Posts

Showing posts from February, 2023

LIFE LESSON: True salvation is a gift not found within

Image
A few years ago I took up meditation because I was told it will enable me to empty the mind so I can access ‘higher forms of consciousness’ as a way to discover a secret inner divinity. My belief then was that the source of salvation is found within and the fundamental human problem is ignorance of our true condition. I was looking for salvation from the version of myself I had created because I knew it was not the best version of who I was created to be. I believed my true identity was within me and meditation was the vehicle designed to take me to the source of salvation within me. I now realize that I was searching for the right thing in the wrong place.  Salvation is not within My body is influenced by the soul which in turn is influenced by the spirit, searching within means I was ultimately searching for the spirit to influence my external reality because I believed my spirit is the source of deliverance to my true identity . True identity is only uncovered when in alignment wi

LIFE LESSON: Obedience is better than sacrifice

Image
Lent is a period of 40 days during which denominational Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ. In the denominational church where I grew up this period is used as time to draw closer to the Lord through prayer, fasting, repentance, and self-denial. I never felt the urge to participate in this sacrifice even though many people around me participated. I did not see the value in it, I must admit at times I felt guilt especially when I saw those close to me actively participating but the guilt would be short lived. I don't think I understood what it was about and I failed to ask the right questions to the right people. Now that I am out of the denominational church and I am able to look at it as an outsider I understand that it is meant to be a sacrifice done to commemorate the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. It is a very noble sacrifice but it would have been an exercise in futility for me here is why. Sacrifice without obedien

LIFE LESSON: Embrace obstacles when on a journey towards extraordinary

Image
I started taking Formula 1 seriously when Lewis Hamilton came on the scene, he was the underdog at the time with a lot of voices rooting for him because he was disrupting the status quo as the first black F1 driver. When he started winning multiple championships this dynamic changed, a lot more voices against him came to the fore.His talent was now in question with many people suggesting he is not that talented he is just lucky to be in a good car. Here in South Africa when Patrice Motsepe took over the Mamelodi Sundowns football team there was a lot of support for him and his team because he had enough financial muscle to disrupt the dominance of local football from Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Mamelodi Sundowns have now exceeded the expectations of everyone they are now rewriting a lot of records but the tide has turned against them, they are now being accused of destroying local football. When I consider both these stories, I conclude that I should always be on the look out f

TESTIMONY: Learning begins when questioned not when taught.

Image
I had always made it my business to stay away from religious discussions with people who do not share the same beliefs as mine, because I was convinced that religious topics are a source of conflict and they should be limited to people with similar beliefs. When in social circles I would not venture into any religious discussion because it was my belief that it would not be good for peace and harmony. But in fact, the real reason for this stance had nothing to do with my interest in peace and harmony, it had to do with self perseverance. I did not know enough about my religious beliefs because they were not based on my own convictions or experience, they were based on the beliefs of the denominational church I grew up in.I did not want to put the teachings of my denominational church under scrutiny. I was more comfortable embracing the teachings as they have been taught to me. When my denominational church beliefs were unable to provide me with answers to difficult life situations I m

LIFE LESSON: To prove the invisible exists, live like it exists

Image
A few years ago a friend made this comment, “It would be so much easier to convince others God exists if he was visible”. He was saying this out of frustration because he could not convince his colleagues in an argument that God exists, because they said they would only believe it if they see him with a naked eye. When this statement was made I was still new in my faith and it bothered me because I would also be stumped if someone would ask me to prove the existence of God, I could point to created things but I knew it would not be enough. I had not thought about this in a while and when I revisited it recently I realized I still did not have a convincing response to a skeptic who would only be convinced of the existence of God when they see him in the flesh. This time I was not going to let it go, so I decided to dig a little bit deeper to find the right argument. We are made in the image of God God is a spiritual being which means he exists in a dimension superior to the natural dime

LIFE LESSON: The foundation of physical identity should be in the invisible realm

Image
I recently watched a documentary titled  A girl in the River . It is about a Pakistani woman who didn't know falling in love would mean death. But she survived and now takes us into the dark world of honor killings. In her community women are killed by their own family members  for dishonor when they marry into another family not approved by her family. When I was watching this I was horrified to see what human beings are capable of doing to each other, especially in this case where the culprits and victims are blood related. These crimes are committed because these men claim to protect the honor of their family name, in other words they believe their identity is more important than human life. It is easy to sit and judge the culprits harshly but I have elevated my physical identity above other human beings. I have elevated my manhood, my race and my citizenship above other human beings. Like these Pakistani men I am likely to turn to violence when when my identity is threatened, I