It is in your mouth

Our world offers neither help for today nor hope for tomorrow. The news

 everyday seems to tell us that we are hopeless and useless. We hear of wars

 and rumours of wars, famine, poverty, diseases, shootings, untimely death and the likes. You can't seem to be able to avoid it; it's in the newspapers,

on Television and internet; it's just everywhere! It is easy to allow these

discouraging events around our environment affect our lives and our

perception about who we are and what Christ has done for us. But thanks be

 to God who leads us to triumph! Yes! He is leading us to triumph over the

 host of hell and the enemies of our soul. He is leading us to victory over

 affliction and all strange infirmities. He is leading us to cast down every

 word and strange imagination which has risen against us and against his

 word and will. Thanks be to God for we are not swallowed up by the heart

 breaking news we hear daily rather we rise above the storms of bad

 news by counter- attacking them with Gods word.

·      God's word is strong, powerful and very efficacious. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands for ever (cf. Isaiah 40:8).

·      Heaven and Earth shall pass away but God's word shall not pass away (cf. Luke 21:23)

·      By his word the heavens and the earth was created (cf. John 1:4)

·      God’s word is life, strength for the weak, hope for the hopeless, grace for tomorrow. His word is sharper than any two edged sword (cf. Hebrews 4:12)

indeed the word of God is a light that shines in darkness  and darkness cannot comprehend it.

 We need to understand the power that we have in God's word. For when we

 understand that, we are able to overcome the attacks of the evil one and

 his wiles. The evil one has connived with several of his agents  (including all propagators of bad news) to weaken and frustrate us, but we  can overcome him by '…the word of our testimony*…' Revelation 12:11. Yes!

 The word of our testimony!

 There are two important things we need to consider:

1.     The word of God as a tool

2.     Our testimony as a weapon

 *The word as a tool*

 Faith comes by hearing…and hearing 'word' (cf. Romans 10:17). So also fear comes by hearing words. If we continue to hear negative words, it won't be long before fear envelopes us. But the word of God is a strong device with which we counter every negative word. The more of God's word we speak the less effect the enemy has on us. The more we speak God's word the more we weaken the hold of the devil upon our lives.

For “it” to be 'word' it has to be spoken.  ["Logos" is Jesus, the spoken word of our Creator; the action in God's command.  The "doing" moves things from God's 'to do list' to God's 'it is done' or 'it is finished' list].  Jesus came as God's spoken word to convey the good news, which we call the Gospel. What if He would not speak of God's love to us?  But He did, He could not remain quiet.

You do not keep quiet and hope that the word which you know will make a way or fight for you. Even though you know the word and have it in your heart, you have to 'speak' for it to have effect. The lord said to the prophet 'prophesy to these bones and SAY …' [emphasis mine (cf. Ezekiel 37:4)]; what this implies is that the bones have ears. Those challenges in your life have ears. Prophesy to them. Speak to them! If you can say to this mountain be removed, it shall be moved. For nothing is impossible for you (cf. Matthew 17:20). Just speak the word!

*Our testimony as a weapon*

 "In the law <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law>, *testimony* is a form of  evidence <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence_%28law%29> that is obtained from a witness <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witness> who makes a solemn  statement or declaration of fact"  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony).

When we open our mouth to tell of the goodness of our Lord, we declare to the world that God's word is true. Many times we speak the word of God over our circumstances and yet do not have results, could it be that it’s because we have neglected the great commission given to us by our Lord Jesus. *The gospel is the '…power of God unto salvation…' (cf. Romans 1:16) *and not telling the good news of God's wonderful works in your life may just delay someone's salvation.

I know you may have some temporal challenges in your life right now, but there is a lot God has done for you and sharing it can save someone out there. There may be weaknesses in your body right now but your miracle may just be in your reaching out to those who are lost. You may be facing some "goliaths" right now but you can overcome them by '...the word of your testimony'. Child of God, open your mouth and tell your friends and neighbours about the goodness of the Lord.

