some people make lying a pastime. They lie for enjoyment. They lie to amuse themselves.

Some also lie to hurt people. They feel good when they hurt people with their lies.

Pathological liars constantly lie to make themselves appear important. Some lie to hurt people or amuse themselves. They are uncomfortable when they miss telling a lie. To them, it is more convenient to lie than to tell the truth.

People who want to impress others may lie to lift their egos and raise their self-esteem. They are constantly trying to impress people and lift high their low self-esteem.

Narcissists lie to convince people or win people’s sympathies. They lie to manipulate people. They blame other people for their faults. They make it seem they are not being treated fairly by others when they are the ones who are not being fair to people.

Egoists are arrogantly conceited. They boast and deliberately lie to lift their egos.

When liars are exposed, instead of being sorry, they may become angry. The embarrassment makes them angry.

Lies damage our reputations. Nobody can trust you if you are a known liar. Even when you tell the truth, people don’t believe you. People think you are lying because you are known to be a pathological liar.

Chronic liars have the impulsive urge to lie even about small or insignificant matters. They have compulsive lying habits. They are uneasy when they do not lie. Therefore, they lie even about insignificant matters; whether big or small. They have become prolific liars and lie so frequently that lying has become their normal characteristic. And so, people cannot tell when they are telling the truth.

Pathological liars do not have a healthy relationship. Their behaviors disturb peace in their marriages.

Compulsive liars manipulate people’s feelings. They use lies as manipulative tools to control their partners. Their behaviors cause conflicts in their marriage relationships. Yet they blame their partners for the conflicts that their negative behaviors cause. They don’t admit their faults.

They talk about only one side of the coin – the side that puts them in a good or favorable light. They do not talk about the other side of the marriage coin. They know they will be exposed if they talk about the other side of their marriage coin. Proverbs 18:17 tells us,

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” (ESV).

The first to plead his or her case appears right until the other person speaks and cross-examines him or her. The cross-examination reveals the other side of the matter.

Bad people lie and quarrel when people do not accept their lies.

Some spouses have destroyed their marriages with lies. Some spouses take advantage of the tolerance of their partners and systematically destroy their marriages with their lies.

I know a man who tolerated his wife for more than forty (40) years. The woman lied against her husband and accused him falsely. The husband tolerated his wife for more than forty (40) years, trying to make his wife understand that in marriage it takes two to make it work. The husband tried to make his wife understand that in marriage, it is ‘give and take’ that creates peace.

But the woman is the dominating type. She is the one who must be obeyed.

Their adult children know that their mother is the cause of the problem between their father and the mother. And they know that their mother has been lying against their father.

The woman’s relatives, her mother, aunts, uncles, and her friends, etc., know how wrongly she treats her husband. All who know the couple even wonder how the man can continue tolerating his wife when she hurls invectives at him.

She abandons her marital home and goes to the big city. Sometimes she is away for a year, two and a half years, six months, three years, etc.

Not all men can be as tolerant as that woman’s husband.

The man is now considering a divorce. In their old age, now that they should be together and comfort each other, his wife continues to indulge in her lies and unfriendly behaviors.

After tolerating her for more than forty (40) years, the husband now says, “Enough is enough.” His wife’s toxic behaviors, including insults, lies, etc., are now driving the husband to seek a divorce so he can live his remaining life in tranquility.

The woman thinks she must be obeyed at all times. She believes that she must always be in charge. She believes that she, not the man, must be in control of all matters. She has no patience for differing opinions from her husband, or anyone else. She regards differing opinions or suggestions from her husband as offensive. And she shouts back at her husband when he offers opinions. She refuses to let him speak and offer suggestions.

Her behavior angers their adult children. They tell her not to speak that way to her husband, their father because their father does not disrespect her.

Though she claims to be a Christian, she ignores the fact that the husband is the head of the wife and that she owes her husband respect (Ephesians 5:22-23). The Bible says the husband is the head of the wife and the wife must submit to the husband as the church submits to Jesus Christ.  While wives are to submit to their husbands, their husbands also are admonished to love and care for their wives as Christ loved and died for the Church. (Ephesians 5:24-25)

Since they became husband and wife, the husband has never maltreated his wife. It is rather the wife who reneged on the agreement they had before they married. But though the wife has mistreated her husband, called him names, and been unfair to him many times, the man has remained faithful as the Bible admonishes husbands to be to their wives.

The wife treats her husband like she is a despotic ruler. She believes her ethnicity (or tribe) is superior to that of her husband. And she has severally intimated that to her husband.

Their children have become more uncomfortable with their mother’s behavior toward their father. And they have clearly stated that to her.

She takes her husband’s tolerance to be weakness and a sign that she can continue treating him like scum.

She lies outrageously to make her husband appear a villain. However, everyone who knows them knows the truth.

It is unfortunate when good people are taken advantage of by mean and unscrupulous people.

It is a truism that some husbands, too, can be obnoxious. So, it is not only women who are obnoxious.

For more than forty (40) years, the woman has been wandering in the wilderness, and despite all the efforts she has made, and the help her husband gave her, she has yet to make progress. The money that she said she was leaving her husband in search of has eluded her.

Lies interfere with divine actions. Lies and negative behaviors interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:15-17,

“But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.” (ESV)

The Divine Spirit is Holy and works in environments that are clear of deception and lies.

When Abraham lied, God exposed him. When David committed adultery and later murder, God exposed him and even punished him.

