Never Mind The Sceptic

The sceptic and the critic will always be there. As you progress towards your breakthrough, the path will be littered with highly opinionated individuals. Everyone has an opinion. I remember one of my college professors telling me, “Everyone can make recommendations. Everyone will have an opinion, but you do not have to listen to everyone.” Just look at how many people give advice on the social networks. There is so much advice on the internet, yet not all of it is good advice.

Someone will think your idea will not work. That person may even have an impressive CV, but that does not make them the expert of your life. Someone will not like you. That’s okay; thousands of Jews didn’t like Jesus and voted for him to be crucified. Someone will predict your downfall, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will go down.  Someone will shout at you, but that does not mean you are wrong. Ever since I got into direct selling, I have found that the majority of people are negative minded. They always think of the reasons why something will not work. They look at the reasons why things will fail. Very few look at possibility. What if things work? What if the idea actually works out?

Learn to be like that old cow that chews the grass and spits out the sticks. Decide which words to give sanction and which ones to deny. Listening to everything sceptics say will get you stuck in one place. You will never be able to do anything because the sceptics will amplify the risks. There is very little that is worth doing that carries no risk. What a joy when you take the risk and it pays off! Sceptics never get anywhere. They remain tied to their comfort zones and are too scared to venture out. They only want to claim origination when the daring have succeeded. So you hear them say, “I was the first one to think of that idea!” Thinking up an idea is useless if nothing is done about it. Dreams never worked on are mere fantasies.

As you purposefully move towards your dream, remember to create a filter that screens out the negative chatter. Remain focused, calculated, determined and purposeful. Use your own checks and balances, but never abort your dream because of the energy-syphoning words of the sceptic. If you entertain them long enough, they will certainly be the kryptonite that zapped the might out of the mighty superman.

 

Focus on the Master

One of the main challenges we face as Christians is that of misplaced focus. While we have a real adversary whose interests are contrary to ours, we should bear in mind that he is a defeated foe and that victory has been given to us to enforce.  Enforcing that victory is done by using the name of our Lord, Jesus. The Bible declares that, “There is one name given in heaven and on earth, that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow…” We therefore do not put our trust in the anointing of our leaders but in the authority of Jesus.

Christ consciousness is the central part of the Christian walk. We study the word of God and imbibe of it. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. As we have fellowship with that word, it becomes a part of us. We put on the mind of Christ because as we focus on him and fix our eyes on him, we become like him whom we behold. We are transfigured into the same image. What you focus on grows. He (Christ) is magnified in our lives as we focus on him.

The Bible deliberately gives very little information on the anatomy and physiology of the devil’s camp. Jesus spoke more about the Kingdom of God than he did about demons and fallen angels. The apostle Paul preached the good news of the completed work of Jesus Christ. His prayer was that we may grow in our wisdom, knowledge and revelation of Jesus, not the devil. Yet many of us today have stopped talking about Jesus but are preoccupied with what the devil is doing in the world.

As we focus on Jesus, we are filled with his goodness. It is his goodness that leads to repentance, not several deliverance sessions. It is his goodness that leads to a victorious life, not deliverance sessions. It is his goodness that leads to the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, not deliverance sessions. When we see demons in every corner and stoop to their level, we operate far below where we have been placed – at the right hand of the power in Christ. The name of Jesus is far superior to anything that the enemy can ever do. In that light, we treat him as we do the darkness – we switch on the light and darkness vacates. We don’t intensify our prayers because there are demons present. We intensify our prayers because of our love of Christ. The former is based on fear; the latter is based on love. That which is not of faith is sin. That which is not of love is sin.  

Instead of being sin conscious, darkness conscious and demon conscious let us aim to be grace conscious, light conscious and Christ conscious. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time for deliverance and rebuking of the enemy. There is a time for healing people from the works of the enemy. However, what sustains deliverance and healing is faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Focusing on the nature of God, his love and desire for us to prosper and be in good health. How that every good and perfect gift comes from him and there is no variableness in him.

Choose today to look in the right direction. Focus on Jesus and his goodness. Meditate on the Kingdom of God. Think of grace, truth, light, and the virtues of the Holy Spirit. Let your prayers be the positive declarations of who God is and what He can do in this world. Ghost busting prayers just keep you demon conscious. Hey, what happened to all the angels and the Holy Spirit? Don’t major on the minor. Major on what can create.