HOW TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMIES

HOW TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMIES

Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation- Psalms 119:98-99 (KJV).

The words adversary, enemy, and foe have one thing in common; opposition! However, these three words are strikingly different in meaning. Your adversary competes or fights against you; your enemy usually hates and desires to harm you; and your foe may be your adversary or your enemy. However, unlike adversary or enemy one does not usually know his foe. In other words, your foe is your flourishing adversary or enemy; flourishing because you are not aware of that person’s opposing schemes. Nevertheless, the weapon to defeat any of them is the same – divine wisdom! Divine wisdom will make you wiser than your enemies.

Enemies are always with us; it does not matter whether we have done wrong or not. The truth is that adversities or animosities also afflict the innocent, although they cannot conquer that person. Thus innocence neither prevents nor cures opposition. In fact good and righteous deeds attract more deadly enemies than wickedness. No wonder Satan and his cohorts greatly hate God and any persons who delight to serve and worship Him. Studies have shown that there are four principalities; eight powers; and one trillion demons on the organizational structure of the Dark kingdom, and all these forces seek to attack God’s kingdom on earth. The more wickedness a demon is able to wreak on earth; the higher that demon’s promotion in the demonic realm. This means that wickedness is the hallmark of enemies. People who are both prayerful and  live holy are their worst enemies, and their main targets.

It is impossible to enjoy any forms of blessings or victories without the real involvement of God. By God, you can run through countless and fiercest troops and leap over walls, even skyscrapers! Of course a person can attain success or victory outside God; but we ought to remember that that kind of success or victory is just a shadow! Real enemies usually do not waste their efforts in contesting or fighting against shadow success because it is a vapourized package.  All that is needed to diffuse vapour is wind or heat, and almost everyday nature causes them to operate. Thus all that your real enemies need to do is to control the elemental forces of nature to operate against you. This explains why the devil and his cohorts always try to influence human affairs through the elements.

It therefore goes without saying that you need divine wisdom to defeat your enemies. Divine wisdom is the right application of the right knowledge. This kind of wisdom “is profitable,” in the words of Ecclesiastes 10:10, “to direct”. Thus the right knowledge profitably directs. The Bible contains the directions to deal with any kind of opposition. To understand these directions, you need to identify and meditate on a particular direction that deals with your opposition. You need however to pass God’s meekness test. “He guides the humble (meek) in what is right and teaches them his way” – Psalm 25:9(NIV). Humble people through Jesus Christ surrender their lives to God, the only wise Supreme Being. Besides, God is the only teacher of righteousness and holiness, both of which make a person invincible to all forms of opposition. Invincible persons meditate on God’s word always, and do them.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of right your writing.

borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

PEOPLE TO AVOID

PEOPLE TO AVOID

Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people –

2 Timothy 3:5(NIV).

Godliness denotes righteousness, holiness, saintliness, goodness, piousness and devoutness, among others. It is thus great to be a godly person because godliness is a great virtue. Besides, godliness with content is a great gain. It may therefore appear that all godly people are assets. Consequently, a person may be tempted to desire a godly person as a friend, mentor, role model, wife, husband, leader, or business partner. However, a mere godly person can be dangerous!

Real godliness has both form and substance. The form denotes appearance and countenance of a godly person. This appearance is mostly deceptive. Persons who have only a form of godliness are beautiful on the outside but stinks on the inside. They glory in their appearance and are only known after the flesh. Besides, they are not integrated in that their words are miles apart from their actions. In fact, their words and deeds are two parallel rivers. Such people usually eloquently preach virtues but practice vices. Like, empty barrels, they make the most noise! Besides, they are usually people pleasers and yearn for societal acceptance by compromising on godly virtues. On the other hand, the substance of godliness is the inward make-up of a godly person. Persons having godly inward make-up may appear ordinary or ugly on the outside but glitters on the inside. Such persons simply harbour hidden gems. Their true worth is discernibly measured in gold. They potently possess both the real form and substance of godliness. They are usually known after the Spirit. It goes without saying that they are people of integrity (character).

People who have only the form of godliness are dangerous! They are dangerous because they consciously or unconsciously serve as agents and employees of the Devil. The Devil is no respecter of persons; he only respects divine power. However, persons with only the form of godliness by their attitudes deny the reality of divine power to deal with all situations. They are usually dominated by fear and easily succumb to devilish attacks and maneuvers. Therefore, meddling with such persons is to naively quench one’s faith and expose oneself to unnecessary spiritual attacks. It is more like an eagle flocking with chickens; it becomes a cheap prey to a chicken hawk. But real eagles soar heights. Besides, they keep the company of only eagles.