God rejected Cain’s offering because Cain did not do what was right. God told Cain, “If you do well, (if you do what is right), you shall be accepted. And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

Perhaps God is telling the woman, as he told Cain, “If you do well ( if you do what is right) you shall be accepted, and progress shall be yours.”

Doing right or being true enables the Holy Spirit to actualize God’s presence and power in us.

Jesus said we must worship God in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

Christians must stand firm in the truth, live righteous lives, and be firm-footed in the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:14).

God does not hear sinners (John 9:31). The prayer of the person who turns away from God’s law is an abomination to God (Proverbs 28:9).

Our iniquities are the barriers between us and God. Our sins and lies conceal God’s face and make it difficult for God to listen to us when we pray to him. (Isaiah 59:1-3)

Lies are among the sins listed as preventing us from entering heaven (Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22;14-15.

God hates lying tongues. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

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We have direct access to God and the Power of His Holy Spirit

We have direct access to God and the Power of His Holy Spirit. Other religions do not give individuals direct access to God. The Holy Spirit makes individuals too powerful, and they cannot be defeated.

The Bible tells us to acquaint ourselves with God and know who we are as God’s co-workers (Job 22:21; 1 Corinthians 3:9). Learn how to operate in the spirit and experience fruitfulness and power. Those who know God carry out great exploits, (Daniel 11:32).

Christians have direct access to God. The Christian does not need to pass through mediums or perform rituals as it is done in other religions. God’s Spirit indwelling the Christian enables miracles to happen as the Christian calls upon Him (Jeremiah 33:3).

Learn to actuate and actualize the Holy Spirit’s power and soar high above everything. Become the master of your circumstances.

A deeper study of the Bible explains how we get direct access to God and the Holy Spirit’s power, (Acts 1:8; Joel 2:28-29; John 14:23). God abides in us by His Spirit, (1 John 3:24). In Christianity we have direct access to God’s divine power by His indwelling presence.

In most religions, the individual does not have direct access to God. They pass through mediums or perform rituals

Many Christians, however, are not actualizing the spiritual power (the Dunamis) God has deposited in them. Therefore, only a few manifestations of miracles and power are experienced by Christians.

“Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday and today, (yea) and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8; ASV).

The power of the Holy Spirit has not diminished. He is still active and performing miracles. Unfortunately, few Christians are experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. Few get prayers answered. And what is more, many receive answers only after intense travailing prayers. Yet God says He is near to all who call upon Him in truth. He hears the prayer of the righteous, (Psalm 145:18; Jeremiah 33:3; Proverbs 15:29).

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The Holy Spirit makes an individual too powerful and who cannot be defeated. But many are unaware of this divine invincibility of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Many are crippled with doubts and fears and so are not able to actualize the power (dunamis) of the Holy Spirit.

James encourages us to not only believe but to put our beliefs into action; to actuate what we believe and so actualize our faith. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead,” (James 2:26).

He is emphatic that faith, by itself, is dead if it does not have works accompanying it, (James 2:17). Prove your faith by actions. Because faith works together with action to actualize God’s words in our lives, (James 2:22).

The Christian is a dynamite against obstacles and opposing spirits. You shall decree what you want, and it shall be established for you, and light will brighten your ways, (Job 22:28; John 15:7). You become one spirit with God (1 Corinthians 6:17) if you join yourself to the Lord. And you shall make your prayers and he shall hear you, (Job 22:27).

God pours His spirit upon us (Joel 2:28-29) so that we can live in the spirit (Galatians 5:25). The words that come out of us are energized (or enabled) by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) if we live in the spirit.

The individual hearing the word must first believe and be ready to receive. He or she must learn to open his or her spirit to receive God’s Spirit.

The preacher (or the presenter) must also believe in the impartation of the Holy Spirit’s power so he or she can confidently impart the knowledge to hearers.

Above all, the Holy Spirit should be allowed free entrance into the spirit of the receiver (the hearer).

God is Spirit. He took soil and formed the human being. Then He breathed His Spirit into the body He formed, and the created being became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The human being, therefore, is spirit living in a body of flesh. Thus, when God pours His Spirit upon an individual, He pours His Spirit upon that individual’s spirit.

I use milk and water for my illustration. Both are liquids. But milk is whitish (and creamy). In this illustration, the liquids represent the Spirit of God and the spirits of human beings. Thus, the milk represents the Spirit of God and the water represents the human spirit.

If you pour the milk into the water, you notice the water changing color. The water does not change itself. It is the milk that transforms the water to be like the milk in color and taste. The more you pour the milk into the water, the more whitish or creamy the water becomes. Eventually, the water loses its color and taste and looks and tastes milky.

In the same manner, the Spirit of God transforms the human spirit. And just like the water becoming milky, so also as many as are led by the Spirit of God they become spiritual children of God. The Spirit of God indwelling us makes us children of God. The Spirit of God Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:14-16). We are born again in the spirit and not in the flesh (John 3:5-6).

The human body is a temple for both the human spirit and God’s Spirit.

If the individual is not fully open to receiving the pouring of the Holy Spirit into his or her spirit, the Holy Spirit will not force Himself upon the life of the individual. God’s Spirit will have access to the human spirit and operate if the individual person’s spirit, by faith, receives the Spirit of God.

Belief (or faith) enables us to accept or receive the Holy Spirit into our spirits. Furthermore, accepting the Holy Spirit must be followed by the actuation of the Spirit in our lives.  The 120 disciples believed, accepted the Holy Spirit, and prepared themselves as they waited for the actuation of the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, actuated the Power of God in them, and gave them the enablement to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4). They first believed, and then prepared themselves for the actuation of the Holy Spirit.

