I spent some time on this Bible verse, and my eyes got opened to something I had not seen before. I was seeing, in a new light that, the greedy longing to have more and more, is rooted in an insecurity, which is born out of deception.
Let’s take a look at the Scripture.

“Speaking to the people, he went on, ” Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
(Luke 12:15, MSG)

The New Living Translation renders it this way,
“…” Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” ”

Here is the insecurity: low self worth.
And the deception is this: “your self worth is equated to how much or little material possession you have. That, the more you have, the more you are.”
So this puts people on an endless chase for material things. They are trying to makeup for a deficit (self) account; filling up a personal deficiency, a flawed self. They’re on a quest to build their self worth with riches and possession.

This is a deception!
And the problem with this kind of thinking is this, you’re trying to meet a spiritual need with material things. You’re trying to meet a “being” problem through “having.” Material things don’t really satisfy. This is why you’re on an endless pursuit for more and more.

If you define who you are by what you have, then you will have to always try to get more and more, to keep your self worth from going down.

Another danger of this deception is that , your self worth will keep oscillating. Today it’s up; tomorrow it’s down, depending on how much you have.

God didn’t intend for us to derive our self worth from our net worth. No! He didn’t intend for us to define or evaluate our lives by what we have or don’t have. Our lives do not equate to riches, even if you have alot!

Your value as a person comes from who you are. And you are who you are because of what Christ has done for you. Your worth comes from the price He paid to have you. And Christ paid for you with His own precious blood. He paid for your life with His own life. Nothing less!

“For you know God paid a RANSOM to save you… And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.
It was the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
(1Peter1:18-19, NLT)

You’re worth everything, to the Father, the blood of Christ is. For His sacrifice for you completely established your worth as a person. So the next time you’re tempted to think that you’re how much you have, remind yourself that, that’s a lie. Your life wasn’t paid for with gold or silver. No! You were bought with the precious blood of the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. That’s how much you’re worth!

When people can’t forgive, when they say things like, “this is unforgivable,” it means that they have sized up the gravity of the offenses, weighed them against their ability to love (or capacity for forgiveness), and they have been outweighed. It’s like trying to place a 100kg weight on a 10 year old. That child will be crushed completely under the weight!

When you feel like the hurt is more than you can handle, that the offense is unforgivable, it’s simply because your human capacity for love and forgiveness has been overrun! You can’t handle evil in your own human strength. It will overweigh and crush you every time. You need to switch over to God’s capacity to forbear and to forgive.
The Psalmist said He is compassionate and
merciful.

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
(Psalm 86:15, NIV)

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”
(Exodus 34:6-7, ESV)

With this mammoth and magnanimous and infinite capacity for love, there ain’t nothing too big to be forgiven. When you weigh the most grievous hurts and heinous offenses on the scale of God’s love, His love will hopelessly and endlessly outweigh them!

When the Scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, and suggested to atone her to death, it’s because their human, legal minds were outweighed by the offense of adultery. They didn’t know the depth of the Father’s love nor His depth of forgiveness. So they couldn’t extend the same to the woman.
For we can, as a law, only love as much as we know that we have been loved:
“We love because he first loved us”
(1John 4:19, NIV)

And we can only forgive as much as we know that we have been forgiven:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
(Ephesians 4:32,NIV)

One must experience unconditional LOVE, if one will be empowered to offer unconditional forgiveness!

The knowledge of one’s forgiveness is key to one’s attitude towards God, oneself and others!
For instance, take a look at what happened between Christ and these persons in the following discourse:

41 “A certain lender of money [at interest] had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 “When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?
43 “Simon answered, The one, I take it, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly.
47 “Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her—because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.”
(Luke 7:41-47, AMP)

Notice that this “sinner woman,” as she was called, somehow realized something,which the religious leaders didn’t know. When she saw Jesus, she was knew – may be from all she had heard about Him – that she had seen her Redeemer. She saw the One Who thought she was worthy dying for, One Who was willing to forgive her completely and never condemn her.

And the result was this, she poured out her life in acts of love for Him!
She washed Christ’s feet with her tears, and wiped them clean with her hair. She tenderly and caressingly kissed His feet again and again. She anointed His feet with a costly and rare perfume.
She did all these, not because she wanted to earn her forgiveness. No! She did all she did only because she knew that her sins, which were many were already laid on “the Lamb of God Who carried away the sins of the world.”

