Factors That Destroy Christians
1) Worldly Desire (Excessive Pleasure)
Some people have allowed desires to rule over them.
1 Timothy 5:6: “But he that liveth in pleasure is dead while he liveth.”
Matthew 13:22: “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
The Bible calls those thorns the pleasures of life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the cares of this world. Pleasures are thorns; they will choke your destiny.
1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
God is not against pleasure. God wants us to enjoy life. However, enjoyment and pleasure can become idolatry. Somebody can fly every weekend, either to the Bahamas or to the Seychelles, to just lie by the pool or relax on the blue beach. Most of our leaders seem to have relocated the constituency; it sank into the sea of the Bahamas. It has made them heartless. Every weekend, a Senator is in Dubai or the Bahamas, going there to have fun. This is somebody who should be fighting for his constituency. He finishes his term and bribes his way back into office again. He spends eight years in office, yet there is no road, no light, and no water, but he is still called Senator. Because the people have been impoverished, they have no choice but to continue hailing the Senator in case he gives them crumbs.
1 Timothy 6:17: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”
2) Worry and Anxiety
Some people get so anxious, you would think they were about to develop high blood pressure. The moment they hear that the standby generator is running out of fuel, they start panicking and saying, “What happened? We need light!” Some people move up and down as if the rapture is about to happen.
Some are so worried that when you ask, “What is it?” they say, “I lost my keys.” It is because of lost keys that they are running up and down. Do you look for keys by running or by thinking?
Some people are depressed for no good reason. Somebody wanted to invite me for a meeting in July 2026, but we were still in early 2025. I picked up my phone and saw ten missed calls. I asked him, “Is there an emergency?”
He replied, “Man of God, what’s up? What about the upcoming meeting in 2026?”
I exclaimed, “2026? And 10 missed calls? Okay, I will call you back. I thought there was an emergency.”
He agitated again, “Apostle, who will you come with? What food will you eat?”
How can someone be agitated about a meeting in 2026 when we are still in early 2025? I told him not to bother me anymore because I had a lot of things to focus on.
When you see people running, do not join them immediately. Wait and ask what is going on. Some people are running and creating pandemonium for no reason.
Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Matthew 6:27: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
This does not mean you should be careless or irresponsible. However, you should not exaggerate situations through your reactions. If you panic over every little issue, depression may come into your life. It might become a psychological habit that begins to dominate you.
I have seen people become so alarmed over the smallest things. At the slightest problem, they start crying out, “Oh no, I’m finished! I’m dead!” They magnify the issue in their minds and create unnecessary fear and anxiety. It is important to remain calm, assess the situation properly, and respond wisely rather than react in panic.
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3) Busyness
Some people are always busy with one thing or another. Remember, there is a time for everything. Do not be lukewarm or lackadaisical. But be structured in your operation.
1 Kings 20:39–40: “Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, ‘Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, “Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.” While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.’ Then the king of Israel said to him, ‘So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.’”
“As I was busy here and there!” Some people are doing everything at the same time. You cannot do everything because your name is not Elohim. Even God, who is God, created one aspect of creation on a day and left the rest for the following days.
Myles Munroe taught us many years ago that the secret of productivity is prioritization, organization, and discipline. When you have an array of things to do, select the ones that are important because not everything is important. When you have selected what is important, then identify what is urgent. Organize based on urgency. Some things can be done in the morning or evening. But other things can only be done in the morning. Therefore, move the flexible tasks so that you have time for the essential ones.
Discipline is a self-imposed restriction. When you prioritize and organize, follow through. However, some people are everywhere. They major in the minor because they have no priorities.
4) The Love of Money
While money is very important, be careful not to let it take hold of your heart. You might lose your values because you will compromise everything for money. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.
Make as much money as you can for destiny and Kingdom advancement, but do not let money become your focus and priority. A point will come when the love of money will take you away from everything—God, family, and friends.
If you love money, it will become your master. No one can serve two masters: God and mammon.
5) Visionless Relationships
You will find some people whose friends have nothing to do with their calling. Someone says he is an apostle, but 90% of his friends have nothing to do with ministry. Such a person will soon go blank. Someone says he is a businessman, but 70% of his friends have nothing to do with business. Therefore, all the time he spends with them, they are not discussing business but football and betting. They are not discussing anything that will inspire him. Rather, they are waiting for him to bring the little money he has saved so they can spend it on alcohol.