Actuation is done by the Holy Spirit Himself. But the individual must prepare himself or herself to allow for the actuation. The miracles are manifestations of the Power of the Holy Spirit. If we believe, but do not allow for the actuation of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit remains inactive in our lives or spirits. We will still be God’s children, but weak and inactive.

By the spirit (your spirit and God’s Spirit working together – 1 Corinthians 6:17) all things are possible. God’s Spirit makes it possible.

Your spirit and God’s Spirit become one because you join yourself to God, (1 Corinthians 6:17). This is a hard saying, but delving deeper into the Bible enables us to understand the mystery.

When you pray, the Spirit of God synchronizes events with your declarations, or the words (Job 22:28), and causes realities to occur. Your desires become realities (Mark 11:24) because God’s Spirit turns them into realities (John 14:10).

The Christian’s direct access to God is made possible by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:18). And so, the Christian relates directly to the Creator, the Spirit of God. Thus, the Christian does not have to go through mediums and rituals like the pagans, and other religions do. God’s Spiritual Power indwells the Christian, and the Christian’s spirit becomes one spirit with God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Just as we illustrated with the milk and the water.

Becoming one spirit with God

The Apostle Paul writes that when a Christian is joined to the Lord, he or she becomes one spirit with God.

“But the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”  (1 Corinthians 6:17; ISV)

The King James Version renders it, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”

As we delve deeper into the Bible with open mind, the Holy Spirit helps us with answers to critical questions like,

  • How does a person become one spirit with God?
  • How does God’s Spirit work in the human spirit?
  • Jesus, in John 10:34, quotes from Psalm 82:6, “You are god(s) (Elohim).” What did Jesus mean?
  • How do we actualize God’s power in our lives?
  • How does the Christian become spiritually invincible?
  • How does the human spirit overcome the powerful spiritual forces of darkness?
  • Job 22:28 says “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you.” How does that work in the life of the Christian?

In subsequent discussions, we will study how the Christian becomes spiritually invincible.

The Bible says,

  1. You will not lack because God is with you (Psalm 23).
  2. God’s Spirit in you makes you become God to other people (Exodus 7:1). El means mighty one. Elohim is the plural of El and means mighty ones. It is also an attribute of God or a reference to God the Creator. Christians are God’s spiritual children (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:6-7; 2 Peter 1:3-4; John 10:34; Psalm 82:6).
  3. God, by His divine power, makes us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
  4. God gives you the power to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
  5. God goes ahead of you, clearing obstacles and dangers, and enabling you to become victorious over your enemies (Deuteronomy 9:3).

Why are some Christians unable to actualize the power in their lives?

Jesus Christ said the Christian shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit indwells him or her.

“But you shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8; NKJV)

The Greek word used is ‘dunamis’. In Luke 10:19, when Jesus was with them, he gave them ‘exousia’. That is, permission, (or power of authority) to act.

But in Acts 1:8 He told them, “You shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Dunamis means power, inherent power, and power to perform miracles. Why did Jesus say power later in Acts 1:8?

Subsequent discussions will delve into how the individual, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, becomes an active and powerful witness of Jesus to the world. And how we are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Jesus said,

 17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  (Mark 16:17-18; NKJV)

The power is in the name of Jesus. And the Holy Spirit indwelling you actuates the power.

Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we become empowered by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Christians should have tremendous power to be His witnesses.

A Christian in whom the Holy Spirit dwells should not be spiritually or physically weak. Because Jesus works miracles through us. Christians should be able to get healing from sicknesses and diseases.

The Apostle John assures Christians,

“You have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world,” (1 John 4:4).

He that is in you is God, the Spirit.

Jesus said in John 14:12-14,

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do.” (NKJV)

The name ‘Jesus’ carries dynamite. If the Holy Spirit indwells you, and you mention the name ‘Jesus’, the Holy Spirit activates the power to perform actions and miracles.

Why then are some Christians not able to achieve these promises in their lives?

In subsequent discussions, we will study how the Christian can allow the Holy Spirit to actuate the power of God and actualize the promises. We will study how God demonstrates His love, power, and signs through the Christian. We will study why many are not demonstrating this privilege that God has deposited in them.

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Climbing the ladder of success is faith in yourself and in your vision

Success happens to people who can continue believing and working to climb the steep mountain when rejection, loneliness, and failure are staring them in the face. Success is faith in yourself and in your vision.

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure people,” (Proverbs 22:29; NKJV).

Achieving success is arduous and diligent work. It takes great effort to achieve success in life. It requires great physical effort, mental focus, diligence, and perseverance.

The journey to success is difficult, long, winding, tiring, and frustrating. Sometimes you feel like giving up because of uncertainties. You can’t see the results happening as you want. The delays and frustrations overwhelm you.

Proverbs 13:12 says,

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (ESV)

Though everybody wants to be successful, not everyone perseveres to the end. And so, only a few people reach the pinnacle of success.

Some people, after struggling and not seeing results, take the quick and easy way to become successful. Some manage to get wealth the quick and easy way by dubious means, or through satanic rituals. But they don’t live long to enjoy their wealth. They die miserably within a short time after making their wealth.

Some contract strange spiritual and chronic illnesses, live miserable lives, do not enjoy their wealth as they wished, and die painful deaths. Some also land in jail for using shady deals to make their wealth.