There is a miracle in your mouth; speak the word to our sick world. Raise your voice, hold not your peace. Tell about God's faithfulness. Let the world know that indeed 'our God reigns'

 *God In need*

 We often pray for the Lord to meet our needs, but how many of us have interest in meeting God's need? God has a need too! He needs you and me to be his worthy ambassadors here on earth. He needs you to be his agent of truth in a world where lies have been magnified and 'holyfied'. He needs us to be instruments of change, restoration and healing to a dying world. God needs you.

Let us not keep asking God to meet our need. If you know how to meet His need he will take care of you. I dare you to meet God's need and watch him bless you beyond your wildest imagination. I dare you to commit yourself to God's mission and see the lord make a wonder out of you. Then you will be a victor rather than a victim. You will become the head and not the tail. Be a man/woman after God's heart; meet the masters need. Talk about his awesome faithfulness. Let the world know that our God is an awesome God.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, " Your God reigns*!-Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV

How attractive is nagging?

In recent years nagging has become very popular such that, in my opinion, people don’t consider nagging to be nagging. Recently I heard someone say “when I talk about what hurts me people say I am nagging”; well then, we need to look at nagging from another simple perspective. If people say you nag, or fuss about nearly everything and you do not see it that way, then I guess something is wrong.

A few weeks ago a woman said her husband had not been intimate with her and she thinks there is something more than the eyes can see. I asked the man and here is his response:

“Sir, does she expect me to come hug her when she complains about literally everything and she does that every day? Does she think I am not affected by her consistent nagging about how early I wake up, how fast I eat, how slow I drive, how I hold her hands along the streets just once in a week, how my family come to the house too often and bla bla…”

I asked the young man why he doesn’t try to do some of those things his wife was complaining about and he goes:

“…then the complaints will change to exactly the opposite. ‘…why do you eat so slowly? Why do you wake up so late? How come you drive so fast? Is it not too much to hold my hand in the public everyday, don’t you think people will misunderstand us? How come your family members have not been visiting, I feel like you have told them something bad about me isn’t it?” Erm…!?

In as much as I do not think the young man in question is absolutely right in his stand, I think the story proves the key point I want to make about nagging. I think nagging is more of a mental/psychological issue than it is about things not happening right or being mishandled, mistreated or ignored. It seems to me that people who nag do have a psychological problem that makes them unable to see things the way they are. How else can one explain complaints about two opposites? For instance, how can someone complain that his wife’s hair is too short and when she lets it grow he complains that it is too long? How can someone complain that her husband has no time with her and when she does get a moment with him she spends it complaining about the time she does not have? Why will a sane person complain that used baby diapers smell of urine? Well, there has to be only one logical explanation to this; there must be a psychological (if not mental) problem that causes humans to nag. I’m not too sure I’m making sense, but I might just be right. I have thought about things that people thought were not correct, but twenty (20) years later they have become real and true. This too might just be right.

Many of us have read about Abraham Lincoln’s wife who nagged him about nearly everything and created disgraceful scenes in public. We also know that his attitude towards her changed and also some people believe that she nagged him to death. But then again, did we not also hear that her insanity came to public at some point in her life after her husband had died? Is it not possible that all her nagging was as a result of some kind of undiagnosed mental problem rather than real issues? No, tell me, who nags like that if he/she doesn’t have a mental of psychological problem? Who in their right frame of mind complains nearly every day and almost about everything, everybody and everywhere?

Here is my conclusion:

1)      Whoever complains too much and about nearly everything must have issues with their mind. If people think you complain too much, check yourself and don’t blame anyone else.

2)      You cannot eat your cake and have it, if you nag your spouse don’t expect intimacy from them. There are ways to get attention, nagging is not one of them. Rather than get your spouse to get closer, nagging drives them further away from you.

3)      People who nag do not accept that they do so I guess it also proves my point that there has to be an underlying mental cause. Don’t you think that denial of reality itself is a mental problem?

