Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

«He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil» (1 John, 3:8).

The devil deceived Adam and Eve who were reflecting the glory of God in the earth, because he hated God and all the things that brought glory to God. Adam and Eve were given a free will and a right to choose and they decided to disobey God and submit to the voice of the devil. That is how sin entered their life and the life of all of the generations after them. They gave themselves and their posterity into the hands of death. And since that time death has begun its reign over people.

Love destroys the power of lust; where there is love, wounds are healed and prosperity comes. Love is the nature of God and when we become partakers of His essence we escape from corruption that rules in this world.

«..as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust» (2 Peter, 1: 3-4)

Lust is excessive appetite for something. For example, uncontrollable sexual desire leads to rape, fornication, adultery and different types of sexual perversion. It can also lead to sexual illnesses, sometimes incurable. Moreover, feelings of guilt, depression, suicidal tendencies, breaking up of marriages, sufferings of children, violence, hatred and other similar things are often the result of sexual lust. Lust can also be experienced in the area of finances, drinking or eating. It all has brought pain and suffering to many people in the form of some addiction: alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, stealing, treachery, murder etc.

«Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.» (James 1:13-17).

Many people ask me: «If God is good, why does He allow so many tears, tragedies and sorrow in this world? If it´s not His merit then where does all the evil come from? Where does a tragedy come from? What is its source?» Honest and apparently innocent people that suffer want to know why and what are they suffering for. Consecrated, true believers that seek God with all their heart, and also suffer want to know why such things happen in their lives. People of all generations have asked these questions.

The world we are living in is full of tragedies, so the word tragedy itself is well known to all of us either christians or pagans. Though, studying the Bible, we understand that the in God´s initial purpose for human kind was something different. The Bible affirms God blessed a man.

«God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”» (Genesis 1:28)

Having constant fellowship with God we begin to see ourselves as God´s chosen ones, holy and beloved. Each of us is unique and some can see it and believe it, however, not everybody has revealed it for himself. If you look at yourself as at the God´s chosen one, you life will easily reflect a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance. In addition you will notice how these qualities reflect in your inner world and your relationships with God and other people as well.

Having repented your sins you are granted resurrected life, while life abundant is still hidden in God. You need the life abundant here, on this Earth. However, to have such life here on Earth we have to learn how to bring our heavenly possession on Earth. We have to have victorious life no matter what we do. Time we spend in fellowship with God is time when our resurrected life is being converted into life abundant.

Are you able to accomplish something only the Holy Spirit can do? Surely not! However, by constantly watching the glory of the Lord with open face the Holy Spirit can transform us into the same image, from glory to glory.

I noticed there is a problem with persistence in our fellowship with God not with coming before Him. You probably experience the time when inspiration visits you and you are willing to get closer to God and have fellowship with Him. While those moments come rather rarely or very rarely they do not change anything in essence. We all need persistence! During fellowship with God Holy Spirit will work at your heart, at your character, at your relationships, at your way of thinking that, in turn, will transform you.

We must understand that Jesus’ disciples were not perfect; quite the opposite, they are ordinary people with „character issues”. Jesus did not wait until they become perfect, but sent them out to serve people. He did not have anybody else to send; so He worked with what He had. And He is calling us to do the same today; it applies to every one who considers himself to be His disciple. Jesus desires for God’s children to be filled with compassion and to help people allowing God to touch all the people around them with His love.

If we see someone perishing physically because of some illness, we do everything to save him. We often do not realize that unsaved people are spiritually ill, that they are perishing and need salvation. We must do everything in our power to save them. So our hearts need to go out to them with love and compassion.