Hey peeps…how has it been? Well, Velli is good sha. I have to apologise for not being regular lately… been so busy. Looking at the subject today might give you the impression that Uchevelli has gone bananas upstairs… is he in any way talking about suicide?
About a year ago, one of my course mates who was already in his final year… had problems with a course … I don’t know the details, all I know was that he was facing some serious challenges, he was just a few units from graduating…when the final results came out… he failed a course (Industrial Attachment -IT)…which wasn’t an academic course…how can you fail a student because of IT, people pass it at the comfort of their homes… how much more…well he failed it twice simply because the lecturer felt that he could not prove that he actually undertook the exercise while in the UK. This was his second extra year…and he just couldn’t bear the idea of having to spend an extra semester (na normal thing for some people sha)… he couldn’t take it anymore.
How could you spend 7 years for a 4 year course? Well, UNILAG no be beans… I have seen people who spent a decade… just to get a degree…(I don’t mean a PhD) … I mean Bachelors Degree.
He went home that day…met his parents watching a Nollywood movie, he greeted warmly… got to his room to change…
The next thing his parents heard was a gunshot…from the room… it was later discovered that he went into his parents’ bedroom, got his father’s firearm and took his own life.
It was a sad news… and it got me traumatized for a while…. He was such a quiet, handsome and well mannered young man…always well dressed (very formal) and spoke very well, (he had this British accent).
I am not here to ask why it happened or who caused it… but all I can say is that God knows everything…some of you must have read about it in the papers…and for the people in Lagos or students in UNILAG, you know what am talking about…I don’t need to go further.
There is a big difference between “Kill yourself” and Kill Your Self”…
When you want to kill yourself… you are talking about suicide…killing yourself… taking your own life… which is sinful and very bad. I am not encouraging such acts…not at all. There is no reason on earth why you should take your own life… given to you by God. Who gave you the right to even think such…? God forbid.
I know people who are HIV positive… they are living happy lives today…. happily married with children (who are HIV free), I know people who have Cancer… and have been told their death dates…. But they are full of life… enjoying their moments with their loved ones… we still jam in the club from time to time... So what are we talking about? There is no excuse for such stupid actions….no justification whatsoever. Anyone who takes his or her own life will go to hell… that’s for sure.
Now… if you follow closely…you will see that the subject is “Kill Your Self”… which means something else. I am not an English major… but if you observe closely, you will see that the subjectc contains 3 different words (Kill Your Self) compared to the former which is 2 words (Kill Yourself).
The reason why am taking all this time to explain myself is because its so easy for some people to either quote or misquote me…looking at the controversial nature of what am talking about. Some years ago… (1993 or there about)…some youths shot a man in the US and claimed that they were inspired or influenced by a Tupac song… Nigga please!
A song made you shoot another man? Haba, I listen to that same song almost everyday o. So does that mean that my backyard should be a memorial park? Should that make me a killer? How come nobody has killed anybody from watching Rambo IV, Terminator or Jack Bauer in 24? With all the horror flicks we watch these days… nobody has claimed that they (the movies) influenced them to chop off other peoples’ body parts or become a menace to society. Why hasn’t anybody sued Jacky Chan or Jet Li for influencing them to beat up 20 people to a pulp…or for jumping off a 16 storey building… try am now.
Sorry for digressing… back to the subject again… what was it again?
As I was saying, when I say “Kill Your Self”, I mean that you have something that belongs to you, called “SELF” which you must kill… in order to live a life that can please God. It’s just like saying kill your goat, kill your cat, kill your pride… kill your Sinful nature, Kill Your SELF!
You have to kill the SELF in you…that is your own SELF … the SELF that belongs to you…by the way… What is SELF?
This is described as the Adamic nature, the sinful nature, the old man, the flesh, the carnal mind etc… There are many other words that are used to describe SELF.
They call it Old man because since you were born with this nature…it is as old as you are and probably knows you more than you even know yourself…but this new nature (of God) is still trying to grow, develop…and adapt to the hostile environment. The Old man knows all your strengths and weaknesses, the shortcuts to your soul… looking for ways to maintain control, but the nature went astray from the womb… you might claim that it’s the only life you know...Yes, but the final destination such a lifestyle would lead you to…is destruction. It is comfortable because you are so used to that way of life…but am telling you that it doesn’t lead to Heaven. So when I say kill your SELF … I mean killing that nature…putting to death all that is related to that sinful nature.
Romans (8:4-10) talks about SELF meaning hostility to God… explaining more about having to KILL YOUR SELF and replacing it with a new spirit. The (Holy) Spirit of God which will quicken your mortal bodies…or give life to your lifeless bodies…but first… SELF must die in you…it must cease to control your thinking, your actions, your emotions, your decision-making, in short… everything about you.
SELF is the nature you were born with… but in order to live a life that can please God… a transformation must have to take place, so that the old SELF will die and give room to a new SELF …controlled by the Holy Spirit, this connects us with Christ, gives us the right to become true children of God, making Jesus the first born among many brethren…in one big family.
It is this transformation that will give us a striking resemblance of Christ….. making people to call us “Christians” …. Meaning that we are “Christ-like”… (Romans 8: 16 -17). Romans 8:13 says “if you live in Self or in the flesh…you will surely die.”
Gal 5:19-26, Colossians 3:9-10… explains the attributes of SELF in the life of a man before the transformation…or before the encounter with Christ and the attributes of life after the encounter.
So, when I am talking about killing your SELF … we have to rid ourselves of this sinful nature if the sacrifice on Calvary would be of any significance in our lives. This sinful nature (the Flesh) makes it impossible for us as human beings to live a sinless life…
(Eph 4:22-31, Psalms 58:3, Jn 3:5-11)
A righteous life is only possible by His grace…and by receiving His Spirit (Conversion), then striving to learn of the Master, to be like Him, Act like Him and studying His ways and His Will for your life (Discipleship). These 2 steps are vital in the life of a true child of God; it’s usually a life long process…cos we learn every day…. And the transformation is gradual. Some people just get converted at crusades…and it ends there. You have to be nurtured until you are matured in the things of God…it is a never-ending experience.
In conclusion, whatever action or ideas that originates from the flesh or SELF is corrupt in the eyes of God ... and can never fulfill His purpose or Will.
Examples are as follows
Adam and Jesus,
Cain and Abel,
Ishmeal and Isaac,
Saul and David,
Esau and Jacob
The 10 (sons of Jacob) Brothers and Joseph, (Benji was not among cos he came after Joseph)
These are examples of those in the flesh and those chosen by God to fulfill His purpose on Earth…
These stories portray how those in the flesh worked contrary to the plan and purpose of God…without even knowing it… they thought they were doing the right thing. If you notice, those in the flesh came first; they are usually older, have more experience… than the chosen ones. They are usually SELF-imposing, SELFISH (think of themselves before anyone else), they usually embark on SELF-advocating plots to achieve SELFish motives which are usually contrary to God’s plan. They are usually SELF-centred, SELF-sustaining (instead of allowing God to do the Sustaining), SELF-absorbed (too busy with themselves), SELF-abused at times, SELF–asserting, SELF–conscious, SELF-made millionaires who at the end SELF-destruct… (I’d rather be a God-made Millionaire than be what the Bible calls a “Rich Fool”)
Well, if you really want to serve God…. You must “KILL YOUR SELF”, that is the only way to true salvation…, thanks for your patience… and stay blessed.
