1) The first distractions of the soul is FEAR.
Many people cannot venture out because of fear of the unknown. They keep thinking, “Will it work? Will it not work?” And they end up doing nothing.
“Wrong decisions don’t cost as much damage as indecision.” ~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Those who make wrong decisions are far better than those who never make decisions. People who make wrong decisions will eventually learn and redirect their steps. But those who never make decisions have no impact. They remain useless for the rest of their lives.
Most of the time, it is fear that tames people like that. One of the weapons Satan uses to enslave man is fear.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
A man can be subject to bondage all his lifetime, not because Satan is attacking him, but because he has too much fear to step out. In fact, when you say Satan is attacking him, Satan will be shocked, “I didn’t notice him around here.” Fear can immobilize a man. One of the reasons the Holy Ghost comes is to remove fear.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
A sound mind means the capacity not just to be inventive, but to take corresponding action.
2) The second distraction of the soul is LUST and CARNALITY.
Carnality makes it impossible for you to receive what God has really given you. With lust, you will journey to death on your own.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Some people think only in terms of evil or only in terms of logic. As a result, they cannot enter the realm of faith. Such people route 80% of their lives into the path of logic. The Bible says the just shall live by faith, but you find even some Christians living by logic.
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3) The third corruption of the soul is SELFISHNESS.
Some people only think about themselves. The Bible says if you have raiment, food, and somewhere to lay your head, you should be content with it. Some people cannot think about anybody else. It is always “me, I, and myself.” So, they become too small for God to give them His assignment, because anything God does is either global or transgenerational — “From Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.” The Bible says, “Whatsoever the Lord doeth, it shall be forever.”
A selfish mind cannot power an agenda that will be global and transgenerational.
Do you know what it takes to have something transgenerational? It means you will invest in people, and the impact will be so strong on them that they will tell it to their children and their children’s children.
There are people who, if you did not show up, would not have been educated. You educated them when it was difficult. But now that you have educated them, education has opened doors of opportunity for them. On the strength of that opportunity, they become empowered. And so, if their children and their children’s children are empowered, guess what? The outcome of the generations of that family is because of the sacrifice you made to pay that person’s school fees.
Those who are selfish can never have a global or transgenerational impact, and the devil knows that. The Bible says in Isaiah 60:15, “You were a desolate land. No man went through you. I have made you an eternal excellency, the joy of many generations.” Satan can stop you from becoming the joy of many generations by planting selfishness into your mind. The moment it is about others, you are offended. But when it is about you, you are full of excitement.
4) Number four, the corruption of the soul is PRIDE.
It entails pride and the pride of life. Pride is putting your trust in yourself and, on the strength of that, becoming lifted or high-minded. The pride of life is defining your values based on what you have. Both of them are poisonous.
We are not built to depend on ourselves. The Bible says, “It is not given to man that walketh to order his steps.” God is not saying, “Don’t be wise, don’t be hardworking, or don’t be productive.” But He is telling you that whatever you do, remember the Lord your God; it is He that giveth thee power, not just to get wealth, but to succeed in everything you are doing. So, if you have a high IQ, pass exams, become creative and productive, you will never say, “It is of myself.”
The Bible says, “Tell them that are rich in this world to be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” Watch, let God remove grace from your life, and you will see how helpless you can be. Even the empowerment you are talking about — God is the one strengthening you. Paul said in Philippians 2:13, “It is God that worketh in me.”
If you get to the point where you say, “It is by my own strength,” the Bible calls you a fool. That is the calamity of the rich fool. He said, “I have filled my barns. Now I will rest.” And God said, “Tonight your life will be required of you. Since you think you are so strong, we will call you back to heaven.” And he went to heaven and discovered that even the ability he had was God’s. So, pride is corruption. But unfortunately, that is what defines humanity: “I can, I can, I am this, I am that.”
A man’s value is not in the multitude of his possessions. You are bigger than your watch. You are bigger than your car. You are bigger than the clothes you are wearing. You are bigger than your bank account. That is why you are the one who owns those things; those things do not own you. But when the pride of life overtakes you, you are no longer the owner of your property — your property owns you. And we see many people whose planes own them, whose cars own them, whose watches own them. Such people are suffering from corruption in their souls.