Along the way, some people become frustrated because the journey doesn’t seem to end soon. The pains continue to increase as they encounter odds and uncertainties. Beyond is unclear, and they wonder if they will be successful at all.

Only the daring, only those who have confidence, press on. The few people who persevere and obtain their wealth the right way, live long to enjoy their wealth with their families.

Paul said he did not consider himself to have reached the point yet regarding what he was pursuing. He said, “I forget the past that is behind me. And I try very much to reach the things that are in front of me.”

Paul was always running straight towards the goal ahead. He was always pursuing the goal, to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-15).

He admonished all to think the same. To continue to press on toward the heavenly goal. In all things that we do, we must keep working, improving, and believing in ourselves and in God. We must correct the mistakes and continue to press on.

In Romans 12:16-18 Paul advises that we must learn to live in harmony with each other. We should not be arrogant but must associate with humble people. We should not think we are wiser than we really are.

There is always room to acquire more knowledge and wisdom.

He said we must not pay back evil for evil but focus our thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. And as much as is possible we must live peaceably with all people.

Proverbs 20:22 advises us not to seek vengeance. We must let the Lord God avenge and deliver us.

I live by that principle, and it pays me well. I have enjoyed life peacefully and happily. God has avenged me many times and in many ways. Though He does not always do that immediately, God has never failed to avenge me.

No matter the situation, remain honest and peaceful. Remain faithful and committed to your cause. No matter how many times you fall or fail, pull yourself up and continue the journey.

Many people are not able to continue pursuing their goals to win their prizes when the going gets tough, and when the future looks gloomy and uncertain. The darkness and uncertainty make them fear and they lose the courage to proceed further.

Loneliness also contributes to scaring them. Many of your friends may lose confidence in you. They wonder if you can make it. They forsake you. Alone, you struggle to keep on. If you lose faith, you will fail.

It is not easy winning the prize. Therefore, only a few people brave the storms and odds to continue climbing the ladder of success.

Do not envy people who are successful. You don’t know how much pain and frustration they endured before they reached the top.

Don’t be angry when successful people seem not to care about your suffering. They may not be in a position to assist you at the time you came to them for help. Others might have gone to them for help, and so by the time you came to them, they may not be in a position to assist you.

Life does not smile on the poor. Life does not treat the poor with kid gloves. Life treats all of us the same. Moreover, God sends rain to both the righteous and the unrighteous and makes His sun rise for both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you do what is right you, too, will reach the top. Use any opportunity or chance available to you. And with God’s help you, too, will make it. God told Cain, “If you do what is right you, too, would be accepted.”

Many people do not reach the top of the mountain because the mountain of success is not easy to climb. It is steep and high.

Don’t be angry at successful people when they do not lend you a helping hand. Besides, it is God who gives us help. God knows who will be in the right position to offer you help when you need it.

The pain of loneliness becomes your companion when people abandon you. But remember that God is always by your side. If you call Him, He will respond.

Some loved ones may even become fed up with you and forsake you. While people are sleeping comfortably, you would be struggling alone in the darkness, trying to make your vision come true.

Life is hard… you must accept the fact and be prepared for the hard journey to success. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained in sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night.”

Sometimes you might even wonder if you can or will succeed at all.

You will face constant rejections when you want people to understand you and empathize with you. Many will tell you bluntly that they are not interested, or that they don’t believe your vision is viable.

When doors are shut in your face, and no one is ready to receive you, you will feel despondent. The rejections and cold receptions can affect your confidence. They may shatter your faith in the vision you are cherishing to accomplish.

God told Gideon, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.” (Judges 6:14)

As you struggle to climb higher, the effort becomes increasingly difficult. But you must fight back feelings of discouragement. You must persevere. You must have the confidence that you will succeed. You have what it takes to be successful. So, do not quit! Press on! Success and prosperity take time to mature. Success starts slowly but picks up gradually. Then at a point, it increases rapidly.

You must also cultivate the habit of savings. If you don’t have capital, you must save some amount of money from your meager earnings for investment. It is not easy, but you must discipline yourself and cultivate the habit to save.

Discouragement is like water poured on sparks that you are trying to keep on. Discouragement quenches the sparks of hope in you and makes you lose the vim to pursue your aim.

Constant rejections will dissipate your confidence. You fear people will reject you when you want them to hear you or to help you. They don’t give you the chance to demonstrate what you believe so that they can then make an informed decision to reject or accept your proposal.

You hear people openly despising you. They tell you in plain words that they don’t see anything good in you.

But though people may not see anything good in you, remember that God knew you before He created you. You were created with great potential. God placed potential in you when He created you. Therefore, you are not useless.

Let the Spirit of God motivate you and actuate the ability to achieve your vision.

You are not defined by how people see you. You are not defined by how people measure you. What people may think is not necessarily what and how God estimates you.

Prepare your mind to face the challenges and move on with your vision.

And don’t forget that God created you because He had confidence in you. Even the physically challenged are reckoned by God in high esteem. Anyone that God created and allows to be part of humanity is reckoned by God to be important.

Nobody can alter your destiny. You are the only one who can do that. You can persist and fulfill your destiny or walk away from the destiny that God planned for you. If you walk away from the principles and the path that God outlined for you then you would be changing your destiny by walking away.

God does not interfere with our free will. You can decide to do what you want. God will not force you against your will. But you will bear the consequences of the choices you make. God will take responsibility to make sure you achieve your goal if your choices are in tune with God’s principles for your life.

