THIS IS WHY YOUR FAITH IS WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE

 
- By Gavin Aleogho
 
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Galatians 5:6 KJV
 
One of the struggles of most Christians is in the area of faith. Many believers are still struggling to exercise faith in God, despite the fact that they’ve been in the faith for a long time.
 
One of the reasons for this problem is that a lot of people are yet to come to a full understanding of God’s love for them. For the more you know that God loves you, the more you are confident to exercise faith in God. When you are firmly established in the love that God has for you, your faith in God will become strong, producing results.
 
A lot of people know that God loves them. But such knowledge is only theoretical; it is not experiential knowledge. You must bring yourself to the level where you know beyond reasonable doubt that God loves you. You must accept and embrace God’s love. It is only an experiential knowledge of God’s love that can boost your faith.
 
When you are able to embrace the full measure of God’s love, you won’t have a problem exercising faith in God. Then, it won’t matter to you what the challenges or situation is, you will be rest assured that the God who loves you will take care of the situation.
 
This is my counsel to you. Instead of spending time studying faith, I will counsel you to, first of all, take time studying the love that God has for you. Then you will be able to understand the subject of faith better. A diligent study on the subject of faith without accurate knowledge of the love of God will make your faith ineffective.
 
The major reason why we easily lose faith in God is simply because we are yet to be firmly established in the love that God has for us. We don’t understand the depth of God’s love for us. However, when we know that God loves us beyond any doubt, our faith becomes stronger, even in the face of obstacles and the challenges of life.
 
You have to get yourself to the point where you know that God really loves you. If you can bring yourself to understand the depth of God’s love, you will not have a problem with the issue of faith.
 
Presently, this is how I live my life. Despite the happenings around me, I am not moved. It was not like this some years ago. Is it because I have suddenly developed faith? Not really! I have had faith right from when I gave my life to Christ, more than 25 years ago. For everyone who is born again is impacted with a measure of faith by God (Romans 12:3c).
 
Sadly, my faith was not strong enough to believe God in those days. This is because I was ignorant of how much God loves me. Yes, I knew that God loved me “theoretically,” but it was not practical or experiential.
 
And not until I begin to understand the depth of God’s love for me (I am not talking about God’s love for you or the world, but a personal love of God for me, Gavin Aleogho). Not until then, my faith was weak and ineffective.
 
Praise God, now I have come to know that God loves me and that He is very mindful of me. It is a discovery that is still ongoing, though. The thought of God’s love alone has helped me to boost my faith in God. There won’t be faith if love is absent. We can only have faith because there is a God who loves us.
 
My beautiful daughter, EtseOghena, is very confident in the fact that I and her mom love her. Even though she sometimes makes ridiculous requests, which we often turn down, she still believes that if we really want to meet her request, we will do that. Even when we say no to her request, she believes that we have a cogent reason for our decision.
 
I said all this to let you know the degree of trust that our daughter has in us. She does not doubt the fact that we love her.
 
Does my daughter need to go and study more about faith to get something from me?
 
No.
 
As a matter of fact, as it stands today, my daughter, who is just 7, does not understand the concept of faith. But the fact that she knows that I love her settles all that faith is needed for. This is how God, your Father, wants you to relate with Him.
 
EtseOghena usually asks me for things with confidence that I will give her what she needs.
 
What is fueling her confidence to ask me?
 
Is it because she has “big” faith?
 
No.
 
At her age, she doesn't even know what faith is.
 
Etse’s confidence to ask is simply because she knows that her father loves her.
I am using this illustration to show you how vital LOVE is and how it can help your faith become strong and effective.
 
The fact that I love EtseOghena directly fuels her confidence (faith) that I will respond positively to her.
 
In the same vein, when it comes to trusting God to intervene in our lives, we don’t need more faith but more knowledge of God’s love. The more you grow in the fact that God loves you, the more your faith grows and becomes strong in the Lord.
 
If you can settle it in your heart that God loves you, you will not have a problem trusting Him to intervene in your life. If you have a deep revelation of God’s love for you, you won’t be perturbed by the happenings around you. You will be confident in the fact that because God loves you, He will definitely intervene in the situation you are going through. For the more of God’s love we are established in, the more of God’s fullness we experience.
 
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19
 
©Gavin Aleogho
 

12 BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT MONEY YOU SHOULD TEACH YOUR CHILD

 
- Gavin Aleogho
 
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
 
The topic of money is an avoidable topic that has led many astray due to misinformation and misconceptions about money. The solution to this problem is not to refrain from speaking about money; rather it is to teach the biblical truth about money to our children.
 
The following 12 points will help your child develop the right attitude to money and the wisdom to handle it, rightly.
 
1. Everything And Every Money Belongs To God
 
It is important you let your child know that everything in this life belongs to God and that includes money. Every money they have and every money they will have belongs to God. Having this understanding will instil in them the fact that they are only stewards of God’s resources to which they should be faithful.
 
