THE LIFELESS LIFE (The Diamond We've Ignored For Too Long)

How would I explain this? Lifeless life. Literally, it would mean life without life, and this explanation would sound interestingly ambiguous! But it fits; yet some curious minds would further ask: can there be a life without life in it? And to this question, I would humbly give the answer, 'Yes please, there can be.' Naturally, I would've loved for the argument to end there. But if further questions are curiously asked, this will be my explanation...

I believe that life is anything that gives another thing life; that helps that thing to live. Therefore a lifeless life is a kind of life which has nothing in it that keeps it alive (moving, growing, making progress). By ordinarily extending this fact to this life we live, my conclusion will be: a lifeless life is a life without RISKS. And this opens another gate for thought-provocation. Before I go deeper, I shall define risk (which I call life) as any sort of possible outcome which appears dangerous, and normally is.

My argument is still that: a lifeless life is a life without risks. We naturally think of risk-taking as the act of putting one's life in danger, especially for an event whose outcome is either unknown, or rather known to be negative. And most of us believe that it is bad. A rational human being must never try that. For example, he should not invest his capital into a kind of business he hasn't tried before because it could lead to failure. And it is the absence of the risk-taking spirit that makes our lives lifeless (no movement, no growth, no progress).

You know what will happen to our lives? We would sit down lazy, because we think our adventure could lead to a failure. We would sit down unconcerned, because after all, someone said he is not sure we can succeed. And that, in reality, would blindfold us from opportunities, achievable opportunities! Our lives would not encounter problems, and we wouldn't have any experience at all. Finally we'd end up naive, without any backbones.

I have said in one of my quotes before, that "If you take the risk, you will meet a challenge. The challenge will force you to search for a solution. And when you search for the solution, you will find it. You will sweat though, but you'll gain all the same. It is better that way, than to sit down lazy, and gain nothing." But listen! When you see danger, never mistake it for a risk. Jumping into the sea for your latest iPhone is a danger. Likewise, spending millions of dollars on a woman who isn't your wife (yet) with the hope of winning her heart is a waste, not a risk. Please open your eyes, and use your mind.

So, how do we see RISKS now? As some bad fatal things? No, not at all. Each risk (not danger) is a kind of eye-opener which introduces us to billions of ways to succeed in life. Some people take it and succeed. Others do, and fail. It still does not mean a risk is bad. That fellow who took it and failed is many times better than the one who didn't, and ended up with nothing. A life without risks (those things that keep us struggling and growing) is lifeless. I rest my case now.

ISAAC ESSOUN
Image credit: Pinterest

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BITTERSWEET INGREDIENTS (You Need Them. You Really Need Them)

If anybody tells you that whatever you're going through today is preparing you for something bigger tomorrow, please, believe him. I want to add, that even when you don't personally think it could be possible, especially by judging with your insurmountable predicaments, still believe him if he says so. This is a natural truth, and there is no respect for persons in its fulfilment. Actually, it is those who believe and work towards it that enjoy it. Let me clarify it for you with one important observation I have made over the years...

My mother's only daughter is a baker. When I was young, I used to wonder how she got bread out of flour. Usually, she made me escort her to the flour mill, and I saw how the flour was forced through the mill. They would occasionally sprinkle water on it to make it soft and smooth and elastic. She also added nutmeg and yeast to it while in the mill. The flour suffered.

After milling it, the flour would be transformed into a large blob, and then she'd take it home to knead it. I observed in the process, that she would be cutting and moulding it into different sizes and shapes while kneading. And the flour suffered it all. Later, as if it isn't enough, she'd heat the oven, and the soft leavened flour would be pushed inside. And then, the oven would be closed. Heat! Unbearable heat!

That is how the flour suffers and goes through many tough times. Can you compare it to your own situation there, dear one? It is similar, very similar. But listen to this: the reason why I told you to believe anybody who tells you there're better days ahead, is what happens to the bread soon after few minutes in the oven. We suddenly smell a mouthwatering aroma, and it is the bread! Then you and I would be planning on what breakfast we'd add. The bread has become beneficial to human being. It has become worthwhile.

