Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

«“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.». (Matthew 5:43-45).

If only all people lived according to the commandments of love there would be much less pain and tragedies on Earth. There would be much less tears on Earth if people took care for each other instead of seeking their own benefits.

«He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil.» (1st John 3:8).

The devil inflicts pain, steals, murder and annihilate people, but God comes in Christ and manifests His power and mercy. In Christ God heals the sick, forgives sins, restores people lives, frees from curse and obsession by demons. A little later we will discuss the details about devil as a source of distress and sufferings people may have. Today I would like you to note that sins of other people also represent a source of pain and suffering.

If a person does not fulfil this duty, he won’t have enough light to see evil and hide from it. Besides, this verse tells us that such a person (he or she is called „simple”) goes ahead and is punished – not by God, but by his own ignorance. Ignorance separates a person from the life of God, because he knows nothing about God’s provision. «..having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart» (Ephesians, 4:18).

Because of ignorance human mind is darkened, heart is hardened and he himself is alienated from the life of God.

«Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows in his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life» (Galatians, 6:7-8).

«For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live»(Romans, 8: 13)

When a person does not submit to God’s Word and despises His instructions, he or she sins. God has particular plan or will for every area of person’s life and it is spelled out in the Bible. But when you life according to your own wishes and do not pay attention to what God says about it, then tragedies are inevitable. For some time it may seem that you have outsmarted God, but this deceptive feeling won’t last long. These people sat in darkens and the shadow of death; they were bound in grief because they did not submit to God’s Word and despised His will.

«Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their souls abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death» (Psalm, 107:17-18).

“And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John, 3:5).

Jesus came to take our sins; otherwise we would not be able to escape the tragedies, misery and death. Praise God that He sent Jesus into the world! Jesus is the proof of God’s love for us. If God wanted to do us evil, then He would have never sent Jesus to us.

«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).