TODAY’S YOUTHS, TOMORROW’S LEADERS

          Leadership is the principal virtue of governance. Great nations are what they are because they have great and effective leaders. The reason Nigeria and the rest of Africa are where they are today is principally because of lack of effective and purposeful leadership. Purposeful leadership is goal-oriented, altruistic and possesses character. The moment Nigeria and indeed Africa are able to address their leadership needs they will take quantum leap into their destinies. As far as the leadership burden remains unaddressed, we will keep going round and round; taking one step forward and three steps backward. Someone has described insanity as doing the same thing all of the time and expecting different results.  

          Youths are our hope and future. They are bridge between past and future. Because youths are the future of any nation, it has become most appropriate that this youth’s seminar is organized around the theme of leadership with quest to examine the place of today’s youths in the context of tomorrow’s leadership.

          Today is the end of yesterday and the beginning of tomorrow. In the same vein, youths are the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. The future belongs to today’s youths. If we fail to nurture them we have failed to protect our tomorrow. Raising today’s youths to become tomorrow’s leaders is imperative.

CONCEPTUALIZING LEADERSHIP

          It was Cicero, a Roman sage who posited that any subject should be properly conceptualized so that everyone would come to understand the subject of enquiry. In view of this, it would be most appropriate that we venture into the universe of definitions of the chief concept: leadership.

          Bernard Montgomery, a British Field Marshal conceives leadership as the, “Capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character that inspires them.”

          Eagle 8 (2008:10) states that a “Leader is anyone who occupies a position of authority and is responsible for managing people in order to achieve the goals of the unit, department or organization. Today, leadership is desperately in great demand. Families, businesses, churches, countries and global associations are in need of effective leaders. An effective leader manages, but not every manager is a leader. The more managers an organization can convert to leaders, the more successful it will be.”

          Manfred de Vries, an INSEAD Professor of Leadership opined: “Your business can have all the advantages in the world – strong financial resources, enviable market position and state-of-the-art technology but if leadership fails, all of these advantages melt away.”

          From the foregoing, it can be easily seen that leadership is the principal thing. It is the glue that holds everything together. The moment it fails, the center cannot hold again. Leadership is a catalyst. An anonymous writer had opined that leadership is enabling a group to engage together in the process of developing, sharing and moving into vision, and then living it out.

          Collins English Dictionary (1998) defines leadership as the ability to lead. Peter Drucker of the Drucker Foundations affirmed that the only definition of a leader is someone who has followers and that to gain followers require influence. John Maxwell in His 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership states that “Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less.”

          Warren Bennies is of the opinion that leadership is a function of knowing oneself, having a vision that is well communicated to one’s followers, building trust amongst colleagues, and taking effective action to realize one’s own leadership potentials.

An anonymous writer stated that leadership is the process of influencing the behaviour of other people toward group goals in a way that fully respects their freedom.

          The consensus of leadership literature suggests that leaders have vision, are individuals who attract followers, are people who share their visions with their followers, and enable the group together to achieve their common goals.

Key terms in definitions of leadership include but not limited to exertion of influence, motivating and inspiring people; helping others to realize and maximize their potentials; leading by example, selflessness and making a difference.

BRIEF BIBLICAL HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership is as old as man himself. When God created the first pair, He made one to be head and the other to be subservient (cf. Genesis 3:16; I Corinthians 11:3). Man as a social and political animal likes a well-organized systems of things and so he began to organize (Genesis 11:1-5).

In the evolution of leadership, the nature of man-made the strong to rule over the weak (Mark 10:42-45). Halley’s Bible Handbook (1965:82) noted that, “Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord (Genesis 10:8-9) was historically reputed as the first community leader. His leadership started as a hunter to protect his people from the menace of wild animals. He was also said to have headed the ill-fated “Tower of Babel’s” enterprise. Nimrod also built Babylon as the capital of his leadership. Babylon was for a long time regarded as the “Land of Nimrod.” This city was the first civilized people and nation. Babylon was but a powerful testimony to Nimrod’s visionary and dynamic leadership.

CHRISTIAN YOUTHS AND FUTURE LEADERSHIP

This generation of Christian youths is the future leaders of the Church. Without the active participation of the youths in most Congregational activities and decisions the Church of tomorrow will definitely lack leaders.

Leaders are both born and made (cf. Matt.19:12). Naturally, a leader-to-be must express his desire to be involved in leadership (cf. I Timothy 3:1). He then begins to see himself as such and then works towards acceptance (I Timothy 3:10). The Lord is seriously looking for committed persons to fill leadership vacuum (cf. Ezekiel 22:30).

