"Secret Service Believers"

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I believe the ultimate expression of pride is any declaration that we might know who is and who is not in the Kingdom of God.

Occasionally due to our religious background, we are fond of thinking others don't belong to the Kingdom as we do. We imagine our works, way of doing things, religious rituals earn us a place in the kingdom and those who don't do it our way don't belong to the kingdom.

All that is expected of us is to believe. It’s not easy to tell by looking at who is believing more than the other. I believe there are a lot of “secret service believers.” We will get shocked that some people made it to heaven and others didn’t. Let’s leave the decision on who is and who is not to God. Our work is to believe. 

When it comes to matters of faith and belief, especially in reference to others, we are clueless. I might see how someone is walking their journey and be tempted to think; they are not as spiritual as I am. They don't read scripture, pray, attend worship, go on a mission or evangelize as I do. So they don't deserve to experience God's blessings and the kingdom as I deserve. The feeling might get into our head that since we practically live within the worship place and have facilitated more people getting to know God, then we are better than others. All these are good, but when we start seeing that we are better than others because we do them, then pride takes control. We are told to be careful when we think we are standing because we may fall. This is a warning on pride. When you think you have it all figured out, be careful. I have listened to a lot of kingdom-minded stories and experiences from people who I may think are not spiritual enough. This is not an excuse for not living out our faith boldly, but it's about the attitude with which we live out this faith.  

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Some of us want to prove to others that our faith or way of worship is better than yours. It's never about that. It's about love. If your way of worship and belief doesn't lead to more love, then it's all your doing. We are told that if I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but does not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

As we know love is not only a public affair but it's more blessed if kept in the context of humility. Not showing off how you are the greatest lover of all. It's in the actions, and no one wants to hear that your loving actions to them have become a public debate, or is doing rounds on social media. Or that you have compiled a dossier of your loving deeds, and thoughts to them. We for sure don’t know who is sharing the love of God or who is loving better than the other. We can talk about their actions, but at the end of the day, God looks at the heart.

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So when it comes to deciding who belongs to the kingdom and who doesn't, I suggest we leave it in the hands of God who sees beyond what we can see. Let's continue building and practicing our faith and leave the rest to God. Let’s do our work which is to believe in the one He sent.

If this resonates with you, seek humility. Look for a small community of friends who you can be "Secret Service Believers," with clarity on letting the decision on who is in and who is not in the hands of God. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

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By Gabriel Achayo 

The Greatest & The Least

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I believe to be the greatest; you have to be the least.

This is a counterintuitive thinking. If I want to be great according to the worldly kingdom, I have to be the first, at the top. Jesus teaches the opposite. To be the first, I have to be last. It’s a paradigm shift. I’d say more of abundance mentality. There is enough for everyone.

No one wants to be termed weaker, and no one wants to be a loser. We all want to be at the top. So we do all that it takes to rise to the top - even if our character is compromised.

Jesus in many instances admonishes us to be the least in order to be great, to serve in order to influence. It’s about getting my hands dirty, going the extra mile. It's not about having low self-esteem or pretending. It’s about knowing who I am and who’s I am and going out there to be who I am to be. It’s about being secure, confident and humble. It’s sometimes about losing a fight to win a war.

Being great means having an influence. If we think of great people in our lives, they are those who immensely influenced us. Parents are great people in our lives if they influenced us positively and vice versa. Think of a teacher, neighbor, mentor, friend, etc who you consider great in your life, how much of an influence did they have in your life?

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The famous most talked and copied example of humility is Jesus serving his disciples by washing their feet. This was a very symbolic act. He didn’t have to do it. He could have called on someone else to do it on his behalf or asked them to do it themselves. But he chose to wash and wipe his disciple's dusty, dirty feet. He then called upon us to do the same. He says that now that we know these things we will be blessed if we do them. Now that we know about service, we will be blessed if we serve. Now that we know how to influence someone’s life, we will be blessed if we do that.

