Dont Allow These 5 Things Control Your Life -- Stephen Chuka
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Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
2
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
By Stephen Chuka
3
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
Dedication Am dedicating this book first to the ladies who mean so much to me and have always been the source of my inspiration to grow more ‘My mum and Miss Valerie’ and to everyone who is going through tough situations in their lives.
4
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
INTRODUCTION Let me start by asking you “what you think the word LIFE means?” Life is the most precious gift that was giving to us by God so that we can be able to bring the colony of Heaven to earth. One of my best biblical reference that gives an answer to this is James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. We all have something that eats up most of our time in our lives ranging from occurrences or some kind of stuffs. In this book I have written out of my little studies 5 things that I think you should watch out for in your life in other for them not to 5
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DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
control everything you do in life because what so ever controls your life definitely will become a god over your life.
Many people spend their life at the mercy of circumstances. Living at the mercy of what happens to them. Living at the mercy of other people. Not living in the present, because they are stuck in the prison of their past. All the points here were really checked before bringing them into this book. The words are not meant to cause any harm to you but to build you up in a positive way.
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ONE
YOUR PAST
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Do not allow your PAST to control your PRESENT or your FUTURE life. Whatever happened, you must let it go. Leave the pain of your past behind... so it cannot ruin your future. Leave the darkness of your past behind so it cannot block the light of your bright future. Your past is gone. Whatever happened, whether unjust, harsh, whatever the case, reliving the events will never do you any good. If someone did you wrong, the ONLY WAY you can win, is if you let go and move on. If you live in hate, they win. If you live in the victim story, they win. If YOU want to win, you must focus on building your future, and start right now. Release that weight from your back so you can be free. Don't allow events from the past which are now gone to ruin this 8
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moment which is perfect... this moment which is now to enjoy, which is ready for you to LIVE FULLY. Without realising it, we often carry something around with us everywhere we go. Listen to people talk throughout the day, and take note of where their conversations are grounded- in the future, in the present, or in the past. Where would you guess most conversations draw from? The answer is the Past. For a lot of people, I know the past holds a difficult childhood memory, abuse, tough family issues, relationships, Being a victim of any kind of crime, Death of a close loved one, Dysfunctional families. These pasts are very hard for us to forget but we keep bringing them up in our lives using it to define our present life and whenever we talk about them
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to colleagues, friends, family, it hits us so hard that our hearts becomes filled with pain. I remember the story of one of my great woman of God “Joyce Meyer” when she was growing up her dad sexually abused her continuously and that really kept her heart in pain always in her youth age until when she found the right place in the gospel that will help her stay free. She never allowed that to keep her away from Gods plans for her life, and today she is among the most honoured woman of God in the world. Take for instance someone who had series of broken relationships, it will be very difficult to see that person try to get into another relationship because of what he or she had experienced in the past. Now this makes them to look at other people who try to come into their lives as same. This is what resulted to the 10
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saying that is popular in Nigeria where people usually says “all men are the same”, “all women are the same”. You must not step into every were you see and not all people are the same, God made everyone to be unique and different.
ISAIAH 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Carrying the past forward to the future will only provide us with incremental aches.
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“Yesterday’s the past. Tomorrow’s the future. But today is a gift…that’s why it is called the present.” We all have the power to create our own specified future by starting with a blank sheet of paper and a heart surrendered to Gods will for our lives. Embrace today knowing who holds your tomorrow. Trust that He is and will always bring you something new as you let go of the past. Choose to leave the past behind, and begin living a life filled with new possibilities! My prayer for you today is that God will give you the strength you need to do away with the former things and start working for the future things.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Isaiah 43:18-19 Philippians 3:13-14 2 Corinthians 5:17 Ephesians 4:23-24 1 John 1:9 Matthew 6:15 Luke 9:62
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TWO
PEOPLES OPINIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
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Do not allow other people's opinions and judgements to control the direction of your life! The need to fit in and feel wanted can cause you to travel down paths you don't want to travel. People pleasing is a curse that should be avoided at all costs. Before you do anything ask yourself: Am I doing this because I want to do it, or because of my fear of judgement from others if I don't. You were born unique for a reason, you were born to stand out, to be appreciated and loved for WHO YOU ARE. Don't dim your light so you fit into the dull background of other people's life. Shine bright AS YOU ARE. Those who really care for you will see that light and shine with you. 15
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I know many of you will like this line where I said “Those who really care for you will see that light and shine with you.” Sure you heard me right but that does not give you the privilege to live a life that’s unpleasant to God and expect people to love you for whom you are. I have heard from most times ladies in a relationship saying and quoting on social media “A guy who truly loves you will not try to change you but will always love you for who you are”. Am not here to oppose your words but I know and believe that the number one purpose of being in a relationship is to grow together and often leads to marriage. Relationship is a process where people come together to build themselves to be what they want for them selves.
