July 6, 2022 · 7:30 am

Freedom Vs Freewill in America

Do Americans truly live in freedom?

Before you answer, I want you to consider the following: In the book of Genesis, the first use of the word ‘free‘ occurs when God tells man: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

What does this tell us? It tells us that freedom has boundary conditions and that some things are out of bounds. In the biblical text, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was out of the bounds. So, what is freedom? If we deconstruct the word, we find that is comes from two words: free and domain. This means that to live in freedom is to live within a domain where we are free. Naturally, this means that there must be domains where we are no longer free but live in bondage. In other words, freedom has bounds.

Therefore, living in freedom does not mean that we get to do whatever we want to do! When whatever we are doing leads to bondage in our lives, we are no longer living in freedom but living outside of it.

Freewill on the other hand is different. Freewill simply means we are free to choose based on our own will. In the biblical story in Genesis, God gave man freewill but then set the bounds of freedom. He gave man the right to exercise his freewill to choose whatever he wanted, including the choice to live outside of freedom. When the man Adam exercised his freewill to live outside of freedom, he lost the ability to do whatever he pleased. In fact, he was booted out of the domain where he previously lived.

This tells us that when we exercise our freewill to live outside of the free domain that God has set, we lose our freedom and drive ourselves into bondage. In other words, when we fail to respect the bounds of freedom, we lose it.

So, back to my question: Do Americans truly live in freedom? The answer is maybe! In reality, Americans have freewill (free to choose), but the choices Americans make decides whether they live in freedom or whether they live in bondage.

Given the increasing levels of gun violence, mental illness, obesity, racism, and political extremism we see in America, it could be argued that Americans have mistaken freewill for freedom. As such, they are allowing their freewill to steal away their freedom, leaving them in bondage to these aforementioned societal woes.

Remember how Adam exercised his freewill against the free domain God had set and so he put himself into bondage? Likewise, we cannot exercise our freewill against God’s boundary conditions and possibly expect to continue to live a life of freedom.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free

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July 5, 2022 · 7:58 am

Schooling Does Not Always Guarantee Upward Mobility

There is strange thing happening in different parts of the world right now…in places as far as Nigeria and Japan. Students are disenfranchised. They are graduating from college only to find out that they can’t find a job. It isn’t that these student haven’t attained the right grades or are less qualified. It is simply that there are much fewer positions available than there are prospective candidates.

When this happens, the students, who have sacrificed so much; who bear the dreams of financial and societal progress for their families, start to feel a mix of betrayal and hopelessness! Here is how young people are responding in different parts of the world:

In Nigeria, many students, after trying as hard as they can to find a job but cannot, simply resort to using their smarts to steal from others (both home and abroad).

In Japan, the graduates do whatever they can to position themselves as the best candidate and end up working for “black companies” (companies that exploit and severely overwork their employees so much that it has led to instances of people dying on the job due to work exhaustion).

In South Korea, the graduates live “Hell Joseon”, a term used to describe the anxieties and discontentment the youth feel concerning the lack of upward mobility in society regardless of ability or work ethic.

In India, there are ever increasing episodes of suicides amongst students who cannot cope with the failure to attain perfect exam grades.

To turn the tide and change what is happening across the globe requires the following:

First, we have to give equal weighting to education and enterprise (the weighting has shifted crazily towards education). The reality is this: Everyone who has an education needs an enterprise (business) to find employment opportunity. Without enough enterprises, it puts undue pressure on students to be perfect to be chosen for fewer and fewer job opportunities, and it gives companies the upper hand to set employment conditions.

Second, we must stop teaching our children that businesses are evil and that the people that run them are evil. Why would anyone want to start a business and become successful only to be deemed as an evil or terrible human being in the end? When the end of owning a business is opprobrium, it is no wonder that people shy away from starting them. Perhaps this is part of the real reason why so many businesses fail…it could be that the owners are sabotaging their own efforts due to this societal conditioning!

Third, we must incentivize people to start businesses AND let people know of the incentives. This is something that is prevalent in places like the U.S but few people know about. For example, many people in the U.S do not know that companies generally pay a lower tax rate than individuals.