If the Spirit of God indwells you, and you allow Him to work as He should, then miracles will happen. The Spirit of God in you will do wonderful things in your life. The Spirit of God will make possible the impossible things to happen in your life, (John 14:10, 12-16; Mark 16:17-18).

God’s Spirit indwelling you will give you the tongue of the learned and the ears of the learned (Isaiah 50:4). God shall be with your tongue and teach you what to say and how to articulate it, (Luke 12:12; Exodus 4:12; Jeremiah 1:5-10). That is, if you allow God’s Spirit access to your spirit.

The Lord God who created you planned your destiny when you were in the womb of your mother. Therefore, your destiny is not determined by people.

I am not moved by what people think. I am confident that I shall always be successful because God says so. In God I live, move, and have my being (Acts 17:28). Therefore, it is not what people say that matters. What God says about me is what matters to me.

You won’t toil in vain nor bear children doomed to misfortune. You are the blessed of the Lord God. His protection is upon you, your children, and your descendants (Isaiah 65:23).

If you remain in God, and your children and descendants remain faithful to God, then God’s protection shall abide with you, your children, and your descendants.

Moreover, when you call, God will answer. Even before you start calling, He will answer because He is all-knowing. He is aware of things that will happen before they happen, (Isaiah 65:24). But you must remain faithful to the Lord God. Because God will not condone evil.

In Christianity, we relate to God, the Creator of the world, directly. We relate to God by our spirit. We do not go through mediums, like fetish priests, mallams, soothsayers, magicians, etc. We do not perform rituals like magicians, soothsayers, fetish priests, etc. Moreover, the Old Testament rituals have been completed and done away with by the death of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews chapter 1:1-4; 7:11-12, 18-19, 22-28; 8:6-13).

Because of the work that Christ did for us, we now go directly to God. We connect to God directly through Christ Jesus by the spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will be available to tell us what to say or do. He said it will be given to you at that moment what you should say (Luke 12:12; Exodus 4:12; Matthew 10:19).

In Mark 13:11 we learn that it is not we who speak. It is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. And He is the one who speaks through us when He indwells us, and if we allow Him to operate.

The individual person’s spirit is transformed by God’s Spirit. And the words that the person speaks are transformed by the Holy Spirit and energized or enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Isaiah 50:4 says the words that come out of your mouth are the words of the learned. God’s Spirit sanctifies the words. On the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit that filled the 120 people enabled them to speak different tongues (Acts 2:4).

The Spiritual Power Himself, the Holy Spirit, indwells the Christian. The Spirit of God is the Creative Power, the Creator, the dunamis that God the Creator pours into our spirits when He comes upon us.

Many Christians do not know that the power, the dunamis of God, is in them and that the power, the dunamis of the Holy Spirit, has made their spirit one with God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

The Spirit of God will motivate and make your human heart and spirit love peace, have confidence, and have the spiritual ability to excel in the things you do.

The human heart is corrupt and evil. It is prone to evil. But the Spirit of God will transform your human spirit to be loving, kind, peaceful, and forgiving.

In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises to give us new hearts, new spirits within the deepest parts of our beings. So, the Spirit of God will transform our spirits. The Spirit of God will produce in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, etc., (Galatians 5:22-26).

Those who want to hear strange teachings and so-called new revelations are easily deceived by charlatans and false religious people. These false religious people claim to have received special revelations. The Bible, however, tells us that the New Testament writings are the only teachings or doctrines that we need for our salvation, peace, and prosperity.

Jesus commanded the Apostles to pass on to us what He taught them (Matthew 28:20). If you study the Acts of the Apostles, you will notice that the Apostles and the disciples taught only what Jesus commanded them (Matthew 20:18-20; Acts 2:42).

Therefore, all other doctrines or so-called new revelations by people that do not agree with what the Apostles taught are fake. You don’t have to believe them, and you do not have to fear not believing them. Such new doctrines that are not compatible with the New Testament teachings handed down by the Apostles are deception.

If Jesus wanted us to practice them, He would have commanded the Apostles and His disciples to teach them.

Peter writes that prophecies are not for private interpretations. Therefore, we should disregard anyone who claims to have special or new revelations that are not included in the New Testament teachings handed down by the Apostles (2 Peter 1:20-21).

People who want to reach success quickly and easily, those who want to become rich quickly and easily, are the ones easily deceived by people.

If you study the Bible well, you will notice that all who became successful worked hard and diligently. They followed the principles of success. They did not sit idle waiting for manna to fall into their hands.

Proverbs 22:29 says the diligent will excel and become successful and prominent.

The victory road is not a smooth and easy one. Climbing the ladder of success is not easy. But faith in God, believing in yourself, and working diligently, will take you to the top.

How do we help nurture and grow religious militancy and violence?

How do we help to nurture and grow religious militancy? We do that by our inactions and actions! We help to nurture and grow religious militancy by our covert and overt encouragements!

Conquer Without Violence... June Blog

 

Edmund Burke said,

“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”

When religious leaders say nothing against the violence and evil that is perpetrated by some of their fellow believers, they are indirectly helping to perpetrate evil. Some religious leaders do not speak against violence perpetrated against other people because they share the same faith as the perpetrators of the violence and evil.

Some even covertly help with funding, because they know the violence is perpetrated against other religions. They fail to know that, by their inactions and actions, they are indirectly supporting and nurturing militants who perpetrate evil, and that they are training militants who will become a problem in the future.

Under the guise of serving God, militants use their power and control to inflict pain and suffering on helpless people

When they secure power, they turn against their own people whom they regard as not radical. They do not differentiate any more between people of their own faith and people of other faiths.