Relationships can be very important and strategic, but many relationships are useless. The reason many people cannot go far is that almost all their relationships are useless.
If you need somebody to give you the word of the Lord or pray with you, and you scroll through your phone and cannot find three or four people, you are in a community of fools. If you need somebody to lend you a million naira and cannot find one person, or you need somebody to encourage you in the day of trouble and cannot find two people, then be reminded that you do not have friends but a community of fools. And the first of those fools is you.
If you say, “I have five foolish friends,” you counted wrongly; you are actually six.
Do not gather yourself around people going nowhere in the name of a pity party. Select your friends. Do not stumble upon somebody on the street and call him a covenant brother. Choose your friends. There should be parameters for choosing friends.
The fact that you like somebody does not mean they can come into your space. Like them for that moment, depart, and focus on your life.
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6) The Fear of Man
This is still part of relationships. Do not come to a point where you do something simply because you want somebody’s approval; you will become a slave. The Bible says if you seek the honor of men, how can you receive the honor that comes from God?
Galatians 1:10: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
I work with people in the Church. We do the work of God because of His Word. It is not because of my approval as an Apostle. They are doing what the Word says. It is Jesus who approves, and not me, Apostle.
But if you degrade to a level where you do things merely for me as an Apostle, then you are becoming a sycophant, and you will waste your life. Do not submit yourself to living for another man’s approval. Let it be the approval of the value and principle that define the relationship, so that there will be honor and order.
Do not surround yourself with people going nowhere, or you will end up going nowhere yourself.
2 Corinthians 6:14: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
Amos 3:3: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
In my life as an Apostle, 90% of the people who are close to me are going in the same direction.
Some people will call you from nowhere and want to take you out of your destiny for two weeks because of a birthday party. I cannot leave my city to attend a birthday party in another city or country. I would rather support them financially and focus on my life. Those who live near you can celebrate the birthday with you. I will support you with money only.
7) Sin and Disobedience
Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Do not let sin take control of your life. Do not make your Christian walk a constant cycle of “Lord, I’m sorry,” only to repeat the same mistakes again and again.
Consider those of us who preach week after week. Imagine if a preacher became involved in immorality. The ministry will sink. Even before facing public consequences, you would have to deal with the burden of a troubled conscience. There are certain messages a preacher cannot preach if he lives carelessly. That is why you need to pray and trust God to uphold you. Do not fall into sin carelessly.
Many aspects of your life will stop functioning properly if sin enters; You will be shocked at how quickly your career can turn upside down. You will not easily rise in prayer or break into favor anymore. You may need three weeks to purge your conscience meanwhile you need favor that very week. Because of sin, your soul cannot ascend freely. Your life will become bumpy, then rocky, and after a while, you will begin to sink.
8) Baseless Arguments and Genealogies
Somebody called me and said he wanted to prove to me that Adam was not the only man on earth. And that there were already men on earth, which was why God hid Adam in the Garden of Eden. He asked who the men were that God warned not to kill Cain. He argued that if there were no other men on earth, why did God put a mark on Cain?
I asked him, “Does that add to salvation? Does that build character? Does that trigger anointing?”
Have you not met people who engage in such arguments? They do not understand salvation. They do not know the doctrines that build godly character. They do not have revelations that trigger power. It is the grey areas of Scripture they want to emphasize.
One person told me he wanted to show me how angels were created. Do not waste your time on such things. Know where you are going and focus on it.
1 Timothy 1:4: “…nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”
Do not give yourself to endless genealogies, for such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s kingdom.
Titus 3:9: “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.”
Somebody called me to prove that the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis chapter 6 were fallen angels. He started talking about the sons of Seth and the fallen angels, mentioning names such as Shemihazah and Baraqiel. What do those names have to do with salvation? He pronounced them in a Hebrew manner, apparently to make me think he was knowledgeable and well-versed in the subject.
9) Unregulated Media Engagement
This is killing Gen Z and Gen Alpha generations. Some people hold their phones from morning till night. They are not studying. They are not researching. They are either watching movies or scrolling endlessly.
There is what they call mindless scrolling. They scroll from top to bottom, and when they can no longer scroll, they refresh and start scrolling again. The grave is no longer six feet below; the grave is now in the hands of men. They do it until they develop headaches.
Use your gadgets, but there should be regulations; If you do not regulate your media consumption, it will consume your time, weaken your focus, and rob you of your productivity and purpose.
Inspired by Apostle Michael Orokpo Sermon
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