Our attitude towards God, ourselves and others is a reflection of the depth of our knowledge of the Father’s love and forgiveness for us.

When you find yourself struggling so much with forgiving offenses or extending unconditional love to others, it’s a pointer to the fact that you need to ingest more of the Father’s love for you. For you can, as a law, love only to the extent you yourself have received love!

May God’s love fill and overflow your heart and splash on those around you in lavish acts of forgiveness. In Jesus Name

Your mind needs attention and care. If you don’t attend to it, it will grow all kinds of weeds and become wild. And who wants to have a wild, unrestrained, and undisciplined mind?

To understand the importance of your mind, you must first come to grips with this truth:
You are a spirit. You have a soul. And you live in a body.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1Thessalonians 5:23, NIV)

Your spirit, at new birth, was recreated, in the exact likeness and holiness of God.
(Ephesians 4:24)
It’s perfect, complete, full of love and faith and hope and joy. The life and the ability and the glory of God dwell within your spirit. There’s heaven in your heart.

Your soul houses your mind, emotions and will.
Your mind is a function of the soul, and entails all the thought processes, such as reason, perception, imagination, memory, etc
And while your spirit is completely recreated new, your soul isn’t. It must be renewed with the Word of God. It must be brought under the leadership of your spirit.

Why is taking control of your mind so important to your life?
Because it holds the key to every other aspects of your life. Your soul is the link between the spiritual and physical realms. And in order to manifest in the physical those beautiful realities in our spirit, the soul has to be put in shape.
For instance,
the state of your soul determines your health, well-being and the prosperity of other areas of your life.

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
(3John 2, AMP)

If your mind is sick, your physical health too suffers. You may be wondering how the mind can get sick. Well, such emotions as envy, jealousy, fear, anger, etc make the mind sick. And a sick mind produces a sick body:

“A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.”

(Proverbs 14:30, AMP)

Envy, jealousy, bitterness, guilt, fear, loneliness, depression eats away at your physical health. So to live in good health, you must give attention to your soul. Cause it to be prosperous.
A prosperous soul is one that’s aligned with the truths, perspective, promises, and blessings of God. It’s one that’s devoid of fear, envy, jealousy, bitterness, etc.
Instead, it’s full of faith, joy, love, hope, etc
You bring the soul to this point by daily exposing your mind to the Word of God. And by practice or doing the Word.

You can manifest in your life vibrant spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. And you can live in God’s overflowing abundance in every area of your life. The key is a prosperous soul! (3John2)

Emotions have messages. Feelings don’t just happen; they are triggered by your thoughts. This means that different emotions are caused by different thought patterns. Emotions, in a way, are your thoughts finding expressions through your feelings. So your emotions carry messages that reflect what you have been thinking about and how you have been thinking. For instance, when you feel guilty, it means that you have broken one of your principles. It means you have done or said something that you consider as being wrong.
Shame communicates that you think yourself unworthy, because you have done something stupid, hence, not deserving of acceptance or love.
When you feel disappointment, it simply means that an expectation you had was not met or you have been let down. Worry means that you are not adequately prepared for what’s coming. So what message does fear communicate?

Fear communicates a myriad of messages depending on the object of the fear. However, generally, fear communicates inadequacy; “I can’t handle what I am about to face.”
“I don’t have what I need to meet a particular situation.” “It’s well over my power or control.”
Whether it’s the fear of public speaking or fear of death or fear of the future or fear of rejection or fear of not been hot enough, the underlying message is that of being insufficient, incapable, deficient or “not enough” for the situation in question.

God’s plan for your life isn’t to be driven by fear. No! God wants you governed by His Word and Spirit. However, if your life is driven or controlled by fear, I have good news for you. And this is the good news: You can master your fear. That is, no fear is unbeatable. And some fears can be captured with just a little bit of effort. For instance, I have this fear of large bodies of water. I know it’s simply because I don’t have swimming skills. I feel inadequate to meet this challenge. What I need to conquer this fear is just a few swimming lessons. For now, I feel swimming is unnecessary. I will knock out the fear when I feel a real need for swimming. ?
Similarly, the fear of failing exams or interview can be stumped out, if one would only make adequate preparations for it.