4)      If you do accept that you probably have this problem, then consult a psychologist or probably psychiatrist so they can seek ways to help you.

5)      If you are a victim of nagging, don’t wait till you are nagged to death, seek help too. In many cases a counselor can help you.

More points to note:

1)      Parents need to know the line between training/teaching and nagging, you don’t have to talk about everything your children do, doing that might amount to nagging

2)      Women might be the most popular for nagging, but some men do nag too and it is worse when a man nags

3)      Not all complains are nagging, but constant repetition of a complain amounts to nagging

4)      It is possible that what you are saying is right/good, but to keep talking about it to the point where people around you feel like running away from you, you are nagging.

5)      Nagging does not in any way increase intimacy; in fact, experts say nagging will cause fight or flight. If they won’t fight you, they find things to keep them away from you as much as possible.

How can you tell you’ve become a nag? (According to Weiner-Davis-culled from WebMD)

1)      You're increasingly frustrated because you're not getting through to your partner, despite asking again and again.

2)      Your partner becomes increasingly defensive each time you ask for something.

3)      The things that bother you tend to grow in scope -- you're more bothered by more things, more often.

4)      Your irritation is contagious -- the more irritated you get, the more irritated your partner gets.

5)      The weaknesses in the relationship, such as what your partner isn't doing despite your attempts at effecting change, become the focus, rather than the strengths in your relationship.

6)      The most obvious sign that you tend to nag: You've said the same thing five different ways, five different times, and yet you keep on going

The Bottom line is: Nagging does not help solve the problem rather it makes it worse and makes you loose people who love you. I guess that means it is so unattractive to nag. Again I say; if you nag, don’t expect affection/intimacy, rather expect people to plan their lives as far from you as they can be. Simple isn’t it?

Keep moving-Don't stop

In the last few weeks I have been traveling a lot and the least I can say is that my eyes have seen a lot, my ears have heard a lot, my mind has learnt a lot, my spirit is renewed and I cannot say I am all impressed, but I’m sure not depressed. In the 1st place, I am very convinced that ignorance is not bliss; ignorance is a huge disadvantage and whoever has chosen to remain that way is in the dark; more like living in the dark ages. I pity such people, they are in an unfortunate state. In the 2nd place, I have come to agree with Saint Augustine that “the world is a book and those who do not travel have only read a page” Well, indeed the world is a very informative and educative huge book (a book of several hundreds, if not thousands, of pages) and those who do not travel or move around have not started reading it at all. That’s what I think. The only way to read this book is to start traveling. Start moving. There is no better way to understand life, indeed, the world around us, other than to see it, so move.

I realize that one reason people are not growing or progressing is because they don’t move and lack of movement is what they call stagnation. When you are stagnant you become a problem to yourself, your family, your friends, your leaders, in fact, you become a problem to everyone and everything. A stagnant person wakes up in the morning and is frustrated with him/her self and of course everyone who they meet that day gets a taste of their “bitterness”. Like they say stagnant water smells and that is so true.

So why don’t people like to move? One reason comes to mind, attachments-attachments to people, places, things and etc. There is really nothing wrong with attachments, only that any attachment that does not allow you grow and improve has become an impediment. I know someone who was so attached to a house that he didn’t want to move. Several years later most of his friends had moved out from the area and had achieved a lot and he wouldn’t move because it was his first house. No he didn’t build or buy it, it was a rented house and he still pays the house owner. It took him many years to realize how the attachment to the house kept him stagnant, but at that time, most of his contemporaries had gone far ahead of him. His attachment beclouded his reasoning such that he didn’t know that there was life outside his location.

Some of you are attached to a place-like a country or state. You have come to love that country/state so much that you do not think that there might be possibilities/opportunities elsewhere. Well, maybe you don’t have such problem; but if you live in a place and you neither function to your optimum nor prosper at the speed God wants you to, you do yourself great injustice not to move. You don’t know what you are missing.