What does Jesus mean by we will be blessed? Many of us claim that we are blessed yet we are just having our way. We are just convincing ourselves, yet God has no part in it. Since it looks nice, appealing, we enjoy it, and it's not a sin, we say God has blessed it. To check if it’s a blessing from God I ask myself the following question; "When I think of Jesus at the moment I’m claiming the blessing, do I feel an authentic sense of His love for me and a growing desire to love others.”

God is looking for those who are secure, confident and humble. Secure in who they are? Whose are they? Most of us struggle with a lot of insecurities. We go to greater length to prove ourselves since our security is not in Jesus. Our security could be on our jobs, titles, families, friends, others opinions, etc. This doesn't mean that we live a careless life. We ought to remind ourselves that Jesus loves us no matter what. It's not about what I do as much as that could be important. But it's about Jesus. It’s about who I am in Jesus and who he wants me to be.

Confident in what we can and what we can't,  confident on the love of God for us no matter what, confident in who Jesus is in our lives and what He means to us, confident of our journey with Jesus, confident in our friendship in Him. Putting our confidence on any other thing is like sinking sand.

Humble in our dealings with those around us, walking humbly with our God. A humble person is more interested in others than in themselves - someone who is about the greater good rather than their own needs, someone who recognizes that which is true. God is God, and I am not God, and that's who I am, and if He gave me a skill, He gave me a skill. If He didn't, He didn't. Humility isn't thinking less about myself but is thinking about myself less. Not a lack of self-confidence.

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Everywhere I see people who are struggling to prove themselves to everyone. In most cases I find, they are trying to cover/hide something deeper than what I am seeing. Or they are running away from something. For this reason, they can’t allow themselves to be last. I like these three questions from GiANT Worldwide tools:

        What are you afraid of losing?

        What are you trying to hide?

3       What are you trying to prove? To whom?

Reflecting on this questions will change your view if how to influence people and hence gain greatness. Will make you realize how to be secure, confident and humble. You will realize that it's ok to be last sometimes because that's where greatness lies.

If this resonates with you, seek to be secure, confident and humble so that you can influence those around you. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of being influential.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

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By Gabriel Achayo

More Lovers Not More Love

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I believe we don’t need more love but more lovers.

Love is the most misused and misunderstood word in the world. We use it everywhere and anywhere without much thought of what it means.

When someone says “God Loves You” what does that mean? What does it mean to someone who has never known love or has never come to appreciate who God is? Love has to be understood in the context of a relationship, or else it’s just another excuse for whatever we want to get into or avoid.

We talk of love, but we don't practice it. If only we understood what it means, the world would be a lot better. The world needs more tangible love than conceptual love. Love lived out rather than love discussed and reflected upon. If I have intentions of loving my wife, my family, my colleagues but they don’t experience it in my dealing with them, then my love is a waste. A world full of real lovers is all everybody wants.

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Everywhere, we hear of unfortunate incidences committed by human beings. It makes me realize how much a human being can be worse than an animal. Do the unthinkable to a fellow human being. The recent death of the young female student in Rongo University is heartbreaking. How can a human being decide to end the life of another, and worse still a pregnant woman? I imagine, was she drugged, forced, beaten, or how did it happen. Was she screaming for help? The killer, did he assume her screams and pretended to be doing something else? Did they look her in her face as they turned into beasts to end her young life including the fetus? It continues to disturb me to see how human beings can stoop too low and do such a thing to a fellow human being. We have so many unfortunate incidences all over the world.

But how do we get to that point? What happens that we decide to hate someone so much to the point of doing away with them? If only we would at the same breadth show love with that energy we use to hate, the world would be a much better place. Nelson Mandela in his book Long Walk to Freedom says "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”  I totally agree with him. How do we teach each other how to love?

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Maybe you have never really done something so bad to someone. But Jesus has some harsh words to follow. Allow me to paraphrase them here," You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ fool, stupid, good for nothing and all those words we say in our heads about those we don’t like, will be subject to the Sanhedrin, or hell.

This is a hard teaching from Jesus - the best example of a lover. He came to show us how to love. But he assures us that all things are possible to him who believes. If you believe in love, then it’s possible to show love.