And this is exactly what I mean. We would have to go through a challenging lot. We should bear heavy burdens. Even sometimes, we'd need to suffer bodily pains (hunger, thirst, even sicknesses). In our Christian lives, we should see trials and persecutions. In our academic and business pursuits, we should suffer failures. All these are the milling, nutmegs and yeast, the kneading and cutting, and even the heat we'll need to bring out our worth. Without them, we can't make progress. But believe me, the end is always sweeter.

ISAAC ESSOUN

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HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE

One couple, in real life, once lived their marital life in bittersweetness, even in painful poignancy. When I heard this story, I described their marriage life as one which is rather fraught by reason of their impatience and lack of contentment in life.

God had blessed them with children: more than four females. Naturally, this happens sometimes, although some couples often pray for a mixture of males and females. Personally, I think children are children, whatever their gender. But this couple, out of dire need of male children, soon grew tired of childbirth, and decided finally to quit the process.

But man is not wood. So, mistakenly, the man eventually dropped a seed. As for this pregnancy, they thought they would terminate it. After all, weren't they going to produce a female? But they don't want a female. They need a male. So husband suggested abortion, and wife agreed, and they did it. Pathetic!

But my question is, why? Why at all would a couple do this wicked thing? It is good to have male children, but are females unnecessary after all? Never. With the right training, most of them can even rise up and play roles men are capable of. This couple didn't give this a thought, and murdered an innocent soul. Can I tell you something? The baby they aborted was a male!

Isn't this life painful, that that which some couples are looking for, others got it, but have foolishly wasted it? Isn't this life painful, that the gift God graciously blesses people with, they ungratefully reject it, and grieve God's heart thereby? How about those who have no children at all? And how about those who are still wasting millions of dollars just for a single baby but unsuccessful?

My mother had eight males and a female. Today she says she has never regretted this gift God gave her. Some have all males, others get all females. But it doesn't matter. Our point of happiness should rest in the fact that what we have today, others are dying for them. Work hard, and push each one of them to a better place. And they shall take care of you. Half a loaf is, and will always be better than none. Ponder on this.

ISAAC ESSOUN

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READ THIS BEFORE YOUR NEXT PRAYER (A Secular Necessity)

Prayer, everybody's act of communicating with his or her object of worship, is a very important tool in the lives of human beings, you and I and everyone else inclusive. So we pray in times of need. Some think it shows spirituality; others believe it shows piety. Other people even think it is a mark of holiness. But whether true or false, I believe the most important aspect of it is the results it produces. Some pray and get results; others do and see nothing. On the part of the latter, whose fault is it? Is it God's? Is it theirs? Read on and find out the secret behind this.

Truth is one, dear one. And I will never hide it from you. It is not just enough to simply pray in your room or in the church. It is not enough to join other believers and pray your heart out. It is not enough to go and see your man of God to pray for you. This is not exactly that which will bring the answer. Most of us also try to apply faith. In fact, faith is absolutely indispensable in prayer if only we want answers. But it is not enough to pray in faith only. If you love truth, then I need to let you know that, another indispensable element in prayer is the state of our hearts. It is as important as faith!

We want miracles. We want healing. We want prosperity, and even long life. We pray in faith. We fast, yet our hearts are dirty. We will not get answers. We pray in tongues. We pray very hard. We even cry to God, yet we have possessions and we don't help the poor. God will not answer. We move from places to places, even from our own churches to other churches. We meet people who say they're prophets of God. They take our monies and give us directions to follow, yet some of us are committing adultery. Our prayers are useless.