To some others your attachment might be to a friend, family, relationship, job, church or something you consider important but not productive. Why will you stick with something that is not productive? Why will you continue to be attached to something that is not profiting you or others? Why will you be attached to something/someone God doesn't want for you? When will you ask yourself if your presence in a place has become a problem to you and others? That’s the problem; many times you are the problem but you do not see it and all you do is blame others for your misfortune. Maybe, it is time to move and get some fresh air, fresh ideas, fresh skills…

If right now you feel like you are stagnant and you have run out of ideas of what to do to make progress, then I suggest that it is time to move. Change your environment. Relocate. Move to another house. Move to another state. Look for another job. Take a holiday and go somewhere other than where you have always been. Sometimes, when you move and return, things get better, but others times, you just don’t need to return, relocation might just be what you need to reach the next dimension.

Am I saying that everyone has to travel before they succeed? No. Not at all! All I am saying is that if you have climaxed at the wrong time, or you have observed that you are not making progress where you are; or maybe you have been having a nudge in your spirit that you have stayed too long in your present position, or you have become a problem to the people and the system you are in, then it is time to move out and move up. That may be a step that will help both you and those around you; your moving might just bring you and others unbelievable healing and growth. It is risky, but I think it is better to take this risk and get a better result than stay stagnant and risk losing the things and people dear to your heart. It’s up to you.

Watch your mouth!

These days people don’t seem to care much about what they say, to whom, where and when; they open their mouths and say what they want to say, how they want to say it and not give a ‘hoot’ about the resultant effect. They call it freedom of speech, yes, but I wonder does it mean “freedom of mouth use”?

Recently I have been worried about the way people use their mouth. I have been worried about the way people kiss. Yeah, I’m worried about the whole kissing thing. Many young people think they are smart and they use protection during sex, but many of them have come out with some infections even with the so-called protection. So, is kissing really safe? Is it alright to kiss as many people as you wish? The answers may be scary, but it is my job to tell things that others are scared to say.

“We know that kisses of passion can lead to one thing or another. But did you know that kissing can also lead to an infectious disease? Mononucleosis, or mono, is the prototypical “kissing disease,” and sexually-transmitted diseases are infamous following some romantic interludes. But did you know that there are many infections that can be spread through mere kissing alone?”-Ingrid Koo PhD (http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/respiratoryinfections/a/kissing.htm)

Need I say more!? Scientists have said that Epstein-Barr virus EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Streptococcus, Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1), Hepatitis B, A, C and some others, all can be spread and shared through kissing. So, there is something called “kissing disease”; no it is not called “kissingitis”  but yes kissing is not as safe as many people think. So what does it mean for us?  Simple! It means we can’t afford to kiss just any body since we don’t know what they carry in their mouth. It means that we have to apply caution, better still lets apply restriction to our kissing activities. So friends, watch where you put your mouth. Watch your mouth.

I have kept this short and simple so you can have enough time to think about what you do with your mouth. Here is a little poem for you. Enjoy!

Love is in the air
Germs are everywhere
Kissers beware
Of infections you can share.

(http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/respiratoryinfections/a/kissing.htm)

Marriage, Sex and Babies

Some years ago some young men (between the ages of 28 and 38) hosted a radio show talking about men, understanding how they think and what they want. It was really an interesting program, each week several people call in from all over the place to share their experiences and these young men made suggestions and recommendations. They said that after several years of research and comparing notes with each other, they had discovered the secret to how men react and respond and that they could help women who struggled in/with their relationship (obviously with men). A couple of the callers had very interesting questions/issues but one, only one really kept my mouth ajar-if ajar means half open for a while.

The phone rang and the caller goes “good afternoon gentlemen…” and the men, including the presenter who is also a man , responded “good afternoon”. She went straight to the point; she didn’t want to waste their time as she knows that there are other callers waiting. Her question was direct “what do men want from their wives? That sounded easy for the “experts” but in order to get further clarification the presenter asked the caller if she was married. “Yes” was her answer. He went on to ask how old she was, how long she had been married, is it her first marriage and etc. The caller  answered “I am 65 years old and have been married for 40 years to the same man but I still do not know what Mark (not the actual name) wants from me” Like you will imagine, there was complete silence in the studio. You could hear a pin drop.