I remembered how I overcame the fear of public speaking back then during my undergraduate days. I was so shy of standing before people. I would always feel like “all eyes on me!” It’s a terrible experience you don’t want to go through!
When I started nursing thoughts of speaking to people, helping them with life issues, I knew I had to do something about the fear. I prayed about it, but it didn’t seem to do much. Then I started something more practical. I had read that the best way to conquer your fear was to do what you feared doing. So I took that path. I would deliberately let my colleagues settle down in their seats in those large lecture theatres. I would wait until almost everyone was seated, then stroll in through the front door. I would linger a while in front, while looking straight into those crowd of eyes gazing down at me.
No one really knew what I was doing. I was fighting and daily mastering the fear of standing before large crowds. And I didn’t stop there; I then started making some presentations in the fellowship, and organizing small talks around the campus. I called them Power Seminars. Each seminar gave me more confidence, and a greater desire for another. I kept doing what I had feared doing, though with so much determination and effort. And here am I today!
Have I completely conquered it? I have learnt to feel the fear, but never allow the fear stop me from doing what I need to do. If your fear no longer holds you back nor stops you from giving full expression to your life, then you have conquered your fear.

What’s your fear?
Identity it. Then make practical efforts to master it.
Don’t let that fear govern you. Brake its hold on your thoughts and emotions. Then step out and do what you desire to do.

I shall conclude our discussion on fear in the next post, where I shall be talking about God’s remedy for your fears.

Much Love!

Love is the deepest spiritual longing of the human heart. In other words, the ultimate need of the human heart is to feel a sense of security.
Because the more deeply we are loved, the more secure we tend to feel. And the more secure one feels, the easier it is for one to reach beyond oneself, to love others, without manipulation.

The deep importance of the need for love lies in the fact that we were created in love and by love, and to live in love. God crafted the human from the core of His Being, from the very foundation of love. For God is love. He is the complete expression of love, the very fullness of love. And out of this fullness, you and I were created. That’s why the deep longing for love and affection exert such a powerful pull on us, that we will go to any length just to fulfill it. For instance, we can even feign sickness just to get attention. When I was a child, I used to do this, especially at those times I felt I wasn’t given enough attention, being the last born. And it always worked. My mum would let me sleep in her bed, cover me up and treat me to some special delicacies. ?
That’s how powerful a pull the longing for love exerts on us!

The great king David also came in touch with this powerful reality. He expressed it in such strong words. He said God’s unfailing love is better than life. (Psalm 63:3). That is, life itself isn’t a match for the knowledge that we are loved by God’s unfailing love. What’s life without love!

In Song of Solomon, this deep longing to feel loved and wanted and adored is again expressed in such beautiful poetic words:

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”

(Song of Solomon 8:6, NIV)

Paul the apostle also identified love as the greatest human need, when he said,
“But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all—love].”
(1Corinthians 12:31, AMP)

In 1Corinthians 13:13, he said that love is the greatest of eternal realities, the greatest of human needs.

Hence, he advised the Corinthian church to make love – the receiving and giving of it – their great quest. They were to pursue love as though their lives depended on it – because they did. (1Corinthians14:1)

God’s original intent was that man, carved out from His perfect love, would live forever in His loving Presence and experience overwhelming security. Man’s heart was designed to live in love, and to operate in security.
Since God created us and shaped our hearts for love, we are born with a great need to feel loved and accepted, to feel cherished and valued. And to the degree this need goes unsatisfied, we will experience insecurities in our lives. It is a scientific fact that babies who are not given loving touch in the first few months of their lives can become physically and emotionally damaged. Those children grow up with a love-deficit in their heart, and are prone to all kinds of personality defects, such as addictive disorders, rejection syndrome and the likes. I need to say here that, while human love is needed to help the soul flourish and function well, it’s not enough to satisfy the deep-heart longing for love and affection. Only God’s love can completely fulfill that strong desire. To help you, I would like to recommend my book, I LOVE YOU. You can purchase it on the website’s Shop.

Maybe you didn’t experience what it means to be loved and accepted when you were growing up. It’s true there wasn’t much you could do to help yourself. However, you are grown now; there’s something you can do. You can forgive those who deprived you of love. And you can open your heart to the flood of God’s boundless, infinitely intimate and unconditional love for you.

God loved you before you were born. He loved you from eternity. And He isn’t about to stop loving you now. He loves you, not because of anything you have done or haven’t done. He loves you because it’s His nature to love, and He chose to love you. And there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less or any more than He already loves you. For He loves you with everything He’s got. He gave up His Son for you. There ain’t greater love!