Consider what the bible says: The great God who formed everything gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages (Proverbs 26:10). In other words, God just doesn’t want us to pull in a wage or a salary, He desires for us to be owners. This way, we are not so foolish and so sin against ourselves and society at large.

Do you agree?

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May 29, 2022 · 1:59 pm

Love Your Way To Business Success

During my coaching and counseling sessions, I usually get told the symptoms or effects of the issues people are facing. It is my job to help them recognize and understand the root causes(s). It is up to me to help accurately define the issues and to segregate the effect of the problem from its root cause. A problem well-defined is a problem half-solved – John Dewey

When coaching business clients, one of the questions I ask is: Why are you in business? More often than not, my clients are shocked because they think the answer is obvious. Then they give me the classic answer: I am in business to make money OR I am in business to feed my family.

Both answers are wrong! No one is in business to make money or to feed their family. These two things are effects of being in business and not the cause. The reason every single business exists is to serve and meet the needs and wants of people. The better an organization is at seeking to understand the wants and needs of people, and then doing all they can do to meet those needs and wants, the more successful the business will be; the more the business will grow; the more money the business will make.

What I find interesting is that the concept of serving to succeed is nothing new! In fact, it has been around for centuries. You hear it in the words of Jesus when He says: The greatest amongst you will be your servant (Matthew 23:11). Others have modified the saying by stating: It is not about a title but a towel. Again, Jesus says that the greatest commandment from God is to love (Mark 12:28-32). Love can be defined as selfless sacrifice to serve and meet the needs of people. With this definition, it is clear that the reason for business to exist is to love. So, what do you know…it seems as if love (rather than money) makes the world go round after all. The better a business is at ‘loving’ their customers, the more money the business will make. The effect is money but the cause is love!

How can you effectively love people if you don’t study them, ask them questions, see what their likes and dislikes are? How can you effectively love people if you don’t understand them? Taking time to really know your customer needs and wants is essential to business success. If you stay customer focused and do all you can to serve them, you will win with them and they will gladly pay you for the value you add. This is how you win in business.

In conclusion, remember, love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

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May 15, 2022 · 8:40 am

Every Christian Should Choose To Be Famous

If you believe in God, then you are called to be a light in this world. This is made clear in the bible where Jesus tells his disciples that they are the light of the world (Matthew 6:14). Furthermore, He tells them that they should not hide their light under a basket (Matthew 6:15).

As lights, we shouldn’t just sit back and complain about all the darkness in the world, hoping and praying that someone does something about it. As lights, we are responsible for shining so that the darkness in this world is eradicated. Thus, I don’t believe the problem in our world is the darkness. I say this because the darkness is simply a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is that lights have stayed hidden for too long. If we as lights simply choose to shine, then the darkness simply disappear – just like what happens when switch on the light in a dark room.

Light-Bulb Moment: The Problem is not the darkness, the problem is the absence of light

Unfortunately, too many of us have not allowed our lights to shine. We are either too afraid, have fallen afoul of group-think, or think of ourselves as incapable. In other words, we have substituted significance for security, think no differently than the rest of the world, and don’t know who we truly are and the power that God has given to us.

Your light is that gift, talent, ability which God has given to you to positively impact your community. To let your light shine in the world means you purposefully and deliberately market and showcase your gifts and abilities to the world around you. You do this NOT because you think you are better than anyone else or because you need your ego massaged, you do it because you have the ability to solve a problem that the world has and you can no longer sit back and watch people suffer unnecessarily (when you have the ability to help).

Light-Bulb Moment: People suffer when people who can do something sit back and do nothing

After the original light of this world (Jesus) left the wilderness in the power or ability of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), He purposefully went to Galilee and surrounding areas and showcased the ability that was given to Him. As a result, the bible says that his fame spread throughout the region as people realized that He was not just a talker, He was also a doer who made an impact on people!

