LAYING THE WRONG FOUNDATION

I have shared this story before and I'll share it again to buttress my point.

I was among a group of young ministers years back. We held a retreat in the city of Jos. We were fellowship leaders from different states.

After the retreat program, some of us decided we must return to base that day. We should have been patient till the next day.

When we got to the park, there was no bus going our direction which was Enugu. All the vehicles going to Enugu had left

The driver told us it was not his turn to load Enugu passengers but he would help us to Enugu If we can lie that we were going to Makurdi at the gate.

We didn't say "No", because we all wanted to return home after days of retreat, we silently agreed to be part of the deceit.

Truly, as he was about driving out of the gate, he was asked about his destination. He replied by saying Makurdi instead of Enugu.

All of us were part of that lie because the man who asked the question looked at our faces and I could perceive he knew something was wrong but because none of us opposed his lie, he allowed us a pass.

Not long after he drove past Makurdi to Otukpo, we had a flat tyre. He changed it. As he drove further, we had another flat tyre.

We couldn't go further that day because it was evening. We slept in Otukpo and continued our journey the next day.

As we started the journey, we had another flat tyre. He changed it and drove further, we had another flat tyre again. That's four flat tyres in total on a single journey.

As we were about approaching Enugu, the vehicle couldn't move again because the gear developed some fault. It was a very terrible journey we had those two days.

We were looking at Enugu from afar but we couldn't get there because the foundation for our journey was faulty, it was built on lies.

We all picked a lesson or two from that experience. The major lesson was never to start any life's journey on lies. We learnt not to lay the foundation of anything on lies.

Dearest, don't start the journey of ministry, marriage, business and career on lies. Don't lay a wrong foundation for your life through lies.

Any journey you start with lies, you'll have several flat tyres on the way. As you journey to destiny, beware of little lies here and there.

I have heard about those who entered into relationship heading for marriage telling brazen lies. Some who have been married previously or have had children concealed their past to get a spouse.

A child of God shouldn't do that. When the truth is discovered, you may be hated more than you were loved. Tell your fiance/fiancée the truth. If he/she is your spouse, he/she will stay.

You don't lie your way to be loved. The day the truth comes to fore, you will be hated more than you were loved. Let people love you for the truth you tell.

As you prepare to lie because you want to travel abroad to seek greener pastures, you may be laying the foundation to live a fugitive life in a land of freedom and plenty.

The manner of lies people tell and shady things they do because they want to travel abroad or stay abroad leaves me asking which is more important: Heaven or abroad?

How I wish we can strive to enter the pearly gates like we do whenever the spirit of "abroad" comes upon us.

Don't lay the foundation of your ministry with lies. Whatever God didn't say, please don't come on the altar to say "Thus saith the Lord" because you want to impress.

Don't claim you have heard from God to pioneer when you've not been called. Hunger and anger should not call you into ministry. Stay where God put you and don't add to your calling.

If you're called to be an associate, don't lie about hearing God from the furnace of fire and thunder. Why lie about revelations you never had? Because you want to sound mysterious and divine?

You don't build spiritual things on lies. It will crumble in the end. Yoruba people say, "The house built with spittle will never stand".

As a preacher, don't exaggerate testimonies. You don't need to fake it to make it. Your reporting should be as truthful as possible.

Your lies won't motivate God to do what He doesn't want to do. People arrange miracles because they want to use Lies to stir the faith of people.

Lies don't stir faith, the truth of God's word does.