The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.
Psalms 24:1
 
2. Money Is Neutral; It Is Either Good Or Evil
 
It is wrong to teach your child that money is evil. Money is not evil. It is the ‘love’ of (desperation for) money that is evil. Money is morally neutral; it only reflects the character of its possessor. When the possessor is evil, money produces wickedness. But when the possessor is a good and wise person, then money will be used for a good purpose.
 
A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; but money answers everything.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
 
3. It Is Okay To Work For Money
 
Yes, your child may not be old enough to work for wages, but let them know that every money that they have ever been given was worked for either directly or indirectly by someone. Hence, there is no free money anywhere. As they grow, let them know that it is okay to do legitimate work to make money. Let them know that there is dignity in labour.
 
A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty. 
Proverbs 28:19 NLT.
 
Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.
Proverbs 13:11 NLT
 
4. Don’t Exalt Money Above Value For Human Life or Above Godly Virtue.
 
Anybody that exalts money more than human life can kill to get money. This is why we have a lot of ritualists and fraudsters in our society who can kill and do harm to their fellow man because of money.
 
A girl who exalts money more than the virtue of purity can go into prostitution to get money. Anybody that exalts money more than godly virtues like integrity, honesty or truthfulness will lie and cheat to get money. They can go any length to do evil and commit any crime because of money.
 
A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished… The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
Proverbs 28:20, 22 TLB
 
Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 10:2
 
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Ephesians 4:28
 
5. Don’t Compare Yourself With Anybody, Financially.
 
It is foolish to make financial comparisons, considering the fact that you might be worth more than that fellow in other important areas of life. Besides, your path and destiny in life is different. And you shouldn’t disregard the fact that you might be wealthier than that fellow in the future.
 
For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise
2 Corinthians 10:12
 
6. Uphold The Virtue Of Contentment
 
One important virtue you can teach your child is the virtue of contentment. You must ensure that before your child leaves your house to be on their own, they are firmly established with the virtue of contentment. This is because the virtue of contentment will greatly help them to easily overcome the many temptations that are related to the subject of wealth, riches and money. The virtue of contentment will help your child live within their means; overcoming the temptation of borrowing and taking loans.
 
It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income, dishonestly gained.
Proverbs 16:8
 
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have…” 
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
 
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Tim 6:9-10 NLT.
 
7. Develop The Culture Of Saving
 
Your kids are not too young to start saving. Instead of using all their pocket money to buy sweets, biscuits and candy, get a savings box for them. Let them start saving part of any money that is given to them. You can also open a bank account to help them in this regard. And as their fund increases, you can guide them to start a mini business or help them invest their funds.
 
There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it.
Proverbs 21:20
 
8. Money Should Be Spent Purposefully
 
Help your children to develop the attitude of delayed gratification. Let them know that it is wrong to lose, misuse or waste money on frivolity.
 
One of the ways you can help them to spend rightly is by guiding them to spend on their future. That is, spending on things that will greatly empower them for their futures. Thus, instead of buying toys and candies, they can start investing their money to buy books, pay for courses and buy any material that will greatly help them in their journey to their destiny.
 
A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; but money answers everything.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
 
9. Overcome Greed And Selfishness With Generosity.
 
Greed and selfishness will only make one a slave to Mammon. You are not supposed to be a slave to money (Mathew 6:24). You are supposed to lord over money. One way to master money is by developing a liberal heart of generosity. A generous man will rule and have mastery over money.
 
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
1 Timothy 6:17-18.
 
10. The Pursuit Of Purpose Is Guaranteed To Bring Money
 
Let your children know that if they set their heart to pursue their God-given dreams it is guaranteed to make money come their way. Besides the blessing of money that accompanies the pursuit of purpose, it is also important to know that you also get fulfilment and satisfaction which comes with eternal rewards.
 
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
Proverbs 12:11
 
11. There Are A lot Of Dangers In Being Desperate To Get Money
 
The scripture clearly says that it is the love and desperation to get money that is the genesis and root of the evil we see in our land. Stealing, prostitution, fraud, lying, cheating and the love of the world in whatever guise are all connected to an unholy love and desperation for money. Let your children know of the many dangers and misfortune that face every man who is desperate to get money at any cost.
 
Those who love money will never have enough.
Ecclesiastes 5:10a NLT.
 
Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
Proverbs 20:17
 
The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn’t lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but a fool.
Jeremiah 17:11
 
12. Let God (Not Money) Be Your Primary Pursuit
 
Since the world and everything in it belongs to God, it is wise to have a cordial relationship with God, the Creator of everything. It is from God all blessings flow.  You will be undoing yourself when you don’t align your life properly with His ways. Besides, following the precept of God and all the principles in the Kingdom is a sure way to enjoy all the goodness of God. Hence, ensure that you guide your children in the way of the Lord, early.  Let the pursuit of God be their primary pursuit in life. Teach your child to live their lives in such a way that brings glory to God always.
 
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33