1

Victors Collect
Trophies
For God

2
My Fathers World Web
43, Dingo Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3030.
61422171039, 61423269130
TitilopeAlao@myfathersworldweb.com
alao.titilope@yahoo.com
www.myfathersworldweb.com

3
 Victors Collect
Trophies
For God

TITILOPE ALAO
Ambassador for Christs Peace

4
 2017 Titilope Alao: My Fathers World Web
All rights reserved. This book or any part of it thereof
may not be reproduced or stored in any form, may not
be transferred in any form or by any means through
electronic, photocopy, mechanical or otherwise without
the prior written permission of the publisher except as
permitted under the Australian Copyright Act. For
permission requests, write to the publisher, at My
Fathers World Web, at the address below.
Titilope Alao: Ambassador for Christs peace
Internet Address:
TitilopeAlao@myfathersworldweb.com
www.myfathersworldweb.com
ISSN: 9781520541037

5
 DEDICATION

With sincere gratitude, I like to thank God for making

the release of this book a success. My journey so far in
life has been filled with a lot of great experiences and
some bad experiences, both being lessons of life.
Although God had placed a lot of people who played
various roles in my journey in different ways, I
acknowledge that only God Almighty can sincerely
support and be with someone in times of good and in
times of bad from the very beginning to the very end
with sounds of praise, thanksgiving, and joy. I also bless
all those people and truly appreciate their efforts. Most
of all, I thank Jesus for being my best friend.

THANK YOU, GOD.

6
7
 CONTENTS

Introduction
1. Victory through 12
2. Be a trophy of Jesus Christs victory 20
3. Knowing Gods purpose for your life 30
4. Regain your identity 36
5. The Love Cycle 51
6. The living word 63
7. Tips to dig deeper into the word of God 71
Notes
About the Author

8
 INTRODUCTION

How can we truly understand the true purpose of our

existence when in actual fact we really dont know
exactly who we are? We were all created wonderfully by
God and God loves everyone. He loves us perfectly with
all of our imperfections.

In the world today, the lack of peace is evident through

the high rate of mental illnesses such as depression,
anxiety, fear, self-harm, suicide attempts and similar.
This is not normal, there is more to it. This is the work of
the enemy, Satan, whose plan is to steal, kill and destroy.

The enemy, Satan attacks the minds of people by stealing

their identity, putting in their minds all sorts of negative
thoughts such as rejection, loneliness, hatred,
unforgiveness and much more. It is time to reject all
these negative thoughts and align your thoughts with
the thoughts of God who created you. It is time to enjoy
your life.

The world we live in today is starved of true love and

peace and the only way to receive that true peace and
love is to get it from the prince of peace Himself, Jesus.

This book will open your eyes to your true identity in

Christ Jesus, you will understand your true purpose in life
and you will be able to use the word of God to fight the
good fight to win against the enemy, just as Jesus did
when He lived among us.

9
Ultimately, you will be able to give back by sharing with
others and serving others using the principles of the love
cycle. This book is for everybody including families.
Remember that when one member of the family is down,
the whole family is down which affects the whole
community and the world.

10
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the
government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name
shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9.6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC).

The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC), The

Lockman Foundation 1987 was mostly used throughout
this book. You are free to use other versions of the bible
like the Easy-to-Read Version of the bible (ERV).

11
 PART I
Who are you a Victor for?
Victory through Christ
Be a trophy of Jesus Christs victory
Knowing Gods purpose for your life

12
 1 VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST

Victory through Christ

When we think of victory, one of the things that

probably comes to mind first is, an award, like a trophy
for instance. In the Oxford English Living Dictionary, a
trophy was described as a decorative object award,
received for being great at something, or for being
victorious in something, like sports, school or community
work.

In Ancient Rome, a trophy is kept as a memorial of

victory. It is known to be a weapon used to defeat the
enemy or an army. Most people like to receive an award,
or a trophy for being the best at what they do for
themselves, which is great, the problem is when this
earthly trophy collection becomes ones source of joy and
pleasure, or when the trophies are collected for personal
interest, rather than for how someone impacted on
someone elses life positively, or how one saved another
persons life.

You can only find true peace of mind and complete

victory through Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself is the prince
of peace. With Christ in your life, your peace and joy will
be permanent, not temporary (Isa. 9.6). With Christ, you
can face any difficult situation on earth, with no worry but
by rejoicing in your sufferings, knowing that such
problematic situations teach you how to walk with God,
how to love, how to endure and how to be patient with

12
the hope for a greater victory and salvation (Rom. 5.3-5).

During difficult situations or temptations, the enemy,

Satan, will try to confuse people, he is always around,
ready to destroy and make things worse. Stay firm and
stand on the promises in the word of God, know and
believe that after such problems, comes victory, so rejoice
and dance in times like this, keep the enemy confused
instead (Jas. 1.2-3).

In difficult situations, everyone has got something to

say to you, either to your face or behind you. What people
say about you does not really count, what God says about
you is what counts. You have to understand and believe
that, nobody and no circumstance no matter how terrible
it may be, have already been won and conquered on your
behalf, by Jesus Christ.

Nobody, nothing or no circumstance can harm you if

you can just believe it. All you need to do in such periods
is to ignore what anyone says about you or do, remember
and register it in your heart that, God has promised you
victory through Christ, with perfect peace of mind and
everlasting joy. What God is saying about you overrides
what anybody says about you. God has the final say.

If you listen to what the world is saying or doing, you

will be distressed, unhappy and miserable in addition to
your initial troubles (John. 16.33). You have to understand
that, your victory is not for you alone, you are not fighting
for yourself, you are fighting to glorify God and to lift
others up.
13
 Remember that, the lives of others are also at stake,
your loved ones, who care so much about you, so try your
best to see that the enemy is put to shame in your bad
circumstances (Psa. 6:10).

Get out of the boat. Now!

What are you waiting for? You better get out of the
boat now. Ask Jesus to help you, man cannot help you,
you have dwelt long enough in that terrible situation,
dont be doubtful, dont be afraid, show the enemy that
God is on your side.

If Jesus is in your life, you can walk on the water, just

as Jesus did. Remember that, when Jesus was walking on
the water, and the disciples saw Him, they became scared,
and amazed, wondering if that was truly Jesus walking
on the water, but Jesus knew men, He knew His disciples,
so Jesus said to them Take courage! I Am! Stop being
afraid!

If you are in a terrible situation today, Jesus is talking

to you, no matter what you may be going through, get out
of that boat and walk on the water with Jesus. Do not be
discouraged and do not be afraid. Do not doubt like the
disciple Peter, who asked Jesus if he could walk on the
water with Him, and when Jesus said yes, he did, but
when Peter got on the water, he doubted when he felt the
strong wind, he soon forgot that Jesus who called him to

14
walk with Him was still with him.

In the scriptures, Peter nearly drowned, but he

remembered Jesus and quickly called out to Jesus again to
help, and he was saved from drowning (Matt. 14.22-33).

It doesnt matter what the situation is right now, if you

are still in the boat, I encourage you to get out of the boat
right now and walk with Jesus, dont waste any time. If
you are already walking on the water with Jesus, I
encourage you never to doubt, be confident, keep walking
with Jesus and he will take you to a safe place. If you
doubted already while walking with Jesus, and you feel
like you are drowning right now, it is not the end of the
world and it is not too late. Jesus is still wanting you.

We are so blessed with all these privileges. Dont let

temporary situations or temptations end your joy and life.
God said in His words that, there is no temptation in this
world that has not been faced by another person. God also
said in his words that, he has made us in such a way that,
we can endure and bear these troubles.

God is so merciful, He has the power to let us resist

such temptations and if you think that there is no way out
at all, God will make a way out of no way if you believe
(1 Cor.10.13). God is an awesome God. Trust in God.

In the world we live in today, it is so easy for people to

fall vulnerable, it is so easy for people to go through all
sorts of terrible circumstances that tries to steal their joy
away. It may have been due to some forms of abuses such
15
as sexual abuse, emotional abuse or spiritual abuse as
examples.

At times, it might be through a trauma such as a motor

vehicle accident or perhaps the loss of a loved one. Some
of these circumstances can vary in nature and in intensity
that the affected persons may think that, they are never
going to recover.