Today, many so-called Christians have clothed themselves with godliness but by their attitudes they deny God’s power in His word. They profess the power of God yet they deny its efficacy in all human endeavours. They thus believe more in hollow human philosophies such as economic, legal, medical and political theories than the word of God. In other words, they easily conform to the standards of this world than that of God. Their god and appetite are respectively what they should be ashamed of and their belly! Besides, they are carnally minded. Consequently, they refuse to totally surrender their lives to the leadings of the Holy Spirit and divine guidance. “…Have nothing to do with such people.” We are wrestling with powers, not flesh and blood. God has thus given us the Spirit of power. Therefore, to put on a form of godliness and deny its power is to surrender to the evil powers. Such persons are clearly enemies of God; wisely avoid them! To be equally yoked with such people is to commit spiritual suicide. Wise up!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of right your writing.

borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

THE IDOLATRY OF LEARNING

Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth - 2Timothy 3:7(NIV).

      Learning is central to the acquisition of any forms of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding are the sacred secret keys of any forms of prosperity. Knowledge enhances speedy and stability in any adventure; wisdom is fundamental to profiting from any forms of knowledge; and understanding makes knowledge both concrete and visible to an average person of ordinary intelligence. Certainly, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” – Proverbs 3:13-14(NIV). However, not every kind of learning guarantees acquisition of the knowledge of truth (Jesus Christ). The highest form of learning is knowing and abiding in the knowledge of the truth. Real learned persons know and abide in the knowledge of the truth. Without knowing and abiding in the knowledge of the truth, lengthy learning is lethal because its knowledge becomes a grievous nuisance, and its wisdom is reduced to a practical foolishness.

    

     We live in a deceptive world. Good success in this world is all about overcoming deceptions. The more deceptions a person overcomes; the greater the heights that person rises in life. One of such deceptions is that all forms of learning guarantees good success. But this is a fatal false! It has for example been said that there are three main learned professions on earth namely- Law, Medicine, and. Clergy. This is not wholly true. Perhaps, this deep-seated perception keeps on ranging because it takes a lot of learning to become a lawyer, a medical doctor, and clergy. Lawyers are, for example, mostly referred as the learned people because it requires both great discipline and industry to become and remain one! However, only real lawyers are learned lawyers. If mere learning were to be the sole criterion for measuring greatness professors might positively transform this world. Many so-called learned people and professors across the globe are at best living frustrated lives. They may overtly appear better in the eyes the public but only God knows what they are suffering within! Their belly and mind are full of turbulent tumors and turmoil! They are bereft of real peace and fulfillment.

    

      Real learners through Jesus Christ know God. Knowing God is the highest form of learning. People who know God through Jesus are real learned people. Real learned people always wax strong and do exploits. Thus uncommon strength and exploits are proofs of real learning. Their wisdom builds, their understanding establishes whatever they build and through their knowledge their establishments are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Besides, by their wisdom and knowledge they, respectively, prevail through power, and muster strength always. This means that real learned persons are strong in all circumstances and situations. No wonder Apostle Paul soberly confessed, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…” –Philippians 3:8, 10 (NIV). Garbage is a product of idol learning.

   

      Idolatry is anything that turns a person from the knowledge of the truth. For J.P. Timmons, “…We should be careful to define idolatry also. It is not just the worship of graven images, sticks and stones. It is these but much more. Anything can be idol. In America, most people’s idol is money, sex, entertainment or sports. Whatever you spend the most of time doing and thinking about, is your god”. True! Today, many people are preoccupied with acquiring all kinds of academic qualifications but have little or no delight in knowing their Creator. They worship garbage learning instead of God through Jesus! Academic logos and human wisdom are their greatest pursuit. But real learning does not come from certifications and award of academic degrees. Knowing Jesus is the key! The rests are offshoot. Do you really know Jesus? Is he the centre and the focus of your life? Judge yourself!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Persecutions are Promotions. borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

THE UNITED HEART

THE UNITED HEART

 The heart is a vital part of the human body. A body without an active heart is dead! Without it, human life is reduced to vanity; because the heart is the source of issues of life. No heart; no issues of life. Issues of life are general concerns of life. This means that concerns of life depends on conditions of human hearts. Thus whether or not mankind enjoys the goodies of life is solely dependent of the heart of mankind. A united heart for instance produces love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law! It goes without saying that keeping the heart with all diligence is the key to enjoying a prosperous life. King Solomon of immeasurable riches and wisdom aptly advised, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” – Proverbs 4:23(NIV).