       Our Lord, however, cannot commit Himself, His business and His people into the hands of just any person (John 2:24) but persons who are considered faithful (II Timothy 2:2). A future leader must be a person of sound morality (II Timothy 2:22a).Our Lord is looking for young persons of sound moral and spiritual integrity (II Timothy 2:19-21). Would you become that future leader?

     The things expected from future leaders are:

       i. Being committed to the things of God (Luke 2:49; John 2:13-17).

       ii. Not allowing rooms for a let-down (I Timothy 4:12).

      iii. Joseph, as a youthful leader demonstrated sound moral integrity

         (Genesis 39:9), Daniel, Meshach, Shedrach and Abednego demonstrated

         both moral and doctrinal integrity (Daniel 1:8) while Timothy

         demonstrated willingness (Acts 16:1-2).

WHAT THE LED ARE EXPECTED TO DO TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

It should be noted that leadership is partnership: It is the marriage of the minds of both leaders and followers.  There can be no good leaders if there are bad followers and vice-versa. Therefore, if you want to see changes in the leadership of your family, congregation, community and nation be involved, lend a hand, make inputs and encourage the involved.

The led should realize first and foremost that leaders are humans and not

angels. They can be vulnerable and are in their persons not fallible. They         have flaws; they can make mistakes. Do not expect a perfect human beings and leaders (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Do not accuse a leader in a way unbecoming (I Timothy 5:19). Be        investigative. Do not accept allegations against a leader line, hook and         sinker (Acts 17:11; cf. Acts 18:24-26). Give them support and encouragement (Galatians 6:4-7). Give them recognition as well (I Timothy 5:19; I Thessalonians 5:12-13). Sow the seeds of encouragement in your leaders and you will get it back in torrents of good leadership (Prov.11: 25).

BECOMING A LEADER (MATTHEW 24:45)

1.     You must Understudy a leader

Qualities of effective leaders are scattered on the pages of the Holy Writ. Each leader, however, must have been a time-tested follower (I Timothy 3:10; Acts 16:1-2). You will never be an effective leader if you are not first a good follower. Being a follower affords you an opportunity to understudy a leader: know his strengths and weaknesses; his/her mistakes and Unique Selling Points. It stimulates the followership as it seeks to give the led senses of belonging, direction and fulfillment. Bible shows that Moses had his Joshua, Elijah had his Elisha and Elisha had his Gehazi; Jesus had His Apostles, Paul had his Timothy and Titus; Barnabas had his John Mark. Somebody was able to understudy somebody. It is imperative that those who want to become leaders must first pay their price. In the course of doing this, you will be used, misused and abused but these are what finally make you useful. This is because while you are being thrown to every corner, you will end up knowing those corners and equipping yourself for the future.   

2.     You must be a person of vision

Vision is clear direction. A visionary leader knows the past and the present so well that it can lead others well into the future (cf. Matthew13: 52). Lack of vision is dangerous for a people (Proverbs 29:18). Visionary leaders must be pregnant with the vision to add value to the lives of those they lead. Insight and foresight should be the hallmark of a visionary leadership (Ecclesiastes 2:14d). Lack of vision is the bane of ineffective leadership (Isaiah 9:16; Matthew 15:14). An effective leader knows the way, shows the way and leads the way.

3.     You must be a person of strong integrity (I Timothy 4:12, 16).

Jesus Christ our Lord left us a legacy in these areas (Acts 1:1). The morality of leaders should never be questioned (I Timothy 3:7). You must be firm and fair. 

4.     You must be emotionally and psychologically mature (I Timothy 3:4a; Proverbs 16:32).

Leaders must be emotionally matured (Titus 1:7c). They must also be spiritually matured (I Timothy 3:6; Hebrews 5:14). Man management is not business management. Leadership is not a child’s play; it is not for chicken-hearted. You must have lots of stamina to withstand pressures. You need lots of shock absorbers, too. You must understand that “No man is man enough until he is man enough to man his own mind.” Cool headedness is the word.

5.     You must be versatile in knowledge and dynamic (Matthews 13: 52).

“Versatility”- Those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it (I Corinthians 10:6-12). “Dynamism”- Variety is said to be the spice of life. This is very true of leadership. If a leader must stand the test of time and make positive impacts he/she must be dynamic.

6.     You must possess the attitude of “Give and Take”; spirit of sportsmanship; altruism. (John 3:30; Philippians 4:2; 2:3-4).