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Many a times people will want to help you define your life, they judge everything you do and when you allow those words hit you, you start feeling so bad over what you have done even if they seem right to you but you start feeling bad because those people don’t like what you did and this makes you to start trying to please them always. It is very true to be confused when you hear that Christians are to “judge not” but also to discern and judge what is truth. Jesus told us to look at our own sin before judging someone else. The Bible tells us to confront others sin with truth and love in respect. Do not allow other people’s opinions over you to put you on the ground. If they are talking to you about something that you did wrong and you know deeply inside of 17
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you that you actually did wrong, pray for forgiveness to God and live happy without going back to what you did before. The world is full of people who are quick to judge but are not doing the right things. Pray for God to give you the grace to be able to discern what is wrong and what is right and stay in the light of His grace instead of leaving in the OPINIONS and JUDGEMENTS of other people. Biblical teachings on judgement: The Bible states that there are two ways to judge others. One way is to judge their motives, which is sinful. The other way is to judge their actions, which is right to do. Matthew 7:1-6 is the most widely read passage of the Bible on judging others. 18
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Now I want us to look deep into this passage to better understand what the Bible really says about judging others. If you read through Matthew 5-6, you would see that Jesus is spending His time talking about motives. This passage of the Bible clearly states that we are not to judge other peoples motives.
Matthew 7:1-2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
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In Matthew 7:5, Jesus explains that once we address our own sin, we are then to help people with their sin. Clearly there are two forms of judgement, one focusing on the motives and the other focusing on the actions. The Bible says we should not judge others motives because if God was to judge our motives and only save us based upon the inner righteousness we have on our own, we would be doomed. After speaking about judging peoples motives, Matthew 7:3-5 started speaking about: judging other peoples sinful actions.
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Matthew 7:3-5 “Why do you see the specks that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly the to take the speck out of your brother’s eye,”
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Here from the Bible clearly says we should be extremely careful when we are judging the actions of others. The Bible says we should take our time judging our own actions before judging other peoples sinful actions. We should all be noticing the log in our eye (a lot of sin) compared to what we should be noticing in other people. We still should not ignore Matthew 7:5, Jesus didn’t say it is wrong to judge Christians when they have specks of sins in their lives. He didn’t say it is hypocritical to judge other Christians. He said it would be hypocritical if we didn’t first judge ourselves. Jesus then states that we should help remove specks of sin from our fellow Christian’s lives.