It is all a lie, such circumstances are temporary and the

way you respond to these circumstances is what
determines your true victory. As a person thinks in his
heart, so shall the person become. If you already think that
you are a rejected person, then you will be rejected. If you
think that you are a looser, then you will lose, but if you
think that you are a winner, then definitely, you will win.

So, be wise with what you allow to stay in your heart.

In these situations, it is important to always think
positively. Fight the good fight till you become victorious
through Christ (Prov. 23.7). You cannot win the good fight
on your own, you need Jesus.

The victory from your fight is for you and others who
are going through similar or different struggles. You
winning and sharing how you won provides a source of
encouragement and inspiration to them. It also brings
light to so many who think dead already.

The first step and pathway to your true victory in

difficult times are to know that you cannot have true joy
and peace of mind through external forces and that you
16
can only get your peace from the prince of peace Himself,
Jesus Christ.

It is also very important to understand that, inner peace

and joy are not the absence of a crisis, bad situations,
unpleasant circumstances, hardship or any form of
worrying trouble but rather, it is knowing that Jesus is
walking with you during such times. It is understanding
that God sees it all, and if Jesus is with you, God is also
with you always to see you through it all. He is the
sovereign God that will fight for you (Ps. 140.7).

You also need to know and believe that these bad

circumstances are for a reason and for a season but God is
always there for you in all seasons. Even if you and the
people around you cannot understand why it happened,
dont waste time trying to figure it out.

Remember that God always has a purpose for

everything, all you need to do is, have patience, exercise
your faith and remember that in the end, all things will
eventually turn around for good for the people that truly
love God and are called for Gods purpose which is to love
and serve others (Rom. 8.28).

If you are facing a terrible situation and it feels like the

whole world is against you, or you feel that you are
heading nowhere, it is okay even if it doesnt feel like
you are making progress, Do not be moved by how you
feel or by how people feel about you. God is not a God of
feelings, He is a God of hearts, He sees and knows
everything even before we say a word.
17
 Be moved only by the word of God, be reminded that
your victory and salvation comes by faith and not by how
you feel or by what you can do (Eph. 2.8). Feelings are
never consistent, feelings are unreliable and are generated
from the mind and the mind is a deceitful part of your
body (Jer. 17.9).

So why not forget about how you feel and trust in what
God is saying about you. If you are still struggling in your
hard times, take a pause and ask yourself, Am I trusting
in God to fix my problem?, Am I trusting in my ability
to fix my problem? or Am I trusting in people to fix my
problem?

Remember not to put your trust in men. Their lips are

full of lies, you will get disappointed if you put your trust
in people (Ps. 146.3). Always remember that God
promised us in His words that, people who trust in Him
wholeheartedly will be victorious. Even though they may
have many troubles, God promises to deliver such people
from all of their troubles, not in one but in all of their
troubles.

In that case whenever you face any challenging

situations, check yourself first, you may have been doing
things on your own, remember to run back to God, God
never left you, you may have walked away but you can
certainly walk back to God, God is quick to forgive unlike
men (1 John. 1.9).

Most importantly, be grateful to God in any situation

you may find yourself in, whether good or bad, because
18
you know what, some people have either faced the same
or worse situations and are no more today, some may
have never recovered from it or may have been left
permanently damaged psychologically, socially,
financially or even spiritually because they tried to figure
it out and tried to solve the problem all alone, so be
thankful and prayerful always to God no matter what and
God will lead you to permanent victory (Phil. 4.6-7).

With continuous thanksgiving and prayer, remain

expectant and hopeful, establish it in your heart that,
Gods love, kindness, mercy, and compassion are new
every morning. Know that with God on your side, you
will soon rise up with your shoulders and head up high,
you will renew your strength and power and you will
lift up your wings like that of an eagle and begin to soar
high and higher because the Lord God fails not in His
promises like men do (Isa. 40.31).

19
 2 BE A TROPHY OF JESUS CHRISTS
VICTORY

If you are still alive during and after your difficult

times, then your life has got a purpose. Being sick does
not mean that you are silent, being broke does not make
you broken, your marriage divorce does not mean that it
is over for you, your failure is not your final destination,
so if you are not dead, your God is not dead. If you are
still alive then your God is still alive.

God is ready to come into your life if you open the

door, there is always a new day and a second chance from
God (Rev. 3.20). One bad page in a book doesnt make the
whole book bad, it only leads to an And they lived
happily ever after, dont let the enemy steal your ending
story, dont let the enemy make your victory story die
down. Your story is your gift.

Some people are really good at what they do, to the

extent that they acquire so many paper recognition and
looking at the recognition for them keeps them going on
and happy, but are they truly happy and peaceful from
within, without lifting the spirits of others with their gifts?
Dont get it wrong, it is great to be recognised because
even God said that, if we abide by His laws, we will be
favoured and rewarded by Him and by men (Prov. 3.1-6).

Do not forget that, God also said in his words that, your
gifts are to be used for others, you are to use them to serve
others (1 Pet. 4.10). So if you think that you are successful

20
but not really happy, if you dont have that peace of mind
God promised us, that deep feeling of calmness in any
situation, then pause and ask yourself, Who have I really
helped or inspired, to be that person he or she really wants
to be? if your answer is none, then you are not successful
yet.

Do not be afraid to sacrifice your time and gifts for

others, remember that, God gave His only begotten son,
Jesus to free us, so why cant we. By giving our Godly
services, it means that we are able to inspire and
encourage people, it means that we can be of mental and
physical help to others. We can also be of help financially
or spiritually to others by just praying for people. God has
blessed us with different and unique gifts for only one
purpose which is to bless others with it just as God has
blessed us with ours (Rom. 12.6-8).

This is why we have to know what God is saying to be

able to do what He is asking us to do. The good news is
that you can always run back to God, God is not like men,
He will gladly receive you through Jesus Christ and He
will use your bad circumstances for your benefit only if
you acknowledge Him. God will turn the unpleasant
situation around for your favour and strengthen you in all
areas where you were once weak and you will gain
confidence in Gods strength and power (Isa. 40.31).

If you are willing, God will train you and equip you
holistically, spiritually first then He will stabilise your life
socially, physically, financially and psychologically as He
pleases, step by step till you have complete victory
21
making you the trophy of Jesus Christs victory.

This means that, God will start to work in you as an

individual and in a different and unique way gradually
till He changes you completely from the inside out (Rom.
12.1-2). When God transforms you completely from inside
out, there is no way you can go back to your former life,
also there is no way you can hide His glory in you.

When you walk with God, you will become the light of
the world and your light will begin to shine everywhere
you go, darkness will not be able to comprehend it, as the
world continues to fall apart, those that truly love God,
will continue to stand out (John. 1.1-5).

It becomes easy for the world to see, and believe it

when you put what you teach into action. The practical
way to express what you teach is to show and tell people
the good news through doing, sharing and encouraging
others to be the best versions of themselves and to also be
able to show and tell it to others to inspire them. This is
our job as Gods trophy collectors (2 Cor. 2.14).

Unfortunately, the world has to see to believe. When

you begin to walk with God, you will come to realise that,
with faith, we believe in God for anything that He has
promised us, and then we receive it spiritually before we
see it.

If you truly want to walk with God, if you want to

defeat the enemy and become victorious in all areas of
your life, you need the Holy Spirit. Do not worry, as you
22
start your journey with Jesus Christ, things will begin to
fall into their rightful places only by faith (Acts. 1.8). As
the scripture says, the just shall live by faith (Heb. 10.38).

It is very important to understand that, we as Christs

Victors have a purpose, which is why the enemy, Satan
attacks us in the first place, we have got so many
potentials that the enemy cannot stand it, a thief only goes
to the house where he can go away with riches.

The enemy knows all about us, especially our

weaknesses, just as God knows us inside out, the enemy
knows the privileges and gifts we have been given by
God, to live a good life. Guess what, the enemy is not too
happy about this, his job is to try to use our weak points
to steal all these potentials from us, to destroy us and to
kill us if possible (John. 10.10).

We have to understand this. The minute anything bad

happens, dont worry, just pray, thank God, keep serving
others and rejoice because it is a good sign and a good
news for a child of God that, something good is eventually
going to happen. A child of God always delights in God
at all times and in all situations.

