Heart of the Wise

It's official: some people may not really be happy to see you happy.  This does not necessarily mean that they are bad people or that they will do anything to hurt you intentionally. No, but they may have gone through a lot of painful experiences in their lives and are carrying deep-seated pain that they find succor and comfort in company of someone else who has experienced a similar type of pain or is experiencing some sort of unpleasant situation in their lives too. As the saying goes, misery loves company. So, the thought of seeing you happy or having an experience they haven't had or that they think they won't have naturally leaves them drained, insecure and even more miserable. They inwardly literally panic at the thought of that.  That's their initial response: fear that results in more pain and misery. Thus, their brain and emotions go into sabotage mode to fault and foil whatever awesome plans you may have proposed or whatever new ideas you sh...

Now let's talk to a few pseudos... (Disclaimer: Brace yourself! This may hurt a bit but no harm intended. Should be graciously received. Written only "to whom it may concern". And without mincing words. It's straight up. One love.) There is really no such thing as 'secret' or 'hidden' Christian living. Like secret love or secret pregnancy, that's more often than not a fabrication. You may say you worship God 'privately' and that you don't "flaunt your faith". Congratulations! But you are quick to ecstatically post a picture you took with your so-called "celebrity crush" for the world to see that you do know them. No newsworthy crush on Jesus, too? Of course, you should NEVER be a hypocrite, showcasing outwardly what is not an inward reality or authentic experience. But you know what? Subtle Satan may have just succeeded in cornering you into a psychological hole with a powerfully dis-empowering thought. Yo...

Any so-called prayer, confession or faith that seeks to CLAIM people and property for one's self without adequate personal preparation or the practice of due diligence is an ERROR and a witless nuisance. That is no prayer but perhaps witchcraft, sorcery or spiritual manipulation. Anyone involved in such acts must STOP that. Sorcerers have no place in God's Kingdom. First, BECOME what you want to have. Then, you can attract and KEEP it. You may RECEIVE but you cannot RETAIN s omething until you have developed your ability to MANAGE it properly. God is NOT a magician. We should not violate natural and spiritual principles. Otherwise, we would have to bear the dire consequences with much loss and regret. The pathway of responsibility for any sustainable undertaking is to BUILD CAPACITY. It is irresponsible, selfish, fraudulent and thus criminal to COVET and CLAIM something you have little or no capacity for or understanding about. Do you have "carrying capacity...

God is NOT a religion. True Christianity is not a religion. There's a marked difference between having God and having a religion.  God is love. And love is beyond religion. So, God is beyond religion. Religion is mainly a matter of compliance with rules, rites or rituals. Religion has a form or 'similitude' of godliness but denies, refuses or fails to practically experience the true 'power' or essence of spiritual life. Colonialism brought with it a religion-mutated 'God' to  Africa and, while helping us to read and write, it robbed us not only of our material wealth but also of our identity. It gave us the similitude of an empowering education but which encapsulated a deep-set need for dependence and a dis-empowering sense of inferiority, making us aspire to be more like another and less like ourselves. Commendably, 'imported' religion was a blessing as it propagated the work of God by illuminating our darkness; but the goodly mis...

Beyond competence development, there is a need for character development.  We don't just need gifted, talented and intelligent people. We also need people who are honest, humble and 'healthy' in their hearts and minds.  Competence makes a person capable, effective and good at what I do. However, character is the real foundation for success that is both worthwhile and sustainable. Without this dimension of personal growth or development, there will be outgrowths and outbursts of envy, strife, unhealthy competition, malice, slander, scheming, spite, dishonesty, insincerity, cheating, usurping, fraud, offense, insensitivity, pettiness and i mmaturity even with the abundance of information, knowledge, know-how or skills we have acquired.  We should add virtue to our knowledge otherwise we would have underdeveloped psychologies, insecure personalities, immature emotions or unreliable intentions.  Fact is, we have many times elevated and prioritized ...

The mind is programmable. Matter of fact, everyone is running on a certain mental programming, known or unknown to them. From birth and infancy, the involuntary programming begins, encoding subconscious data to our ab-initio tabula rasa mind pad from our background, experiences, exposures, environment, interactions, learning, culture, education, religion, family, etc. Any dysfunctional experience has the potential of making a dysfunctional imprint on our minds. That's why people who have had dysfunctional relationships or families are dysfunctional in some way and must not deny it but accept it and work at overcoming and even mastering that dysfunction or potential for dysfunction in their future relationships. This is because the subconscious mind is like a computer and functions based on the subconscious coding it receives from its programmer, whoever or whatever that is.  Many people are running on terrible mental scripts but the worst part is that they are largely unawa...

Marriage is covenant. Marriage is the highest form of human relationship. Next to God, is your spouse, not your father, not your mother, not your siblings and certainly not your friends. We must not be in such a hurry to get married. We must understand marriage in God's context because He is its creator and originator. It was His idea: "two are better than one, and it is not good for a man to be alone" . Marriage is a lifelong bond. It is a covenant with a lifetime companion of one's own choosing. It should be preceded by due diligence and engaged with all honesty, truthfulness and authenticity. So first, be whole, happy and secure as a single person. Then, understand what marriage is , understand your role as a husband or wife, and understand your potential spouse to ensure you two are compatible and will make a good match not an unequal yoke. When a cat pairs with a dog, it wouldn't understand why the dog is barking because it can only meow, but God made ...

Beware of secret relationships. Friends who are your friends only in the dark, behind closed doors. Friends who won't put a word for you in your absence. Friends who won't stand by you. Friends who won't lift a finger to acknowledge you in the open. Friends, at least so-called, who are afraid or ashamed to be associated with you in public. Do you also count these among your number of friends? Are they really your friends or you only presume that they are your friends? Something as important and powerful as our associations and friendships should not be left in the realm of uncertainty. We have to be more intentional about it. Friendship is never mandatory. It is always voluntary and mutual. But it has its requirements and responsibilities as well as its rights and rewards, if we wish to engage it, precondition and privilege inclusive. So, what are the broad guidelines or rules of engagement? 1. Be wise. Raise the standard on friendship. People should not waltz...

Vast knowledge or learning, great wealth and fame are not the fruits of Christianity or spirituality. Without the understanding that Christianity is not a religion, we will miss the mark. Great intellectualism is not the path to God. The highest earthly achievements do not guarantee any stature in the spirit realm. There are so many religions, some even identify themselves as "Christian religions" but true Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with God himself through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. If you have not encountered Jesus, you only have religion, nothing more. You are not a Christian. It is your encounter with and trust in Christ that makes you a Christian. A Christian has Christ; a religious person has religion. Jesus did not come to establish a religion. He came to restore our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Shun religion. Seek Jesus! In Christ, there is no barrier; rich or poor, learned or uneducated, black or white, youn...

We can only judge ourselves. To try to judge others is to try to play God. Truthfully, we cannot even judge ourselves most accurately until God helps us by first opening our eyes to our own hidden flaws and then helping us to come to the place of acknowledgement, repentance and surrender. A good example of hidden flaws is pride or greed or envy enshrined deeply within the heart. If we are very sincere, humble ourselves before God and ask Him to search us, He certainly will. He usually uses unlikely circumstances and unlikely people to reveal to us our hidden and secret flaws. He loves us so much. He will gently nudge us. He does all this to bring us into a deeper love walk with Him and to grow us in spiritual maturity to be more like Him. Indeed, the heart of fallen man is potentially, desperately and inherently evil, deceitful above all things, who can know it? It takes a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit to truly please God from within, and to lay down self-will...