  Heart guidance is life guidance; and good life is a product of a guided heart. The heart is a small part of the human body yet it determines its actions and inactions. Although the tongue controls human life, without the heart the tongue is voiceless. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth (tongue) speaks.” A guided heart thus guarantees abundant life because it is able to unite all issues of life towards God. No wonder King David, the greatest king in history, in Psalm 86:11(KJV) prayed, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name”.  No wonder he is credited with leading his subjects “according to the integrity of his heart (character) and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands”.

A person with a divided heart may be right in the head (knowledge) and hands (skills) but wrong in the heart (character).  It has been observed that there are many people in society who are very competent but do not have character; and  there are many people in the church with character but are not competent. For General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, a retired United States Army General, “To lead in the 21^st century…you will be required to have both character and competence”. He however confesses that, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy”. This means that character is superior to competence (strategy). Stephen Covey laments that “90% of leadership failures are character failures”.  Ken Blanchard’s useful guide is very instructive, “The journey of a leader starts with the heart, with motivation and intent. Then it must travel through the head, which is the leader’s belief system (values), to their habits (attributes) and finally to their skills (what they do). When your heart, head habits and skills are aligned, extraordinary levels of loyalty, trust and productivity will result. When these areas are out of alignment, frustration, mistrust and diminished long-term productivity will result”.

A united heart potently aligns a person’s heart with that person’s head and hands.                                                                                            This great feat takes a conscious effort. Charisma is truly a gift but one has to pay a price for character. Character building is costly; it is usually a long painful process. For instance, it calls for crucifying our past, pride, priorities, paradigms, pleasures, and our very persons. Therefore, left to oneself, character building will be unachievable. It takes something higher than self to build character. One needs Jesus Christ to achieve this great feat. Jesus freely gives the Holy Spirit to anyone who receives him as that person’s only Lord and Saviour. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that character building becomes a reality. Why don’t you invite Jesus into your life right now if you have not received him? On the other hand, if you have received Jesus but you are still struggling with character issues, it may mean that you have not totally yielded to the Holy Spirit. Repent now!

Richard Obeng Mensah, co-author of 37 Benefits of Reading. borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

CRITERIA FOR DERTERMINING A DEVELOPED NATION

CRITERIA FOR DERTERMINING A DEVELOPED NATION

We pride ourselves in the Western world on our scientific knowledge. Yet this knowledge is largely confined to the physical world…We know so very little about spiritual things-our spiritual acumen is quite low – J.P. Timmons.

It is great to be a developed nation. A developed nation is generally perceived as a nation which has overcome most of its developmental challenges. A challenge is said to be a call to confrontation. Thus a developed nation may be perceived as a nation which has successfully confronted most of its challenges.  Conversely, a nation which is still wrestling with most of its developmental challenges may be perceived as a developing nation or an underdeveloped nation, depending on the degree and extent of its challenges. However, a real developed nation is more than a perception! Real developed nations are nations that are mature in body (people), soul (mindset of her people), and spirit (love and unity among the people). Besides, whether or not a nation is developed must be determined in God’s perspective, never in humanistic perspective!

The planet Earth is the Lord’s; the people and all that is in it. The people on the earth comprise individuals, family units, communities, societies, nations and continents. The people in a particular community, nation or continent generally have a common body, soul and spirit. The body denotes their personality and idiosyncrasies; the soul is their mindset and paradigm; and the spirit connotes the degree and nature of their relationships. The relationship is two-fold: right relationship with their Owner (God), and among themselves. The supreme governing laws on earth emanates from God, the Manufacturer. The Manufacturer has a manual which details such laws. The manual is the Holy Bible; its precepts are timeless, universally applicable, unbiased and have determinable consequences!  For example, throwing real human moral principles to dogs is courting catastrophe and shipwreck. It is high time we took lessons from what caused the downfall of the erstwhile great nations like Babylon and Egypt. Today, many so-called developed nations are electrically crumpling and declining because they have exchanged real human moral principles with that of animals.