So you see, fight the good fight to finish, not by

yourself, but with God, God has given you all the
resources to face the enemy. All you need to do is to lean
on God and acknowledge your mistakes, He sees your
heart, He knows what is happening even before you say a
word.

23
 So be encouraged in times of trouble, be strong in the
lord and not in yourself, and you will be victorious, you
will become a Victor. Know that a true Victor is the one
who comes out of trouble standing tall with confidence
ready to do the work of God, ready to make sure
somebody else does not fall a victim to the devil anymore.

Imagine how many people the lord God has saved, and
will continue to save, imagine if every single one of us
comes out to share and teach people in our own
individual ways how people can become Victors too. The
world would be a better place. Wouldnt it?

Do not judge yourself

Mostly, when people make terrible mistakes, they often

feel ashamed or broken hearted because of the way people
respond to the bad situations, be reminded again that,
what people say about you or do for you is not your
business.

The way people respond to situations show who they

are and not who you are, but guess what, dont be
ashamed or worried, the minute you receive Jesus Christ
into your heart, there will be no more condemnation from
yourself or from anyone (Rom. 8:1). Know that you are
loved unconditionally and perfectly by God with your
imperfections.

That is why God sent His only Son Jesus to us,

24
whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have
eternal life. Jesus is the Son of God. The minute you and
Jesus unite, you also by right, become a child of God (1
John. 3.1).

When you unite with Jesus, whatever Jesus can do, you
too can do, even greater, whatever Jesus went through,
you also will go through. Jesus was called a demon, so if
people say you are weird or even call you a demon dont
let it move you.

Remember how Jesus lived, He never did wrong, and

even when the world crucified Him, He still loved the
world, you also have to live that way, no matter what
anyone does to you, you have to forgive them, love them
in return and pray for them (2 Cor. 4.11).

So, are you lost in the world? Are you lost in the case
of trophies and wondering why things continue to prove
difficult? Dont worry! Jesus is calling, Jesus came only for
that purpose, to heal and save that which was lost (Luke.
19.10).

If you know Jesus, you will be healed completely and

you will also get back all that has been lost in all areas of
your life. You will gain your peace of mind, your youthful
days, your joy, your happiness, your dream job, your
right spouse, you will be physically fit and your finances
will become stable. Literarily, you will receive back
everything that you missed while you were living earthly,
while you were living without Jesus Christ (Obad. 1.17).

25
 Do not harden your heart, be willing to ask God to help
you, pray to God and ask Him to open your heart to His
words and what He is trying to say to you. You cannot do
it all alone, dont be like a goose flying back and forth with
no destination in mind. Trust in Jesus, He will lead you
like a good Shepard leads his sheep.

Which Shepard have you ever heard of, who leaves his
lost sheep to go astray? Even if he has got the rest of his
other sheep on the right way, a good shepherd will still
leave the rest of those sheep on the right way to find the
lost sheep. And when he finds it, he will be so happy and
he will keep it and give it special attention till the sheep
stays on the right way (Luke. 15.4-5).

That is exactly what Jesus did for us, He is a good

Shepard. He risked his own life to look after us. We
should trust in and lean on Jesus because when we do, we
also lean on God (John. 10.11).

Jesus said that, by the power given to Him by God his

Father, those that believe in Him, will also have God as
their Father and that those that continue to remain faithful
to Him will do what he did and even greater things, they
will be privileged to have great power to perform miracles
and deeds as God pleases (John. 14.10-14).

Sometimes, Jesus will use other people united with

Him and God the Father in the same Spirit to show others
the way to eternal life by their good deeds. God will use
such people to prepare a path that will restore others and
each person will have a personal relationship with God
26
and a different path to restoration (Jer. 33.6).

Always remember that you have been saved through

Jesus Christ and not by those people God used. God only
uses people who are ready to walk all the way with Him.
Those people are Gods workmanship. You also can be
used by God. Everyone God created has got an
assignment and a purpose in life and you just have to find
out what yours is (Eph. 2.10).

Sometimes, when friends and family members show

their loved ones how Jesus saved them and how they live
their lives, some people take Jesus out of the picture,
relying solely on those people or family members whom
Jesus used to show them the way.

Do not get carried away. Put all of your trust in Christ

Jesus. Always love but never put your trust in people but
in God only (Ps. 118.8). This explains why some Christians
who say they have Jesus in their lives, have nothing to
show for it. It is because they have taken Jesus out of the
picture.

A troubled person would find it really difficult to listen

to such Christians or live the way they live. It is like
advertising new cleaning products to your friends and
your own house is so messy. No one will buy your
products. Jesus does not need any advertisement, His
light shines so brightly, people want to meet Him. Let the
light of God shine through you.

27
 Be Gods Trophy Collector, not a Competitor

Think of yourself as one puzzle piece in Gods beautiful

picture, if everyone is the same piece, the picture will
never be complete and perfect. Each puzzle piece has to
be different and unique for the picture to be complete and
perfect.

How grateful to God should you be for being that

housewife, that jobless person, that teacher, that student,
that lawyer, that cleaner, that dentist or that plumber that
God has made you. You are who you are because God
wants you to be who you are for a reason. God is a God of
process, always working for that good plan He has for
you (Jer. 29.11).

Seek God first and He will show you His plans for you,
dont be successful in your plan. Be successful in Gods
plan for you (Matt. 6.33). If you dont establish and
accomplish what Gods purpose for your life is, then you
are disrupting Gods perfect plan for others that are meant
to benefit from Gods plan for you (Prov. 19.21).

It is really disappointing to be successful in a wrong

area where God has not called you to. God is a good God
and always ready when we are ready to walk with Him.
God is so merciful that He gives us another chance
always. His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3.22-
23).

It is important that we understand that success is not

28
living in a rich suburb and comparing your riches with
others. Success is not how many houses or cars you have,
success is not the number of academic qualifications that
you have earned and success is not believing that you are
better and more accomplished than another person.

The true meaning of success is knowing why God has

created you, knowing how to fit your own puzzle piece in
the big picture. Fitting your own puzzle piece in God's
picture simply means seeking God, obeying God and
walking with God as He reveals to you your own gift to
show His glory.

The more you continue to walk with God, the more

He shows you what you are capable of doing, taking you
from glory to glory to show His glory.

This will enable you to serve and bless others with

your God given talents. This way you are in one way or
the other showing others how God wants them to live,
leaving a legacy for others while you are here and while
you are gone.

29
 3 KNOWING GODS PURPOSE FOR YOUR
LIFE

Walking with God

Often, most people think that they know God because

they go to church every Sunday, they go to bible study
every week, read their bibles daily or talk about God at
times, especially when God does some wonderful things
for them. Knowing God is deeper than that, it is walking
with God nonstop, consulting Him in all areas of your life
and obeying the prompts of His Spirit (Gal. 5.25).

To know your purpose in life, you have to seek God

first. How can you do that? You have to study His words,
you have to be willing and hungry for Gods words. In
Gods words is where you will find all that you need to
know, on how to obey Him and all that will lead you to
the revelation of who God really is and who He wants you
to be.

In our world today, people practice religion, they

practice what seems to be the norm. It is okay to go to
church and religious bible studies, but, you have to be
very careful not to follow the church rituals, you are to
build up your own personal relationship with God, with
the true teachings of the bible. You are the church, you are
to personally seek Gods wisdom and revelation of God
on your calling to this world (Eph. 1.17-18).

Avoid relying solely on the teachings of your pastors

30
or religious leaders. Your pastors or religious leaders have
their own purposes and you have yours. Take what is
good and leave what God tells you is bad. You will know
that which is bad when you study Gods words (1 Thess.
5.20-21).

When you form your own personal relationship with

God, it almost seems as if you are abnormal. You stand
out, you dont follow the crowd and that makes you
unique. God created us uniquely to follow Him and not
the crowd.

Many are called: Few are chosen

To know your purpose in life, you have to surrender

your whole self to God. The whole of your body, you have
to use every single part of your body to worship and
glorify God. You have to see what God wants you to see,
go where God wants you to go, eat what God wants you
to eat, do what God wants you to do. God needs the whole
of you not part of you (Rom. 12.1-2).

God has called everyone to dine with Him but only a

few have answered and said yes to God, which is why
they are walking truly with God and dining with Kings
(Matt. 22.4). You have to grow up and stop expecting that
God will appear to you like a ghost or fire, like it appeared
to Moses, dont wait for a sign just believe (John 4.48).