They claim God has given them the mandate to wipe out every other person who does not share in their way of beliefs.

(Please, make time to visit The Peacemakers…)

We are inundated daily with horrifying news reports of religious militants who claim they are serving a loving God by attacking and killing people.

They claim they are fighting God’s battle. They claim they are proclaiming a God of peace and a compassionate deity who loves people; yet they unleash suffering on people.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, said that, such people do not know God. They are not promoting the God of peace. He said,

They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  (John 16:2-3; New King James Version)

God is Peace and Love; He hates violence
God is Peace and Love; He hates violence

A group of armed terrorists, the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, forcefully entered the Westgate Mall in Nairobi and unleashed senseless violence upon customers and workers, killing some in the attack …Boko Haram continues to attack and kill people; they abduct women and girls, and force them, as if they are slaves, to marry people they don’t love…   ISIS groups are attacking and killing people… Al-Shabaab militants are invading, attacking schools and killing innocent people… The Lord’s Resistance Army are recruiting child soldiers to engage in senseless wars. All these claim they are fighting on behalf of the peaceful and merciful God!

How can a merciful deity be so unmerciful?

How can a deity who is behind the violence and the pain inflicted on innocent people be seen as peaceful and compassionate? How can a merciful deity be so unmerciful as to instruct people to rape innocent girls?

Why would a powerful deity send terrorists to attack helpless people? How can one perpetrate violence and expect people to see one as non-violent?

This is happening because good people refused to speak when the violence and evil started!

Now we see and hear much violence perpetrated through religion. Religion that is supposed to bring peace and happiness is now unleashing terror!

Why should much of the violence we hear and experience come from the religious quarter? And why is it that one particular religion is noted for that?

Could it be that the leaders failed to educate their people about the true nature of the Creator God? That a merciful and compassionate God does not delight in killing people and making families miserable?

Jesus told His disciples to preach peace and demonstrate peace. He said if people refuse to receive them, they should let them be and go elsewhere. He said they should never use force. They should leave them for the Day of Judgement, (Luke 10:5-12).

He said He came to save lives … not to destroy lives, (Luke 9:52-56).
(Get a copy of “Questions Muslims Ask Christians” by clicking here)

(Persuasion Is Better Than Force)

Using violence to promote a cause makes it violent and evil

Christianity does not use violence to promote its cause…. it does not promote evil.

Christianity uses love and tolerance to win people’s confidence and trust.

Questions Muslims Ask

 

 

Christianity does not seek to conquer; it seeks to win friendship.

Violence produces pain and sorrow. Violence kills and destroys.
People hate violent people. They can’t trust violent people.
You can’t use violence to make people love you. The peace loving God calls in peace. A peaceful person preaches and practices peace.

Abraham Lincoln said that he conquered his enemies when he made them his friends.

When we make an enemy become a friend we actually have succeeded in converting that person from being a hostile enemy into a loving friend. In doing that we eliminate violence.

Fighting against each other breeds animosity. By doing that we are nurturing hate in the minds of our children, and training them to grow to hate others. We end up creating violent and unforgiving societies.

Do not use religion to promote hate and anger.
When we use our religions to spread anger, fear and hate against people who disagree with us, or who do not share our beliefs, we make them see our religions as violent. Preaching by violence does not instill the love of God in our children and followers. It makes them become violent and hateful.
Jesus taught us to love … not to hate. Jesus told the story about the Samaritan helping the Jew in a context that His listeners understood very well. The Jews and Samaritans were enemies; each desiring the complete annihilation of the other.

(See…http://www.peacemakersteam.com/)

We remember the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman by the well in John chapter 4. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman to give Him water to drink, the Samaritan woman was surprised that a Jew could be bold to ask a Samaritan for water.

She said,
“How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan?” The passage ends emphatically with the statement… “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.”

When it was getting to the time that Jesus would leave this world, a few things remained for Him to do in Jerusalem before He departed. Luke writes that He set His face to go to Jerusalem; meaning He would not have time to interact with the Samaritans. However, He and His disciples had to pass through a village of the Samaritans. His disciples decided to prepare a place for Him in that Samaritan village before they proceeded to Jerusalem. The Samaritans refused to receive Him because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. When the disciples, James and John, saw that, they became angry and said to Him, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

The disciples wanted to use anger and hate to pay for anger and hate, instead of love against anger and hate.
Jews and Samaritans, being enemies, each misinterpreted the actions of the other. The Samaritans were not happy because Jesus had made Jerusalem His priority over them. Influenced by the historical problem between them and the Jews, the Samaritans misinterpreted His intention, and so refused to receive Him.
Jesus’ disciples, too, being Jews, interpreted the actions of the Samaritans in line with their Jewish way of thinking; the Jewish-Samaritan conflict that existed. Since Jews regarded the Samaritans as inferior, they asked Jesus to allow them to call fire to destroy them. Jesus refused, and told them to go to another village. He told them He came to save lives and not to destroy lives. God’s mission (always) is to save, and not to destroy lives, (Luke 9:51-56).

Jesus advised them to follow the path of peace no matter the provocation.
Some people use religion to gain control over people.
They are not promoting the God of peace. They attack everyone, including their own fellow believers. Their aim is to kill and put fear in people. They want to bring people under their control. They seek places where people gather, because those places are where they can get many people to intimidate and to kill. They attack churches, mosques, market places and malls. You would think that they would not attack their own places of worship; but they do.