God is love, and he who lives in love lives in God. Not who discusses and talks about it. It's not about who knows about it. It’s who lives in it. Living in something means you become it. You demonstrate it. You are known for it and by it.

But how do you love those who you have a feeling are unlovable? Those who don’t appreciate your love? By our own imaginations and thoughts, it doesn’t make sense, but with God all things are possible. The understanding that God is love is very vital in showing love to the unlovable or people who are difficult to love. Once you believe in that statement “God is Love,” it’s no longer about you, it’s about yielding to God’s love and let Him show you how to love them. Don’t start using your human ability and mind to comprehend how to love them. Ask God, who is love, gives love, teaches love, and demonstrates love to show you how to love.

Do you have people in your life that you struggle to love? What are you planning to do about it? When will you do something about it? Whether you like it or not, you will have to do something about it. You can choose to do it now rather than later because you are never sure how much time you or they have. You also don’t want to live a wasted life because of someone else. Do something if you can, when you can!

If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate you the way you live out love. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of giving love legs and feet.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

By Gabriel Achayo.

Exposure, Learning and Growth

I believe exposure can be an enemy of learning and growth.

A while back I had a meeting with a young man who didn’t have his life all figure together as you may say. What stood out to me was his demeanor or rather the desire to listen, learn, and try something new. He was like an open book because he didn’t know much. It’s very hard to correct or challenge a very exposed opinionated person. They won’t let you finish before they interrupt with what they know better than you. Or their minds racing on a thousand other things they could say better than you. Or still, something they should also let you know that they know. They would like to mention their experiences here and there and let you know how well exposed and experienced they are. It calls for a lot of maturity for an exposed and experienced person to listen to another person. Worse if they feel the person doesn’t know much as they are or is less exposed and experienced compared to them.

I dare say that exposure also deters our ability to make and deal with choices that we face daily. We always want to measure up to the level of people we have interacted with or show that we have it all together or we know what others don’t know. We delay eating the humble pie and taking the first single confused step. We hold ourselves in high esteem and end up getting frustrated if we don’t see things in our lives move as first as we would like them to. We feel we deserve better and hence not ready to start from the bottom. We want the best seat and the good office. We don’t see ourselves serving tea or punching papers or cleaning tables.

Exposure is excellent, and everyone needs it to learn from different experiences and to get different perspectives in this life. We need to think global and act locally. But if your exposure leaves you unteachable, not wanting to start from where you are, hanging on the experience and being empty looking for another dose of when next will you have another adrenaline rush of another high profile exposure, then it’s a waste of your life. I’d rather an exposure that opens you to the global world but makes you realize that you have to start small to get there. You have to start where you are and start now. When you get a person, who is mature enough and can translate that exposure to their present status and build something out of it, then that’s a life well lived.

I consider myself privileged to have some unique access to some excellent opportunities and people. This year especially has come with access to another amazing opportunity. My next step now is to ask myself, how do I translate that into my present situation so I can build something out of it. I have become a GiANT Worldwide Senior Consultant. GiANT Worldwide was not in my new year resolutions for 2018, but God had it in his plans for my life. It has opened me to a world of amazing people, content, ideas, possibilities, and hope for coaching and consulting on Leadership, Team Performance, and Organizational culture. Am the first in Africa. Now how I translate this to make sense to me is the next hard step.

Raising the Standards of Leadership

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Unfortunately, this has brought some challenge in my life. I feel I know something that most people don't know. I find myself having to tell myself, concentrate and listen to the person talking. Don't be thinking of how best that could be said or how much that could mean if you were given a chance to talk about it now that you have this fantastic content. So I have to learn to listen at a new level. Not having to give my opinion on everything. Go into training sessions organized by others with an open mind to learn not to compare. Sit down in a meeting and not necessarily have to say anything.

If this resonates with you, seek to make love work not just talking about it. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of making love a reality.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

 

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

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By Gabriel Achayo

Senior Consultant

GiANT Worldwide (www.giantworldwide.com)