God is the creator and owner of the world; it goes without saying that the criteria for assessing whether or not any nation on earth is developed are His sole prerogative! In the beginning of time, God created Heaven and Earth. He evaluated His entire creation and concluded that they are good! However, sin corrupted God’s creation through the disobedience of mankind. God came down to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ and spiritually healed the earth. He however, left the physical healing in the hands of mankind. Thus mankind has been spiritually restored to its original glorious position which it lost at the beginning of time. It is now mandated to make the earth good by physically recreating this defiled world. The procedures and methods for mankind to complete this awesome task have been clearly and simply expressed in the Manufacturer’s manual-the Bible.

A developed nation is therefore a nation which has been able to recreate its part of the world in the way prescribed in the Bible. The main criterion is that its people must be reconnected to their Maker through Jesus Christ. Secondly, its people must be transformed by the renewal of their mind (mindset and paradigm) in order to be physically healed from the corrupt mindset of the defiled world, and also in order not to conform to its deceptive colourful and sugary appeals. Thirdly, its people must endeavour to live in love and unity.  

Is there any developed nation on earth? Definitely, the answer lies not in the mouth the UN, EU, AU, ECOWAS, or the West, but God! Fortunately for us, the answer is contained in the Bible. It is simply No! In case you have doubts, read the Bible for yourself.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Persecutions are Promotions. borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLES

POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLES

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (Emphasis is mine) - John15:5(KJV).

Real politics is a vital branch of human life. It is pivotal to modern developmental agenda of real civilized societies. Besides, politics epitomizes the real essence of real leadership-influence. Real “leadership”, it is said, “is influence, nothing more; nothing less”. And politics is one of the vehicles to wheedle this influence. Indeed politics is a wheedler of persuasion which is central to influence. Therefore, politics is one of the primary traits of mankind. In essence, every real human being, including even pastors and preachers, is a politician! However, not all persons are partisan politicians. Real politics hinges on real leadership principles. Politics becomes dirty if it is devoid of such principles. And anything devoid of real leadership principles is both polluted and poisonous. God is never against real politics; He only detests toxic politics because it defiles His creation. Creation is defiled whenever there is politics without principles.

Politics without principles breeds toxics. This means that politics without principles is dirty and poisonous, or, you may say, pollution, for the sake of cheap civility! Dirty politics is therefore the product of toxic politics. Poisonous politicians are the architects and agents of toxic politics. Dirty propaganda is their key political strategy. Poisonous politicians are carnally cantankerous, critically incorrect, increasingly indecorous, deeply dishonest, highly hypocritical, pompously prideful, morally bankrupt, insignificantly productive, uncivilized, self-centred, and wicked!

However, Albert and Comfort Ocran rightly argue that a real political aspirant must pursue a partisan politics that is “characterized by a sense of diligence, conscience, character, strong moral fibre, an awareness of our humanity and an unwavering commitment to a set of (real) principles”. Truly, “The failure to inculcate this balanced perspective into our approach (of leadership) has contributed to the increasing spate of emerging leaders in fields like politics, (Christianity), religion, and business who are so much in a hurry to attain wealth and power but unwilling to endure the process, investment and diligent effort required to get there. They love the fruits but despise the gradual, systematic processes required to get it”. No wonder “a society that struggles to cope with crumbling values seeks to conveniently rewrite the rules and suggest that one’s character and moral failings do not matter as long as there is competence and technical ability”. This growing deception underpins why morality in so-called civilized societies is relegated to the background. Hollow and cheap civility can never replace real principles of life. Without them, society breaks! Dr. Stephen R. Covey, a leadership expert, said it best when he wrote, “Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high in drugs”. Europe and the Western world are painfully learning the truth that without morality, their development gains are only a shadow and shaky! No godly morals; no real civility and life!

Jesus is the vine of human life, and real politics is one of its branches. Life without the vine is vain; a branch without a vine bleeds; and politics without Jesus is a dirty joke! A branch cannot bear fruits of itself; it must be connected to the vine, lest it withers. A branch needs constant nourishment from the vine to flourish. Therefore, politics without Jesus is fruitless! Thus without Jesus, a politician cannot be fruitful. This means that Jesus is the epitome of real leadership principles. Without him, politics withers and catches fire! This explains why unhealthy conflicts and wailing wars blaze in societies devoid of real politics. Such societies eventually become fruitless because dirty politics set their resources ablaze. To Mahatma Gandhi, there are “seven deadly sins” that would destroy the world. They are wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; knowledge without character; commerce without morality; science without humanity; worship without sacrifice; and politics without principles”. True! Gandhi in essence hypothesizes that even in the most crucial areas of lives; there was no room to build anything without (real) principles and a sense of character. I therefore agree with Dr. Stephen R. Covey that “…At the root of societal declines are foolish practices that represent violations of correct principles”. Thus people and society experience real prosperity when they operate in harmony with real (correct) principles. Jesus is the core of real principles. He is the leader of leaders.