It is time for you to stop talking talking about what you plan to do to solve people’s problems and start doing! It is time for you to start using your abilities and talents to make a difference in your world. When you do, you will find out that some people will be appreciate of your efforts while others will be against you. Don’t pay attention to those who are against you and the accusations they bring against you. Remember, even Jesus had people who were against Him – and all He ever did was improve and impact people’s lives. Just focus on what you are doing to help people, and in due time, you will be recognized for what you are doing and your influence. You will become famous for the right reasons!

Light-Bulb Moment: When your light is hidden, you will remain anonymous. When you let your light shine, you will become famous in your community

There is so much more to this topic, but I hope that this short message has inspired you to stir up the abilities that you have and allow it to shine for the benefit of all. More good people like you need to be showcased so that we all benefit. Don’t allow your light to stay hidden!

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June 28, 2020 · 11:43 am

Wake Up America To The Truth About COVID-19

I have seen and been sent information on what COVID-19 is about over the past few months. I have been private messaged, called, and sent Facebook Live video’s on the topic. I have heard an increasing innumerable number of prophesies concerning what is going on and what will happen.

Some of the things I have seen and heard are as follows:

COVID-19 is fake news; it is a strategy to divert attention away from Obamagate; it’s a ploy to get Trump to lose the election; it was designed to take away our freedoms; it’s a vaccine conspiracy masterminded by Bill Gates; it is part of a well thought-out plan to create a New World Order; it is the beginning of the Tribulation (as mentioned in the Book of Revelation); it was created to usher in communism and turn America into Venezuela.

To some, it is all an AGENDA that they have against America (to turn her away from God). To too many, it is anything and everything BUT a true pandemic

Many times, these claims come from and are promulgated by sincere and honest people who seek to inform others about what they believe is going on (based on what they have read from sources they deem credible).

Yet, as sincere as these intentions might be we cannot confuse sincerity and honesty with truthfulness. We need to understand when we have moved away from concern and moved into ardent fear mongering. We need to know the difference between being fed credible information and being fed incredulous stories that has been carefully and intricately weaved to fit a narrative that we are wired to believe…information created to touch all the hot bottom issues to which we are emotionally sensitized.

I was nearly sucked into this cesspool of fear and anxiety until I took a step back and looked at the situation from a wider viewpoint. First, I noticed that most, if not all of the views on the pandemic were America-focused. Second, I noticed that all the explanations had a ridiculously heavy political bent (on each side of the aisle).

Now, I want you to consider this question: Why would the rest of the world shut down their economy, risk political instability, sink themselves deeper into more debt, and create even greater social unrest and deepen the gulf between rich and poor…just to promote a hoax or to alter the political landscape of the U.S? Why wouldn’t they just wait Trump (assuming they disliked him since he has a max of 4 more years to go if he wins re-election)?

Do you really think South Africa or Colombia or Ghana really care about the U.S so much that they would intentionally cripple their own people? The simple is NO!

So here is my take: If the rest of the world is taking such drastic steps, there might be something to this idea that COVID-19 truly is a pandemic.

Now, from a medical perspective, COVID-19 is one of the simplest viruses to deal with. COVID-19 is neither an airborne pathogen (cannot be spread by breathing in the air) nor is it spread by insects.

To stop it, what is mainly required is physical distancing, self-physical isolation (for around 2 weeks), the practice of good sanitation (soap and water destroys it easily).

Given the social interaction technology we have, we don’t actually have to be socially distanced from each other. Note: I make a distinction between physical public distancing and social distancing. We can socially interact via Zoom, Facebook, and other platforms.

Given the manufacturing prowess the world possesses, soap and water or hand-sanitizer should not be an issue (especially in developed nations).

And at least in the U.S, there should be little issues keeping 6 ft separation between groups of people (I haven’t seen shanty towns or Favelas in the U.S). Yet, COVID-19 is a big deal here in the U.S though we are one of the countries best placed to deal with it.

Perhaps COVID-19 is here to tell us about ourselves:

Could it be that COVID-19 is really showing us that we may not care about our fellow man as much as we think we do? That we love putting our own interest above everyone else’s? Could it be that we don’t like being inconvenienced at all? Could it be that we would rather put money ahead of people? Might COVID-19 be showing us that need to stop politicizing everything? Could it be that we can’t stand having someone else telling us what to do (even if it to for our own benefit)?

