The Elevation Church

Tag: Richard Agu

  • Breaking Addictions

    Breaking Addictions

    What comes to your mind when the word “addiction” is mentioned? Just as some of us think that all doctors must be male and all nurses must be female, that’s how some of us see the word addiction as related to negativity. I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking that way especially when the term is related to dependency, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation and enslavement. In this context, addiction is a psychological and physical inability to stop partaking in activities especially when it causes harm. These activities could be, but are not limited to, excessive gaming and gambling, excessive food consumption, social media, impulsive shopping, consuming illicit drugs and alcohol etc.

    Shaping our everyday activities and even how we feel about ourselves, addictive habits can either make or break you. New Year’s resolutions are similar to trying to break a habit. So, the question is:

    • Why do most New Year’s resolutions and attempts at breaking an addiction fail?
    • Why do people partake in activities or consume substance that are harmful to their well-being without having the psychological and physical ability to stop them?

    The truth is, some people unknowingly fall into these addictions without realizing the damage it does to them. Like Roman 6:16 tells us, “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?” Most people start these habits with the intention that they won’t get hooked, and unfortunately, don’t realize how deep it eats into them until it is too late.

    As we forge into the new year/decade, if you’ve been consumed by a habit that is harmful to you physically, emotionally or psychologically; it is time to say goodbye and take charge of your total wellbeing. Making the decision to change, and deciding what that change will look like, is a process that often takes a while, but in the process of forming a new positive habit, you are slowly breaking the bad one.

    Here are a few strategies to break bad habits and form new positive ones:

    1. Consultation: consult a medical professional or licensed counsellor to assist you in breaking the addictions you crave, and help you cope with the physical and mental symptoms that occur after stopping such addictions.

     

    1. Positive thinking: fill your thoughts with positivity by reading the Bible, daily devotionals, listening to gospel music, audio and video messages of preachers of the God’s Word.

     

    1. Positive behavior: engage in healthy or positive activities like regular exercise, attending church programs, enrolling in personal development courses, eating healthy, having good companions, joining responsible professional or social small groups etc. Remember, anything you do for more than 3 weeks becomes a habit.

     

    1. Love yourself: loving yourself is a big key in removing the chains your addiction or bad habits have locked you into. This is where a strong mind and strong love for yourself comes into play. When you are in that moment, ask yourself, “Will this really better me? I love myself too much to give into this habit that will only make me feel temporary pleasure, while putting me at a worse state for the future.” Love yourself enough to stop yourself from doing damage to your present and future.

     

    1. Reflect: take a review of past years and keep a log of what you typically spend your time doing. What takes the bulk of your time? What takes up most of your head/mind space? These questions will assist you in ascertaining what you’re addicted to and guide your actions towards creating a balance and surmounting negative addictions.

     

    1. Relationships: consciously make efforts to stay away from friends & people who could potentially drag you back to the habits you’re trying to change. Surround yourself with the right people who fuel your drive towards change and help you build a better lifestyle.

     

    The year 2020 is going to be a great year. However, the greatness of 2020 depends on your daily habit and actions. Once you learn to live without your habit, you won’t feel the need for it in your life anymore. You are responsible for your actions and the consequences that comes along with them.

    Take control of your body and your mind. You are in charge; you have finally unlocked the chains. You are free. You have to start somewhere. Get up and start today.

     

    Written by Richard Agu

     

  • Lessons from Kintsugi

    Lessons from Kintsugi

    We are all broken in one way or the other, aren’t we? Of course, we are since we’re imperfect. Someone is having sleepless nights because of debt, some individuals are complaining of slow growth in business and unfavorable government policies. For some, it could be an unhappy marriage, unemployment or poor work conditions. The list is endless but here are two quick questions:

    • What do you do when faced with every day’s life problems?
    • What are you doing to help others solve their problems?

    Kintsugi is a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Believe it or otherwise, this philosophy applies to our everyday life since we all encounter challenges.

    Here are lessons from this great Japanese art:

    1. Stop Worrying and Do Something

    Luke 12:25, 26 & 31 – “who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well”. We achieve nothing by dwelling on our misfortunes, rather we overcome problems by taking actions. Putting broken pottery pieces back together requires action and not worries; stop complaining because success comes after excuses go.

    1. Be Patient

    Repairing broken pottery by mending the broken areas require a great deal of patience. Life’s problems can linger for a long time, some problems may reoccur while others can emanate from the current problem you’re solving. Whichever way it comes, you need to be patient; don’t be too quick to act and don’t be too slow either. Trust in God to see you through.