God is dealing with us differently than he did with the

31
disciples in the old days. In the old days, the disciples
mostly required a sign as a proof of God. If you are still
waiting for a proof, then you will never meet God
intimately (Matt. 12.39).

The only way to start and get acquainted with God is

to tell God that you are ready. God sees your heart, He
will begin to work and walk with you with what you
already have until He gives you the rest of the things you
need, to get you to where he wants you to be. Dont start
worrying, just live by the day with God, live by faith
(Rom. 1.17).

It is, like a rich man seeking to marry a girl from a poor

family in his village, if the man really loves his future wife,
he will try to bring her up to his own standard, so that
they can both stand out and shine out together. But, it is
also up to the village girl to really want to live up to the
standard of her husband. She has a choice. God has also
given us free will to say yes or no to Him, although He
has advised us to choose life.

Please choose life. Most people think that they are

actually doing what God likes, but the truth is that they
are only doing what they like. You cannot worship or
walk with God if you do not submit yourself totally to
God and you cannot walk with God if you are not
baptized with the Holy Spirit. God is a spirit and you can
only serve Him and worship Him truly in the Spirit (John.
4.24).

Most people do not have the gift of the Holy Spirt, yet
32
they think that they are walking with God, the Holy Spirit
is gifted to only those God pleases in. You do not receive
the Holy Spirit because you are a nice person or because
of what you do. It is a gift by Gods grace and mercy, so if
you are not gifted yet, all you need to do is believe in Jesus
Christ (Eph. 2.9).

Do not believe that, having the gift of the Holy Spirit is

just enough to know God intimately. You have to
continuously obey the prompts of the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit will be your guide and your comforter forever
(John. 16.13).

The most effective way to listen to what God has to say

to you is to keep calm and keep quiet. Have you ever come
across someone who talks a lot? A talkative, such person
will find it really hard to hear from God. This is because
he or she is busy talking instead of listening. If you keep
talking, you are only repeating what you already know,
but if you keep calm and quiet you will learn something
new from God.

The Oxford English Living Dictionary described

communication as a two-way process of giving
information and receiving information, so if you pray to
God, you are communicating with God, so you should be
silent to receive your response about what you asked for
or about.

How can you listen to God? This may take time, effort
and focus but practicing how to hear from God can be life
changing for you. You may write down on a paper and
33
silently ask God your written requests or start asking God
in your heart what he wants you to do, in your career, in
your family, about your finances or anything you want to
know. There is no particular way to seek God, you can
seek God the way you like, your love for God will
determine how you choose to seek and acknowledge God.

Do not expect a ghost to appear to you, listen carefully

to your heart, whatever is deeply in your heart is what
you should follow, it is God that places desires in your
heart because you obey the prompts of His Spirit (Ps.37.4-
5).

This only works well when you are walking with God
and are gifted with His Spirit. Communication with God
is in form of spirit to spirit. If your heart is busy with
wrong thoughts or other thoughts, such as how you are
going to buy that car, or how you are going to make it to
the shop or how you are going to pay that bill, then it is
most likely you will not hear from God. God only speaks
to us in that still small voice but our busy life always
seems to drown God's voice (1 Kings. 19.12).

34
 Part II
Identity theft
Regain your identity
Your identity in Christ
Gods promises for you
You, your marriage and children

35
 4 REGAIN YOUR IDENTITY

Who are you?

Do you really know who you are? Do not get distracted

in a busy world from who God says you are or who God
wants you to be. You have to be able to separate and
differentiate who you are from what you do and from
what people say or think you are. If you dont know who
you really are, it will be difficult for you to do what you
do with great love and excellence.

Do not worry about peoples opinion of you. Never get

their labels of you in your mind. Remember that as a
person thinks in his heart so will that person become.
People did not create you, God created you, so you do not
need anyones approval but Gods. Dont look for your
identity in the wrong people or in the wrong places.

You have to know that your identity is not in your

profession. You are also not identified by what someone
did to you or what you did to somebody whether good or
bad. Be bold and confident in God who created you. God
created you to show off His glory in you. You are Gods
poet or writer telling Gods story through the way you
live your life (Eph. 2.10).

Remember that, no matter what you may have been

through in life, no matter how bad it may have been or
sounded to the ear, God loves you, God loves you so
much and nobody and no circumstances can steal your

36
true identity.

People may try to take everything away from you, but

they can never take you away from you. Dont dwell on
your past, especially when it hurts. Regain your identity.
You can only regain your identity and brand from God
who created you, through what God is saying about you
in the scriptures. Have you read the scriptures lately?

When people go through unpleasant circumstances,

like being abused, whether sexually, mentally, physically,
spiritually or financially, it is natural and earthly for
people to point fingers and call names or label the affected
person. Depending on your own circumstances, you may
have been called a prostitute, a murderer, a thief, a loser,
a poor wretched person.

Do not listen to that. It is all lies. God is not partial like

men, we are all equal regardless of whether you are gay,
a woman or a man, black or white, rich or poor, a Nigerian
or an Australian, a Muslim or a Christian. You are also
loved by God, regardless of what you may have gone
through. Be reminded that your circumstances do not
define you.

There is no Greek and no Jew in the sight of God. The

wall of separation and hostility have been broken. God
did this for us through Christ Jesus. So appreciate yourself
and never compare yourself with any other person (Eph.
2.14).

What you really need to do is, to renew your entire

37
mind, always see yourself as who God says you are.
Always see the best in you even if others dont see it. If
you are still struggling with renewing your mind, ask God
to help you, also help yourself by filtering your thoughts,
discard the negative thoughts and keep the positive ones
in your mind.

Be reminded that, everyone is equal in the sight of God.

The problem people have these days is that they do not
know what God is saying about them, so if they dont
know what He is saying, how can they believe it or agree
with it? People often believe what other people say they
are, especially when they hear it from loved ones, from
multiple people and multiple times.

Remember that, if you often think in your heart, the

unpleasant names people call you, then you will be it.
Change your thinking, and renew your mind. Tap into the
goodness of God, start thinking of the good things that
God says about you, meditate on them day and night.
Begin to say them out loud. Stand in front of the mirror
and say it, declare it with confidence. Practice saying good
things about yourselves (Matt. 12.37).

Remember that all the promises that God wants to give

you are in his words, meditate on them always because
the meditation of Gods words brings forth a revelation
and the discovery of who you really are. If you obey God,
you will be fruitful in the life God has chosen for you
(Ps.1.1-3).

Do you remember the story of Joseph in the scriptures?

38
Joseph was really loved by his father because he did
things that pleased his father. Joseph dreamt a lot about
being great, he dreamt about his desires that God had
placed in his heart and he loved sharing it, he shared it
with his father and brothers. He had eleven brothers,
Joseph was the eleventh out of the twelve.

His brothers never did what pleased their father and

they always laughed at Joseph because they disliked and
envied him. Joseph's brothers always called him a
dreamer, they got so jealous of him that one day, they sold
Joseph, their brother as a slave into the land of Egypt.

In the end, Joseph became a dream narrator, He served

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt faithfully and eventually
became the second in command to him (Gen. 41.41-46). So
you see, what people say about you, even your own
family does not count. Know God and He will give you
the desires of your heart, not the desires of people for you.
Only Gods words can transform your life completely.

Your identity in Christ Jesus

Jesus is our spiritual assurance and insurance against

identity theft, from peer pressure, name labelling,
confusion of roles, insecurity, people pleasing,
manipulation, guilt, condemnation, shame, blame and
alike.

You cannot possess your land and live the life that God

39
has planned for you if you dont get rid of all these poor
qualities. Jesus Christ had no sin yet God made him
become sin so that you and I can be right with God and be
an Ambassador for Christ (2 Cor.5.20).

The moment you hear the good news, the news about
Jesus Christ and you believe in Him, not by your works
but by the grace of God Almighty, you unite with Christ
and His Father, God, and the Holy Spirit and they all
dwell in you permanently as one unity. So you are not
alone anymore, and He that now lives in you is greater
than he that lives in the world.