So as you can see, it is actually not a matter of religion. It is not about how powerful your man of God is. This is a secular necessity. Even if you get results by virtue of the faith of your man of God, the problem will persist still if you keep on doing what causes it. Generally, it is sin that causes almost all the problems we face in life. So when you pray and you want answers, search your heart diligently, and let God remove every bit of dirt (and I mean sin) from it, and then, apply faith. This is the secret to answers to prayer. For such prayers, even if the answer tarries, it will surely come.

Are you a real believer who is saved from sin? Do you have true love in your heart for your brother? Do you find it difficult to forgive when you're offended? Do you visit the needy and the poor and do them good? If all is right in our hearts, we may not even need to go and see our man of God or any person who calls himself prophet to pray for us. We are also believers. We are also children of God. We would simply have to pray and apply simple faith. And that is how the answers will come. May the good LORD be with you as you ponder on this. Amen.

ISAAC ESSOUN

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THE SECRET BEHIND FACEBOOK 'LIKES'

FACEBOOK has recently become a very popular social media website. And it is the most highly populated and fastest growing platform worldwide. It's been able to bring the world very close to people, and helped significantly in the dissemination of information and entertainment around the globe. You and I are users thereof. We write posts, we interact with people, and people react to our activities, mostly by 'Liking'. But truth is, Facebook causes most of its users emotional problems which must be consciously avoided. And I believe this is worth sharing with you.

The first truth is that, Facebook causes you to over-judge how happy you think other people are, and this leads to self underestimation, and even depression. You need to understand that everyone tries to look their best when taking a photo. And in about 92 percent of the photos and videos your friends post (as per my personal observation and estimation), the smiles they wear on their faces are worn during that shot. Whenever you see that photo, you tend to think they're still smiling. No they are not still smiling. Maybe they are even crying that particular moment.

The way they are feeling in that moment is not even the most important issue here, but the way you sometimes try to react. After liking or loving the photo, you also try to post a similar photo to look as good as him or her, in order to win 100k likes like them. Is that important at all? Are we trying to challenge them? Sometimes we write articles and post news. And we try to sound very ridiculous and provocative all in the name of likes. Is that important after all?

The bottom line is that you cannot win each Facebook user's reaction to your posts. Even if you boost a particular post, you may reach the required number of audience, but not every one of them would react. But the truth is that they will appear in your news feed, and each one of your friends who goes online will see them. As at 10 or 15 likes that you think only few people have seen your post, in reality, about 1k friends have viewed it. All of them can't react, remember. So keep calm. Don't feel any pressure. And don't post what you need not post because of 'Likes'. Don't post lies. If you aren't happy and you post a picture to deceive people about your real feelings, that does not automatically make you happy.

If you post truth, keep on posting it. Not all thumbs will hit the 'Like' button, but all eyes that need to see it will see it. Only be real.

ISAAC ESSOUN

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AWAKENING OUR DEATH-CONSCIOUSNESS

I have, in my write-ups, paid close attention to the issue of 'death' for some time now. I have deliberately discussed it in detail, and pointed out some important realities about it. In this episode, I seek to raise the consciousness of my audience (your consciousness) about it. It is not to threaten or make you feel scared or uncomfortable: it is to reveal to you or perhaps remind you, about the reality of DEATH.

What do I mean by consciousness? And why consciousness of nothing but death? We know a lot about death. At least we've heard several stories about it and seen it take away billions of people, even some relatives of ours. However, we haven't ourselves experienced it before. Also, it occurs in divers forms: it could be through accidents or natural deaths. But as we move up and down day by day on this earth, how death-conscious are we?

How often do we think about it? We seem to think more about life and long life than about death. We seem to believe that we will live long but doubt that we may die soon. But why? Are we afraid of death? Do we think our constant thinking about it will rather facilitate our death? The answer is, 'No'. It is not to feel fear; it is not to shorten our days. The real essence of being death-conscious is PREPARATION, on our part. To be death-conscious is to remind oneself that death is certain, therefore one must prepare for it. It is to remind onself that death could be closer than one imagines it. And that reminder, is what you are reading now...