Using violence portrays you and your cause as evil

Expressing your grievances by killing innocent and helpless people does not win sympathy. Rather people will see you as violent and evil. People despise your cause when you attack and force them to accept your beliefs.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to promote peace. He did not wage war on people. He waged a spiritual war against Satan, sin and sickness. The angels announced at his birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14.)

God sent Jesus Christ to be the Peacemaker in a world full of hate, violence and evil.

In Isaiah 9:6, we read,
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus asked all of us who love the God of peace (and follow Him) to exhibit love and peace even to our enemies, (Luke 6:27-36).

God does not send killers to kill unbelievers. He sends peace loving people to preach peace, love and reconciliation. God is Peace, Compassionate, Ever Merciful. Peace lovers preach peace and love.

Convince by articulating your views and providing the right answers …

You may want to read more on how to promote a cause without violence… VISIT… http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DH3MJBE

Learn to win by persuasion; not by force.

You may want to read “Winning Without Attacking: Persuasion Is Better Than Force”...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ELOSYDQ

 

How to make people listen to you, and how to make people accept your message … Part 2

How long have you been battling with the question of “how to make people listen to you”?

Do you struggle with the question of “how to make people accept your message”?

Do you get angry and frustrated when people reject your message?

Do you use the frontal attack as religious militants do?
Market street scene
The frontal attack is combative.

It attacks the listener in the guise of providing information, and triggers a fight response from the listener. It is aggressive in approach and invites same in response. 

It is the method militants use. It is not peaceful, and has no touch of love. It is brutal and does not consider the feelings and rights of others.

Never use the frontal attack; use the reverse method

Explain the benefits of what you are offering. Make the listener see how he or she will benefit. Do not force the listener. Let him or her decide; let him or her choose willingly.  People want to choose what they want, and what they think will benefit them.

The Samaritan woman Jesus met by the well had lived a life of a whore; she had lived with five different people. At the time Jesus met her, she was living with a sixth man, (John 4:17-18). She needed spiritual deliverance.
However, Jesus knew that the existing enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans could make it difficult for her to listen to Him. He, therefore, used the reverse method. He asked her for water. When she reminded Jesus that Jews and Samaritans did not talk to each other, Jesus ignored the remark, and rather stated her spiritual need.
Jesus told her,

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Please give me a drink,’ you would have been the one to ask him, and he would have given you living water.” (International Standard Version)

Jesus used ‘water’ to get the woman’s attention. Water was her need at that time. She wondered how Jesus would give her  living water when He had no bucket to draw water; besides, moments ago He had asked her for water to drink. Jesus was using a strategy to engage her to talk back so He could explain to her the spiritual gift He had for her. If Jesus had started by telling her He wanted to give her a gift, she would have ignored Him.

When she retorted, Jesus ignored her sarcasm and rather emphasized on her spiritual need. She became interested in the special water that could “become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
He was offering the woman eternal life by using what she valued at the time -‘water’. He got her undivided attention. She was no more thinking about the enmity between Jews and Samaritans. She was now willing to receive from a Jew.
She said,

“Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw water.” (John 4:15)

Jesus now had to make her confess her life of sin. Again, He refrained from using the frontal method. He did not tell her, “You must confess your sin before I can give you this water.” That would have provoked her. She would have called other Samaritans to come and see a Jew who had the audacity to come to the city of Samaritans and insult a Samaritan. Angry Samaritans would have come out to lynch that Jew.
He told her to go and bring her husband, though He knew she had no husband. The woman on her own volition confessed that she had no husband. By her confession she  gave Jesus the opportunity to remind her the number of men she had lived with.

That was a powerful revelation

She wondered, “How can this man know my secret life? Is He a prophet?” She answered back, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” She proceeded to talk about worship and the disagreement between Jews and Samaritans, providing Jesus the opportunity to teach her.
After listening to Jesus expound on worship and spirituality, and telling her He was the Messiah, she became convinced. She left her water pot, went her way into the city, and told other Samaritans about the stranger who could be the Christ; her testimony drew the people to Jesus.

People will listen to you if you articulate your views convincingly
Do not use force as the Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other religious militants are doing

Aftermath of Boko Haram Islamic militants attack and destruction of a village and a Christian church in northern Nigeria
Aftermath of Boko Haram Islamic militant attack and destruction of a village and a Christian church in northern Nigeria

 

  • Do not attack people when they do not readily respond to your message
  • Show them the beauty of your cause, not the ugliness and hatred of your cause
  • Patiently discuss how the listener stands to gain when he or she accepts what you are offering.

(Read “Murder and rape in God’s name… God’s Executioners on the loose.”)

The Almighty God, the all Powerful One, does not compel people. Why should you? He says, “Come now, and let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18).

 

Where is the God of Peace?

Can a God of peace be so violent and brutal?

Where is that God of mercy and love that prophets of old preached? Where is that God who so loved the world that He sent His Son to proclaim peace, love and everlasting life? Where is that God who did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved? (John 3:16-17)

Rockeybell Radio ProgramViolent people make God to conform to their mode of thinking and behavior. They create a God who acts like themselves, and who treats people unkindly.

Why rob God of His true character and being?

Being angry and violent in character, violent people cannot present a deity who is non-violent.  The deity they proclaim is like them; violent and angry.

Read Rockeybell’s testimony…

Militants present a non-compassionate, non-merciful and angry deity.

They use religion to cause pain on fellow human beings

They create a vengeful supervisor of suicide bombers; a leader of killers of innocent people; one who supervises the killings of innocent lives.

