What Is Forgiveness - 77x7?

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."~ Matthew 18:21-22 

To understand the word ''forgive", I will do my own little English teaching here Lol! A separation of the word "forgive" will give us "for- give". In order to understand the concept of forgiveness, I think "for" might be the shortened version of "fore" from the other word "give". So since I am teaching English today, just the first word "FORE" in English as you are aware means “first”. "Give" is to release something within your hold to another whether by omission or commission. Thus to forgive simply means to be the first to let go of something within your hold. (Copy and tweet). Love my English teaching? Lol! On a more serious note, the greatest challenge we face as humans is our inability to constantly walk in forgiveness. (Copy and tweet). 

It’s easy to hold on to grudges for years without any mental prick or so to let it go. I believe forgiveness isn’t as easy as it’s been made to seem. However, forgiveness is a must if you desire to live long . (Copy and tweet). I tend to see people who don’t want to forgive as being selfish and myopic. So are you saying the woman who endured rape should forgive? Should the family whose son or daughter murdered forgive? Should the young man whose father or mother absconded in their infancy and them at the mercy of others  forgive? I am saying yes they should forgive and allow the laws of the land handle the rest. Forgiveness is a must in spite of the ills a person meted out to us. (Copy and tweet).

There are two types of forgiveness I am aware of- self-forgiveness and that of others. (Copy and tweet). Until you learn to forgive yourself for the ills perpetrated either by omission or commission against you and others, reconciliation with the self won’t be achieved. (Copy and tweet). Many at times people are bitter, hard on themselves and rebellious against that which is good because of their inability to forgive. Others carry the burden of the guilt for years which ends up marring the beauty of good they have. (Copy and tweet). The more a person learns to forgive, the healthier and united will they be within and without. (Copy and tweet). Until there is harmony between your inside and outside, progress in life will be difficult. If you carry guilt, bitterness or anger for a long time, you will only be a servant to their dictates and forever be at their mercy. (Copy and tweet). Let it go!

Am sure you’ve heard a thousand times that to err is human but to forgive is divine. (Copy and tweet). Have you ever pondered on why forgiveness is equated to the divine? There is something about the Spirit in man that hates to hold on to grudges. (Copy and tweet). The Spirit of man was created to be free from any inhibitions and holding on to hurts and grudges does nothing to aid your spiritual growth. Human beings are the only people who will hurt, cheat, betray, reject and slander you. (Copy and tweet). However those of us who act to daily forgive truly emulate the limitless power of the divine. (Copy and tweet).

To err is human and to forgive is divine I repeat! The “divine” do not hold on to accounts of ills committed against them but rather walk constantly in forgiveness. I don’t forgive people because i am weak, I forgive people because I am strong enough to know people make mistakes. (Copy and tweet). Show me a person who constantly walks in forgiveness and I will show you an individual who carries joy, radiates love and progresses in life quickly. (Copy and tweet). 77x7 was the number of times Jesus told Peter and every child of God to forgive. Its shows the length, breadth and width of how much a person should learn to let go. (Copy and tweet).

Why should one forgive even when it’s not the person's fault as a friend asked me the other time? This sounds like an oxymoron- a contradictory word. If no one has wronged, hurt or betrayed you, I don’t see the reason why you have to forgive them unless manipulation is at work. (Copy and tweet). There are some who have been abused, bullied and beaten into submission and made to believe they are constantly at fault. (Copy and tweet). To such ones, I say may God grant you to power to break free from your oppressors in Jesus' mighty name. When you are free, learn to forgive those who hurt you!

We been forgiven several times by others and we have to emulate their doings. (Copy and tweet). As a child of God, can you count the number of times you have been forgiven through the blood of Christ? Ought we not repeat the same when it comes to dealing with others? I don't find it difficult forgiving anymore because I have been FORE-GIVEN by GOD. (Copy and tweet). Learn to be a walking "forgiveness"!

Talk About It -

A. Why do you think people find it difficult to forgive?

Yours 

Joe Akuoko II

3TruthsAboutOpportunities – YouHaveToMaximiseThem

David sold his soul to the course and never remained the same. Enoch despised evil, clung onto God and was taken away without dying. Deborah and Gideon believed the prophetic word and were victorious. The desire to see rest in an individual’s life demands that their all be given over to the vision, purpose or aim set before them. (Copy and tweet). 

The passion you invest in a vision or purpose is what releases its value. The laws of sowing and reaping rewards anyone who will not take for granted opportunities when they come. I wonder why people take that which they’ve struggle for all their lives for granted? (Copy and tweet). Favour will always be on the side of he who has gotten to this final stage of opportunities and their usage. 

