Selfish Ambition

 Have you ever met someone, and one of the things that crosses your mind immediately is how this person can help you….. contribute to your business…..open doors for you…..

Yup, been there and done that. Many of us have as well and still do. When you meet someone, we think immediately, ‘How can this person be a channel of blessing to me.' The new member that just joins the Church is assessed for financial status;  the person you just met is assessed for what they do, who they know, their financial status – generally what do they have that can be of benefit to me.

It’s all about me – what I can get from this person/relationship. It’s rarely about what I can contribute into this person’s life; how can I be a blessing in their life. Yes, God uses people to bless us but this is not an excuse to deliberately assess people for what and how they can be a blessing to you. That is selfish ambition.

As I continue on the journey into spiritual maturity, I have had to deal aggressively with this attitude in myself. I had to transform my thinking with the help of the Holy Spirit to always think; ‘How can I be a blessing to this person,’ instead of the other way round.

 I use the word ‘aggressively,’ because I have come to understand that as long as we are in this earthly flesh, our sinful nature will continually try ( can only try because it no longer has authority over us) to rear it’s ugly head and you need to eliminate it with aggression. A soft approach would only lead to you giving in.

One of the results of giving in to our sinful nature is selfish ambition; ‘When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear…..selfish ambition’ (Galatians 5:19-20 NLT). And it is certain that, ‘anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.’ (vs. 21)

Apostle Paul was talking to the ‘born again’ Christians in Galatia. Even after being born again it is still possible to miss the Kingdom of God! My friends, all evidence of the sinful nature must be dealt with aggressively.

Thanks be to God that we have the Holy Spirit in us to guide our lives. You still have to make the choice though to, ‘…let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.’ (Galatians 5:16 NLT)

 Are you struggling with your sinful nature, renew your commitment to Jesus today and let the Holy Spirit guide every area of your life. Pray the following prayer and make the bold confession below;

Almighty God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my life. Give me the grace to say NO to all sinful desires and YES to the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let the fruit of the Spirit be evidenced in all areas of my life; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self control.

I confess that Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of my sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there (Galatians 5:24); I appropriate my authority in Jesus over all sinful desires in the name of Jesus. Amen

If this article has blessed you, I would love to hear your testimony so that we may together continue to offer praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. Write me at adeola@we-can-leadershipinstitute.com

SHALOM

Adeola Akintoye