  The attitude of, “If I do not rule I will ruin”; “If I am not at the helm of affairs, I will be at the heels”; “If my opinion is not accepted, none else will hold any water” are destructive. You must avoid Diotrophesic mentality and self-will (III John Vs.9-11; Titus 1:7b). You must avoid the temptation to politicize affairs that you are not comfortable with – employing “Divide and Rule” (cf. Acts 20:28-30). 

ARE LEADERS BORN OR ARE THEY MADE?

In a way, leaders are born and are also made. Matthew 19:11-12 points out that some people are born to fulfill certain functions while others are made by persons. In some cases, people actually work their way into certain positions. History is replete with leaders who were born, others who were made and some who made themselves. Effective leaders are not determined by being born one, made one or by making oneself one. It is all about personal orientations and one’s personal attributes.   

Certain elements are present to determine whether one is born a leader or made a leader. These are Identification, Association, Initiation, Consultation, Delegation and Coordination.

     By Identification, a leader whether born or made is able to identify a need, a vacuum or a responsibility. The quality of identification already marks the individual out as a leader. Rising to the occasion to fill the need, vacuum or responsibility sets the stage for leadership.

By Initiation, person who initiates an idea or a movement has naturally set himself apart as a leader. Deborah was a classical case in point here (Judges 4:4-10). By Associating themselves with those who have paid their dues in effective leadership, prospective leaders who have flair for effective leadership are ennobled to discover both real and felt needs of their people and then initiates programs of action to meet those needs. By Consultations leaders feel the pulse of the people, feel their feelings and work hard at carrying everyone along in decision-making processes. An ability to Delegate responsibilities is a sure indication that one possesses leadership qualities. The same also applies to abilities to Coordinate various activities among people and within an organization or a group.

Everyone can identify with one or two of the signposts to leadership. That is to say that every prospective leader must fill a need of and in the society. Effective Leaders have uncanny abilities to know how to use human instruments to meet given needs at given times.

CONCLUSION

          There are various genres of leadership: Transactional, Transformational and Translucent leaders.

          A Transactional leader is one is a businessman/woman. To him/her leadership is business as usual. Their philosophy is, “Rub my back and I will rub your back.”

          A Transformational leader is one who believes in making a difference. He/she has passion for development. He/she transforms everywhere he/she goes and is.

          A Translucent leader is one who is transparent with a “See through me” attitude. He/she is hardworking, transformational and translucent. He/she is altruistic and exemplary.

          What kind of a leader do you desire to be? As we think through these, may we remain eternally blessed in Jesus’ name!

          Thank you!!

 

SATANIC DOCTRINES IN THE CHURCH

When Jesus made promise to build His Church in Matthew 16:13-18, He made reference to the fact that Satan would be waging countless battles against her (Matthew 16:19). These battles would sometimes come from outside and at other times it would come from within (Acts 20:29-32). Satan has been planting his messengers and secretly delegating them to infiltrate the rank and file of Christians and to corrupt their message (Galatians 2:4-5). As early Christians did not allow them any breathing space, so we will not allow them.

Writing to Church of Christ in Pergamon, our Lord Jesus rebuked her for condoning Doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitians (Revelations 2:14-15). He minced no words in telling the Church that He ‘hated’ their espousing of such doctrines. This means that certain doctrines please our Lord while certain doctrines do not please Him. This can be understood going by the displeasure He displayed when people decided to practice what He had not commanded them. Nadab and Abihu can tell better (Leviticus 10:1-3) as well as Uzzah and David (II Samuel 6:1-9; cf. I Chronicles 15:13).

It is no gainsaying that God stands ready to remove whatever Himself has not planted (Matthew 15:13). Because doctrine is the livewire of New Testament Church and a major determinant of whether one is a disciple of Jesus or not (John 8:31;cf. John 14:15), we are sternly warned to “Take heed unto ourselves and unto the  Doctrine….” (I Timothy 4:16).

Whenever Satan succeeds in hijacking the doctrine, he would succeed in shipwrecking our faiths. We are what we are because of the doctrines we espouse and are encourage to “Mark those” who teach and practice the contrary (Romans 16:17). When we compromise the doctrines, we will only be going through the motions not knowing that we have lost sync with God.   