Well, this article is not about marriage but read on because I should tell you the end of the story and how the “experts” handled the “young” woman’s question.

First, the topic of this article is “Marriage, Sex and Babies” but my emphasis is more on the order rather than the three key issues. When I was young that was the due order; you married before having sex and making babies. We started life dreaming about what we would be in the future. I remember telling my teacher once in elementary school that when I grow up I would like to be a professor. I didn’t know what that meant but as a kid three things really appealed to me: I like to teach, travel and write stories. “Well,” said my teacher Mrs. Iriele. (I wonder where she is right now. If anyone ever knows how to reach her, tell her I say her prophesy is coming to pass) “yes you can be a professor but you have to read hard, know a lot about many things and stay focused…you can be what you want to be” She concluded. For many years the words of my teacher reverberated on my mind. I stayed focus on my studies and did not let anything distract me. In high school they taught about sex but the teacher added “…but sex is better experienced in marriage”. I kept that in my heart and did not allow anything drag me into experimenting before the right time. I cannot say it was easy, but I had decided to wait and I was not the only one; several other young people chose the same path-the path of abstinence.

But these days I have seen the reverse of what we believed and practiced in the 90s. These days, people have sex and sometimes have babies before marriage. Is it just me or is there something wrong with this generation?  

Sexperimentation
So, they want us to believe that the world is better off with sexual exploration as long as protection is used huh? Well, that really worries me and several other observers; how does “protection” protect the heart of several young girls broken every hour? How does “protection” erase the shame and embarrassment that accompany these uncontrolled passions and experiments? Tell me how “protection” restores the dignity of the people involved!? And when the so called protection fails what happens when the repercussions that come with pre-marital sex starts. Has anybody discovered how to protect the mouth yet? So they want us to believe that one can use protection to prevent infections and yet people kiss everyday without oral protection!? Why can’t we just tell young people the truth about condom and stop giving them false impressions and false hopes? We are raising a generation of “mini prostitutes”, a generation without discipline or self dignity, a generation without control and we call it what, Sexual exploration?

In those days people end up having one sex partner in their lifetime and if for any reason you had two you felt ashamed about it. A few days ago I was talking to an 18 year old boy who was talking about his ex and I went “you already have an ‘ex’ at 18?” Most of his colleagues present at that time laughed and one of them said “…no, he doesn’t have an ‘ex’, he has several ‘exes’. At 18 he has been naked before more than one woman, how many women would he have been naked before when he is in his 40s? Well, that is if he makes it to 40.

I used to think that when you see a man and a woman (Boy or girl) getting intimate they are either married or planning to marry but it seems that I’m wrong. Boys see girls as “objects of relaxation” and girls seem to enjoy it until they get tired of playing around. Then after all the games the girl thinks  she should settle down and the boy finds a reason to end it and he moves on to find another “fool” And we call this “information age”? I thought people who live in this age should have access to information? Why can’t people read and learn from the mistakes of others. Freedom seems to be killing us so maybe, just maybe we should revert to those days when sex was kept for one person alone. Let’s revert to those days when people were rewarded because they kept themselves until marriage. There were fewer diseases, less heart breaks, less divorces and more fun. Sex is a lot like driving; you need to be trained, and you need a license.

…after the baby then what?
I have also observed that many people have children and then begin to wonder what to do with them. These days we hear people say things like “since I had this kid I have lost my life, I wish I know what to do with this child” It’s a shame. If you are not ready for a baby, should you make one? Should you be having sex? If you cannot stand heat, what are you doing in the kitchen, why are you looking into the oven? I do not see the sense in having a child when you are not ready for the responsibility, when you’re unprepared for the commitment to care and nurture. What more can I say? It is foolish to put the cart before the Horse; no one gets anywhere that way! It only brings frustrations and disorder. Let’s have our priorities in proper perspective. When things are done right it saves everyone involved pain and misery. A child born at the wrong time will upset a whole family. But what worries me is when they tell you the first one was a mistake, you wonder what the second and third is. And the shame in many cases is that the kids have different fathers. This is a shame indeed but worse still a complicated and confused childhood for innocent children.