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“FOR THE LORD SEES NOT AS MAN SEES: MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS ON THE HEART - 1 Samuel 16:7” In conclusion I want you as a Christian not to judge other peoples motives, but try to help them remove the specks of sin in their lives, BUT before you do that make sure you have removed the specks of sins that are in your own lives. Thank you for coming this far with me. I pray that God gives you the grace to be a better Christian and bring the colony of heaven to earth.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Matthew 7:3-4 1 Samuel 16:7 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 Proverbs 9:8 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Romans 16:17 Luke 6:37-42 John 8:1-8
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Emm Emm *clears throat* This part of this book is one of the most interesting and capturing area to me because I have been a victim of these circumstances, and I know many of you have been there as well or you are even there now as you are reading this passage. I pray that this piece will surely bless you and set you free. Before I continue let me tell you a little story of me being a victim of my limited beliefs. Some few years ago I really wanted to be a professional graphic designer though I know I don’t have the equipment’s designers use and this was where my belief started limiting me that I cannot get to that place where I want to be. I decided to just manage with where I am “at all at all na im bad pass (pidgin)”. 26
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I continued my small small touch ups with my mobile phone, but the more I see what other great professionals are doing online I start feeling guilty of me not being able to be like them. After some wasted years allowing my beliefs to put me on the ground I decided to gear up and be better than those professionals, Boom I got my first PC (personal computer), sacrificed my time, I mean almost all of my time especially depriving myself from sleep at night, fast-forward to this day I have people who I mentor in design. Though I have not gotten to where I want to be but thank God I broke the chain and took a step out. let’s dive into the main discussion. Do not allow your life to be controlled by your own limited beliefs. Now, a warning with 27
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this one. These beliefs may be conscious, but more than likely they are unconscious. They may be unconscious limitations that have been conditioned in you from a young age and throughout your entire life, by listening to those around you who never reached for their own dream. Notice Your Own limited beliefs and tell them to shut up. There is nothing you cannot do, NOTHING you cannot have, and NO ONE you cannot become if you believe in yourself! If you believe anything is possible, guess what, anything IS POSSIBLE! When you change your belief from limited to unlimited, your potential is unlimited. Imagine what you could achieve if you lived your life as though ANYTHING is possible, as though MIRACLES are a standard requirement of every day. 28
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As the saying goes: "When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm", When you have nothing inside holding you back, there is nothing outside that can hold you back either. Your entire life will change the very instant you decide to change your mind-set and you decide to see everything as a gift. When you DECIDE to see every circumstance and challenge as a blessing rather than a curse, the very instant you become conscious to the fact that everything is as it should be, and know that fighting what IS, is insane. Whatever we believe colours the lenses of how we see the world and our next interaction. If we believe that we cannot get that scholarship, amount of wealth, lose weight, be a great business person, 29
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live without our phones, it definitely is going to be a heck harder if not impossible for us to achieve those. As life progresses we start to integrate this information as truths. If we had a relationship’s that never ended well we start building in us that we can’t have a better relationship life. However, at the end of the day it’s all just a story, not truth, not a fact. We have the ability to change our stories and beliefs, of course. But the process is difficult and does not produce magic overnight (unless you are smoking weed and drinking some liquors as you try). Practice these steps and it will help you break the chains and set yourself free:
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1. Exposing the beliefs – If you find yourself in that situation where you always see yourself as that person who can’t do something, believe that you are unworthy or incapable in some ways, what you need to do is to call them out, write them down, and expose them. 2. Giving Space – most times we are always around people, somewhere, that increasingly gives us that limited beliefs, you need to also expose them and give them space, I mean WIDE SPACE. 3. Pray about them – When you got 1 and 2 all set up the next and most important thing to do is to bring them before God in prayers. Romans 12:2 tells us that we should not be conformed by this world, but be 31
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transformed by the renewal of our minds. Pray that God should renew your mind and give you the ability and grace not to be low in your beliefs and I bet you He will give you freedom. 4. Rewrite Your Story – Now it’s time to compare your old life of limited beliefs with the new mind-set that God Has placed in you. Rewrite your new story in the glory of God.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Romans 12:2 John 6:53 1 Corinthians 6:12 Luke 10:25-37 Mark 4:1-41
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Welcome to another episode of this book were I will like us to be discussing about one of the tough issues that put us down most a-times in life. Starting this paragraph with a little life story experience. There was this guy who I met last 2 years on a Sunday morning as I went to iron my clothe down my street for church because there was no light for like 2days. When I got there and discussions arose about how a mess our country (Nigeria) have become so far, then this guy started bitterly complaining about how he has been suffering from his very young age and how his mum secured him through his university days by selling beans cake (akara) and now he is an NYSC member who was posted for service in Kano. This guy complained so bitterly and started 35
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pointing fingers on his dad that if the old dude stepped up his game well that he would have not been in the kind of mess that he is in now… fast forward to after a long time of him complaining and never giving anyone a chance to say anything and I was like “na wa for this guy oo” he ended by saying that he is even tired of everything and that he was not going to attend church again that day, it’s like the church he is going to has no gain. I saw the pain in this random guys eyes as tears rolled down his chicks. Now look up let me tell you something, the guy is still living under the cover of his family where he grew up without enjoying all what life could offer and even up till this time he still can’t enjoy the goodies of life.