There are three major doctrines that we find in Bible:

1.   Doctrines of men, which make worship vain (Matthew 15:8-9).

2.   Doctrines of demons (I Timothy 4:1).

3.   Doctrines of Jesus Christ (II John versus 9-11).

It is the “Doctrines of Christ” that determine whether one is acceptable to God or not. Doctrines of Satan are practices that are not commanded by God but are smuggled in by men and women through satanic influences arising from human reasonings.  

Today, there are calls to reform the Church by those who do not understand what New Testament Christianity is all about. Among these are those who consider feelings or emotions as more authoritative than reasoning and plain teachings of God’s Word. Throughout Scripture and history, feelings have never been a good guide in religious affairs, rather, hey have always led people away from God and into destruction. We are warned not to allow our thinking become our guide (Proverbs 14:12; cf. Proverbs 3:5). We must have a “Thus saith the Lord” attitude (Isaiah 8:20; cf. Romans 3:4).

Brethren, Pentecostalism has entered the Church! Some of our preachers and Congregations have begun to exalt feelings above reasoning. This was how most our Congregations in America in recent years have abandoned the Faith, introduced terrible things into the Church and finally lost their identities as “Church of Christ.” If there is anything Church of Christ about some of them, it is only in name. However, there are still many faithful Congregations that are still standing in for the Lord. The “Change agents” started with feelings and have today graduated to wholesale apostasy.  

CHRISTIANITY AND EMOTIONALISM

Christianity is a taught and teaching religion. It is not a mere emotional subjectivism. Emotions can sometimes be complimentary but most times, Christianity and emotion do not mix, especially when the later wants to take the place of the former.

Is New Testament Christianity unemotional? Is emotion completely wrong? Not all! People can respond to God’s Word in an emotion-ladden fashion. The first fruits of Christian preaching responded with deep emotions, “When they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and said…’men and brethren what shall we do?’ ” (Acts 2:37).

I Corinthians 14:15 says, “I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, I will sing with understanding also.” The “spirit” here has to do with our hearts, our emotions. However, these emotions must be within the context of understanding. They must be guided by truth.

It is not wrong to cry, laugh and express other forms of emotions if need be, but it is wrong to make it a commonplace thing, our standard, thereby cheapening God’s Assembly and making God’s Heritage a laughingstock (cf. I Corinthians 14:23-26).

EXCESSIVE EMOTIONS (EMOTIONALISM) IN WORSHIP

Christianity is not solely an emotional experience; it is a “reasoned” experience (I Peter 3:15). One does not need to feel it, all you need is to know it (I John 5:13). Unfortunately, Pentecostalism has elevated feelings above reason, a practice which is fraught with dangers.

        A careful study of our denominational neighbours would reveal that the situation has moved from bad to worse. Some of their gatherings, to a large extent are characterized by “Toronto effects” so much so, crying, shouting, jumping, shivering, etcetera have become order of the day. NO. This is not what our assembling should be. God’s Will is that His assembly should be so organized to such a fine line as “Decently and in order” (Let all things be done decently and in order, I Corinthians 14:40). 

DO EMOTIONS SHOW THAT GOD IS PRESENT?

         It should be stated that when people are devoid of Truth, they resort to emotionalism. Truth excites and rejoices the heart. Emotions are only temporary, that is why people have to be pumped up more often because they get deflated.

        When people express emotions (shout, jump up, smack their palms, etcetera) does it show that God is with them? It necessarily does not.

        Some people think that worship is muttering (Isaiah 8:19), gyration (II Kings 5:11-12), noise-making (I Kings 18:26-29) firebrand and earth-shaking experiences (I Kings 19:11-13). When these had died down and God was not in any of them, then came “a still small voice.” Is it not ironical that God was not in any of these earth-shaking experiences? One thing is sure: noise does not attract God, it rather repels Him (cf. Habakkuk 2:20). Have we forgotten so soon that Holy Spirit is a “Gentleman” (Galatians 5:22b). 

        Some people think that when we do not employ tear-jerking and heart-pulling methods of prayer spiced with high voices, our prayers are not heard. They classify prayers as “Powerful” and “Special” only when they shout, shake heads, cry and the like. What makes prayers powerful is praying with understanding and in accordance with God’s Word and in faithfulness (I Corinthians 14:15; I John 5:14; James 5:16f).

Brethren, the basis of our Christian faith is TRUTH, not feelings. Feelings are one of man’s greatest enemies. It was feelings that misled Eve to disobey God in Garden (Genesis 3; cf. II Corinthians 11:1-3). Over the years, emotionalism has never been in lack. As emotions increase, truth decreases. The more we emphasize emotions, the more we lose grip of truth because when emotions take the centre-stage, truth jumps through the window.