Believing God’s perfect love for you, accepting what Christ has done for you on the cross, is the beginning of your journey to wholeness. God’s perfect love in your heart has the ability to heal every emotional wounds, satisfy your heart’s deepest longing for affection and stump out all insecurities. Who knows this truth more than the apostle whom Jesus loved!
He said,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
(1John4:18, ESV)

You know that you have received God’s love in your heart when your fears and insecurities are giving way. And you’re giving love, not to get it back, but because you know that you have been lavishly loved by God Himself. You love from a secure position. And you accept and value others because you know that God has accepted you unconditionally and valued highly.

It’s my prayer that God’s love and acceptance will become more real to you than ever before. And may it heal the loneliness, the deprivation, and abandonment. In Jesus Name.

Have you heard the saying that, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words won’t harm me?
That statement is far from true.
Cuts and fractures from sticks and stones will be treated and healed, but wounds from wrong words may remain for the better part of one’s life.
Wrong words cut through and wound the soul.

Words are containers. They either carry death or life. And our words can either build up and embolden or tear down and weaken the human soul. Words have moods. They can create joy and security or sadness and fear. Words wield tremendous power, for good or for evil.
Proverbs 18:21 gives credence to this,

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” (AMP)

The words we speak, either to ourselves or to others can kill or give life.
For instance, most emotional breakdowns are the result of wrong words that were said or good words that were not said.

For the sake of this post, I shall focus only on the effects of negative words.

Proverbs 12:18 gives us an insight into the destructive power of wrong words. It says,

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (NIV)

Little wonder, there are so many wounded and bleeding hearts today in the world around us. Courtesy of the sharp cutting and piercing of wrong words. Words rashly said or deliberately targeted to hurt and wound the heart.

The consequences of words on the human soul are immeasurable, for good or for evil. They leave behind their effects on the inmost parts of one’s being. And for many, this may persist for life.
For instance, a child who lives with endless criticisms grows into an adult whose heart is prone to always feeling condemned. One who lives with incessant ridicules becomes a shy person. Negative statements like, “You’re such a dummy, you can’t do anything right,” have the power to eat away at a child’s self-confidence. And this child may grow into an adult who never attempts at anything, for fear of failure and lack of faith in his own abilities. Some have had their self-worth butchered by those who spoke to them in ways that suggested that they were worthless. Their self-esteem is so low they have such difficulty in relating with other people.

Unfortunately, most children are exposed to more negative statements than to positive ones. A study shows that, in a home, an average child receives ten negative statements for every positive statement.
What this means is that, the ratio of destructive statements to good statements a child receives, say in a day is, 10:1.
What a ratio!

Another study showed that it would take at least four positive statements to erase the effect of one negative statement.
However, the sad part is that most people are more prone to internalize one destructive statement than four positive statements said to them. The result is a whole lot of grownups who are still struggling with the destructive effects of wrong words spoken to them in their developmental age.

For some, their souls were damaged, not by the non affirming statements that were said to them, but by those good words or affirming statements that were not said to them. They never heard statements like,
“I love you”
“You’re special”
“I am proud of you.”
“You’re such a blessing.”
All they ever heard were the things they did wrong. They grew up without affection, appreciation or encouragement. They are love deficit. Their souls are starved.

Such persons may become clowns, indulge in alcohol, drugs, sex, or even pursue success, as a defence or coverup for their insecurities.

How can these negative effects of wrong words be handled?

I shall take us into that tomorrow.

It’s my prayer that this piece brings you much help.

Much Love from me to you.

“He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.”
(John16:14, AMP)

The Holy Spirit GLORIFIES Christ us!
To glorify means to
Exalt or Lift up; to honor, praise or worship.

It means the Holy Spirit seeks to Exalt or Lift Christ up in our lives. He seeks to bring Him Honor, Worship or Praise, in our own lives and situations.

But How Does The Holy Spirit Bring
Honor or Glory To God in us?

“He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.”
(John16:14, AMP)

Christ tells us from the Scripture above that, the the Holy Spirit will Glorify Him in us in this way:
“He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.”