Poverty remains when you fail to maximise opportunities that come your way. (Copy and tweet). We pray for God to bless us but fail to be sensitive to His directions. David saw an opportunity into greatness and never relented. I believe that God has a set day, time or season in which He will elevate you but you will need to be extra sensitive. . He put his life on the line in order to achieve the victory needed. Hebrews is succinct on this - that where there is a testament, there should also be the blood of the testator. 

A victory which will be in continuum demands the full attention of your spirit, soul and body. (Copy and tweet). It can only be sustained when care is taken into building a proper foundation. In God, that which is yours will always be waiting and will not be given or taken by any.  (Copy and tweet). The only thing you the destined one can do is to despise your birth right as Esau did. When repentance is sort, you can stir yourself up again and possess the opportunity. Let none use your lack of the "right" age, race, education etc. to deny you an opportunity you deserve. (Copy and tweet). 

The bible is full of people who according to the natural were not fit for the opportunity at hand. Thanks be to God that we are not chosen based on smartness, wisdom, education, connection but according to His grace. (Copy and tweet). You can, so don’t sit there waiting for someone to pick you into the pool, pick your bed and do mighty things for God and yourself.

What does maximising opportunities mean to you? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

3TruthsAboutOpportunities- YouHaveToMakeThem

“….. and when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses and he said here am I”~ Exodus 3:1-4

I know we’ve been told opportunity knocks but once….and one should make use of it. What if opportunity never knocks? Here is the first secret I have learnt about opportunities- Opportunity can be made. (Copy and tweet). This is the first secret am learning about this which many have had and wasted or made use of.

To make opportunity might seem you are just an opportunist who only seeks the easy way. A lot of people wrestle with the idea of making opportunities. I have heard people say things like “I feel bad, it makes me look cheap etc.” But my question to such ones will be- how bad do you want to succeed? Making opportunity is a significant component if one really desires to break through. It’s a genuine act of the 21^st century to make opportunities. The bold always move and make opportunities. (Copy and tweet).

In reality, we all make opportunities whether consciously or unconsciously. (Copy and tweet). A journalist who wants an interview with someone books an appointment, a singer who wants an album out, takes his demo to a producer, a writer who wants a book out writes to publishing house and finally a man who wants to date a lady, asks her out. These are a few of things we do every day.

Moses had accepted the life of a shepherd until he had an encounter with the supernatural. He had settled in and married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro the Midianite priest. It is said he was content with the shepherding of the “few sheep”. It’s sad when situations make us accept the status quo even when we know it isn’t right for us. (Copy and tweet)! God had seen in him a leader to deliver His people from bondage. Yet life had turned him into a shepherd whose place was at the back side of the desert.

Life had taken Moses through a lot of beating after he escaped from Egypt. The prince was now a full time shepherd. Sometimes life! The burning bush experience was an opportunity God made to redeemed Moses from accepting what life had thrown at him. (Copy and tweet). Off course with his Egyptian scientific background, Moses was definitely going to be attracted to the burning bush. God always speaks to us clearly via the language we understand. (Copy and tweet). God saw it as the right moment to introduce Himself and make his plans known, when Moses turned aside to see the burning bush.

This opportunity God made changed Moses’ life and that of the Jews who were in slavery. Great things happen when a willing vessel is found by God.  (Copy and tweet). It was through this that for the first time, God revealed His name “I AM THAT I AM” to the world through Moses. The burning bush experience of Moses was initiated by God. It was an opportunity he made to reach out to a battered and broken Moses at the backside of the desert.

Jesus when he encountered the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, made an opportunity by requesting for water from her. She came to the well a “husband snatcher” but by the time the dialogue ended, the evangelist in her was made manifest. (Copy and tweet). You can also make opportunities in the pursuit of anything you desire. If you wait for providence it might be too late. As a matter of urgency, reach out and make opportunities where necessary.

What does making opportunities mean to you? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

3TruthsAboutOpportunities – YouHaveToProspectForThem

“….And the men of Israel said, have you seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Israel is he come up. And it shall be that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel. And David spake to the men that stood by him”… ~1 Samuel 17:25-36

I know we've been told that opportunity knocks but once. Well it could be true to some extent. My question is - what if opportunities never knocks? Am I am meant to sit and wait for it? No! Waiting for your turn on opportunities sounds to conventional. You might miss your kairos moment if you buy into the traditional ways of thinking. (Copy and tweet). No one ever made it being conventional. (Copy and tweet). You have to learn how to prospect for them. 

Everyone dares at some point to dig deeper or push further for something precious. (Copy and tweet). It could be paying the price for the prize or going the extra mile for the achievement. Prospecting simply means to look or dig for something. It’s normally use in the mining industry as to prospect for gold or other minerals. The word “Prospects” is also used with regards to the potential or possibilities an individual has which is not yet manifested. (Copy and tweet). The reality is that everyone has something they desire to prospect for in whatever endeavour they find themselves in. It could be the vision, business, career etc.

