WHAT IS SIN?

What is sin? Your guess might be as good as mine because the popular answer that sin is being separated from God will be given. Not good enough! It might be true to some extent. However, I believe there is a precursor to there being a separation. As maturity set in and after much study of God’s word, I asked myself this question- if holiness comes out of ones relationship with God and the practise of His word, where then does sin come from? I have concluded and can confidently say that "sin is a fundamental relationship". It isn’t a wrong doing but a wrong being. (Click here and tweet this). It is a deliberate and determined independence from God. It’s a premeditated rebellion against the word of God. (Click here and tweet this).

The 21st century has brought to bear the deep seated desire of man to be separated from anything God. (Click here and tweet this). There seems to be an amassing army of secularist demanding that “God” should be taken out of society. Yet the same people have no trouble advocating for anything sinful to flourish. It’s interestingly how most political leaders of our times advocate for sinful acts to flourish via their policies. (Click here and tweet this). Humanity seems to have been caught up in the web of the deception of the devil. Sin is now glamourized and glorified. Nevertheless, this attitude won’t negate what God’s word says about it.

Little do we hear even now in churches messages dwelling on sin and God’s redemptive plan? (Click here and tweet this). For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God describes the state of man before the redemptive plan of God was put in place. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank God for saving us from the condemnation the world was facing. But as many as received Jesus, he has given us the power to be His sons….sons of God and not of sin!

God doesn't tempt anyone with evil (sin) but a person’s lust does it all says (James 1:13-15).God doesn't TEMPT anyone but rather TRIES by His word. Everyone is alive and very much aware when they are being led into sin. (Click here and tweet this). How do I know this? Because I am a human being! The writer says temptation happens when we are drawn away by our own lust. This is where most get it wrong because once you talk about lust many immediately think about sex. Lust has an itch sex alone cannot scratch. Click here and tweet this) .

Watch what you have an insatiable craving for that you know will lead you into sin. The enemy doesn’t come with a billboard on which is written “I want to tempt you”. The devil will always entice you by what you lust after. (Click here and tweet this). Could it be the fame, music, money, man or woman? What is that TV show or magazine saying to your spirit person? Can you see where it’s leading to? Infact have you noticed you’ve change lately? These are some of the fundamental pointers you should be aware of in dealing with the cunning approach of the devil to entice us through lust.

Question: What does sin mean to you? Kindly leave your comments on the blog.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

3MasterKeysOfSuccess – (3) “MONEY”

The final master key to determine how successful you will be is money. Is money really the root of all evil? Is that what the writer said? No and a big no! Money isn't the root of all evil...but the love or insatiable desire or the extreme pull for money at all cost is the root of all evil. (Click here and tweet this). When a person would want money at any cost without regard for due process, they are teetering towards evil. To be financially Successful, there ought to be an intent. Anyone desiring to be should be made aware of the need to properly manage their money. (Click here and tweet this). You can have the world greatest vision but without money, it will be meaningless. You can talk, hoop, jump and do all sorts of gimmicks but at the end of the day, society will demand to be shown the money. 

Until you recognise that the little you have is enough to support you and push you into your big, it becomes so easy to abuse it. (Click here and tweet this). If within a second you cannot tell what you'll do with a million pound, you wouldn't be able to tell what you'll do with a pound. Money does grow in trees I guess you have heard it a thousand times. Frugality is the new wealth! However money grows out of the implementation of your ideas.(Click here and tweet this). Nobody wants to invest in something the innovator hasn't. That is why yo need to have enough to start you in the pursuit of your vision.

Until your ideas are big enough to attract  major funding, the little that you have must be used to support your vision or you stand the risk of losing out. The early stages of any endeavour require the input of the bearer financially. You only need to be poor to realise how incapable you are in winning with your vision. (Click here and tweet this). Many should-have-been great individuals never amounted to anything because of the lack of finance. It's is said every poor person seems to have some great idea but are never able to materialise it. (Click here and tweet this). It’s sad because their poverty stops them from turning the virtue within into a reality.