    1. Be in Love at all Times

    There are certain issues in life that can impair our ability to give and receive love. It could be abuses, injustice, painful experiences etc. People in this context can be very unhappy and hate themselves. No matter what life throws at you, love yourself first. This self-love will enhance your ability to take care of you by solving problems that’s affecting you. Be courageous, stable, reliable, strong and emotionally whole.

    1. Be Resilient

    When situations of life break us into pieces, Kintsugi encourages us to see the beauty of putting back together the broken pieces. Sometimes, in the process of picking and fixing these broken pieces, we put our lives in order by reconstructing something more stunning. This philosophy teaches us to be resilient irrespective of life challenges, so we can be better versions of ourselves with all of our golden cracks.

    1. Help Others Solve their Problems

    We all have problems to solve and others do too. Broken pottery is everywhere; what do you do when you see one? The Bible says Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus came to solve problems so should we. Let us endeavor to put smiles on other people’s faces. Remember, success is determined by the problems we solve for others.

    I hope this has inspired you to adopt the Kintsugi-attitude going forward.

     

    Written by Richard Agu

     

  • The Potency of Music

    The Potency of Music

    “But after the final last year, when we came to Liverpool, it was not cool. One of my friends is a singer and my assistant coach we sang a song: ‘we saw the European Cup, Madrid had all the luck, we swear we’ll keep on being cool, we’ll bring it back to Liverpool’. “Nobody thought in that moment it would happen. In that moment it was only to lift our mood a little bit and now it happened actually, so we have to think about what to sing tonight because obviously it means something.”

    The above is an excerpt from an interview with Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Coach who won the UEFA Champions League in June 2019.

    How have you utilized the potency of music in your daily life? Of course, I know it’s a busy world, but you need to consciously create time to sing and listen to music that lifts your mood every day. Here are some quick tips: make it a morning routine to sing before praying; listen to music while at the workplace.

    Here are some benefits of engaging in music related activities:

    1. Pleasing God

    After removing Saul, God made David King over the children of Israel. He (God) testified concerning him: ‘I have David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ David was a psalmist who praised his way to God’s heart. You can do same by clinging to music (praise and worship) to please God and get the benefits thereof.

    1. Reassurance of Victories

    The aforementioned story on Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool FC is a clear example of what music can do. Don’t forget the victories of Paul and Silas too in Acts 16:25-34 and the fall of the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6:1-27. Are you heartbroken, depressed, helpless and sorrowful? Just engage in a song of your own or sing along to gospel music. There’s a light (and a greater feat) at the end of the tunnel.

    1. Enhances Workplace Productivity

    Work may be somewhat boring and uninteresting when there’s no radio or MP3 in your office. Studies have revealed that music can help relieve negative emotions like stress, anxiety and depression. It can also improve one’s efficiency, creativity and happiness in terms of work-related tasks.

    In order to make the best of music, ensure you have a radio or MP3 around you. You can also download songs on your computer and phones so you get to listen to them while you work, read or research.

    1. Engenders Revelations and Excitement

    Do you want God to constantly reveal Himself to you? Be fervent in praising and worshipping Him not only during church services but also in your quiet time. By allowing the rhythm of the music to lead you and with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can connect to the realm of the supernatural and get deeper revelations from God to do exploits.

    On other occasions, we rely on music to dance and get excited in the presence of God. Such excitements, notwithstanding the situations, enhance us to believe more in God’s abilities to do exceedingly more than what we can ask for.

    In conclusion, we should have expectations when we sing, praise and worship God. Jurgen Klopp, while singing, had an expectation that he will win the UEFA Champions League just a few days after losing it to Madrid in 2018. What are your predicaments? There are infinite blessings when you activate a praise and worship mood. Remember, you need a merry heart to ‘draw out water from the wells of salvation.’ (Isaiah 12:3).

    Be cool and positive, you’re next in line for jaw dropping testimonies!

    Written by Richard Agu

  • Intentional with Spoken Words

    Intentional with Spoken Words

    My younger brother visited me in December 2018. Each time he was working with his laptop, a cool melody played on the background with occasional words like; ‘I am favoured, I am highly motivated, I am successful, I am the head and not the tail, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me etc.

    Amazed by such music, I asked him why he usually played it. He replied ‘there’s so much potency in spoken words. By listening to this music every day, I’ve been inspired to look at every mountain as surmountable”.