Prospecting for opportunities sounds like the story of David when he came to the camp of the Israelites during the battle with the Philistines. Goliath had been threatening the Israelites for quite a number of days and none could answer the challenge. The boy David appeared at the camp on the fortieth day to meet the thundering of Goliath- he wanted a man to fight with. God brought him a man after His own heart. (Copy and tweet).

The king had promised the killer of Goliath with gifts, a prize of marriage and exemption from taxes. Off course those of us who live in tax efficient nations like the U.K will be filled with joy at this law by the King. This gave David the impetus to prospect for the prize at stake. Sometimes having a promissory note in your quest is a huge booster. (Copy and tweet). Like Esther, we are also reminded of what Mordecai said-“who knows for you were born for such a time as this. Who knows what the next decision, prayer, study, writing will do for your life and the entirety of the human race? (Copy and tweet). Who knows what can be achieved if you would prospect a little bit more? (Copy and tweet). This is an interesting story of an ordinary shepherd boy who prospected and seized the opportunity which came with it.

From the day he was anointed, it seemed God had forgotten him because he returned to shepherding. Nothing was heard of him until the battle with the Philistines. Something will surely trigger your relevance one of these days. (Copy and tweet). How can it be that an individual is anointed for a particular position did not start straight away? He first had to go to God’s own university; the wilderness to face the lions and bears of life until the day of his showing forth. (Copy and tweet). The process he went through tuned him up to meet the possibilities of life outside shepherding.

David went about asking the Soldiers what the reward will be, if any should kill Goliath. There is only one conclusion - God only uses people to point us towards the opportunities in life. (Copy and tweet).  Keep prospecting because those who don’t give up in the night find their rewards in the morning. (Copy and tweet).

What does prospecting for opportunities mean to you? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

6SecretsOfGreatPeople ~ (6) Strengths

Much of what we term strengths comes out of what we have acquired through learning and experience. It can also come from that which we are naturally able to do. (Copy  and tweet ). You can’t always be strong! However, it’s worthwhile spending time on enhancing your strengths. The more you work on your strengths, the less significant your weakness will be.(Copy and tweet ).
  
God has blessed you with enough strength for the rest of your life. You can truly maximise them and profit from it.  An individual’s abilities and talents are tantamount to the strengths they solely possess without a copy in any shape or form. (Copy and tweet ). God has dealt to every person a measure of faith. This can mean a measure of strengths depending on what that person was born to do.  I see it more as an additive to the calling on a person. What one can do another can’t in that respect. This is why you cannot celebrate others and watch your own go waste. (Copy and tweet).

You have some unique “strengths’ and the earlier you recognise them, the better it will be for you and the people aligned to you. Every successful person you know built their successes gradually on the little strength they possess. (Copy and tweet ). They kept working on it until finally it could achieve great feats. There are some who think you need the fullness of your strength before you can make a move. Nobody starts with a fully develop strength. The little you have is what grows into becoming the "big" strength over time. If you will respect your measure of strength whilst working to develop it, God will continue to reward you with more. (Copy and tweet ).

If you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small. This scripture opens our eyes to the reality of being lackadaisical about the strength you have. As long as you are alive, the day of adversity will come. (Copy and tweet ). Those who survive are the ones who muster the power behind their strength and move to salvage situations. (Copy and tweet ). Sometimes the events of life will test your courage and even question the validity of your strengths. (Copy and tweet ). The good news is that you can win as long as you have a little bit of your strength left. 
 
In the pursuit of greatness via your strength, you are going to be a lone; many won’t understand you whilst others will question your right to that strength. Keep moving anyway! Any great man learnt to accept loneliness as part and parcel of their calling.  The many opinions of others won’t matter when you are caught up with developing your strengths. Society only rewards those who are bold enough to display their abilities. (Copy and tweet ). Cowering under excuses only exacerbates your fears. 

The enemy forgot that the growth of Samson’s hair was the key to his survival. (Copy and tweet ). Samson’ hair grew back and this initiated the renewal of his strength. What he lacked in the physical came about as his hair started growing.  I bet the devil never counted on his hair growing back. As long as he was a human being, it was. Forget your naysayers and those who ridiculed you when you were working on your strengths. (Copy and tweet ). It will surely grow back and when it does, move in its power and do mighty things for God and yourself. The sixth and final secret of great people is that they have strengths which they work on to accentuate.

Questions: What are some of the ways a person can maximise their strengths ? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

6SecretsOfGreatPeople ~ (5) Weaknesses

Every one possesses some degree of strength and weakness: none can claim absolute strength as even the strongest of all men, has weaknesses. (Copy and tweet). Infact the presence of a weakness denotes the reality of our human nature and its frailty. (Copy and tweet). There is nothing like a superman or woman as depicted in movies. Those are just make beliefs. Enter into their closets and you probably will find them desiring for a relief from their weaknesses. 