Ecclesiastes 9:15 paints the picture of a city that was under attack from an enemy. Through the advice of a poor wise man, it was saved. It continues to say that after the war everyone forgot the poor wise man. Now you notice how the writer kept on using the phrase "poor wise man". The point here is that though he was wise he couldn't translate his wisdom into the acquisition of financial power. It’s a known fact that wisdom has the ability to draw things onto the possessor. (Click here and tweet this). Thus without a financial clout to support his wisdom , nobody took him serious.

Wisdom with financial power is an advantage.(Click here and tweet this) Every successful person knows that without money to support their endeavours, they will soon be forgotten. I doubt if it will be wise to spend the entirety of your life pursuing money. I personally believe that money is a reward that comes to those whose desire is to solve the ills of society. (Click here and tweet this). Once you learn how to manipulate your finance well, you will be granted access to so much to keep the cycle of financial power going. Always remember this- you're blessed to be a blessing onto others.

Question: What steps have you taken or are taking to secure your money? Leave your comments on the blog.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

3MasterKeysOf Success - (2) "RELATIONSHIP"

The second most important master key of success is relationship. You will only go far in life based on the sort of relationships keep. Recently on this blog, I published my  "10commandments" for successful relationships. Interestingly we all relate on three levels- the spiritual, physical and synthetic. (Click here and tweet this).

You don't have to believe in God to know we are spiritual beings yet everything about you is spiritual. (Click here and tweet this). From telepathic feeling through to intuitions, your spirit man or woman is at work. We also relate to the physical world. Things we can see, touch and smell are things that happen in the physical and they cannot be disputed. The synthetic is made up of the manufactured things we so desire- from the likes of cars, clothes, buildings and every known toy of mankind.

How seriously do you measure the effect of your spiritual relationship? It affects your ability to be successful. I am a Christian thus my first and foremost spiritual assignment is to God through his son Jesus. (Click here and tweet this). My faith in God is what empowers my spirit man to function at a level that allows me the sanity I need in order to press on in life. The more I study the bible, the more I become aware of my spiritual inheritance. If you aren't a Christian yet, try giving your life to Jesus, you will never be disappointed. (Click here and tweet this)

The physical world is the only inheritance we have here on earth and the earlier we understand it the better it will be. We all dream of a utopian somewhere in the yonder. We can fly to the moon and do further exploration on Mars and when all that is done and dusted with, the physical world should matter most. (Click here and tweet this). We ought to do everything possible to make sure our world is safe and secure. The next generation is counting on your efforts.

Your contribution can either affect the beauty of this world positively or mar it negatively. (Click here and tweet this).  At the end of the day, the physical relationship we have counts to the success of an individual. It also shows how a person can work within the context of his environment inspite of the challenges thereof but still be a good keeper of what God has blessed mankind with.

The synthetic relationship stems out of the manufactured things all around. Don't deprive the world of your innovative ability. Imagine if there were no inventions? The world would have been a very sad and unproductive place to be. God has blessed you with the skills, talents and abilities not for jokes. Others are struggling to do what you easily do and vice versa. This is the reason why the synthetic world is waiting for your exploits. If you can do it give your best to the synthetic world and let others smile. Those who impact the world and the society we live in are people whose contributions in the form of talents, skills and abilities can be attested of. (Click here and tweet this).

Questions: What value do you give to your relationships? You can leave your comments on the blog.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

#My10CommandmentsOfRelationships ~ (10) PEOPLE MATTER!!

The pursuit of vision is daunting and risky. Often here and often there but sometimes never around! (Click here and tweet this). This excruciating aspect involved in the pursuit of one’s vision ought to alert us to this- never treat the people we are in a relationship with like the vision we are pursuing.  A critical look at this scripture and there is a semblance of what my 10^th commandment is all about- what profits a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.

There is the tendency for you to sacrifice the other person in the pursuit of your vision. (Click here and tweet this). When wisdom isn’t attached to your passion, you will end up gaining the whole world but losing the most important aspect of life- people. When a person becomes so detached from the realities of this life, it becomes easy to forget people truly matter.  You need people in order for your vision to have significance. (Click here and tweet this). Without people life will be meaningless!