They dictate to God how God must behave and what He must want.

They become angry when we tell them that a merciful God is not unmerciful and  violent.  They attack us because we present God as kind, benevolent and merciful; they see us as weak or timid. They prefer a God who is violent.

The God of the militants is a militant. His love is different from the non-militant God.

They tell us that God is merciful… that God is compassionate. Yet they present to us one who is always angry and one who does not forgive. They present to us one who orders his people to decapitate people who do not accept his teachings. Instead of explaining and convincing people to understand him, they preach fear and death!

Jesus told His followers,

“Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53; New King James Version)

Jesus taught us to love, to tolerate and to forgive. He said God can defend Himself, and so we do not need to fight and kill for God.

Listen to our audio messages…

Man’s duty is to warn and not to compel (Ezekiel 3:18-21). The choice to accept rests with the hearer.

In the Bible when Gideon destroyed the altar of Baal, and the people rose up against him, wanting to kill him, his father, who incidentally was priest for Baal, said that the people should let Baal plead for himself, because it was his altar that had been torn down (Judges 6:28-32).

In the Qur’an we read, “There is no compulsion in religion …” (2:256) and “If you strive (or fight) you strive (or fight) for yourselves, for God does not need the help of his creatures …” (29:6).

If God cannot defend Himself, how then can God defend His worshipers?

Jesus told His followers,

“Whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.” (Luke 10:10-12; New King James Version)

Jesus told His followers not to compel people. He also told His followers,

“… the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”  (John 16:2-3)

People are maliciously attacking our site because we preach peace and we tell people not to hate
They are maliciously trying to hijack our site and prevent us from spreading the words of love

On April 23, 2015, a total of 2,104 malicious login attempts were recorded from across five (5) different countries. On April 25, more attacks from other countries were still being recorded; some even from Thailand, Italy, France, etc. The attacks have not stopped. By 28 April, we have experienced 2,305 malicious login attempts.

Anger, hate and violence is everywhere. Persuasion, however, is the preferred Christian method of presenting views or beliefs.

People will not happily love and serve you if you use force. You will always have to force them to love you, and that would not be genuine love.

You may want to learn about winning without attacking…

Religious Intolerance

Religious intolerance is destructive

We are being constantly attacked and threatened

Attackers and hackers are attempting to disrupt our programs.  They want us to stop discussing the evils that others are propagating. They think that, as we discuss the evils propagated by their fellow believers, the world will regard all of them as evil.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding.”

In their anger, some of them even resort to using brute force to make us give up.

Winning Without Violence

However, instead of hitting back at them, the Bible entreats us as Christians to adopt the non-violent way. We hope they will understand that, their actions will rather make people to see them as enemies of peace and truth.

They constantly attack and hack our site because they are not comfortable with the truth 

They know that we are not against their religious beliefs; we do not attack what they believe. It is the angry and violent method some people use in promoting their faiths that we oppose. We believe that people should be allowed to make their own choices. The attackers, however, do not want people to have their freedom to choose. They want to stop us from promoting  peace and the freedom to choose, so that they can continue to promote violence, anger and mayhem.

Their actions confirm our writings; that some people love violence and cannot tolerate different views.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God,” (Matthew 5:9).

For books on peacemaking and how to make people listen to you visit…

Peacemakers should always help other peacemakers to promote peace. Genuine seekers of truth and peace will fight for truth and peace to prevail.

People proclaim they are preaching a God of peace and of love. Yet they promote violence and brutality; as if the deity they preach is a violent one.

Whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, an African Traditional Religionist, Buddhist, Hindu, etc., attacking people to make them accept your religion is not the right way to promote a God of peace and love.

God is Almighty; He does not need the help of frail humans to fight His battle. He rather fights and delivers His children from the hands of enemies. People who kill other people and force their beliefs on people are not promoting the way of the peace-loving God. Jesus told His followers,

“… a time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me,” (John 16:2-3; New King James Version).

The Qur’an says, “Let there be no compulsion in religion…” (2:256), and in 29:6 we read, “And whoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily Allah stands not in need of any of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists).”

God told Ezekiel to warn the people and leave them to decide for themselves. Man’s duty is to warn, not to compel (Ezekiel 3:18-21). The choice to accept rests with the hearer. God does not coerce people. Jesus said we should not use force to make people accept God, (Luke 10:5-12).

We live in an age of hate and violence

Communities nurture hate and instil in their offspring anger and hate against people they disagree with. Violence is being perpetuated, and religions are using violence to promote their cause.

Why should innocent people suffer when other people have disputes? Why do terrorists pick on the helpless to destroy?

How can a God of peace and love use violence to make people love Him? Can’t He use His tremendous power to turn the minds of people to love and worship Him without resorting to violence?

Jesus asked us to conquer by persuasion and not by force or threat.

Martin Luther King said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

God is Love, and Jesus taught us to promote peace through love. He taught us to love our enemies, to love those who curse us and who spitefully use us.

People of other religions, after listening to my radio message, call me on the phone to explain that their fellow believers who use violence to promote their religion are not true believers. These kind and gentle people are not happy when their fellow believers use hate to promote their faith. However, it is not my duty to say what their religion advocates. They should come out boldly to tell the world that their fellow believers who use hate and violence are not helping to promote their cause.

Paul asked the Galatians, “Have I, therefore, become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)

We speak against violence, and not against the religion they believe in.

 

To learn more about the Peacemakers, please visit ….