We know that we shall one day die, but we don't know when. We have personal or family doctors, but they also can't tell when we shall breathe our last breath. How and where exactly our death will occur, we don't know. This is a mystery! And the mystery calls for preparation both physically and spiritually. Have we secured our wills? Are we saved? Maybe we have. Maybe we have not. So we should act. And we should act now. We should make our wills, and seek salvation.

This is because we don't know when death shall occur. We should not trust so much in our possessions and our billions of dollars amassed in the bank, or in the prophecies of some false prophets. They cannot buy us life. Nothing can change the fact that we shall die: because we really must die, and surely shall die. But the most important thing is the preparation before death. It should be quick. It should be now. Maybe we are left with just a day...

ISAAC ESSOUN

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JUNE: A MONTH OF REFLECTION (Friend, So Far, How Far?)

It's been a while now: six months ago since the year began. There are six other months ahead to be spent, and then, this year will finally end. At the end thereof, we shall assess our lives. But even before we get there, there are assessments to do - assessment of vows and plans we made from the beginning, assessment of goals ahead, assessment of self...

I call June 'a month of reflection'. But in what sense? I mean reflection of the past. Now half of the year is gone. We said we will do a lot of things - a lot of projects for ourselves, our families, and our nation. We said by this time of the year we must have made some achievements. We said we must have enriched our bank accounts with certain sums of dollars... But, how far?

Have we made the achievements? Are we halfway through? Are we progressing? Are we retrogressing? Are we at a standstill? What is wrong? Maybe nothing is wrong. Maybe something is wrong. What is the cause? Are we the cause? Is someone or something else the cause?  What are we doing about it? Friend, this is what I mean by REFLECTION.

Just look back. Look around you. Look within you. Think deeply. Try to remember the zeal and hope you began the year with. The resolution, the promises, the passion. Is it the same now? It seems to have waned a little, perhaps. Therefore there is the need for a rekindle. There is the need for a change of plans, strategy, or a change of attitude...

Laziness, nonchalance, indecisiveness, pessimism, despair, hatred, greed, drunkenness, theft, meanness, ingratitude, disrespect, pride, riotous living, impatience, dishonesty, prayerlessness, bad friendship, corruption... If we have seen any or many of these in our lives, then that is the problem! Therefore there is the need of  a change of attitude.

We need to hope, love and work hard. We need to focus on the goals we set. There may have been disappointments and other setbacks. Let us lay them aside, and fight on. Let us not leave God out. That would be deadly. Let us gather some hope, and finish the journey ahead. We are able. We can achieve the rest. God is our strength. This year will end well. Amen.

ISAAC ESSOUN
(By God's grace)

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RICHEST CREATURES

The richest creatures are not men: they are termites. In the end, they receive the richness of men. Even if termites miss his soul, they'll never miss his rich body and his great brain. Because of this, I will never be proud or contemptuous: I know as I speak now, my masters are waiting for me, in the grave...

Isaac Essoun

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DEADLY LIES

One driver, through a phone call lied to his friend who was anxiously waiting for him elsewhere: "Oh Friend, I am just close by. I'll be with you very soon." After this lie, he drove like a crazy man, for he was about 20km away from his friend. The driver lost his life in a dangerous collision in the end, for driving recklessly. It is not the reckless driving that killed him; it is the lie he told.

Your own smartness can kill you: so love truth, and live longer.

Isaac Essoun

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CONTENTMENT

The problem is not about your neighbour having something you do not have. The problem is about you, refusing to understand that what your neighbour has is for him, and not for you. The problem is about you, refusing to understand that your own time will come. Once you overcome these two problems, fellow, you are the happiest man!

Isaac Essoun

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LONG LIFE

Long life is STILL determined by obedience to parents, in the Lord. Nothing has changed.

Forget about a healthy lifestyle: I mean money, a personal or family doctor, good food, regular bodily exercises, regular check-ups at the hospital, and personal hygiene. You will still die prematurely if you do all these, and yet disobey your parents in the Lord, including all elderly persons.

