Monthly Archives: September 2015

September 26, 2015 · 6:43 pm

8 Things That Christians Should Never Say

I AM A FAILURE

You became a new creation when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you have indeed accepted Jesus, it is no longer you who lives but Christ who lives in the real you (Galatians 2:20). Since we know that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and we know that the fruit of that Spirit consists of love (Galatians 5:22), then it goes that love lives inside of us. Why is it important to know that love lives inside you? It is important because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). So if Christ who is love is living in you, and love never fails, then it goes that you are not a failure. Since your identity is now in Christ, you should never again identify as a failure.

You have to be able to separate the results of what you did from who you are. In fact for the believer, there is no such thing as failure, the only thing that exists is results. Moreover, the reason any of us fails is because we chose not to do things God’s way. When you do things God’s way, you do things love’s way. Though love’s way may at times take you through trials and tribulation, you can rest assured that the end result is victory and success.

If you want to know more about love’s way, I implore you to mediate on 1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7.

I CAN’T

Henry Ford is famously quoted as saying those who believe they can and those who believe they can’t are both right. If you believe that you can’t, then it is likely that you have turned many opportunities into traps and many stepping stones into stumbling blocks. It is likely that you take decisions based on security and reality – playing it safe all the time and never disturbing the waters of familiarity.

As a believer, you are not meant to live by the reality that you see around you.  Though you are to acknowledge it,  you are meant to live by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). If you focus on reality, your focus will be on the way things are. If you focus on faith, then your focus will be on the way things should be. In that sense, all progress requires faith! To make my point, just imagine what the world would look like today if the cave man never saw beyond his present reality.

Remember this: Faith can but fear can’t

You and I are meant to live by faith (Galatians 2:20). We are meant to achieve great things to the glory of God. To live by faith requires that we trust and believe in God’s ability no matter what.

Therefore it is not a question is of if you can or can’t, it’s a question of how strong your trust and believe in God is!

I AM A NOBODY

The moment you accepted Jesus is the moment you were adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). In that moment, you took the name of God and gained access to all the power and privilege that the name commands. Since God is the King and you are now a son or daughter of God, then it goes that you are now a prince or princess. Moreover, you are not just a prince and princess of any earthly king, you are that of the King that made the heavens and the earth.

So for you to say that you are a nobody is to misunderstand who you have become in Christ. You are not just somebody but you are a very important body. You were born again not only to receive eternal security but to rule and reign in this life. Isn’t it time you started to live your true identity?

I AM POOR

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1). If that is the case and you and I have become heirs of God and co-heirs with the Lord through adoption (Romans 8:17), then you and I are very wealthy indeed. Now just because you and I are not enjoying the fruit of our inheritance just yet does not mean that we are not wealthy. In Christ, all the resources that we could ever need are available to us.

Yet here is the thing: God will only entrust his riches to those good stewards that will carry out His purpose. God will not give you and I something we do not have the character to handle. If we do not have the character to handle wealth, then wealth becomes an instrument of destruction and not of blessing. God loves us too much to allow that to happen. So instead of saying I am poor, the best question to ask is where can I make a tangible change.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE

Since Christ tells us that nothing is impossible for those of us who believe (Mark 9:23), Impossible is a word that you should remove from your vocabulary. While it is okay to say in humility that it is impossible for you, you should follow it up by saying nothing is impossible with God. Since Christ lives within you and I, impossible things can and will flow through us through faith-full action.

So stop saying that it is impossible for your situation to turn around. Stop saying that no one wants you because of your situation. Stop saying that it is not possible for your relationship to be mended. We serve a God who specializes in the impossible.

Do not let your unbelief be the reason you are not seeing the manifestation of God’s power in your life.

I AM PHYSICALLY UGLY

God says that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. While God spoke the worlds into existence, we are told that He formed us (Genesis 2:7). This means that He took His time to craft you and I. He decided what you should look like and He set your features especially as He liked it.

For you to say that you are ugly is to say that God has made something that is imperfect. The only reason you think that you are ugly is because you have gone away from God’s standard of beauty and imbibed that which has been made popular in your particular culture.

Friend, the only thing that makes you and I ugly is sin – both as persons and in person. That’s it.

IT IS TOO LATE FOR ME

To say it is too late is to give up on God. God never gives up on us so we should never give up on Him. There is nothing we have done or can ever do that God cannot redeem.

No matter what you have done so far, it is not too late. Just because you have written a few bad pages, chapters or have written a horror story so far does not mean that you cannot change the story around. Simply hand the pen of your life to Jesus and watch how He turns your story around. With God it is not over.