This means that you now have an identity in Christ

which makes you a greater person (1 John. 4.4). Your
identity in Christ has got nothing to do with you, it is not
all about you. It is all about who you are in Christ because
you were nothing without Christ. Jesus died so that you
can have everything.

It is by Gods grace, love, favour, and mercy through

Christ that even though we were in sin and doing all the
wrong things and not deserving to be saved, Jesus still
saved us and set us free from sin and death. Jesus saved
us from sickness, lack, shame, and guilt, from fear and
oppression, destruction, condemnation and alike through
the shedding of his precious blood.

Jesus used his blood to buy us from the enemy (Eph.

2.5). In Christ, we, therefore have the peace of God, a deep
sense of calmness that guards the thought in our deceitful
mind (Phil. 4.7). With Christ in us, we become a whole
40
new being and begin to live a whole new life, our old life
with its bad habits will be left behind us and we begin to
live and grow in Gods peace and love (Col. 3.9-10).

In Christ we are made completely whole and full of life,

filled with the presence of the Father, God, the Son, Jesus
Himself and the Holy Spirit till we become spiritually
matured, we mature to become the head and never the
tail, we become like a King who rules over the earth (Col.
2.10).

In Christ we are able to know Gods thoughts towards

us, they give us a Fatherly reassurance, guidance, advice
and instructions on how to live a good life (Jer. 29.11-13).
When you become united with Jesus Christ, you no longer
live for yourself, when Jesus died, you shared in his
suffering and death and when Jesus resurrected, you also
came to life as well in Him and so, therefore, the life you
now live in your physical body is by faith in Christ.

With your faith in Jesus Christ, you will become

committed to Him by completely trusting and relying on
Him always (Gal. 2.20). Would you not rather be able to
do all things and become fruitful in life, by relying on
Christ than doing it all alone? Without Christ, you cannot
achieve your true purpose that God has planned for you
(John. 15.5).

In Christ, you will have and continue to seek Gods

Spirit of wisdom and revelation, the common sense and
an open heart, to comprehend what God is saying to you,
with the grace to experience the power of God in all areas
41
of your life (Eph. 1.17-18).

When God raised Christ up and sat him in the heavenly

places, you also were raised up and seated high in the
heavenly places with God (Eph. 1.20). With the power of
Christ and the Holy Spirit in you, your power supersedes
the Satans power and with such great power and
authority, if you lay hands on the sick, they shall be well,
you can cast out demons, you can speak in the Spirit and
no harm shall come upon you if you believe it (Luke.
10.17-19).

The benefit you thus get from your identity in Christ is

that deep fulfillment in your heart when you give back to
your community, all the goodness and love that God has
given you (Luke. 6.38).

While you are giving back and showing forth the glory
of God, be reminded that you shall never lack, the more
you give, the more you get. God is All-sufficient for you
through Christ (Phil. 4.19).

And as you run your race towards your finish line,

remember to always work hard, keep improving on
yourself daily and always pray that God All-mighty will
keep you pure, that He will keep the whole of your spirit,
soul and body safe, preserved, sound and complete ready
for when our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ will return (1
Thess. 5.23).

42
 Gods promises for you

Before you and I were born into this world, God

already knew us, even before we were shaped and formed
in our mothers wombs (Jer. 1.5). Before the world was
formed, God already chose you and me, He knew us and
set us apart for His purpose, he set us apart as His
dedicated masterpiece and workmanship, to be His own.

As Gods chosen, we have to stand blameless before

Him in love, to show and tell the world about the
wonderful things that God has done for us by sharing and
showing his glory in our daily lives (1 Pet. 2.9). So when
things happen, you should understand that God has a
reason for it even when we dont understand it.

When God promises you anything or says anything

about You, He means it, He does not tell a lie, so you have
to believe it to receive it. God does not break His promises.
Not a single word that God says in his words will fail, they
will all come to pass if you believe it. Gods words are a
sure yes and in Him through Christ is an Amen and so
shall it be (Ps. 89.34).

God is so serious about you and what he says he will

do for you, so you better be serious in the way you
respond to Gods words. If someone promised you money
or something, you know how eager and expectant you
would normally be, you know how you would take
certain actions like being nice to that person, making sure
you dont lose contact with that person or even planning

43
and making a list of the things you would do or buy with
the money even before receiving it.

Well, the not so surprising thing that surprises people

is that, people make plans but often dont keep them,
dont blame them, they have their own troubles anyway,
the scriptures already warned people about this.

So, if you can look forward to the promises of men, how

much more should you then be expectant to receive from
your heavenly Father. God fails not, so you should be
grateful, be prayerful and expectant, you should also be
hopeful, love Him, abide by His laws and be rest assured
that He will keep all of his promises to you unlike men
(Ps. 146.3-4).

You, your marriage and your children

It is important for you to know what Gods promises

are for you and for your family. The enemy usually
attacks the family, when one member of the family is
attacked, then the family becomes dysfunctional which
makes the society dysfunctional too. It is important for all
of the members of the family to stand firm, uphold and
lift each other up.

A woman is usually the first or mostly attacked in a

family. Dont be surprised, this has been from the very
beginning, after the creation of man, when Eve was
tempted by the serpent, Satan, to eat from the tree in the

44
middle of the garden as opposed to Gods command.

After Adam and Eves disobedience, God cursed both

the serpent and the woman, saying to them that there will
be enmity between them and their offspring, meaning
that there will be enmity between Satan and a woman and
both of their offspring from generation to generation
(Gen. 3. 15).

No wonder why women are usually more vulnerable

to bad circumstances, but once a woman holds grip of the
love of Jesus and understands the spiritual blessings
given to her by God, such woman is spiritually strong and
rooted deeply in Gods love for her husband and kids
ensuring that the family is in good shape and under
Christs management.

This is the true purpose of women to men. The man

was not created from a woman but a woman was created
from man as a benefit to man, not for the purpose of just
being a home cook or a housewife, but to be spiritually fit
for the family (1 Cor.11.8-9).

The husband too has to support the family spiritually

but he has more authority pertaining to natural matters
such as making decisions at home. I believe that in the
beginning, Adam should have made the final decision for
them not to eat the apple.

I believe that the Old Testament reveals to us sin, how

wrong we live as human beings and the New Testament
reveals to us the proper way to live. The proper way to
45
live begins with the acceptance of Jesus. While women
and men are to complement each other, they both have to
submit to the authority of God (1 Cor. 11.12).

So if there is any disagreement between a man and his

wife, the enemy, Satan will gladly creep in to stay, not for
a visit but to stay permanently, so be very careful couples,
love yourselves with the love of God and see to it that
your lives reflect the words of God.

The scripture shows that women are gullible and are

supposed to be looked after by their husbands, husbands
are supposed to have authority over their wives likewise
wives over their husbands. Individually, each party has to
exercise his or her own authority in a different way.

Husbands were made to be the head of their family

and their wives made to be submissive to their men, this
means that, women have to conform to the authority of
the men over them (Col. 3.18). This does not make women
inferior to men, it only means that the man is to lead with
love.

Leading means serving, serving also means showing

love. This was demonstrated in the scriptures when Jesus
washed the feet of the disciples and told them that the
servant of all is that person who has the highest command
(John. 13.1-17).

God also promised that children are a blessing and a

reward to a marriage (Ps. 127.3-5) and so He will protect
and make life easy for our children (Isa. 49.25), so you see,
46
if your children are not doing the right thing, following a
bad gang, having bad habits, not living to the expectation
of you as parents, then one of Gods role for either the
woman, man or children may have been broken.

The enemy only comes in when things are not right

with you and God. The enemy Satan, shows up when the
parents or children are weak either spiritually or
physically. Remember that Jesus also was attacked by the
enemy after his long forty days and nights of fasting
(Matt. 4.2-3).

Satan also shows up when you have a spiritual

growth or experience. This also happened to Jesus, after
Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirt (Matt. 3.16-17),
Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil
(Matt. 4.1). Satan also shows up when you are alone or
lonely (Eccles. 4.12).

Satan can also attack any member of the family

through others. This also happened to Jesus, when Peter
tried to talk Jesus out of being persecuted by the priest,
but Peter himself did not even know that the enemy used
him to speak to Jesus (Matt. 16.20-23), so you see, you will
not be the first and last to experience unpleasant
circumstances.

