Evans Akpo

When you stop holding to grudges you will fine peace– You will never find peace until you learn to finally let go of the hatred and hurt that lives in your heart.  Life is far too short to be spent in nursing bitterness and registering wrongs.  Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, on the other hand, is for those who are confident enough to stand on their own two legs and move on.  In order to move on, you must know why you felt the way you did, and why you no longer need to feel that way.  It’s about accepting the past, letting it be, and pushing your spirit forward with good intentions.  Nothing empowers your ability to heal and grow as much as your love and forgiveness.

This moment is your life. – Your life is not between the moments of your birth and death.  Your life is between now and your next breath.  The present – the here and now – is all the life you ever get.  So live each moment in full, in kindness and peace, without fear and regret.  And do the best you can with what you have in this moment; because that is all you can ever expect of anyone, including yourself.

The past never changes. – You can spend hours, days, weeks, months, or even years sitting alone in a dark room, over-analyzing a situation from the past, trying to put the pieces together, and justifying what could’ve or sould’ve happened.  Or you can just leave the pieces in the dark and walk out the front door into the sunlight to get some fresh air.

You’ve been working tirelessly trying to control the uncontrollable. – What if, instead of pushing so hard to make life happen, you decided to let go a little and allow life to happen to you?  What if, instead of trying to always be in control, you sometimes surrendered control to something bigger than yourself?  What if, instead of working so hard to figure out every last answer, you allowed yourself to be guided to the solution in perfect timing?

Living by Faith

Living by faith is like watching a recorded sports event on TV in which you already know your team won. You watch to see how they won, but you don’t doubt that they won. Even if the game is going badly for your team, you have no fear because you already know the final score. As a spectator you are at peace. You have the evidence of a score not yet seen.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. (Acts 27:25)

Sovereignty, Predestination and Fatalism (worth reading)

If sickness and suffering is God’s preordained will, why did Jesus commission the church to go into all the world and lay hands on the sick that they might recover? If sickness is a blessing for God’s children, why does James ask if there are “any sick among you?”, and then give the formula for receiving healing?

If God has already determined who will be saved and who will be lost and there is nothing that anyone can do about it, why does He commission the church to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations? Isn’t that a waste of time since their eternal destiny is already determined?

If God has foreordained who is saved and who is lost, then why does Paul say, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14)

If it is impossible to resist the grace of God, why does Stephen say: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” (Acts 7:51)

Why are we exhorted to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) If there is no such thing as personal choice, and if the devil only does God’s will, then resisting him would be resisting God.

What is the point of prayer if all things are predetermined and there is nothing man can do to change anything? Why does James say, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). What does fervent prayer avail?

Why did Jesus rebuke those of little faith and commend those of great faith if their faith has nothing to do with them but has been predetermined by God? Is it right to rebuke the fearful if their fear has been programmed into them?

What point is there in asking, seeking and knocking if our prayers can change nothing. If my condition in life is predetermined, what point is there in trying to improve my situation through prayer?

If man has no will and is not free to obey or disobey God, then why does God exhort the following: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deut 30:19

How many who believe that God is in control of all things are brave enough to run a search of the word “if” in the New Testament and see how many of God’s promises are conditional and determined by man’s choice and response?

Why do those who believe that a hardened heart is preordained neglect the teaching of scripture that says, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb 3:13) This was written to believers and shows that hardness of heart is not ordained by God but rather the result of the deceitfulness of sin.

If salvation is predestined by God, then why does Paul lament the fact that at one point in his travels he was forbidden from speaking “to the Gentiles that they might be saved?” (1Thes 2:16)

Why is it impossible to please God without faith if He has predestined everything according to His will in the first place? If we either have faith or don’t have faith according to predestination, why would He not be pleased if we don’t have it?

How can one have known the truth and sound doctrine and then turn away if God never wanted them to know the truth in the first place? “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)

Why would a predestined believer need to “labor to enter into that rest” if he has no choice nor will in the matter? And why would he be admonished to not fall into unbelief if he hadn’t been chosen to believe from all eternity? “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Heb 4:11)

Doesn’t God do His will whether we ask or not? What difference does it make if we ask according to His will? “And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:” (1 Jn 5:14)

Why must the just live by faith if their salvation is preordained? What does it matter how they live if there is no chance to change their destiny?