Do not underestimate the Bible: truth is truth...

Isaac Essoun

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A DIAMOND IN ME

I do not think about what I have or what I do not have. I do not bother about what I have lost or what I may gain. I am never anxious of who my caretaker would be, should I lose my all.

The reason is, whatever I am is sufficient for me. I am what I need. There is a diamond inside me, that is why...

Isaac Essoun

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SUICIDE

Hey, WAIT!

Do not do it.

There is hope for you.

Amen...

Isaac Essoun

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SAY NOTHING...

Once I was conversing with one fellow. He kept quiet after talking. I looked sharply at his face for a cause, and understood that he had nothing else to say. After some minutes of silence from both of us, I began to feel uneasy. I began to feel that I needed to say something, but I had nothing on my mind to say. So I forced myself to talk. I talked and talked for hours. In the end, I unconsciously revealed a serious secret to him: a secret I had jealously guarded for years. He only nodded, got up, and walked away. Then I was left there, speechless.

This is how secrets get revealed. So if you have nothing to say, say nothing. No one will harm you.

Isaac Essoun

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BETTER THINGS AHEAD

When I was very young, I desired and dreamt of a lot of good things. I wondered if I would ever get them. Today, how those things came my way, I cannot even tell.

My observation is this: whenever I desire anything in my heart, I do not get it immediately. It takes time, but still comes.

And, when it finally comes, I only smile and say, "Thank you, God. More better things to come..." And they come, and will come. I know.

Isaac Essoun

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WALK IN YOUR OWN PACE

When others run so fast without spending even a second to think twice, do not worry, or think you are last.

Just walk slowly in your own pace, and you will still reach where you're going to.

The only difference is that they will reach first, and you may reach last.

But who knows, if they will fail just after reaching first? And who knows, if you will succeed by reaching last?

Isaac Essoun

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START DOING SOMETHING

Are you sitting down comfortably, still imagining that your future is bright?

Your destiny is not in your imaginations. It is not in what you think or feel you will become. It is not in what you wish you could become. Not even in what your pastor or spiritual leader says you will become. It is in what you decide on, and what you do with your life.

What are you doing to help yourself?

What are you deciding on today?

Isaac Essoun

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HEARTFELT PRAYER (Part 2)

I pray, O Lord, for all the needy families in the world. Out of thy abundance, provide for them, bountifully.

I pray for all widows and all orphans, worldwide. Look, Father, with compassion at them, and comfort them, graciously.

I pray for all persons; Black or White; rich or poor; young or old; in the whole world, who are handicapped in any way. O Lord, show them mercy, Be their help, mercifully.

Amen...

ISAAC ESSOUN

(By God's grace)

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HEARTFELT PRAYER (Part 1)

I met one young boy on the street, crying. I drew closer to him, and asked what was wrong with him. He sobbed and said:

"I walk up and down on this street, daily. I have nothing to eat and nothing to put on my feet. I have nowhere to sleep. Here is my sleeping place. I have no one to take me to school. I have no one to feed me. I have no caretaker. I am an orphan. I have no family. Sir, please, I have no hope."

I looked at him. He was famished. At that point, there was nothing I could do: so I gave him the money I had on me, and then told him to take care. But as I left him to go, I prayed in my heart for him:

"Have mercy on him, God. Be his caretaker. Be his family. Be his hope. Amen..."

ISAAC ESSOUN

(By God's grace)

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NEVER GIVE UP

It does not matter how the world sees you, or what people think you are. It does not matter the society in which you find yourself, or your social status. It does not matter your physical handicap, or even its severity.

What matters most is the inner drive that tells you that, whatever your hand touches shall prosper. What matters most is your hard work and perseverance till you succeed. What matters most, is your ability to depend solely on God and say, "Father, thy will be done."

If you do not give up, you will succeed.

ISAAC ESSOUN

(By God's grace)

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