Knowing how to prevent and overcome such

temptations is a very important thing. Knowing the word
of God is the answer, it is in the word of God that, you
will find the way to be obedient to God and the way to
defeat the enemy. Jesus always defeated the enemy with
47
the word of God (Luke. 4.8).

A family is therefore supposed to be united. For a

family to unite, each member of the family must abide by
his Godly given role and most importantly, a family must
learn how to pray together, a family that prays together
stays together, with family group prayers, no harm shall
come to you and your family.

The enemy will not be able to stand you and your

family because God will always be in your midst granting
you all of your prayer requests (Matt. 18.19-20). So,
therefore, parents teach your children how to pray for the
day that, you, their parents are going to be weak.
Husband and wife pray for yourselves and for your
children for the day either of you is going to be weak. Let
it be a priority in the family that you all sacrifice some
time to pray together as a family.

It is very powerful and pleasing to God when a

family unites in Him. Be aware that your yearly holidays
and random family gatherings, fun times like movies,
shopping, and picnics will not fix family problems. Only
prayer will, and only God will answer such prayers
through Christ Jesus.

To receive the promises of God for you and for your

family, each member of the family has to identify their
personal Godly role. Children are to obey their parents
(Col. 3.20), children are also to honour their parents, that
is, to value and cherish their parents, always putting them
in high esteem.
48
 Children are to assist their parents in cleaning,
shopping or attending to basic house needs as a sign of
support to the family. If children obey Gods commands,
all will be well with them and their days on earth will be
prolonged. In return, fathers too should also avoid
upsetting their children, they are to train them according
to Gods teachings (Eph. 6. 1-4).

If you are a man, you should love your wife just as

you love yourself and just as Christ loves you, to love your
wife means, you are to be affectionate and sympathetic
towards her, it means that you are not to be rough on her,
bitter or resentful towards her, and if you are a woman
you should respect, appreciate, pay attention to your
husband, regard him, give him credit, praise him, adore
him and love him with intense (Eph. 5.33).

With prayer, thanksgiving, and faith either as an

individual or as a family, God also promises to give a
mind that is well balanced and peaceful with no worry
(John. 14.27), God is All- sufficient and He shall also
provide for your every need and you shall lack nothing
(Phil. 4.19). God also knows that we live in a world of
strife and he has promised that he will help you resist
the enemy and overcome all temptations, tests, and trials
(1 Cor. 10.13).

49
 Part III
The Love cycle: The pathway to victory
The Love Cycle
Love God with all of your heart
Love yourself with the love of God
Love others with the love of God

50
 5 THE LOVE CYCLE

Love God with all of your heart

The goal of every Christian believer should be to

receive, walk, abound and grow in Gods love. You need
to have love inside of you before you can give or show
love to others (1 John 4. 11-12). God, Himself is love (1
John. 4.8). To love God, you have to learn how to love.
God loves us, which is why he created us for His good
plans, we have to make it a priority to love God back
through loving ourselves and loving others.

To love God, we have to obey his commandments

(John. 14.15). What are Gods commandments? Jesus
made it clear that there are only two great
commandments that override all of the other
commandments. The commandments are to love God
wholeheartedly with all of our soul, with all of our
strength and with all of our minds, which is the first, the
second is to, love our neighbours exactly the way we love
ourselves (Matt. 22.36-40).

Loving God to full maturity is a process that takes time

(Heb. 5.12-14), you need Jesus in your life first and for
most, then you need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
which assures you of your inheritance, your full
redemption. The Holy Spirit is just a foretaste of our total
inheritance, which means that, even after the gift of the
Holy Spirit, we still need to continue to walk with God.
And as we continue to walk with God, we will continue

51
to grow in His love (Eph. 1.14).

How do you show that you truly love God? If you truly
love God, you need to honour and worship Him
genuinely through praise and worship. To worship means
to bow down and to be humble yourself before God and
men (Ps. 95.6), it does not necessarily mean singing in
worship only.

To kiss the son also means to love and worship God. To

kiss the son illustrates that you believe in Jesus Christ, you
also show your belief in Jesus by paying homage to God.
Homage means to give reverence and adoration to God
Almighty (Ps. 2.12).

We can worship God in our everyday lives by just

doing extra, getting out of our way, not to please people
but to show and share love with people. When we love
God, we will truly praise Him. To praise God means to
glorify Him and to make known to people all the good
things that He has done for us by the way we live our
lives.

Loving God also means, acknowledging God in all of

your ways (Prov. 3.6) and in all areas of your life, to every
detail so that He can make your path straight. We often
appreciate God only when He does great things like when
we get the dream house, the dream Job or our right
spouses, but you see, we all are in a testing period, if God
cannot trust you with little things, He will never trust you
with big things, If you dont love and worship God when
you dont have it all, you can never love and worship God
52
when you have it all.

So begin to appreciate God for waking you up,

appreciate God because you can talk, because you can
move, because of the hair on your head, because you were
able to move the trash bins outside because your
neighbour called your attention to your car, that you left
the head lights on. Because all of a sudden you felt a sense
of peace and calmness. Because it rains and because it
snows. You know that we cannot name it all, but
appreciate the little details and things that God does.

All these sound good right, how about appreciating

God and still praising and worshiping Him for when your
car stopped working on your way to work, for when you
got to the shopping center, bought your stuff and realised
that you forgot your wallet at home, that you lost your
job, or perhaps you lost a loved one. Know that all these
are also a test. Like they say, every disappointment is a
blessing in disguise.

God is always near whether things are working out

well for you or not. What God wants is not for you to go
faint or weary in faith in times of trouble, but to remain
confident in Him. Your confidence in God should be
because you believed God when He said that anybody
that trusts in Him and obeys Him may have many
troubles but will come out victorious in all (Ps. 34.19).
When trouble comes, dont think that God is not there,
even if it does not feel like it, just do what you can and
wait, patiently in faith for God to do what He can (Prov.
24.10).
53
 When you are growing in your love towards God, you
have to be very patient because God is patient, in the
beginning of our Journey with God through Christ we
expect that everything should happen instantly. Well,
God is always in the process, working on you so be
patient.

Remember how you were before you accepted Jesus

into your life, all the things you used to do that were not
pleasing to God, God takes his time to work on each of
your setbacks, God helps you to get rid of those things
that were hindering you from receiving and giving back
Gods love.

God is pure and He will not work or walk with you

when you are still in anger or doubt. God will not work
in you if you will not forgive or love your neighbours.
God will not work in you if you do not get rid of your
ungodly behaviours like lying, stealing, prostitution,
gambling, envy, greed to mention a few. God will take all
these bad habits away so that you can experience the true
love from Him, so you have to be patient (John. 5.17).

Love yourself with the love of God

To begin with loving yourself, you have to begin to

appreciate where you are right now, who you are right
now, what you do for a living right now. Thank God for
every little detail about you right now, Thank God

54
because you are alive, thank God for making you just the
way you are, it doesnt matter whether you are short, tall,
skinny, black, white, African or European, whether you
are a lawyer or cleaner, even if you dont have a job, just
thank God.

Loving yourself simply means that you are consuming

the perfect and unconditional love that God has given you
and giving it back to others not in a selfish and self-
centered manner but in a way that God appreciates and
wants us to (Phil. 2.3).

There is something so special about people who truly

love themselves, they portray characteristics that are
Godly, such as being loving, being simple, being noble,
being humble, being patient, more forgiving and non-
judgmental. Their characters are so unique that they light
up in the world. The scriptures say that such people who
love God and love themselves are like the salt and light of
the world, they add taste and flavour to the lives of others
(Matt. 5.13-16).

You have to understand that you were made

beautifully and are loved perfectly by God. You may
think that you are not right with God or imperfect because
of your wrong doings but the truth is that God loves you
just the way you are, so love yourself just the way you are.

One way to show that you really do love yourself

is to stop pretending that you are alright when you are
not, you have to examine yourself, if you have any

55
difficult situation or a problem that is weighing you
down, deal with it, just run to Jesus.
Jesus came to the world to save us, he came for the
needy and broken hearted, he came to give us a sound
mind, he did not come to judge us, nor did he come to
condemn us. He came to help us get rid of all our sins and
all of our bad habits (John. 3.17).