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There’s what we call generational curse, and this is one big thing that puts many families on the ground. Even if your family have this generational issue of failure, miscarriage, no graduates, anger, and you grew up believing that it will also be same for you well listen and listen good, “It will really hit you and hit you very hard.” The scripture says in John 8:36
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed KJV
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Jesus Christ made it clear to us that we are all free from every form of evil. The scripture further declares in the book of Romans 8:1-2
Rom 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. KJV
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Jesus completed all the requirements for our atonement and we have been totally liberated from any bondage whether of curses or sin. On this basis we need no longer fear about any curse that may come our way because greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:1-6). Do not allow any curse that is in your family to pull you down. To break a generational curse you must make a choice and that choice is following Christ, give Him your heart and your time. Always remember that you are a victory and He Has given you dominion over every creations, He made us to understand that even if we trample upon snakes and scorpions they shall do us no harm. Make a new decision today that you shall never allow the ugly situation in your 39
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family to put you down, don’t ever feed your mind trash. Be the one that will restore your family back to where God wants you to be, and prepare your future for greatness. Sometimes, one continues to suffer the consequences of such curses because of ignorance of the existence of such curse. But as soon as one becomes aware of it, one should apply the blood of Jesus particularly if one is born again, operating on the basis of the New Covenant. In Africa especially, our forefathers might in time past entered into certain covenants with evil forces that would bring the generations after them into curse. When one thus notices certain events or anomalies in the family that are recurring, it is always better to be on the safe side
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and pray for God’s deliverance from every generation or ancestral curse. You are not fighting for victory, you are fighting from victory because Christ already won the battles for you, He made you an eagle and you are never meant to be on the ground but to soar high above all limitations. Do not let the stories of people telling you that “Well can’t have a male child because that is how it is in your family, you can’t build your mansion because in the history of your family no one ever achieved that” do not allow all these words limit you from all that God has given to you.
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Prayer
I pray that God will give you the strength you need to stand in life. I destroy every reoccurring generational curse hunting you and your family. May you never be a failure but be like an eagle that uses the winds from the storm to fly high. Amen.
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Yes you saw it right, “MONEY”. Money is one of the major reason why people do everything they do. We all work, deliver jobs in order for us to get that money we need for us to settle bills. This does not mean you shouldn't want abundance, it doesn't mean money is evil. You know as well as I do what great things you can do and how many people you can help with money. What this means is do not allow your decisions to be controlled by money. If you are choosing something ONLY on the factor of how much money is involved, you've just made the wrong decision. What you will find, is that when you follow your heart, and you lead with your intention to SERVE others, to give your best to others - EVERY SINGLE TIME, 44
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when you follow your intuition and truly GIVE your soul... then the money will come, and it will come in far greater amounts than if you simply chase money for the sake of chasing money.
1 Tim 6:10 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV
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The Bible did not tell us that we shouldn’t strive for more but it clearly states in the above Chapter of 1 Timothy that “the love of money…” You should never allow it to get into you too much because when you get to this point, you start making money the God of your life and thereby kicking away our Creator in Heaven.
Heb 13:5 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. KJV
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1 Tim 6:9-10
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Matthew 6:19 Luke 16:13 Ecclesiastes 5:10 James 2:5 Proverbs 23:4-5 1 John 2:15 Romans 13:9 Proverbs 23:4
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Conclusion With everything you have read in this book I know there places where you fall victim of. Thank God for helping you come across this book for I know by His grace you shall break out of that shell called “Life controller”. SO, challenge yourself to live the life you want to live free from being controlled by ANYTHING except GOD. Find your freedom. LIVE FULLY!
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About the author Stephen Chuka is the creative director and ceo of “The Stevens Co” a business firm that helps to build and grow other business from brand faces (logo, Cooperate brandings) to advertising. He is the founder of Lovers of God Community, a community that helps to teach the word of God and growth in Bible study with the slogan “healing the wounded soldiers”. You can check out the community website on www.wearelog.com
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Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
By Stephen Chuka
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Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
Dedication Am dedicating this book first to the ladies who mean so much to me and have always been the source of my inspiration to grow more ‘My mum and Miss Valerie’ and to everyone who is going through tough situations in their lives.