I know you want to know how the young experts handled the callers question; well, the story, as it were, may not have any correlation to this article, I used it because some people claim to have “complete” knowledge about men. No one can fully understand the heart of man or woman; it has been described as “desperately wicked”. The human thought pattern is hardly comprehensible and even though we might learn a bit of it, yet we cannot lay claim to full or perfect understanding of any humankind. Anyway, the “experts” couldn’t help her, at least not in my opinion. After a brief silence, they asked her a few more questions and when he realized that the caller had survived 40 years without their counsel, the presenter told her “whatever you have done that has kept the two of you together all this while, keep doing it.” Well, that is good enough although I guess she knew that before she called.

I can’t say I know what men want or what women crave for, but I know that everyone desires a good life; so I suggest that we, the people of the 21^st century, re-arrange our priorities, plan for the future and live according to the God ordained order. We will be better off.

Identity theft- Are you a victim?

 I lost my ID once and I was so sad to have lost it. It meant so much to me because without it I would not be able to get some of the free stuff and discounts that come with the card and lots more. Later that week a friend called me and as we were talking I mentioned to him “…I am battling with Identity theft…”  My friend sounded really worried and hoped I resolved the ‘issue’ as soon as possible. A few years later I realized that Identity theft is much more than what I had told my friend. I might have lost my ID, but indeed, that is not my identity. What I lost was an identification card. Identity theft is a whole different ball game from loss of identification card.

Identity theft is:

1. You living someone else's life
2. Someone else living your life

On a certain day, on His way from one of His crusades, Jesus met this guy who was infested with a demon, indeed, some demons. The devils had taken over his whole life and this man did not live with humans anymore; he made his abode in the mountains and tombs. If you think you could bind him with chains you are wrong, he tore chains in pieces with ease and taming him was an impossible thing (at least from a human perspective). In any case who will think of taming a man whose life had been hijacked by demons and who could shake off chains like a piece of cloth!?

Now this demon infested man sees Jesus as He alights from a ship and runs to worship and plead with the Lord not to torment him (isn’t it strange  that a tormentor fears being tormented!?). When Jesus saw this man, he quickly recognized that the man was not himself. The master saw beyond the outward look and He discerned that the man who lived in the tomb and could not be tamed, was not in his right mind; there was something else inside that mass of clay. To prove His point Jesus asked his name and the demons spoke through this man and said “…my name is Legion, we are many”.  That is it, some one else (indeed some other thing (s)) was living the life of this nameless man. His identity had been hijacked (cf. Mark 5:1-13).

There are several people walking on our streets who are in the same condition as this man; they may look like everyone else, they could even dress, talk and act like us, but their identity has been hijacked. There are some other people who we wonder why they are not living up to expectation and when we try to encourage them they flip out on us; it will not be wrong if we say such  people’s identities have been hijacked. When a young man goes out to blow himself up and kill others, you know he has lost his real person.  Do you know that when a young person is visionless, not motivated and is waiting for some sudden event to happen and change his life, he/she too has lost his/her identity?

You know your identity is stolen when:

1. You keep trying to be what you are not
2. You find yourself doing what you do not want to do
3. You cannot do what you want to do
4. You find yourself chasing someone else’s vision and not yours
5. You try to do the will of God but find yourself doing something else
6. You live to please other people
7. You give your body for money (prostitution of any kind)
8. You do not have control over your appetites (food, sex, shopping etc)
9. You do not know your purpose and you live without a vision
10. You are confused about your sexuality

There are forces against God and against you that battle to take possession of you and use you against your will and it is your responsibility to wage war and fight against these forces. If you find yourself experiencing any of the above it is an indication that your identity has been hijacked and you are not yourself. This is the right time to go to the master and cry for help and say “Lord I am not what I ought to be, something strange has got a hold on my mind and body and I need your help”. Jesus will not deny you, He will help you. He will deliver you. He will restore you to your right mind and lift you to where you belong. And you can be sure that when the master touches you, the real you will return. Your lost identity, your lost glory, indeed your lost life will be restored after the master has worked on you.

The enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy you, but guess what? Jesus came to save, deliver and restore you. Give Him a chance to do His work in your life and set you free from the shackles of the invaders. You will be free indeed, free to be whom you were born to be; free as a dove.

Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed!

Something worse than death

Lately I have had people call me to say ‘I’m afraid, I might lose my life!’ and I look up and wonder, ‘is death the worse thing ever?’ Is there really a cause to worry about death? What really is death? Does it matter what happens after death?

Some years ago in England I heard a radio advertisement inviting people to get a Masters Degree in… you don’t want to guess do you? OK! They called it Masters of Arts degree in Death and Immortality. I was like ‘what?’ Who wants to learn about death and the afterlife? Are they trying to teach people how to die or what? “Maybe we will start the course here on earth and finish the rest on the other side” I teased. Ha ha! It sounded strange to me and I wondered how the school would get even one student. But not too long ago it dawned on me that maybe death is not the course of study, maybe it is all about preparing for death, teachings on how to handle death (other people’s obviously) and etc. Maybe we all should take that course; I guess it will help us somehow.

First of all I think, like they say, worse than death itself is the fear of it. Many people spend valuable ‘living’ time worrying about dying. I think that is foolishness of another kind. If we all will die someday, I think there are things we must do rather than worry about dying.

1)      Live well/live a meaningful life: If I will not be aware of what happens here on earth when I die, then it is my responsibility to live well and live right so that when I am not here, I would have lived a good life. In my opinion, death is total annihilation from earth. It means you are in extinction. No more in existence on earth. Cut off from friends, family and worldly affairs. I have not been dead before, as you can see, but I have a feeling that dead people don’t feel anything; that is why it is called death- lacking animation. That is deep right there! It means, therefore, that I have to enjoy my life while I have it. Play, laugh, love, dance, smell the roses, make everyone in my world happy and be the best that I can be. Life is too short to hate, frown or be a sadist. Why spend the short life that you have fighting others, destroying, killing and making other people miserable? It is not worth it. If all we got is one life, then live it well so that when you die, I mean,  when you are cut off from here, you would have left a footprint in the sands of time and people who live after you will have a blessed memory of you.

2)      At peace with God: You will be a fool if you do not believe in the existence of God. You can call it anything you want, (divine being, ultimate reality or whatever), but you do yourself a huge favor to believe in God. Living well and living right ensures that you have the best life here and afterward you experience a life of righteousness, peace and joy. Now that’s heavenly! If you have not made peace with God, do it now. Take a moment and talk to God; He is listening, He wants you back. He wants you to have a home with Him when this life is over. Indeed if in this life alone we have hope…we are of all men most miserable (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:19). Being at peace with men helps you live well here and being at peace with God guarantees you a sweet life when you die

3)      Understanding purpose: I thought I should squeeze this in as a bonus, I hope you appreciate it. Everything has its purpose. Everyone on earth has a purpose. If you must live life well and be the best, you must identify your purpose on earth. The best way to know that purpose is by asking God to show you. You see, you can’t avoid Him can you? For more clues, get any of my books “A Date with Destiny” or “Committed to Purpose”.

My point here is, why worry about dying when you can live a fantastic and fruitful life and leave behind a great legacy; and when you are no more here you arrive at a future full of fun- an awesome “hereafter”.  If you are alive and wishing you were dead, then that is worse than death. If you are alive and not living a meaningful life, you are already dead, so why fear death?! If you are alive and do not have hope for a better life hereafter, then I should say you have every reason to fear death because after you die here, your misery just began.

“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” John Henry Newman