If God can perform a miracle through Elisha after his death, realize that even death does not end the impact of your life. So do what you can now even if you have a few days and watch your story live on forever through the people you touched.

We serve a God that may tarry but is never late (Habakkuk 2:3).

I HAVE NO FRIENDS

No matter how many earthly friends leave you – perhaps because of what you did or what you did not do – I want you to know that you will always have a friend in Jesus. His friendship does not hinge on your behavior but hinges on who He is. So do not allow the enemy to tell you no one loves you and cares about you. It simply is not true! Jesus is a friend who loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17).

Now Jesus is your friend but are you His friend? Have you accepted Him into your world? If not, then today is your day to ask Him into your heart. Now here is the cool thing, the more you become a friend of Jesus (love), the more you will find that real friends who are loving gravitate towards you.

In Christ, you are never alone!

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September 9, 2015 · 8:02 pm

4 Things We Keep Doing That Keeps Getting Us In Trouble

IGNORING WEAKNESSES

We all have weaknesses. To say we do not is to lie to ourselves. But what do we do with our weaknesses? Do we simply ignore them and focus on our strengths? No, that would be a mistake for we are only as good as our weakest link. Is the answer to focus on strengthening our weakness at all cost? No, that is also a mistake because our weaknesses will never match our strengths no matter how hard we work at them.

So its darn if you do and darn if you don’t right? No again! God gives us a way to handle our weaknesses without expending energy and without compromising our strengths. Instead of moping about our weakness and wishing it goes away, what we have to do is submit our weaknesses to God and allow His power and favor to wash over us. What? Is that all there is to it, you must be wondering. Yes, that’s it. It is so easy that it is difficult.

Practically, the way we do this is by: (1) realizing those things that trigger our weaknesses  and (2) praying to God when those triggers are pressed. How do we know this works? We know by these two things: First, when the prospect of dying on the cross triggered weakness in Jesus, He responded by praying to the Father who in turn sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). Second, God told apostle Paul when he was tired of his weakness to simply really on His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Personally I have found out that it is impossible to beat myself because (1) it hurts when I punch myself and (2) no matter who wins, I lose. I find that it is much easier to submit to God and have Him handle me. He is gentle and oh so effective!!!

KEEPING  THE WRONG COMPANY 

Just as keeping bad company will keep you from achieving anything in life, keeping the wrong company will keep you from achieving all that you can achieve in life. If you keep the wrong company, you will not feel fulfilled AND it will cause a lot of trouble in your relationships. Just think of the eagle and the dove. While both the eagle and dove are wonderful in their own right, they are not meant to flock together. If the eagle flocked with the dove, the dove would feel like it is holding the eagle back and the eagle would feel unfulfilled because it is not reaching its fullest heights. If they loved each other, they would let each other go to be the best that each can be.

If you are a dove, should you try to be an eagle? No way!!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a dove. If you feel as a dove that you are inferior to an eagle, then you have drunk the Kool-aid of comparison and self-imposed inferiority complex. The dove cannot help being a dove just as much as an eagle cannot help being an eagle. God made them the way they were supposed to be. Our job is simply to reach our fullest potential (not someone else’s). Anything else will bring dis-contentment!

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus – Galatians 3:28

REJECTING HONEST AND TRUTHFUL INPUT

We all need four sets of eyes. We need a set of eyes in front of us to see where we are going and we need another set of eyes in the back of our head to see what is coming behind us. Now perhaps the reason we are made with only one set of eyes is so that we are reminded of our need to be in relationship with other people.

All of us need someone to watch our backs to make sure we are not blind-sided by unseen forces. Failure to do this means that we are always learning by experience instead of by correction. If you are like me, you do not want to learn everything by experience – experiences are just too painful.

If you are the ‘I don’t need anybody’ kind of person, I implore you to reconsider your stance. The truth is that we all need somebody. If you have someone who is encouraging you to change (like your family), do not despise them. Take your pride out of it. It is much better to learn a lesson from home than to learn it from the world. The world will not be as forgiving and only wants to capitalize on your flaws.

Remember, the people who love you most will give you the most honest and truthful input. Also remember that just because an input is honest does not mean it is truthful. You do not want someone to just tell you what they honestly feel – for the feelings may be erroneous. You want people to tell you what they have honestly seen based on their close observation of your behavior.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses – Proverbs 27:6

BEING INSENSITIVE

If you wrap a diamond ring in dung, do not be surprised if no one opens up the package. If you think that it is silly to forego a diamond ring just because of its package, you are right! But the point is not that you are right, the point is that the gift has not been received.