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DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
INTRODUCTION Let me start by asking you “what you think the word LIFE means?” Life is the most precious gift that was giving to us by God so that we can be able to bring the colony of Heaven to earth. One of my best biblical reference that gives an answer to this is James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. We all have something that eats up most of our time in our lives ranging from occurrences or some kind of stuffs. In this book I have written out of my little studies 5 things that I think you should watch out for in your life in other for them not to 5
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
control everything you do in life because what so ever controls your life definitely will become a god over your life.
Many people spend their life at the mercy of circumstances. Living at the mercy of what happens to them. Living at the mercy of other people. Not living in the present, because they are stuck in the prison of their past. All the points here were really checked before bringing them into this book. The words are not meant to cause any harm to you but to build you up in a positive way.
6
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ONE
YOUR PAST
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Do not allow your PAST to control your PRESENT or your FUTURE life. Whatever happened, you must let it go. Leave the pain of your past behind... so it cannot ruin your future. Leave the darkness of your past behind so it cannot block the light of your bright future. Your past is gone. Whatever happened, whether unjust, harsh, whatever the case, reliving the events will never do you any good. If someone did you wrong, the ONLY WAY you can win, is if you let go and move on. If you live in hate, they win. If you live in the victim story, they win. If YOU want to win, you must focus on building your future, and start right now. Release that weight from your back so you can be free. Don't allow events from the past which are now gone to ruin this 8
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
moment which is perfect... this moment which is now to enjoy, which is ready for you to LIVE FULLY. Without realising it, we often carry something around with us everywhere we go. Listen to people talk throughout the day, and take note of where their conversations are grounded- in the future, in the present, or in the past. Where would you guess most conversations draw from? The answer is the Past. For a lot of people, I know the past holds a difficult childhood memory, abuse, tough family issues, relationships, Being a victim of any kind of crime, Death of a close loved one, Dysfunctional families. These pasts are very hard for us to forget but we keep bringing them up in our lives using it to define our present life and whenever we talk about them
9
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to colleagues, friends, family, it hits us so hard that our hearts becomes filled with pain. I remember the story of one of my great woman of God “Joyce Meyer” when she was growing up her dad sexually abused her continuously and that really kept her heart in pain always in her youth age until when she found the right place in the gospel that will help her stay free. She never allowed that to keep her away from Gods plans for her life, and today she is among the most honoured woman of God in the world. Take for instance someone who had series of broken relationships, it will be very difficult to see that person try to get into another relationship because of what he or she had experienced in the past. Now this makes them to look at other people who try to come into their lives as same. This is what resulted to the 10
Stephen Chuka
DON’T ALLOW THESE 5 THINGS CONTROL YOUR LIFE
saying that is popular in Nigeria where people usually says “all men are the same”, “all women are the same”. You must not step into every were you see and not all people are the same, God made everyone to be unique and different.
ISAIAH 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Carrying the past forward to the future will only provide us with incremental aches.
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“Yesterday’s the past. Tomorrow’s the future. But today is a gift…that’s why it is called the present.” We all have the power to create our own specified future by starting with a blank sheet of paper and a heart surrendered to Gods will for our lives. Embrace today knowing who holds your tomorrow. Trust that He is and will always bring you something new as you let go of the past. Choose to leave the past behind, and begin living a life filled with new possibilities! My prayer for you today is that God will give you the strength you need to do away with the former things and start working for the future things.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Isaiah 43:18-19 Philippians 3:13-14 2 Corinthians 5:17 Ephesians 4:23-24 1 John 1:9 Matthew 6:15 Luke 9:62
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TWO
PEOPLES OPINIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
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Do not allow other people's opinions and judgements to control the direction of your life! The need to fit in and feel wanted can cause you to travel down paths you don't want to travel. People pleasing is a curse that should be avoided at all costs. Before you do anything ask yourself: Am I doing this because I want to do it, or because of my fear of judgement from others if I don't. You were born unique for a reason, you were born to stand out, to be appreciated and loved for WHO YOU ARE. Don't dim your light so you fit into the dull background of other people's life. Shine bright AS YOU ARE. Those who really care for you will see that light and shine with you. 15
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I know many of you will like this line where I said “Those who really care for you will see that light and shine with you.” Sure you heard me right but that does not give you the privilege to live a life that’s unpleasant to God and expect people to love you for whom you are. I have heard from most times ladies in a relationship saying and quoting on social media “A guy who truly loves you will not try to change you but will always love you for who you are”. Am not here to oppose your words but I know and believe that the number one purpose of being in a relationship is to grow together and often leads to marriage. Relationship is a process where people come together to build themselves to be what they want for them selves.