A real politician is a disciple of real principles. Such a politician follows procedures for achieving any result. There is a proper procedure for every matter. This means that there is a right way (to think or act) in every situation. Real principles are the right ways. They are absolute! It is a sad commentary that in today’s world many people would want us to believe that there are no absolutes in life. However, no matter your race, colour, creed or where on earth you find yourself there are always absolute (real) principles. Real principles are fundamental fixed laws, universal truths, timeless precepts, and are laws that have determinable consequences! They are not partial (have no favourites), values (preferences, societal, cultural and tribal norms), and practices (traditions). More importantly, real principles are fruitful if applied rightly.

     The fruit of real principles is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. This means that the effect of real principles is superior to the strength of humanistic laws. Without them, humanistic laws at best idolizes immorality, demonizes democracy, promotes lusts instead of love, manages and maintain crises instead of enhancing peace, and makes mockery of justice. For instances, most legal instruments and religious codes fruitlessly try to preach and promote peace and shadow justice instead of real justice. They thus place the cart before the horse. Certainly, it is ridiculous to pursue real peace outside real justice. It is worth noting that world peace is never God’s peace-real peace. While real peace transcends human understanding, world peace is based on human understanding. Real peace is the product of the godly balanced of justice and mercy anchored in the truth. It therefore goes without saying that it takes real love to achieve real justice, and subsequently real peace. Real peace thrives on the branches of love and unity.

A real politician is a politician who is deeply connected to Jesus and his real principles of life. Such a politician practices politics through the channels of real principles. He knows that without Jesus he is only a leader just in title and position. But leadership is not in titles but in towels, and positional leaders are insecure leaders. Insecure leaders rule by coercive power. “The flip side of this kind of exercise of power,” in the words of Albert and Comfort Ocran, “is that followers often resent the leader and quietly look for ways to subvert the system. Coercive power often breeds hypocritical followers whose loyalty is barely skin-deep. Relationships based on coercive power are transient and are characterized by suspicion, deception and dishonesty. When the leader’s controlling system is removed, everything disappears. (Nations) built on this basis are ultimately headed for disaster”. If you are a partisan politician, it is not too late to be a real politician. Get connected to Jesus!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of If You Think of Your Opposition You Lose Your Position. The writer is an award-winning author of 7 books and over 250 articles. He is also a certified life and leadership coach, a lawyer, a legal academician and a blogger. Blog: richardobengmensah@gmail.com Email: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

THE GREATEST DECEPTION ON EARTH

THE GREATEST DECEPTION ON EARTH

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” – John 14:6(NIV).

Deception is the cheapest, commonest, and easiest way of depriving a person of anything. It is usually subtle, non-violent, and seemingly harmless. Besides, deception strongly appeals to logical thinking because it is predominantly carnal and sensual. Thus deception is the greatest tool for all kinds of thefts such as lying (dishonesty), robbery including soul-robbery, embezzlement, and corruption. Satan is the father and king of thieves.  Through deception, he won one-third of angels (now called demons) in Heaven to join his rebel team; Satan, 6,012 years ago, smartly robbed Adam and Eve of their eternal glory and destiny; he enticed Cain to murder his younger brother; he deceived Noah’s generation to avoid entry into the Ark of God; and Satan deceived residence of Sodom and Gomorrah, except Lot and his two daughters, to harden their heart to God only to be consumed by the raining fire! Today, he is still deceiving countless people to partake in his eternal damnation in the perpetual burning furnace. His deceptive strategy is two-fold. Firstly, he is making the church of God (Zion) ‘comfortable’ for its seekers. Secondly, he deceives people outside the church that it suffices to believe in God.