A survey conduct on patients who were dying proved that everyone needs “people”. They were asked what their last wishes were and many said “they wish they had spent a lot of time with their friends and family”. Unfortunately the insatiable desire to be successful at all cost stopped them from doing so. Many get so caught up with the vistas of the proceeds out of their vision and easily forget human beings matter. (Click here and tweet this). John C Maxwell says “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. You can have it all but at the end of the day but what really matters will be the lives you impacted not only with the proceeds of your vision but also with presence.

At the end of the day, people will always be around but everything you gain could be lost in the “fires” of life. Your relationship with people determines how successful or unsuccessful you will become. Every person you come across has something valuable to contribute to your upward mobility in life. If you position yourself strategically with the right kind of people, success will never elude you. (Click here and tweet this). Jesus though God, needed his PEOPLE (disciples) to function on earth. No one wins in isolation. You could be the world’s most gifted person but without the contribution of others, you will struggle to make it. Team up with the right kind of people and watch your relationship blossom. No great individual has broken this 10^th commandment- understanding that people matter now and will always do in the near future. (Click here and tweet this).

I intentionally listed “people matter” as my 10^th commandment when it comes to relationships. Everything in life hinges on human beings and your ability to relate to them will determine how successful you can become. Finally John C Maxwell says “use things to get people: don’t use people to get things”. Don’t get to the crucible of your life before you wished you had made sure that PEOPLE MATTER to you. (Click here and tweet this). Go and practise these 10 commandments and watch your relationships improve in all things pertaining to your life.

Question: What are you doing to show that people matter to you? Kindly leave your comments on the blog.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

3 Master Keys Of Success - (1) "KNOWLEDGE"

The first most important key in life needed in order to be successful is knowledge. Knowledge is power and there is no two ways about it. What you know determines how far you go in the corridors of influence in life. (Click here and tweet this). Many underestimate the important role knowledge plays in shaping society. You can be the world most talented individual yet it will take knowledge to help you make the difference. Recently I posted on my blog “applied knowledge is power” and it’s essential if you desire to win in life. Your ability to put your knowledge to work determines how much financial power you can command.

God values knowledge: His word categorically states that the lack of it has caused many to perish. Thus the simplest question to ask yourself will be this - what kind of knowledge do I need in order to thrive? The right kind of knowledge is what will set you apart from the rest. (Click here and tweet this). Not every whim of knowledge will be suitable for the purpose you've set yourself for in this life. Never be the type who will pursue a set kind of knowledge only to realise you don't have the passion for it any longer. Identify, pursue and excel in that which you are good at and have passion for.

The only time you will see the value of the knowledge you have is when you specialise in it.  Specialist knowledge put you in demand for a long time to come. (Click here and tweet this). Inspite of the credit crunch, many who have specialised knowledge are still in demand. Your relevance in the times we are living will stem from how quick you are to adapt to new knowledge. (Click here and tweet this). Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. are all part of the new knowledge avenues in explosion. Anyone desiring to compete in today’s world should consider understanding the value of these platforms in order to enhance themselves. More so give out in terms of knowledge and vice versa.

Moore's law states that information changes every eighteen months and (probably with the advent of social media), it might be even shorter. You are only as current as the current information you have. (Click here and tweet this). Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times. When you put the knowledge you have into practice, your level of understanding will increase . As you mature in the knowledge you have, wisdom automatically becomes the experience that you have engendered. (Click here and tweet this)

When you master the knowledge that you have, pursuing the end product in mind becomes so easy. (Click here and tweet this). My desire is to see many acquire both godly and secular knowledge in order to function as balanced people in an ever dynamic society. Knowledge is the key to the unsearchable and being alive means spending if needs be your life pursuing it. May God reward your efforts and crown you with the fruits of your labour in your quest to be knowledgeable.

Questions: What does pursuing knowledge mean to you?

You can leave your comments on the blog!

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

#My10CommandmentsOfRelationships ~ (9) COMMUNICATE !!