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Many a times people will want to help you define your life, they judge everything you do and when you allow those words hit you, you start feeling so bad over what you have done even if they seem right to you but you start feeling bad because those people don’t like what you did and this makes you to start trying to please them always. It is very true to be confused when you hear that Christians are to “judge not” but also to discern and judge what is truth. Jesus told us to look at our own sin before judging someone else. The Bible tells us to confront others sin with truth and love in respect. Do not allow other people’s opinions over you to put you on the ground. If they are talking to you about something that you did wrong and you know deeply inside of 17
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you that you actually did wrong, pray for forgiveness to God and live happy without going back to what you did before. The world is full of people who are quick to judge but are not doing the right things. Pray for God to give you the grace to be able to discern what is wrong and what is right and stay in the light of His grace instead of leaving in the OPINIONS and JUDGEMENTS of other people. Biblical teachings on judgement: The Bible states that there are two ways to judge others. One way is to judge their motives, which is sinful. The other way is to judge their actions, which is right to do. Matthew 7:1-6 is the most widely read passage of the Bible on judging others. 18
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Now I want us to look deep into this passage to better understand what the Bible really says about judging others. If you read through Matthew 5-6, you would see that Jesus is spending His time talking about motives. This passage of the Bible clearly states that we are not to judge other peoples motives.
Matthew 7:1-2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
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In Matthew 7:5, Jesus explains that once we address our own sin, we are then to help people with their sin. Clearly there are two forms of judgement, one focusing on the motives and the other focusing on the actions. The Bible says we should not judge others motives because if God was to judge our motives and only save us based upon the inner righteousness we have on our own, we would be doomed. After speaking about judging peoples motives, Matthew 7:3-5 started speaking about: judging other peoples sinful actions.
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Matthew 7:3-5 “Why do you see the specks that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly the to take the speck out of your brother’s eye,”
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Here from the Bible clearly says we should be extremely careful when we are judging the actions of others. The Bible says we should take our time judging our own actions before judging other peoples sinful actions. We should all be noticing the log in our eye (a lot of sin) compared to what we should be noticing in other people. We still should not ignore Matthew 7:5, Jesus didn’t say it is wrong to judge Christians when they have specks of sins in their lives. He didn’t say it is hypocritical to judge other Christians. He said it would be hypocritical if we didn’t first judge ourselves. Jesus then states that we should help remove specks of sin from our fellow Christian’s lives.
