Before the Light is Down

“Greater is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof…”

It is often said that it is not how you begin that matters most, but how you end. It is good and very important to start well but perhaps more important is to end well.

As we look toward the end of this year and make plans for the beginning of the coming year, I want to urge you to do something. Just one thing.

I believe that you have taken stock of how the year have been (if you haven’t, please do that without any further delays) and you have counted your wins and your ‘lessons’ (no losses). However, there is still room for greater victories even in these final days.

I want you to look back at the whole year and pick out just ONE GOAL that you can still accomplish before the 31st night. It doesn’t have to be a big and mighty goal (if there is any such thing). It should just be a goal that will add an extra ‘feather’ to your hat in 2017.

It could be that book that you have always wanted to read, that old friend that you know you should reconcile with, or that hanging project that you can still quickly conclude within the next few days.

By all means legitimately possible, JUST DO IT!

It will give you such positive energy to kick start the new year and you’d be glad you did.

For me, there’s this one goal I’ll be ticking off my checklist this week. So keep your fingers crossed and #Anticipate.

Peter Akhere
#WiVirt

Cracking the Identity Riddle (4)

YOUR TRUE IDENTITY. – A spiritual perspective.

Since the beginning of this series, I have tried to establish the fact that our identity is not so much of what we have or have accomplished. But much more of where we’re from and the essence of our being. What we have or have accomplished comprise mostly of WHAT we are. But WHO we are is a function of our source, heritage and purpose.
So who are you (or am I) really? Let’s look at it from a spiritual perspective.

Man is not a ‘Physical’ being with a ‘Spiritual’ experience. Man is a Spiritual being with a Physical experience. We are first SPIRITS before we are humans. Hence our true identity is a spiritual one.
If you are in Christ Jesus – Born Again; then your identity is in Christ. (If not, I hope this post leads you to Christ.)

There are five (5) key aspects of your identity in Christ which you must know and always remember.
1. We are sons (and daughters) of the Living God. (John. 1:12)(1 Pet. 2:9)
You have your source in God, so your origin is Divine and hence your very essence.
2. Created in His Image and after His Likeness. (Gen.1:26)
You were designed with a form and functionality of divinity and that is why you too are a god. So your potentials are limitless. You are divine.
3. Made kings and a Priests unto God (Rev. 5:10)
You are royalty by heritage and priestly by imputed authority. So you can Decree as a king and Declare as a priest and Heaven will back it up. You are royalty.
4. With a mandate to reign and rule on earth. (Rev. 5:10)
The earth is your domain and all the elements of it are under your command. You are not subject to it but rather, it is subjected to you. The earth is your sphere of influence.
5. As ambassadors of the Heavenly Kingdom. (2 Cori. 5:20)
And we do all we do to ‘Re-Present’ God’s Kingdom. We are first and foremost Citizens of Heaven (God’s Kingdom), so we demonstrate our allegiance to that Kingdom.

However, to activate this identity in our everyday lives and see the manifestations of it, first you must get to know who you are in Christ. – knowledge is the key.
And if you are not yet born again, I invite you to make Jesus the Lord of your life. – Jesus is the Way. Then very importantly, you must THINK, SPEAK and ACT in the light of who you are.

What you think and say is what determines your reality. And how you act communicates that reality. Activate and Manifest your Identity.

God bless you.

Peter Akhere

WiVirt.

Cracking the Identity Riddle (3)

UNDERSTANDING YOUR UNIQUENESS – A physical and scientific point of view.

When I was a child, I was told that everybody had a duplicate somewhere else in the world. I was made to believe that God created us all in pairs and sometimes would put those pairs in the same womb to be born by the same woman, and that was the reason for occasional identical twins. (The theory could not explain that of identical triplets though…)
So as a child, I would often try to imagine where my other duplicate could possibly be in the world. What kind of family did he have? Were they rich or poor? Would we ever meet someday? And what would that kind of meeting be like? perhaps we could become best of friends when we finally meet.

But I was wrong to have believed that lie. Nobody is a duplicate of another, not even identical twins. We are all unique and original individuals. And this is a fact that is not only of spiritual and psychological basis, but also of physical and scientific basis.
There are about three major scientific identifiers that literally sets you apart from every other person on the surface of the earth.

1. Your DNA: without getting overly technical, your DNA can simply be referred to as your ‘biological signature’. It is a special encoding in your genes that is not replicated in anyone else. However, it usually has a similar pattern with that of your parents and ancestors. (That is why it is often used to determine proof of parenthood). This further goes to buttress the point that was made in the introduction, that your identity is linked to your Origin, life source and heritage. (Not your circumstances)
You have a unique DNA and that makes you unique.