If Jesus can accept you for who you are, why not accept
yourself for who you are, love yourself, make sure that
you try your best to be at peace with God, to be at peace
with yourself and to be at peace with everybody (1 Pet.
3.11). If you truly love God and love yourself, you will
stop judging yourself. It is not your job to judge yourself
or anybody, God is the only judge of all (Isa. 33.22).

Looking back at your past or mistakes wont get you

anywhere, it will only make you feel insecure and
depressed, so avoid analysing what is right or what is
wrong. Stop self-praise too, it will only make you proud,
the best way to deal with yourself is to get your eyes off
yourself and just fix them on Jesus, Jesus is the author and
the finisher of our faith, focusing on Jesus only will help
you invest in yourself positively by avoiding all sorts of
distractions that will hinder your progress (Prov. 4.25-27).

Always try to improve yourself daily, even God wants

us to change our bad habits to good, which is why he sent
Jesus to come and show us how to live a good life. You
should try hard to always press forward towards
achieving your purpose in life, dont waste your time
56
trying to solve problems or remembering the past, just
keep moving forward remembering that the good Lord
who started a good work in your life will finish it to
perfection (Phil. 3.12-14).

Know that, with Jesus in our lives, all of us, including

you and I, are in a race to the finish line, as we continue to
run our individual races, understand that we represent
Gods image and each one of us carries a unique glory.

Love others with the love of God

Learning how to love and uplift others is so important

that it has to be on our mind always. God wants us to love
our neighbours as ourselves but you see, if we dont love
God or if we are not at peace with God there is no way we
are going to love others and be at peace with them.

Love has got a measure, to what measure you love God

and show it to God is going to be to the same measure you
will love and show it to others regardless of who that
person is, what that person does for you, where that
person lives or what wealth that person has. The more
you love God, the more you love others. Our personal
relationship with Jesus is the same, our love for Jesus
grows as we love God and as we love others (John. 13.1).
Have you learnt to love?

Loving others on our own can be difficult but loving

others with the love of God can be so simple if we

57
understand that, when Christ died, we died with Him,
when Christ resurrected, we also became alive in him. We
also have to remember that Christ also suffered because
of His love for us despite that the world crucified him.

We have to love others regardless of whether they are

kind to us or not, whether they appreciate us or not, we
are to love all kinds of people. By doing this, we show our
maturity in God (Matt.5. 44-46).

Loving others means showing genuine compassion to

someone who is hurting, putting your shopping cart
back where it is supposed to be because if you dont, you
are putting more workload on the people who collect the
shopping carts from here and there and in the wrong
places.
Loving others is doing your job to the best of your
ability, arriving to work on time, being generally
considerate at work and being a great team player, by
doing this, work is not left undone and piled up for the
manager to worry about or for others to complete in their
extra time which is supposed to be spent with their
family.

Loving others is informing the supermarket staff that

there is a spill and not walking away as this may prevent
someone from falling and breaking their hip. Loving
others is praying for people who you do not know
because at the end of the day God sees all you do secretly
and He will reward you openly (Matt. 6.4).

58
 In our world today, it is very easy to upset people and
very hard to make people happy, it is all the plan of the
enemy, Satan. Dont be surprised, God said in his words
that, one of the signs that the world is coming to an end,
which means that people will begin to come to the end of
themselves is that people will begin to hate those that they
would normally love.

People will begin to doubt others that they would

normally trust and there will be so much hatred among
people because of lawlessness, because of family
problems, poor financial status, work problems, health
problems, wickedness and disobedience to God (Matt.
24.10-12).

In those days which we are in now and which is

evident to all of us, people will starve of true peace and
love which they can only get through Christ Jesus (2 John.
1.3). We now live in a selfish world that preaches only one
element of the love cycle which consist of self-love and
self-care and prosperity, there is no way we can truly love
ourselves and others without the love of God.

The only way to begin to show love to God is to start

meditating on his words, it is a spiritual food for the soul,
in the world today, it is all about appearance so we need
to begin to dress our souls extravagantly just as we dress
our body, houses, shops and God will truly take care of
our bodies, homes, offices and the rest of it.

God has already promised us financial prosperity, to

receive it, we have to gain soul prosperity first. So, begin
59
to pray to God to make you a blessing to others rather
than praying to receive blessings from others because
when you bless others, God blesses you but when you get
your blessings from people then that is all you will ever
get which is nothing compared to what God promises you
(3 John. 1.2).

Let us work as a channel where we care for others and

give others and God cares for us and gives us back in
return. Let us not work as a channel where we just take
and keep only without giving back. We should learn to
give back what God has given us, some have riches, some
have counseling gifts while some have hospitality gifts,
give them back as a Godly gift (Matt. 6:1).

Dont just say that you will give back, do it. Talk is
cheap but true love is costly. For God so loved us all that
He gave His only son for our restoration, that is costly and
we should appreciate that (John. 3. 16).

Loving God and others says a lot about a person, when

you love God you begin to portray some characters that
are Godly, the world we live in today is wanting and
desperate for love, by loving God you become the salt and
light of the world and the people will become thirsty for
you, you do not need to impress people or compromise
your peace of mind.

Your job is not to change people, you are to love them

with the love of God, you are to love them exactly the
way they are, Gods job is to change them when He is
ready.
60
 God knows when everyone is able to grow up and
handle things, God knows the people who are ready to
walk all the way with Him. Remember that your journey
with God is different and unique, so dont expect others
to walk your walk, just love them and leave God to show
others how to walk the walk with Him.

61
 Part IV
The word
The living word of God
In the beginning was the word
Tested and proven
Be consistent
Be patient

62
 6 THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

In the beginning was the word

In the beginning, before any of us and anything on

earth and in heaven was created, was the word, the word
represents Jesus Christ (Rev. 19.13). The word, Jesus was
with God, meaning that before heaven and earth were
made, Jesus, the word was formerly with God before God
sent Him to us to show us how to live (John. 1.2-3). Jesus
came to show us the way, He came to tell us the truth, He
came to give us life and without Jesus, we cannot meet or
know God (John. 14.6).

And without Jesus, nothing was made, meaning that,

without Jesus, all of us are nothing, we have no true
purpose and no life. In other words, to begin your journey
with God and to have a meaningful life, you have to come
through Jesus Christ because He is the light of men, the
light for you and me (John. 1.4). To begin a God-driven
life you must start with the word of God.

It is common to have thoughts like where do I start

from in the scriptures, dont worry, start anywhere or
better still start from the book of John. The most important
thing is not where or when you started but the fact that
you have started and that you have taken an action.
Before you begin, pray and ask God for wisdom and
understanding of His word, be humble to receive the
word of God (James 4.10).

God is so simple and true, asking for Gods wisdom

63
simply means that you are asking for common sense to
comprehend what God is saying and seeking for the
revelation of His word simply means you will come to
know some facts about things which concern you and any
other thing that God pleases to tell you (Eph. 1.17).

Most people think that they know so much but wait till
you begin to understand Gods word and you will be
blown away, you will realise that you know nothing but
can become wiser each day through His word, as you
continue to study it day by day and night by night.

Tested and proven

The word of God is true, it has been used and

guaranteed (Prov. 30.5). It is your time to seek it, know it,
believe it, use it and when it works for you, share it. when
you spread the good news of God, you are like a trophy
seeking other trophies for God.

Do not be a trophy that sits in the trophy case for

decoration. Aspire to get more trophies for God. By
sharing with others the proven words of God, you are
testifying that the word of God brings light into peoples
lives.

Remember to begin at home, start with your spouse,

your children, your in-laws or your best mates. Do you
remember Andrew in the scriptures? He made the news
of Jesus made known to his brother Simon first (John.

64
1.41).

Do not be afraid to spread the good news because God

has promised that you and so many whom you have told
the good news, those who chose to believe in Jesus Christ,
those who gladly received Him and welcome Jesus into
their hearts will be by right the children of God. If you
deny Jesus Christ, you also will be denied before God
(Matt. 10. 33).

The word of God answers all life questions, it solves

any problem, throughout the scriptures we have been
reminded again and over again so that we may know it
and register it in our hearts that, the word of God is our
healer, our teacher, our protector, our guide, our builder,
our creator, our defender, our trainer and the medicine to
our soul and much more.