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“FOR THE LORD SEES NOT AS MAN SEES: MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS ON THE HEART - 1 Samuel 16:7” In conclusion I want you as a Christian not to judge other peoples motives, but try to help them remove the specks of sin in their lives, BUT before you do that make sure you have removed the specks of sins that are in your own lives. Thank you for coming this far with me. I pray that God gives you the grace to be a better Christian and bring the colony of heaven to earth.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Matthew 7:3-4 1 Samuel 16:7 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 Proverbs 9:8 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Romans 16:17 Luke 6:37-42 John 8:1-8
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Emm Emm *clears throat* This part of this book is one of the most interesting and capturing area to me because I have been a victim of these circumstances, and I know many of you have been there as well or you are even there now as you are reading this passage. I pray that this piece will surely bless you and set you free. Before I continue let me tell you a little story of me being a victim of my limited beliefs. Some few years ago I really wanted to be a professional graphic designer though I know I don’t have the equipment’s designers use and this was where my belief started limiting me that I cannot get to that place where I want to be. I decided to just manage with where I am “at all at all na im bad pass (pidgin)”. 26
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I continued my small small touch ups with my mobile phone, but the more I see what other great professionals are doing online I start feeling guilty of me not being able to be like them. After some wasted years allowing my beliefs to put me on the ground I decided to gear up and be better than those professionals, Boom I got my first PC (personal computer), sacrificed my time, I mean almost all of my time especially depriving myself from sleep at night, fast-forward to this day I have people who I mentor in design. Though I have not gotten to where I want to be but thank God I broke the chain and took a step out. let’s dive into the main discussion. Do not allow your life to be controlled by your own limited beliefs. Now, a warning with 27
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this one. These beliefs may be conscious, but more than likely they are unconscious. They may be unconscious limitations that have been conditioned in you from a young age and throughout your entire life, by listening to those around you who never reached for their own dream. Notice Your Own limited beliefs and tell them to shut up. There is nothing you cannot do, NOTHING you cannot have, and NO ONE you cannot become if you believe in yourself! If you believe anything is possible, guess what, anything IS POSSIBLE! When you change your belief from limited to unlimited, your potential is unlimited. Imagine what you could achieve if you lived your life as though ANYTHING is possible, as though MIRACLES are a standard requirement of every day. 28
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As the saying goes: "When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm", When you have nothing inside holding you back, there is nothing outside that can hold you back either. Your entire life will change the very instant you decide to change your mind-set and you decide to see everything as a gift. When you DECIDE to see every circumstance and challenge as a blessing rather than a curse, the very instant you become conscious to the fact that everything is as it should be, and know that fighting what IS, is insane. Whatever we believe colours the lenses of how we see the world and our next interaction. If we believe that we cannot get that scholarship, amount of wealth, lose weight, be a great business person, 29
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live without our phones, it definitely is going to be a heck harder if not impossible for us to achieve those. As life progresses we start to integrate this information as truths. If we had a relationship’s that never ended well we start building in us that we can’t have a better relationship life. However, at the end of the day it’s all just a story, not truth, not a fact. We have the ability to change our stories and beliefs, of course. But the process is difficult and does not produce magic overnight (unless you are smoking weed and drinking some liquors as you try). Practice these steps and it will help you break the chains and set yourself free:
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1. Exposing the beliefs – If you find yourself in that situation where you always see yourself as that person who can’t do something, believe that you are unworthy or incapable in some ways, what you need to do is to call them out, write them down, and expose them. 2. Giving Space – most times we are always around people, somewhere, that increasingly gives us that limited beliefs, you need to also expose them and give them space, I mean WIDE SPACE. 3. Pray about them – When you got 1 and 2 all set up the next and most important thing to do is to bring them before God in prayers. Romans 12:2 tells us that we should not be conformed by this world, but be 31
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transformed by the renewal of our minds. Pray that God should renew your mind and give you the ability and grace not to be low in your beliefs and I bet you He will give you freedom. 4. Rewrite Your Story – Now it’s time to compare your old life of limited beliefs with the new mind-set that God Has placed in you. Rewrite your new story in the glory of God.
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Romans 12:2 John 6:53 1 Corinthians 6:12 Luke 10:25-37 Mark 4:1-41
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Welcome to another episode of this book were I will like us to be discussing about one of the tough issues that put us down most a-times in life. Starting this paragraph with a little life story experience. There was this guy who I met last 2 years on a Sunday morning as I went to iron my clothe down my street for church because there was no light for like 2days. When I got there and discussions arose about how a mess our country (Nigeria) have become so far, then this guy started bitterly complaining about how he has been suffering from his very young age and how his mum secured him through his university days by selling beans cake (akara) and now he is an NYSC member who was posted for service in Kano. This guy complained so bitterly and started 35
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pointing fingers on his dad that if the old dude stepped up his game well that he would have not been in the kind of mess that he is in now… fast forward to after a long time of him complaining and never giving anyone a chance to say anything and I was like “na wa for this guy oo” he ended by saying that he is even tired of everything and that he was not going to attend church again that day, it’s like the church he is going to has no gain. I saw the pain in this random guys eyes as tears rolled down his chicks. Now look up let me tell you something, the guy is still living under the cover of his family where he grew up without enjoying all what life could offer and even up till this time he still can’t enjoy the goodies of life.