Communication is the whole embodiment of what relationship is all about. (Click here and tweet this). Human beings by nature express my ninth commandment of relationship without necessarily voicing anything out. We gesture, blink, facially express ourselves, point fingers here and there all in the name of communication. These are some of the means by which the everyday person communicates. “Communicare” in Latin is translated as communication in English. It means to impart, share, or to make common. To make “common” as per with the definition (in the sense of being equal) resonates with ethos of what a relationship is all about.  

This art of the human expression is as old as the ancient. However, a misapplication of one’s communicative ability only leads to a misunderstanding with the final result being disaster. (Click here and tweet this). When the devil intentionally miscommunicated God’s instruction regarding the eating of the fruit to Adam and Eve, they misapplied it and brought about their own downfall. I am hoping that we all will learn to communicate as God does. He doesn’t communicate until all the matters at hand have well been assessed- it took the hovering of the surface of the deep before God could speak the creative word for things to come into being.

Dr Emerson Eggerichs in his book “Love and respect”, lays emphasis on why men need to be respected and women to be loved. I see it more as a communicational doing rather than just a thoughtful aspect. If you respect someone you will love them and vice versa.  We should endeavour to carry this attitude into our daily endeavours. We can express love and respect through communicating it. We should endeavour to really understand what communication means to people we relate to. Be it through a gesture, a facial expression etc. The reason why I didn’t limit myself to “talking” as the only way to communicate is because it only represents one part of what it’s all about.  The essence of a successful relationship is seen when the people involve truly understand each other’s communication lines. (Click here and tweet this)

It’s said the scarcest commodity in the 21^st century will be human attention. Twitter, Facebook, IMessage, Tango etc. are all tools of communication and don’t honestly represent the true essence of what it is.  Your ability to dialogue even when you don’t feel like creates an avenue for all others to express their fears, anxieties, beliefs and their strengths. (Click here and tweet this). Communicating with each other becomes a healing process through which others express themselves to be understood.  A relationship where there isn’t any communication dies a slow death. This will result in the destruction of that which could have been but was never given a chance.

Funny enough there is always something seeking the attention of people in a relationship be it intimate, businesswise or any other. When we fail to connect with those we have dealings with, something of insignificance will crave and subsequently win our attention. (Click here and tweet this). Whatever you feed on so much becomes the god you worship. My line of work has opened my eyes to a lot of the failures people have in intimate, business or any other aspect of human relationships. The greatest secret to any successful relationship is through the free expression of thoughts, ideas, fears, anxiety and vision clearly. (Click here and tweet this). I see this as communication!

Question: What does communication in a relationship mean to you? Kindly leave your comments on the blog.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

“YOU” Series ~ I AM AWARE!!

"God created man in his image…"

A person cannot be aware of his outside when he is unsure of what his inside. The surety of becoming a full person is gleaned from an inward which is serene and without conflict. (Click here and tweet this). The only time people will put value on you is when you've first place value on yourself.

Your significance is not in your now, but in the processes you go through when no one delighted in your talents, skills or abilities. (Click here and tweet this). When you cross the finish line, you have substance. Now you can substantiate your efforts with tangible results and either be a man or woman of substance. Who has despised the day of small beginnings? It is in these small beginnings, that the seeds for your greatness are sown. The seeds of greatness are sown in unknown!

Too many of us give the control of our lives over to others and are angry when we are let down. No way! God created us to take charge and you are only going to succeed when you are AWARE. If you relinquish your power to the next person, you inadvertently give the essence of who you are away. People go to the extent of changing a lot in the outside of their lives through plastic surgery or Botox but lack the power to do so inwardly. Without a solid inside, what happens in the outside of a person is insignificant. (Click here and tweet this).

“I AM AWARE” simply is about accepting that true redemption begins with the self when it’s given over to God. Why walk around with the mindset of what others think or say about them? You are only a prisoner to the way you think and act. (Click here and tweet this). Until your thinking and acting are in sync, it will be difficult to become self-aware. As you mature, the truth that you matter should hit home clearer more now than ever. Without you, none of the visions, dreams or aims you have will ever materialise. I am not talking about self- worship or deification, but an inner awareness of who we you are through Christ. (Click here and tweet this).

Questions: What does being Aware mean to you?

You can leave your comments on the blog!

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II