We are not our own
By: Ikpati Peter. O
Date: Tuesday, October 17 2023
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5 KJV, emphasis mine)
Man was never created to be sufficient for himself. He was created to be totally dependent on his creator. It is my personal belief that the whole essence of our free will is to respond freely to God’s love and let Him be the leader of our lives. The greatest victory in the life of a man comes from surrendering to God.
Today’s world places a lot of emphasis on the god called “self.” “I” need to do this; “I” need to get this or that”. I’d like to call it the “I” Syndrome. While looking after oneself is not wrong, living a life devoid of God is what is wrong and this what a majority of people are guilty of. It is important to note that the very first sin of man, aside from being a sin of disobedience, was a sin of man’s declaration of independence from God. You see, man was created to be for and part of God. Revelation 4:11 KJV clearly states, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasures they are and were created.” And this pleasure does not refer to “pleasures” as defined by the world’s standard but to pleasure as defined by the Word of God (i.e., a holy kind of pleasure), for God is holy. So when we begin to live outside of God, we are basically denying God the glory, honour and power due to Him.
God knows that without Him we are nothing and that is why He wants us to be identified with Him. No trace or element of self should be found in us. The lie the devil traps us with is the lie that life in and with God is boring and limiting. But didn’t the Word of God which is living and effective (see Hebrews 4:12), say at God’s right hand are pleasures for evermore (see Psalm 16:11)? Everything the devil supposedly offers was never created by him, in fact Jesus called him a thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy (see John 10:10). Everything was created by God, and what God offers is without sorrows (see Proverbs 10:22) and is even greater in the next life. And did not God, who is the LORD, give man dominion over the earth? How can a God who is selfish or limiting do that (share His power and authority with His creation)?
Dependence on God is what makes us aware of who we are and what we were created for. As Minister Dunsin Oyekan said in one of his songs (To Know You),
“No life outside you, no one besides you; let me know you more and more. When I know you, I’ll find me.”,
Self-discovery is only made possible through realizing who we are in our creator.
We are not our own for we belong to God.
Thanks for the gift of your time, we are We write Jesus!
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God bless you and do have a lovely week! Please check our page every week as we publish new articles every Tuesday evenings at 6pm WAT.
Confession of faith (optional):
If you would like to surrender your life to Christ, kindly say the prayer below:
“Lord, I was not made to live life on my own. At this very moment, I yield to your will for my life. I acknowledge your love for me through the death of your son. Baptize me with your Holy Spirit and with your fire. Help me to choose and love you as each day grows closer to your return. Amen”
If you said the prayer above and would like to speak to someone, kindly send us an email via wewritejesus2022@gmail.com and we’d get in touch with you.
God bless you!