The truth is that COVID-19 is showing us that our love game is weak.

COVID-19 is has one message: ‘If you choose to put someone else’s interest above your won, you would easily defeat me’

Love is selfless sacrifice to serve and meet the needs of others. Let’s sacrifice for one another America once again. It is time to stop trying to get someone else to sacrifice on our behalf. The military can’t do it this time. We have to find the hero inside of us. It is time to truly love one another. It is time to wake up to LOVE.

Note: It took a year of the bus boycott to get the bus system in Montgomery to be integrated. That is the kind of disciple we need now in choosing to LOVE.

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May 3, 2020 · 7:00 am

How Do You Deal With Bad Experiences?

If you don’t deal with your experiences, your experiences will deal with you.

So, how do you deal with your bad life experiences. You can (1) pretend like they didn’t happen, you can (2) alter what you consider truth to fit the narrative of your life experience, or you can (3) allow the truth to explain your experience and then learn from it.

If you want a rich life, don’t take the first two options. Pretending that nothing happened is just your stuffing something bad in some corner room of your heart. Whatever you store there just rots and gives off a bad stench in your life over time.

Altering what you consider truth to fit the narrative of your experience is just as bad. It makes you feel better and makes you ‘feel’ like you are learning, but in reality what you have done is make the truth a slave to your experiences. Once you do that, the ‘truth’ you have adapted to fit your narrative only succeeds in creating a lie that promises much but delivers little. Simple example: All the men I have dated cheated on me, therefore I believe all men are cheats….do you see anything wrong with that?

What has happened to you that you now have made your ‘truth’?

You are much better off filtering your experiences through the lens of truth (infallible and unshakable time tested principles) and then sifting out the lessons that you can take forward in life. Anything other than this strategy proves over the long run to be…foolishness.

If there is one thing I want you to remember, it is this: Don’t make up your own ‘truth’. If will only succeed in slapping you upside the head.

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May 1, 2020 · 5:37 pm

How To Respond To COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories

Have you noticed how many COVID-19 conspiracy theories are out there on social media? I have been sent numerous videos by well-meaning people concerning these theories.

There are people saying this pandemic is about a vaccine conspiracy; its about a new world order; it’s about China trying to take over the world; its a ploy by the Democrats; its the beginning of the end of the world, so on and so forth.

So what should you do with all these conspiracy theories? Should you pay attention to them?

I suggest you do what God told Isaiah to do when it comes to conspiracy theories

The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do,
and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. – Isaiah 8:11-14

See, every time there is danger and uncertainty, there are people who come out with conspiracy theories. Judging from Isaiah 8:11-14, it is clear that God does not want us to pay attention to them. Why? It is because most conspiracy theories are born out of fear…and fear is not of God. Let me clarify…any fear outside of the fear (respect and awe) of God is NOT of God.

So, rather than respect and live in awe of conspiracy theories; rather than allow them to keep you up at night, the best thing to do is focus your attention on God and understand that no matter what happens in this world; no matter how this virus came to be, He will keep you safe and sound.

Don’t be a worrier concerning your future, become a warrior concerning your faith.

Look to God and see what He has to speak to you. Those who have done this find out that God speaks something to them that doesn’t have to do with the virus. Why? God is saying to them “Don’t worry about this virus, I got it…instead think about the areas of your life I am working in”.

Instead of the thinking about conspiracy theories, think about future God is cooking up for you

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April 26, 2020 · 6:43 pm

How to Handle Those That Don’t Like You

There are three kinds of people in the world when it comes your success. There are supporters, haters, and those in the middle who will either become your future supporters or haters.

Haters are people that will find one reason or the other to dislike you. They may dislike you for what you did when you were two years old. It may be that they don’t like your hair, your smile, the color of your skin, the size of your nose…it could be anything. Haters neglect the 99% you do great and instead take a magnifying glass to the 1% you don’t do well.