In our twenty-first century world, it’s seems absurd to act out and accept your weaknesses. Especially in this so-called era where “Alpha male and female” concepts are so much in vogue. However, I believe not allowing your weaknesses to show is a weakness in itself. (Copy and tweet). Sometimes allowing your weaknesses to shows opens the door for help in times of need.
You can lie to the people sometimes but you can’t lie to the people all the time is a quote I heard from Bob Marley. We are Spiritual beings and it makes it so easy to see through the next person whether if they are posers or not. (Copy and tweet).

Isn’t it funny how quick we are to ridicule those who accept their weaknesses whilst we hide our own. There is nothing wrong with having weaknesses but there is danger if nothing is done about it. (Copy and tweet). It is grave if one lacks the tools and the resources to deal with the visible and destructive tendencies that inhibit their progress. The presence of weaknesses only does one thing- it stifles the flow of your strengths. (Copy and tweet). Noticeably, many find it difficult to differentiate between “I can’t” and” I won’t”. (Copy and tweet). Knowing the difference is what will determine the sort of help you need.

For someone who desires to be a winner, the recognition of your weaknesses calls for an “I can’t” about certain things in order to receive help. (Copy and tweet this).  Interestingly, the Bible does not have the word “I can’t” but rather “I can”. It allows you to succumb to the desired knowledge needed. Recognizing you can’t or have failed, is not the worst that can happen to any person. (Copy and tweet). You wouldn’t be the first to have faced this situation.

It is only a fool who desiring to change will be adamant and not change his “I won’t. “I won’t” will be a symbol of arrogance when everything around points to your need for change. (Copy and tweet). It shuts the doors of your cognitive abilities thus killing your creativity. It deceives you to accept the status quo and never worry about change. It is a demon which has crippled many “would- be”, “could -have –been” and “should- have- been” individuals.

Every human being has a dream. Those who take the dream further accept the challenge of dealing with the “I won’t” of their lives through positive compromises for the greater good. Notwithstanding this reality, there are certain ideals you can’t compromise on albeit in the name of success.(Copy and tweet). “I won’t” like your refusal to abuse drugs, cheat in life, be sexually impure etc. are some of the things you can confidently say no to. The fifth secret of great people is that they possess weaknesses!

Questions: Do you think weaknesses are sometimes a blessing in disguise? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II

6SecretsOfGreatPeople ~ (4) Fears

What we have to fear is fear itself once said by an American President. (Copy and tweet). Often times a person’s refusal to accommodate fear in their lives forces them to work on their courage. (Copy and tweet). The courageous person you see today might have been fearful at a point in their lives. The interesting thing about fear is that, the more you feed on it, the bigger it becomes. (Copy and tweet). The most debilitating aspect of fear for most of us however is the fear of the "unknown". Everyone struggles with the fear of the unknown yet its acceptance causes us to build support systems to deal with emergencies.

The revealing thing is that not every one of the fears you have is legitimate. (Copy and tweet). They say we are all born with two fears- that of falling and noises. The rest are all picked up as we go along in life and the experiences we endure.  These could be in relationships, business deals etc. Sometimes too the fears are either based on folklore transference or hearsay. (Copy and tweet). Such ones can be easily dealt with whilst the ones that are genuine can be overcome with help. 

Never beat yourself hard because you have fears, we all do. Pretend you don’t and your fall will be mighty. (Copy and tweet). There is nothing wrong with having fears but there is everything wrong when you fail to accept and deal with them. (Copy and tweet). Having fears is part of human existence. Someone said f.e.a.r. is an acronym which reads – False- Evidence- Appearing- Real. Succinctly stated, what you are pushed to fear might not be true at the end of the day.

For most people, the foundation of their fear is based on superstitions. (Copy and tweet). Every person, family, country has its own version of Superstitions. The concept of superstition is something that is wired into most societies. Most of these are in existence due to the lack of knowledge. I believe once you are educated about something, you lose the sense of fear about it. (Copy and tweet). A society that advances is the one that acknowledges the presence of superstition yet presses on nevertheless.

When a person becomes too engrossed in superstition, he loses the essence of what the reality can be. (Copy and tweet). This goes a long way to hamper their progress and development of any kind. How true are these superstitions? There could be a semblance of truth yet what relevancy does it contribute to your development? Daring and proving all things should be part of the process for you. You need to have a balance on what to fear and how to fear. (Copy and tweet). The fourth secret of great people is that they have fears yet they don't allow it to stop them in their tracks. Rather, they overcome them to become champions. (Copy and tweet).

Questions: Are your fears genuine? Let me know your thoughts.

Yours In His Service

Joe Akuoko II