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5) Number five, the corruption of the soul is WICKEDNESS.
Some people think only evil of others. When you succeed, instead of celebrating with you, something goes off inside them: “Look at that one. That’s how they do, and they go nowhere.” Don’t find yourself in that place where you are not sincerely happy about the progress of others. You may not have it yet, but by blowing out another man’s candle, yours will not come on. In fact, the hope that yours might come on faster is if your neighbor’s own is lit.
Because you are struggling in ministry, nobody else should do well. When you see a man succeeding, you say, “Look at them, they didn’t go through due process. When did he start his ministry that he is world-renowned? That must be a fake preacher.” Because you are not married, nobody should be married. Because somebody is celebrating and planning for marriage, you lock the door and start crying, “God, look at me. Look at me. Why am I like this?” So, somebody else’s success haunts you!
In fact, some people are in their best mood when all of them sit down, and nothing is working — they are like crabs. “Let’s all cry together, but nobody will rise.” If you want to rise, they will use all their strength and pull you down.
Somebody experimented: put crabs in a basket, and none went out. If you try to go out, your colleagues will pull you back: “All of us will die here.” So we are comfortable if we all die, but if one rises, then the rest gang up against that one. The Bible says there is no place for the wicked.
If you allow evil to enter your heart, it will kill you. Why do you think sicknesses like high blood pressure are on the rampage now? It is not Satan. They went on Instagram, saw all their schoolmates doing well, and because their schoolmates are doing well, they are no longer doing well. Even though God is helping them in other areas, they now hate it.
A pastor has 200 people in his church, but because he saw that his friend who started ministry has 2,000, he comes to church and hates the whole 200 of them. It is called evil. It is wickedness, and the danger of wickedness is that it will kill you. Do you think most of the messages preachers are preaching today are revelations? They sit down, gang up, speak evil about other preachers, and then come to the altar and make it look like rhema. Nobody talks about those who are not succeeding. But if you are doing well, make one mistake, and they will amplify it.
6) Number six, corruption of the soul, is RELIGION.
Religion is dead works — serving the spirit by the energy of the flesh so that you take glory for it. It is trying to please God by your own ability and not by His grace. That was the undoing of the Pharisees. They prayed long prayers and stood at street corners. Prayer for them was about length, not about relationship, and not about advancing God’s agenda.
Jesus despised them because it was about self, not about God. They wanted to score points with God. Never find yourself in a religious place. Everything we do here is the assignment God has given us, and we do it by the grace given to us. If you think it is because you are better, that is why you are doing it, then you have entered religion, and it is called dead works.
If you think, “I am doing it so well by my ability and God should notice me,” you are in trouble. God appreciates what you are doing and will reward you, but you must understand that we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the excellence might be of God and not of man. Otherwise, you will become like the Pharisees.
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7) Number seven corruption of the soul is DISTRACTIONS.
Distraction looks as though it is not a sin, but it is one of the most dangerous corruptions of the soul. The percentage of people who are going nowhere due to distractions is enormous. That is why you see some very talented people going nowhere, even after many years.
I once watched a race between a rat and a turtle. When the race started, the rat took off. It could run twenty times faster than the turtle. But guess what? The rat would run straight, then go right, then go left, and then come back. The tortoise kept moving slowly and steadily. After a while, the turtle crossed the finishing line while the rat is still running to this day. That is the undoing of many.
1 Kings 20:39 tells of a parable a prophet gave to a king: “My lord, I was in battle and a man came to me and gave me a man, saying, ‘Keep him. If you lose him, it shall be at the expense of your life.’” He said, “As I was busy here and there, I lost him.”
There are people here and there who are busy doing nothing. They attend weddings, show up in suits looking for seats where relevant people are, and sit down asking, “What is going on?” The world calls them “jack of all trades, master of none.” Anything you are doing, they are in front of you. Something inside them will not let them rest. They are peacockish kind of people, and they end up not winning anywhere. If you will have dominion, you must be focused. It doesn’t matter what you have — talent and grace are useless where there is no focus.
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Inspired by Apostle Michael Orokpo Sermon