The worst thing you can do is spend time trying to appease the haters OR try to perfect that 1% you are not doing well in hopes that they will come to your side. I say it is the worst thing you can do because it just won’t happen. The hate they have for you is not really about you, it is about them. They need to change…you don’t need to change!

Did you know that Jesus also had haters though He was sinless, meaning he did nothing wrong. In fact, he did a whole lot of great things and did them fantastically well. Yet, one story tells us that his haters wanted to throw him off a cliff. Another story said that his haters wanted to plot to kill him because he had healed somebody! The accusation was that he picked the wrong day! Now, how laughable is that! I can’t imagine someone who is ill and writhing in pain saying ‘No, I don’t want to be healed today…it is the wrong day. Why don’t you let me suffer today and then come back tomorrow to heal me‘.

To be successful, you have to do as Jesus did. He simply left the haters alone! It is not that He did not love them. He did! He just knew they had hardened their hearts towards Him and would not accept His love. Instead He focused His energy on those who supported Him and those who were open to Him.

So how should you handle the haters: Stop focusing on what the haters are saying, doing, and plotting…and keep your eyes on the purpose to which God has called you.

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April 25, 2020 · 6:52 pm

Customize Your Life

Jesus is arguably the most successful man to have ever lived and is undoubtedly the most influential person to have ever graced this earth. This is one of the many reasons why I like to study his life.

As I was reading about his life, I came to a passage that said “And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” – Luke 4:16

That started to get me thinking about my life. I started asking myself questions like, what customs do I have? And are those customs lifting me up or pulling me down?

Luke 4:16 not only suggests that Jesus had a customs around his spiritual life (going to the Synagogue on the Sabbath), he also have a custom around volunteering and taking the lead (standing up to read).

As I took an inventory, I realized that I was letting some good customs slip away and letting so silly customs creep in. Here are the customs that I decided that I will bolster: (1) Spending time in communion with God daily through bible reading and prayer (2) Practicing gratitude (3) Meditating

Now, I know some of you are going…did you just say practicing gratitude and meditating? Yes, I did.

Note: On gratitude, the bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). Moreover, we are told to concentrate on what is positive in our lives (Philippians 4:8).

Note: On meditation, God tells us to meditate on His word day and night so that we might prosper and have good success (Joshua 1:8).

Here is my question to you: What customs do you need to start today? And what customs do you need to eradicate?

If you have a custom of drinking a six pack each night or chain smoking all day, it may be time to reconsider those customs. The choice is your on how to customize your life. I hope choose a custom that leads to an awesome future.

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April 23, 2020 · 9:29 pm

I Have Decided…Have You?

I have decided that I am going to be successful. That’s right! Success is not an outcome, success is a decision. Success or failure are just two outward expressions of the person you have chosen to become.

You will be successful if you decide to have these 7 traits: Sacrifice, Unconditional Commitment, Consistent Focus, Concentrated Effort, Empathy, Selflessness, and Service.

You might have noticed that these 7 traits spell the acronym S.U.C.C.E.S.S

Now, you can try to cultivate these traits through sheer will, or you can take the shortcut. Here is a secret – these 7 traits emanate naturally from you when you care about people and discover something you are passionate about that adds value to people.

So, here is how you decide to be successful:

(1) Genuinely Care About People: This means you have to get your mind off yourself and consider other people. Another word for genuinely caring about people is LOVE. If you have a heart of love towards people, then you are already on your way to success. No wonder God calls us to love each other. It is not just for the other person…it is also for you. Why? When you genuinely care about people, people will know it and they will be willing to support you.

(2) Be Passionate About Something: If you truly care about something, you will find that you can commit to it, consistently focus on it, and apply concentrated effort towards it. And here is the thing about passion…it is infectious. The more passionate you become, the more passionate people around you who support you and are a part of your team will become.

(3) Make Sure Your Something Adds Value: If you want your passion to have staying power, then you need to make sure that your passion adds value to people. In other words, your passion must take someone from a place they do not want to be to a place they would rather be. If you passion does this, you will develop a fan club of people that want to lift you higher because you would have changed their life.

So go on, decide to be a success. Just like I have.

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