The Holy Spirit draws upon Christ’s healing virtue and transmits it to our bodies. He draws upon His grace and transmits it to us in our moments of dire needs. He takes of His undying love and sheds it deep in our hearts, imparting us the ability to love the unloved and unlovable. He draws from His eternal purposes and plans and reveal them to us in visions and inspirations. He draws from His abounding comfort, to comfort our hearts, when we are troubled or hurt or grieved. The Holy Spirit takes of the ability of the Christ and makes it available to us, when we face temptations and trials and difficult situations.

Your healing and health glorify Christ; your sickness and weakness don’t. Your wealth and abundance glorify Christ; your penury and lack don’t.
Your comfort and relief exalt Christ in your life; your grief and sorrow don’t.
Your success gives God glory; your failure doesn’t. Your well-being is on God’s heart. That’s what gives Him pleasure. Your brokenness doesn’t honor Him.
God is honored when we receive answers to our prayers, and become fruitful in every area of our life. Hear what Christ Himself said about what gives God glory:

7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (NIV)

8 “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (ESV)
(John15:7-8)

God’s glory and honor lie in your becoming all that Christ died to make you. So never settle for anything less than God’s utmost for you. Therein lies His honor. By your greatness, Christ is worshipped, honored and exalted in you. This, the Holy Spirit is committed to doing in you.

It’s my prayer that you will be bent on cooperating with the Holy Spirit, to bring God glory and honor in your life.

In our episode one on understanding God’s love, we saw that it’s not possible for the human mind to grasp the love of God. For His love can only be understood by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, Who indwells our innermost being.

Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 3:17-19, shows us the importance of coming to know, by the Spirit, the fathomless love of God. He tells us that by the revelation of the Spirit, we can come to know the height, the breadth, the length and the depth of the love of Christ.

His love is boundless in its breath; endless in its length; exhaustless in its depth; and measureless in its height.
The love of Christ for you passes all human knowledge and wisdom. It’s better than life and stronger than death. It reaches to the deepest and darkest depth of human sin and decay, and to the highest and holiest of divine perfection. God’s love for you transcends time and eternity. This is because GOD IS LOVE.

To know the love of God is to know the God Who Himself is love. To be filled with the fullness of love, by the Spirit is, to be filled with the richest measure of the Divine Presence. To live in love is to live in God and to be indwelt by God Who is love.

O’ for a deeper understanding of your boundless and unconditional love for me! …That I may know how high, wide, long and deep your love for me is. And be rooted and grounded in your ineffable love for me. And to be filled with all your fullness. This, for me, my Father and my Love, is my highest purpose and greatest quest.

God’s love is a spiritual reality.
It’s a fact. His love can be perceived, felt, seen and even understood. However, it’s well beyond the human mind to grasp. It’s a spiritual fact, hence, God’s love can only be discerned or understood through the revelation of the Holy Spirit to your human heart.
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
(1Corinthians 2:12, NIV)

The Holy Spirit is our ever present Helper. He helps us to know and understand all that God has freely given to us, beginning with His love. However, the one who is not born again does not have this capacity in him to comprehend these divine truths, including the love of God. Oh, the knowledge of God’s love is the exclusive reserve of those who have put their faith in Christ and His finished works!
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
1Corinthians 2:14, ESV)

Hallelujah!
We have the Spirit. So we can know the immensity of God’s love for us. By the Spirit, we can progressively know and become better acquainted with this hard-to-describe love.

It’s my prayer that you will open your heart to the Spirit, to comprehend how great God’s love for you really is. In Jesus Name.

I pledge My love,
To love you forever,
To love you to the very end,
To love you in time and eternity,
To love you unconditionally,
To love you unreservedly,
To love you with all that I Am and all that I have.

I pledge My love,
To never fail you,
To never give you up,
To never give up on you,
To never leave you,
To never relax My hold on you,
To never forget you,
To never let you down,
To never abandon you,
To love you with all that I Am and all that I have.

I pledge My love,
To never judge you,
To never reject you,
To never condemn you,
To never pass sentence on you,
To never accuse you,
To never cast you out,
To never destroy you,
To love you with all that I Am and all that I have.

I pledge My love,
To comfort you,
To cherish you,
To nourish you,
To protect you,
To groom you,
To, with My Words, cleanse you,
To lay down My life for you,
To love you with all that I Am and all that I have.

I pledge My love,
To love you in all circumstances,
To love you before men,
To love you before women,
To love you before angels,
To love you before demons,
To love you in the valley,
To love you on mountain top,
To love you with all that I Am and all that I have.

This is My solemn pledge.

I will love you forever!