The point of the diamond ring example is this: People act more on emotions than they do on facts. If you do not cater to people’s emotions, people will immediately take it to mean that you do not care about them – even if that could not be farther from the truth. Since nothing has the ability to damage emotions faster than words, you must be careful of not just what you say but how you say it. Most people will remember how you said something versus what you said. If fact, how you say something will often change the meaning people associate with what you said. Thus you must continue to be sensitive to people in the way you communicate at all times to ensure that the love you so want to give is received. Do this and you will save yourself a lot of grief.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some – 1 Corinthians 9:22

 

 

 

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September 5, 2015 · 6:04 pm

A few Good Reasons Why You Should Stop Trying to Live for Jesus

There are two main modes of thought when it comes to how to live. The first mode of thought comes from the world. If you listen to the world, it’ll tell you to ‘live for you’. It’ll encourage you to be true to yourself and be honest with who you are. The problem with the advice ‘live for you’ can be summed up with the question ‘who are you?’ The second mode of thought comes from religion. If you listen to religion, it’ll tell you to ‘live for God’. If you are a Christian,  you’ll be specifically encouraged to ‘live for Jesus’.

Is there a problem with trying to live for Jesus? You better believe it. How can you and I live for a perfect and sinless savior? The simple answer is that we cannot. Try as hard as we might, we fall short of living up to the standards of Jesus (God). In fact, the only person who can live for Jesus is Jesus. Thus to try to live for Jesus is to set yourself up for a life of wondering if you are doing enough, a life of performance anxiety, a life of fear and doubt, and a life of endless striving to be good. It is a life of law keeping –  a life of bondage.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: If you find no peace in your christian walk and you feel shackled as a christian, it is likely that you are trying to live for Jesus.

The good news is this: God does not want us to live for Him, He wants to live for us! If you don’t believe me, perhaps you’ll believe the Holy Scriptures.

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me – Galatians 2:20

The scripture above says ‘I no longer live’. If we are no longer alive, how can we live for anyone? Moreover, if we are dead, then someone has to live in place of us. That person who is supposed to live for us is Christ.

Since God is not a control freak, He will only live for us if we allow Him to do so. Now if you are like me, the only way I’d allow someone to take my place in anything is if (1) that person is better than I am (2) that person is worthy (3) I have faith (trust and believe in that person). I’d say Christ fits that billing extraordinarily well.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: The only way Christ can live for us if for us to surrender in faith

Why allow Christ to live for us rather than try to live for him? Here are 8 good reasons:

  • Living for Jesus involves works and requires a lot of effort, but allowing Jesus to live for us involves faith because only our surrender is required.
  • Living for Jesus leads to anxiety, but Jesus living for us leads to peace.
  • Living for Jesus leads to condemnation unto despair, but Jesus living for us leads to conviction unto repentance.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to keep up appearances, but Jesus living for us leads to transparency.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to be depressed about who we are not, but Jesus living for us leads us to be confident about who He is and who we are in Him no matter our shortcomings.
  • Living for Jesus leads us to shy away from God when we get it wrong, but Jesus living for us leads us to move towards God when we get it wrong.
  • Living for Jesus leads to fear and doubt, but Jesus living for us leads to faith and love
  • Living for Jesus comes out of religion, but Jesus living for us comes out of relationship (intimacy).

Story of Job

Job was a man who tried to ‘live for God’. By all intents and purposes he succeeded in doing just that. In fact he was blameless when it came to living for God. Yet, his life was filled with fear. He would quickly go and make penance for his children after parties out of fear (Job 1:5). He also feared that he was going to lose all he had (Job 3:25).

In due time he found out that religion could not sustain him. After losing everything, he came to the realization that he had only ‘known about God’ (religion) instead of knowing God (relationship) (see Job 42:5). The turnaround for him came after he realized that he could trust God and that there was nothing that God could not turn around (Job 42:1). Once he surrendered to God in his heart fully, he not only regained all that he had lost but got a double portion of what was lost.

304px-light_bulb_icon_tips-svgLight-bulb moment: Even if you are doing a great job living for Jesus (obeying the law), the glory of living for Jesus pales in comparison with glory of Jesus living for you.

 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious – 2 Corinthians 3:7-11

If we are to see the manifestation of the glory of God in our midst, we have to stop trying to live for Jesus and we have to allow Jesus to live for us. We have to move beyond religion and move into intimacy. I speak to myself.

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