It not is enough to be in Zion (akin to the Ark of God in Noah’s era); for instance, being ‘comfortable’ (at ease) in Zion breeds curse. ‘Woe to those who are at ease in Zion’. Christianity is more than being saved, and just sitting down and starring in church. It calls for constant worship, fellowship, service, evangelism and discipleship. Jesus and for that matter God primarily seeks disciples, not necessarily church members. To a real disciple, worship is more than a song; it is about pleasing God, fellowship is more than an association or a denomination or membership; it is all about relationships, service is more than a voluntary work, job, or profession; it is surrendering totally to God’s purpose and plan for one’s life, evangelism is more than soul-winning; it is the starting point of discipleship, and discipleship is more than being a church-member; it is always a right relationship with God and one’s neighbours. Christianity is just a description of what some people thought some disciples of Christ were. It is thus wrong, even by logic, to see a non-disciple of Christ as a Christian simply because she is a member of a so-called recognized church. Christianity is more than church-membership; it is a total and constant lifestyle in real worship, evangelism, fellowship, service and discipleship-the five-fold general ministry of every humanbeing. Therefore, it is a deception to perceive oneself as a Christian without fulfilling the five-fold general ministry, plus that person’s God-given unique purpose. Unfortunately, many churches today only take pride in their membership and are building kingdoms with it. Besides, many so-called Christians are at best prisoners in churches.

Satan’s deception outside Zion is the greatest! For example, formal education teaches that there are many religions on earth and that Christianity is one of them. To many people, all religions believe in God hence real Christianity is never the ONLY way to God. Yet many more people believe that they can serve God outside Zion and still please Him. Sadly, it appears majority of humankind is deceived to reject the truth that Jesus Christ is God!

Firstly, real Christianity is never a religion; it is the good testimony of non-disciples of Christ about the real disciples of Christ. This means that Christianity is simply the good testimony of the world about a real disciple who is doing what Christ commands that person to do, and doing it the way Christ would have done it. That is why Christianity is nothing more than or less than right relationships - with God and one’s neighbours. The relationship is anchored in loving God with all of one’s might, soul and mind, and loving one’s neighbour as oneself. Christianity is therefore not a religion but a demonstration of real love to God and His creation by obeying His commandments-the two-fold love. Religion on the other hand is about peoples’ opinions, beliefs and conviction, and systems (gods) regulated by strict codes, mostly devoid of real love. That is why Satan is the god of this world and its ungodly systems. However, it is worth noting that Satan has neither control nor power over real disciples of Christ on earth.

Secondly, believing in God is never the same as loving God. Even Satan and demons believe in God! It is foolishness to even think that there is no God; even demons know this truth. The only way to love God is to believe His Word-Jesus. God’s Word (Jesus) is His physical body on earth. That is why we cannot separate God from Jesus. God created human beings in His own image. A human being is a spirit which has a soul and lives in a body. Therefore, God is a Spirit who has a Soul and lives in a Body (Jesus). Jesus is God living with human beings. It goes without saying that one can only relate to God through Jesus-God’s Word. The word of God is His physical body on earth. No wonder, a right relationship with this body is all that Christianity is about.

Jesus is never a religious leader. He is the visible image of God. Through Jesus, a humble person gets to know the truth, the way and the life of God. The truth of God is not an opinion; it is a command, the way of God is not dictated by ever-changing religious or legal codes; it is settled in Heaven, and the life of God is not only physical but also spiritual. Thus the word of God is Spirit and Life. That is why God is a Spirit. And real disciples worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus (the word of God) is the total embodiment of the truth and the life of God. That is why Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life of God. Therefore, any person who does not have Jesus is spiritually dead! That person certainly cannot have a right relationship with God. Right relationship with God demands relating with God in body, soul, and spirit. However, saved souls and saved spirits with their bodies quickened by the Spirit of God can rightly relate with God. Christ is the savior of all souls, spirits, and bodies. Jesus Christ is therefore God’s Word who saves God’s creation from Satan’s deception of all forms.

Christ is the head of the church of God. This means that Jesus is the King of Zion. Therefore, it is very deceptive to think that a person can relate with God without being a citizen of Zion. Certainly, one cannot love the head (Christ) and hate the body (church). Zion is more than a physical church; it is a kingdom. Zion is God’s holy city. Zion is not Heaven; it is a part of Heaven. Thus real disciples enter real Heaven through Zion. The only way to enter Zion is through Jesus. God’s word is the constitution of Zion. And only real disciples of Christ qualify to be citizens of Zion. Citizens of Zion are both righteous and holy. That is why Christianity is righteousness (right relationship with God) plus holiness (right relationship with mankind, among others). And without them, no one can relate with God! Are you a Christian (real disciple)?

Richard Obeng Mensah, co-author of 37 Benefits of Reading. borncapy@yahoo.com/www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com