You cannot scare an unrenewed mind into loving and obeying the Lord.

This idea that the Believer should be threatened before he will do what is expected of him is not the wisdom of God. It is man’s wisdom. And man’s wisdom, although may seem to generate outward results, it is incapable of producing men who are truly and genuinely in love with the Lord, living in delight some obedience to his instructions.

I have learned not to attempt to be wiser than God, and that God’s wisdom, although mocked by men already used to their own carnal methods, will always get a lasting result: the kind of result that pleases the Lord.

I have learned to acknowledge that the Spirit of God is in that man who has believed the Gospel. That Spirit in Him will always nudge him to do the right things. I must trust in the ability of that Spirit. God is at work in that man to will and to do His good pleasure. I don’t need to scare or threaten him with hell. Inside Him, is a river of goodness. Inside Him is the ability to walk in the way, and conduct himself in a manner that is pleasing the Lord.

My job is to keep telling him what the scriptures say about him. I must keep affirming who He is because He has believed. I didn’t make him that way, hence I must not lightly esteem who He is because of his wrong conduct.

I must keep showing him what he can do because of who He now is. I must make him know that living right isn’t a struggle for him. It is innate. He’s got it in Him.

When he acts beside himself, in a way contrary to who he is, I must correct him with the word. In my correction, I must keep myself reminded that I am to correct what he does, not who he is.

If I keep doing this, training him in this word of life, his conduct will catch up with his nature. He will start acting like himself. He won’t do it in hypocrisy. It won’t be to impress anybody. He’ll just be acting according to who He is.

This is God’s wisdom for raising men who are walking right.

And it always works.
It may be slow, but it is sure.

It’s a blessed day

Peter Oghogho