The word of God remains powerful, true, active and

productive. It is the same yesterday, today and will be
forever and ever. Amen (Heb. 13.8). Walking with Christ,
knowing God and obeying Him is just too rewarding than
any gift or presents you could ever receive from anybody.
With God in our lives, we will become graceful, gifted
with all spiritual blessings and favoured in all areas of our
lives (John. 1.16).

What are you waiting for? Get started, buy yourself a

Bible, it is the best gift you would ever buy yourself. God
is so simple, you can start off by reading more of this kind
of inspirational and Godly books till you get familiar with
how to read the Bible.
65
 Know that the word of God is there for us as daily
living instructions, when we truly follow them with
patience, endurance, faith and hope, we will eventually be
like a tree planted by streams of water which produce
good fruits in the right seasons (Ps. 1.3). Can you not
immediately see that the words of God is more
encouraging and living than any newspaper, novel or
comic book?

The book of Mathew, chapter 13, explains how you can

relate sowing a good seed to studying the word of God.
As you begin and continue to meditate or think deeply
about the word of God, you will be like a farmer who
sows seeds hoping and expecting to reap good produce at
harvest time.

As a farmer, you would normally try to avoid sowing

seeds on the roadway where birds will come and eat up
all your seeds, you would also consider not sowing seeds
on rock land where there is no fertilizer. Also, think about
it, whatever you sow, is exactly what you will reap and
how you choose to sow it will also determine if you will
harvest good produce or not (Gal. 6.7).

It is the same thing as spending time on the word of

God, the more you dig deep and deeper into God, the
more you learn and the more you become wise and wiser.
The less time you spend on the word of God, even the
little you have learnt before will be forgotten just like the
seed planted on a soil with no fertilizer that will soon
spring up quickly but die soon (Matt.13.12).
66
 Be a doer

Studying the Word of God is a form of obedience to

God (Ps. 119.9). Being obedient to God is the road to a
greater life. God wants the very best for all of us and He
Has got good plans for us. All we need to do is to listen
and be obedient and He will direct and take us on a
journey to a good future (Jer.29.11).

Everybody loves to be accomplished in life but guess

what, the way to a great life is challenging and very
narrow, only a few people who find and know it walk
through that path, dont follow the crowd to walk through
a wider gate, it only leads to destruction and failure, see
that you make it through the narrow gate that leads to an
everlasting life (Matt. 7.13-14).

Dont be alarmed, most people quickly think of death

and heaven when they hear everlasting life, God has
given us the resources to live a great life here on earth and
to continue to live it when we die, why do you have to
wait till you die before you start enjoying life? You better
start now.

God has not given us a spirit of fear or weakness, so be

encouraged to begin a journey to great life starting with
Jesus (2 Tim. 1.7). Any gift you receive from God has to be
through Jesus Christ, if you have not given your life to
Christ then you better start by doing that.

67
 Do you know that you are so blessed? Giving your life
to Christ is the easiest thing you would ever do, all you
need to do, is to believe and have faith Christ Jesus and
He will come into your heart, He will introduce you to
God who will then start to work in your life (John. 14.9).

Be consistent

Seeking to know God means that we continue to

meditate on His word day and night, this way, we form a
personal relationship with God and ensure that nothing
comes between us and the unconditional love that God
has for us (Rom. 8.38-39).

Part of seeking God is identifying what God expects

from us. When we are at work, just as we know what is
expected of us as employees and what is expected from
our employers, so should we know what God expects us
to do and also we should know what God is going to do
for us.

As much as we are expectant to receive from God, God

is also expecting certain things from us, waiting to see
how faithful and obedient we are. What God really wants
from us is to serve Him wholeheartedly and believe in His
promises (Isa. 40.31).

Continue to feed your soul spiritually with the word of

God (1 Pet. 2.2). We eat every day to maintain a healthy

68
life and just because we had one days special full course
well-balanced meal does not mean that, that will be
sufficient for us for the rest of our lives. We, therefore,
cannot stop eating expecting that that one meal or a few
meals will sustain us for the rest of our lives. We have to
continue eating to maintain life.

As long as we are on this earth, we are in a war with

the enemy, Satan and we need to know how to defeat him
through Gods words (Eph. 6.12). Satan is a liar, he is the
father of all lies. Jesus used the word to defeat the enemy,
so should we.

The continuous meditation and the hope for the

promises in Gods words can help people to retrain and
completely renew their minds little by little (Jas. 1.21). The
Joyce Meyers The Battle Field of the Mind has some
powerful messages that can help in this area of renewing
ones mind completely.

Be patient

The lack of patience and the inability to exercise the

faith that God has blessed us with seems to be a problem
in the lives of many believers. Some will believe today
because everything is going as planned while some will
lose hope tomorrow because things are not going as
planned. The only way to be able to exercise one's faith is
to mediate on the word of God day and night, believe it,
say it and do it.

69
 Be very patient. Look at how patient farmers are, God
uses everyday life experiences to teach us but we often
overlook them. When a farmer sows a seed, he waits
patiently, hoping from the very beginning that he will
yield good fruits, the farmer also waits patiently for it to
rain. The farmer does not know how the seed germinates,
grows and produces its fruits or produce and it is beyond
the farmers imagination. It is all Gods work, so the
farmer has no choice but to wait until harvest time.

Also while the farmer is waiting, he is acting, doing

what he can and allowing God to do what God can do.
The farmer keeps his farm tidy, keeps his farm free of
weeds, waits patiently for the rain and even save some
water from the rain just in case it takes longer to rain, the
farmer keeps on acting till harvest day. So should we also
be patient and act until Gods harvest time.

70
7 TIPS ON HOW TO DIG DEEPER INTO THE WORD
OF GOD

Be willing to study the word of God and dedicate some

time towards the study. Meditating on the word of God is
different from your academic books, so pray, humble
yourself and make a commitment to God.

If your heart is telling you that you need more

understanding in a particular area of the scripture then
search for other scriptures on that same subject. This
might be useful in dealing with some difficult areas in
your life that are pertaining to those scriptures.

Be consistent, be focused and avoid all forms of

distractions like televisions, mobile phones, and
unnecessary things that take up your time. Always jot
down so that you can go back and refresh your
understanding of the word.

just as you do with academic research, feel free to use

dictionaries, compare and contrast with different bible
versions to understand the true meaning of what you are
studying.

Starting with prayer, read the same scripture verse

over and over again till you get a revelation, that is, till
you understand what it means and how it relates to you.

Attend bible study if you can, be reminded that you

are there for the word of God, how somebody greets you
or behaves to you is not why you are three. Also dont
71
look at the preachers behaviour or actions, you are
simply there because of the word of God.

This is just the beginning, dont think you now know

it all, God reveals different things from the same verse in
the bible. God is new every day, each time you study the
word of God, you will learn something new.

72
 NOTES

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC), The Lockman

Foundation 1987,
https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Amplified-
Bible-Classic-Edition-AMPC/

The Oxford living Dictionary,

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/

Joyce Meyer Ministries

https://www.joycemeyer.org/

73
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Titilope Alao is a young vibrant woman happily married

to Akeeb Alao with three children. Titilope is a lover of
life and loves to love. Their family moved into Australia
in the year 2008 from Nigeria and have since been settled
here in Australia which they now call their home.

Titilope is an Ambassador for Christs Peace, a Registered

Nurse and a Disability support Worker. She has been in
the health care industry for over seven years now, looking
after the sick and vulnerable. She derives her joy in the
delivery of her Godly love and service to others.

Even though Titilope has been caring for the vulnerable,

she once became a victim herself in 2016, but nothing
could stop her from doing what she was born to do so she
fought with Jesus with the word of God which led her to
victory and decided to share with others.

Since then, she has been very loyal to God and believes
that her calling is to encourage, uplift, inspire and
minister through books to others and to spread the good
news of Jesus Christ.

She says her joy is to help others become victorious in all

areas of their lives by encouraging them to simply use
the word of God.

74
 MY FATHERS WORLD WEB
http://www.myfathersworldweb.com

Titilope Alao
alao.titilope@yahoo.com
TitilopeAlao@myfathersworldweb.com
0422171039

Akeeb Alao
alakeeba@yahoo.com
0423269130

75
 But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us
in triumph [as trophies of Christs victory] and through
us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the
knowledge of God everywhere,
2 Corinthians 2.14

Titilope & Akeeb Alao

76
77