    Have you ever pondered why God’s creations were through spoken words? In Genesis chapter one, you’ll find out that God spoke a lot of things into existence. The most striking verse for me is Genesis 1:26;

    “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground’.

     

    How about David? Before he killed Goliath, he said; ‘Don’t worry, I’ll go and fight him…Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” 1 Samuel 17:36, 46.

    The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:28, said to herself ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed’. She was definitely healed when she eventually touched the robe of Jesus.

    These incidences underscore the imperativeness of spoken words as it helps to guide our actions towards accomplishing life’s set goals and overcoming unpleasant situations.

    Have you ever been conscious of spoken words in your daily life? If not, here are tips to assist you to be intentional with spoken words;

    1. Write out those words and place them in your mirror (bedroom and restroom) so you can see and say them every time.
    2. Get a CD or download cool and inspiration music to keep you motivated every day.
    3. Write down prophetic declarations and constantly speak them to yourself.
    4. Get CD or download God’s words as preached by His anointed servants all over the world for divine insight.
    5. Read your Bible every day for guidance and inspiration.
    6. Be sure to internalize those positive words by whispering it wherever you go in order to build your consciousness for achieving the impossible.
    7. Pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to guide you in transforming those intentional spoken words into concrete actionable plans.

    The aforementioned cases in the Bible have showed us that we can deal with any unpleasant situation if only we can be intentional with our words. Hence, no matter the situation; failure, stagnation, bareness, hopelessness, disputes, divorce, illness, relationship and marriage crisis, joblessness and more, you can surmount them.

    Just speak positivity and speak against every negative situation. Within a short period, you’ll realize that your consciousness has been enabled to make you believe you can achieve a whole lot through the help of the Holy Spirit. Once you’re on the level of belief, take steps (actions) and you’ll thank God immensely.

    Don’t limit God; say whatever you want Him to do for you. God’s mind is constantly full of you and He has the capacity to do exceedingly abundantly above whatever we ask according to His will. Just say it, believe it, live positively and remain blessed.

    Written by Richard Agu

  • Social Media: For Us or Against Us

    Social Media: For Us or Against Us

    A lot of things have been said about the social media since its advent. Some people see social media as a platform where;

    • People show off their ill-gotten wealth to impress those who may or may not be interested.
    • Rumors are spread to the public to create chaos in the society.
    • People inspire their followers to emulate their habits & lifestyles.
    • Personal data are hacked and shared on the Internet
    • Teenagers are significantly affected by the addictive nature of the social media which have adverse effect on their educational performance.
    • Some individuals waste precious time that could have been utilized by productive tasks and activities.
    • Several fake social media accounts are created and used to impersonate in order to commit fraud.

    An African proverb says “should one use the excuse of fear of being killed to avoid going to war?” Despite these unfortunate aforementioned happenings, social media has immensely helped a lot of people to achieve significant goals and objectives. Here are some areas social media have been useful:

    Small Business Growth

    Many small businesses have been established as a result of the powerful marketing aspect of social media.  With over 1.86 billion monthly active users, Facebook is currently the market leader in terms of reach and scope. It’s very common to see lots of advertisement of goods and services online. Hence, small business owners leverage on this platform to reach an overwhelming number of online customers worldwide at little or no cost.

    Studies show that 71 percent of small businesses planned to use social media content to attract new customers in 2018 with 38 percent planning to increase spending on social network management.

    Online Evangelism

    Most religious institutions have leveraged on the increased worldwide usage of smartphones and mobile devices to broadcast the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, a lot of lost souls have been converted, while great insights from the word of God have resulted to massive healings, business breakthrough, self-discovery and development.

    Share Lovely Moments with Friends and Family

    Social media platforms have helped quite a lot of people to find their old friends and at the same time, make new friends. Social networks do not only enable users to communicate beyond local or social boundaries, but also offer possibilities to share the content (photos, videos, games etc.) with friends.

    The use of social media has helped many people share beautiful memories; help solve human rights issues by advocating for the victims; helped to advance the media; create an avenue for businesses to thrive and most of all, has made impact in the lives of people who have found hope and peace from interaction with religious materials that strengthened their faith.

    There are innumerable benefits of social media regardless of the negative outcomes which tend to subdue its relevance. Hence, in my opinion, social media is beneficial to us in this contemporary society and not against us. I encourage you to embrace it and use it for doing good and to impact your community.

     

    Written by Richard Agu

     

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