OTHER SATANIC DOCTRINES IN THE CHURCH

        When God’s good intentions are corrupted by men and women, they cease to be godly and end up becoming demonic. Some of these doctrines are abuses of Church autonomy, teaching that Congregations should not use her money to bury her dead, etcetera:

        Congregational Autonomy

Local churches were the only medium through which early Christians carried on their religious work, whether in missions (Acts 13:1-3; 14:25-28), charity (Acts 11:28-30), or education (Hebrews 10:24-25). Each community of believers was sufficient to do its work. No larger organizations, such as characterize Christendom today were put in place in apostolic times when there were problems affecting more than one congregation, representatives of one church went to the church whence the problem arose to discuss the matter (Acts 15:1-2).

This independence by the local church is often called “congregational autonomy,” that is, self-governing congregations. In regard to faith and practice the church is a monarchy as she is subject to her Lord. But in matters of opinion, expediency, and human judgment each church is an independent, self-governing unit. Autonomy is an appropriate word.

In his book, WHY I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, Leroy Brownlow wrote,

Autonomy is defined as “right of self-government; a self-governing state; an independent body.” In the first century each congregation was independent of every other congregation. The church in Rome or Jerusalem had no authority over the churches in other communities. Men outside the congregation had no right to exercise authority and power within the congregation. The elders and deacons in one congregation had no authority to exercise any other kind of rule over the elders and deacons in another congregation. Each church was free and independent, under the teaching of Christ and the apostles, to govern itself, carry on its own work, and manage its own affairs. There was no system of church government larger or smaller than the local congregation. All congregations had the same head, foundation, and mission; preached the same gospel; constituted the one body. But each was independent to direct its own work!

The wisdom of God is seem in such an arrangement for his churches. If one became corrupted in doctrine or affected by evil practices, other churches would not be so affect. If dissension arose in one, it would not spread to the others; if one perished, the others would not be dragged down. If a window is made of one large pane, a break injures the entire pane; but if it be made of several panes, it is not so bad to break one. The independence of the churches is a protection for each one.

But autonomy is not isolation. The early churches practiced a fullness of fellowship, cooperation, mutual assistance, and communication. There was a sense of being one body under one Lord (Ephesians 4:4-5). There were to be no dividing barriers between believers, whether racial (Ephesians 2) or cultural (Romans 14-15). Examples of local churches cooperating together are seen in Acts 11:28-30; Romans 15:25-26 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Such mutual cooperating is evident throughout the pages of the New Testament, but this was done without creating an organization higher than local churches.

   It is satanic to hide under autonomy to teach and practice what are not in line with plain teachings of the Bible. It is also satanic to hide under autonomy to deny other congregations our cooperation towards enlarging the borders of God’s Kingdom in hearts and communities of men through evangelism, edification and in times of material need.

Burial of the Dead

        It is no gainsaying that the Church we read of in the Bible buried her own dead (Acts 8:1-2; cf. Acts 5:5-6, 10). The same Bible enjoins us to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and to mourn with those who are mourning (Romans 12:15).

        Church’s money is made up of collections by individual Christian who make up the Church (I Corinthians 16:1-2; II Corinthians 8:12-14). The question then is, if a Christian brother or sister had contributed to his/her local congregation’s treasury and it was not a sin, how come it has become a sin when the same brother or sister is in need or has died and the same church decides to dip her hand into her treasury to help meet the needs at hand? If it is a sin for a congregation to help out through her treasury, then it is a sin to have accepted contributions from such a Christian brother or sister.

If the argument is against using congregational resources to help or bury an unbeliever, then such is understandable as the needs of Brethren must take precedence over those outside the Faith (Galatians 6:10). It would be wrong to take the food meant for children of the family and give it to those outside the family while children of the family are hungry (cf. Matthew 15:25-27).

EFFECTS OF SATANIC DOCTRINES

Effects of satanic doctrines include but not limited to:

1.   Falling away from the faith (I Timothy 4:1).

2.   Shipwrecking of individual Christians’ faiths (I Timothy 1:19; II Timothy 2:16-18).

3.   Confusion (I Corinthians 14:33), disunity among brethren and eternal loss of souls (cf. I Timothy 4:16).   

CONCLUSION

Satanic doctrines are those doctrines that are contrary to God and to the spiritual well-being of His Church. Jesus’ and His apostles’ teachings remain the unifying and defining sources of our instructions. Any addition, subtraction or adulteration is nothing short of satanic (II John verses 9-11).    