2. Your Iris: This is a membrane in your eyes that helps to control the amount of light that enters your eyes and reaches the retina. It basically determines ‘how’ you see. But the function of this membrane (Iris) is not the focus here, but its uniqueness. It has been discovered that every individual has a distinct set of iris and it has even become commonly used as an access ‘code’ in high security facilities. No one, no matter how closely related to you has your exact iris.
This can analogously be used to represent your individual life perspective and vision. You have a unique visual perception. Nobody truly sees the world the way you do. Your Vision and life perspective is uniquely yours – And that makes you special.

3. Your Fingerprints: This is perhaps the most common scientific identifier which can even be observed with our physical eyes. No one else in the world has your exact fingerprints. It Is unique to you. Now, your hands and fingers can be said to be your first and natural ‘tools of work’. We were born with hands and fingers with unique prints. That let’s us know that everyone has a unique ‘tool patrern’ for his/her specific life assignment.
Nobody can do things exactly the same way you can. They may look alike, but they can’t be the same. Your fingerprints are unique. And that makes you unique too.

With these three basic identifiers, even scientists agree that you are unique. – Very Unique.
In my next post on this series, I’ll be talking about our spiritual identity in God.

God bless you.

Peter Akhere
#WiVirt.

Cracking the Identity Riddle (2)

The Importance of Knowing.

It is said, that “Ignorance is bliss”. But how ‘blissful’ is that bliss?
That’s a question we never can answer. Indeed, ignorance is a tragedy.

There are many things you can afford not to know about in life and be safe but your personal identity is certainly not one of them. When you do not know who you are, you stand the risk of believing that you are who you are not (I hope you got that.). When you do not know who you are, just about anyone can lead you astray. So why should you know?

Among other reasons are…

• Understanding your Uniqueness: when you come to know who you really are, with all of its facets, one of the fist things that become clear to you is that you are #Unique.
Your personal identity sets you apart from the crowd and gives you a sense of ‘specialness’. You are UNIQUE.

• Acknowledging your Authority: In Christian Jesus, we have authority. An authority that sets us above both physical and spiritual limitations, obstacles and even enemies. Even in the natural world, we have authority over the elements of this world. Understanding your identity AWAKENS you to the consciousness of this authority.

• Living with a Sense of Mission: When you know who you are, you also come to realise where you belong and where your life should be headed. And when you become INTENTIONAL enough to follow that path, you begin to live each day with a sense of Purpose and a sense of Mission. This means that your life is not just another jolly ride but one with a clear and definite destination (Goal).

These and many more reasons are why it is very vital to know, understand and live with a consciousness of who you truly are. – your Identity.

To be continued…

Peter Akhere
#WiVirt.

Cracking the Identity Riddle (1)

WHO ARE YOU?
Now this is a question that many have struggled to answer for many years. It has even been a constant reoccurring dilemma for humanity. – many are existing without a clear sense of who they really are (Identity) and why exactly they are here (Purpose).

While this series is not predominantly about purpose, we will see as we go along that a good understanding of identity almost always reveals your Purpose and vice versa.

So who are you?

Before you attempt to answer that question, let us quickly note here that there is a significant difference between ‘WHO’ and ‘WHAT’. So there is such a concept as ‘who you are’ as well as ‘what you are’.

Let us distinguish… (going beyond the surface meanings of the words)

‘WHO’ is a question of Inherent Nature, Origin, Heritage, Purpose and Function (Your assignment)

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” – (Mat. 16:13-17)

For emphasis: “Thou art the Christ (The Anointed One – talking about his inherent nature), the Son (positional heritage) of the living God (origin and source).” And Jesus later went on to establish his purpose and assignment on that premise.

‘WHAT’ on the other hand is a question of things and attributes that we acquire here on earth by virtue of the life we have lived thus far. Examples are achievements and possessions, titles and status, etc…

So when a man says “I am the managing director of XYZ Ltd”, he is simply referring to ‘what’ he is. – not who he is.
“I am the richest man in my country” is only telling you ‘what’ I am (in terms of financial attainment) – not who I am.
Even your name is (sometimes) not who you are. It’s merely a tag for addressing you.

To answer the question of ‘who you are’, you must first acknowledge your Inherent Nature and origin in God, your (spiritual) heritage and your purpose.

SOME KEY POINTS TO NOTE

‘WHAT’ is temporal and subject to change.
‘WHO’ is eternal and permanent.

‘WHAT’ is subjective. (It varies)
‘WHO’ is objective. (It’s constant)

Until you know who you are in God, it doesn’t really matter what you are; your life will be nothing more than a series of misguided adventures.

Do not be overly concerned about what you are (even though it is also important and has its place) that you forget WHO you are.

So again I ask, WHO ARE YOU?

…To be continued.

Peter Akhere
#WiVirt.