Why does Jesus exhort the man He healed to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14) Hasn’t God already predetermined all the good or bad that will ever happen to that man in spite of his lifestyle?

If nothing can thwart the will of God, then why could Jesus do no mighty work in His own town because of their unbelief? (Mark 6:1-5)

If salvation is preordained and assured, then why was Paul concerned for his own salvation? “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor. 9:27)

Why are life and death in the power of the tongue and not the result of the “sovereign will of God.” (Prov. 18:21) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom 10:9)

Why must we run with patience the race that is set before us if the outcome of that race is already predestined by God? Why does it matter how we run the race? (Heb. 12:1)

(An excerpt from Barry Bennett.)

Malcom Gladwell in David and Goliath made a compelling case about the excuses David would have presented when he decided he was going to fight Goliath. In his introductory page the author articulated two strong ideas. First, much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of these kind of lopsided conflicts, because, according to Gladwell, the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty. And second, that we consistently get these kinds of conflicts wrong. Giants are not what we think they are, the same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.

Most times, the excuses we give for not getting a good education, married, or traveling around the world, or pursuing our dreams are excuses we could flip and get things done with. Most heroes have excuses they would have given, but they choose not to make excuses, because excuses are very easy to make. You don’t need a brand name for it, neither does it have to be outsourced. It can be locally created by the individual that upholds it.  The unanswered question, is not whether you will make excuses but when will you start using your excuses as an advantage.

It’s never too late or too early to be who you are capable of being. There’s no perfect time – you can simply start and stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. You can make the best or the worst of today. It’s up to you, so make the best of it and stop giving excuses. Do things that startle you. Feel things you’ve never felt before. Engage with people who help you grow, not the ones that strengthen your excuses. Live a life you’re proud of. And if you find that you’re not, have the courage to change things. Don’t make excuses.

Given human nature of excuses, apparently, the word “excuses” becomes obvious, or help explains, in part, the reasons people are where they are. I’ve met people that blame everyone for everything except themselves.  After listening to all their  logical excuses which in their opinion explains the reasons they are not making moves in life, or taking steps, I’ve always felt like asking why they choose to be a victim. Playing victim is very easy.

You may blame everyone else and think, “Poor me! Why do all these crappy things keep happening to me?” But the only thing those scenarios all have in common is YOU. And this is GOOD news, because it means YOU alone have the power to change things, or change the way you think about things.

There is something very powerful and liberating about surrendering to change and embracing it – this is where personal growth and evolution reside.  Take steps, take risk and never let anything hold you down.

We get into the temptation of remembering the wrongs in our past. I’ve always struggled with forgetting things. Without exceptions, I believe most people remember the details of wrongs in depth. Sometimes, its about the lost love, troubles of our past.

However, it may be, we could decide to look beyond the painful issue and focus on the future.
Your past has given you the strength and wisdom you have today, so celebrate it. Don’t let it haunt you. Replaying a painful memory over and over in your head is a form of self-abuse. Toxic thoughts create a toxic life. Make peace with yourself and your past.

When you heal your thoughts, you heal the health of your happiness. Now is the time to stop focusing on old problems and things you don’t want in your future. Because the more you think about them, the more you attract what you fear into your everyday experiences – you become your own worst enemy.

As a staff years ago in a Psychiatric Hospital in California, I met a patient that changed my life and made me start thinking about the power of the mind.  The patient suggested “the four agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz to me. The author 4 key points hinges on words. The book highlights the following values. “Be impeccable with your word, Don’t take anything personally, Don’t make assumptions, Always do your best.”

I noticed before our words comes out, there is something about our mind. Our mind is very important.

The mind is your battleground. It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides. It’s where half of the things you thought were going to happen, never did happen. But if you allow these thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, and ultimately your life. You will think yourself into a nervous breakdown, into depression, and into defeat. Because you are what you think. And you can’t change anything if you can’t change your thinking. A beautiful day, and thus a beautiful life, always begins with a beautiful mindset. When you awake each morning, take a second to think about what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy. Breathe onto the bathroom mirror, just to see how amazing your breath looks. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing, I assure you it will start to feel like one. Let’s act life as a blessing.