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There’s what we call generational curse, and this is one big thing that puts many families on the ground. Even if your family have this generational issue of failure, miscarriage, no graduates, anger, and you grew up believing that it will also be same for you well listen and listen good, “It will really hit you and hit you very hard.” The scripture says in John 8:36
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed KJV
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Jesus Christ made it clear to us that we are all free from every form of evil. The scripture further declares in the book of Romans 8:1-2
Rom 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. KJV
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Jesus completed all the requirements for our atonement and we have been totally liberated from any bondage whether of curses or sin. On this basis we need no longer fear about any curse that may come our way because greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:1-6). Do not allow any curse that is in your family to pull you down. To break a generational curse you must make a choice and that choice is following Christ, give Him your heart and your time. Always remember that you are a victory and He Has given you dominion over every creations, He made us to understand that even if we trample upon snakes and scorpions they shall do us no harm. Make a new decision today that you shall never allow the ugly situation in your 39
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family to put you down, don’t ever feed your mind trash. Be the one that will restore your family back to where God wants you to be, and prepare your future for greatness. Sometimes, one continues to suffer the consequences of such curses because of ignorance of the existence of such curse. But as soon as one becomes aware of it, one should apply the blood of Jesus particularly if one is born again, operating on the basis of the New Covenant. In Africa especially, our forefathers might in time past entered into certain covenants with evil forces that would bring the generations after them into curse. When one thus notices certain events or anomalies in the family that are recurring, it is always better to be on the safe side
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and pray for God’s deliverance from every generation or ancestral curse. You are not fighting for victory, you are fighting from victory because Christ already won the battles for you, He made you an eagle and you are never meant to be on the ground but to soar high above all limitations. Do not let the stories of people telling you that “Well can’t have a male child because that is how it is in your family, you can’t build your mansion because in the history of your family no one ever achieved that” do not allow all these words limit you from all that God has given to you.
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Prayer
I pray that God will give you the strength you need to stand in life. I destroy every reoccurring generational curse hunting you and your family. May you never be a failure but be like an eagle that uses the winds from the storm to fly high. Amen.
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Yes you saw it right, “MONEY”. Money is one of the major reason why people do everything they do. We all work, deliver jobs in order for us to get that money we need for us to settle bills. This does not mean you shouldn't want abundance, it doesn't mean money is evil. You know as well as I do what great things you can do and how many people you can help with money. What this means is do not allow your decisions to be controlled by money. If you are choosing something ONLY on the factor of how much money is involved, you've just made the wrong decision. What you will find, is that when you follow your heart, and you lead with your intention to SERVE others, to give your best to others - EVERY SINGLE TIME, 44
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when you follow your intuition and truly GIVE your soul... then the money will come, and it will come in far greater amounts than if you simply chase money for the sake of chasing money.
1 Tim 6:10 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV
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The Bible did not tell us that we shouldn’t strive for more but it clearly states in the above Chapter of 1 Timothy that “the love of money…” You should never allow it to get into you too much because when you get to this point, you start making money the God of your life and thereby kicking away our Creator in Heaven.
Heb 13:5 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. KJV
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1 Tim 6:9-10
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV
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Bible Verses to meditate on:
Matthew 6:19 Luke 16:13 Ecclesiastes 5:10 James 2:5 Proverbs 23:4-5 1 John 2:15 Romans 13:9 Proverbs 23:4
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Conclusion With everything you have read in this book I know there places where you fall victim of. Thank God for helping you come across this book for I know by His grace you shall break out of that shell called “Life controller”. SO, challenge yourself to live the life you want to live free from being controlled by ANYTHING except GOD. Find your freedom. LIVE FULLY!
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About the author Stephen Chuka is the creative director and ceo of “The Stevens Co” a business firm that helps to build and grow other business from brand faces (logo, Cooperate brandings) to advertising. He is the founder of Lovers of God Community, a community that helps to teach the word of God and growth in Bible study with the slogan “healing the wounded soldiers”. You can check out the community website on www.wearelog.com
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