To remain in the doctrines of Christ, we must embrace a “Thus Saith the Lord” attitude, speaking where God has spoken, being silent where He is silent and ministering only with strengths He alone has supplied (I Peter 4:11). We must shun modern day religious effizy.

May God richly bless us all in Jesus’ name!  

DEALING WITH YOUR ADDICTIONS

 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.– Luke 17:33.

 

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.” – Acts 2:40   

 

Somebody remarked: “If you want to save your country and she does not want to be saved, save your Local Government. If you want to save your Local Government and she does not want to be saved, save your community. If you want to save your Community and she does not want to be saved, save your Village. If you want to save your Village and she does not want to be saved, save your kindred. If you want to save your Village and she does not want to be saved, save your Kindred. If you want to save your Kindred and she does not want to be saved, save your Family. If you want to save your Family and she does not want to be saved, save Yourself!” 

That’s right: Save Yourself! 

One of the greatest responsibilities we have as Christians is to save ourselves. I can save myself from myself or destroy myself by myself. We may be saved from eternal condemnation when we became Christians, but as Christians, we need to save ourselves from ourselves.   

At Luke 17:33 Jesus said: “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” 

What “Life” is Jesus talking about here? The LIVES we have cultivated for ourselves - the baggages we have brought upon ourselves - our ADDICTIONS! 

In essence, Jesus is saying:

“If you seek to save your life (Addictions), you will lose your life (Eternal Salvation), but if you lose your life (Addictions), you will preserve life (Eternal Salvation).”    

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE (ADDICTION)?

Addictions are habits formed, which require reformation. Addiction are those habits which tug at us and wield considerable levels of control over us. Romans 6:16 says: 

“Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” (New Living Translation).

 

“…you are a slave to whatever controls you.” (2 Peter 2:19, The Living Bible). 

Some people are addicted to:

1.    Alcoholic beverages.

2.   Tobacco and illicit drugs.

3.   Sex (Fornication and adultery).

4.   Unforgiveness, envy and jealousies.

5.   You know what you are addicted to.    

Addictions are classified as “Secret sins’ (Psalms 19:12). These are the things we do in our “secrets” and do not want others to know about. 

As Christians, we must remind ourselves that there is no secrecy with God: 

1.   Hebrews 4:13

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” 

2.  II Samuel 12:12.

“Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.” 

3.  Matthew 10:26.

“…there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.” 

A day has been set aside when God will judge our individual secrets (Romans 2:16).      

So, what I consider a “secret” is no secret because one day they will all be exposed. Truth is: if you do not deal with your addictions, your addictions will deal with you. At Numbers 32:23 we read: 

 ^“But if you do not do so, then take note, … be sure your sin will find you out.” 

What you hide will expose you, but what you expose you will save yourself from. 

DEALING WITH YOUR ADDICTIONS

1.   Reconfigure Your Mind

a.    Someone wrote, “You may not be who and what you think you are, BUT WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE.” How? Chuck Swindoll asked:

“If you say you believe like you should, why do you behave like you shouldn’t?”

b.   Generally speaking, addictions are first products of our minds before they become our lifestyles. Therefore, to deal with them, we must reconfigure our minds.

c.    Proverbs 23:7 says: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

d.   What you allow to fester in your mind is what ultimately controls you. Therefore, to deal with them, we must first of all, reconfigure your thinking. Ephesians 423 says:

                “…be you renewed in your mind.”     

2. Live an Unsupervised life.

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12). 

a.    Until you live your life without anyone checking on you, you cannot be said to be a mature Christian.

b.   Monitor and censor yourself.   

3. Think of the after effect.

“Bread obtained by deceit is sweet to a man when he is eating it, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17).

a.    There are things we do in our privacies, which lead to guilty consciences (Romans 6:21)

 

4. Die to Your Addictions

^“I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” (I Corinthians 15:31).

 

5.  Cultivate Relationships with those who are Beneficial to Your Spiritual Life

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (II Timothy 2:22).

a.    There is no gainsaying the fact that the people you relate with will either fan the embers of your addictions or douse them (I Corinthians 15:33). 

6. Enthrone Christ

         “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).

a.   “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”(Philippians 1:21). 

b.   “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” 

CONCLUSION

“If you seek to save your life (Addictions), you will lose your life (Eternal Salvation), but if you lose your life (Addictions), you will preserve your life (Eternal Salvation).” Therefore, save yourself from yourself so that you will not destroy yourself by yourself.