⏱ 9 min read

One cool Sunday afternoon in 2018, I was peregrinating around and I had an epiphany of my life that holds true for a number of us. I know this might shock you when it dawns on you but this happens to be true with the majority.

This is it: “so many of us are able to start otherwise amazing things in our lives, yet we don’t finish them.”

I’ll help you understand with these examples:

1. As a young Ghanaian child, we started learning to speak French in school, till date I haven’t been able to complete it; I can’t speak French (a number of Ghanaians can relate).

2. When you drive through Kumasi, at approximately every second turn, you’ll find an uncompleted or an abandoned building project.

3. In recent times, the number of divorces across the globe, even in Christian marriages, are on the rise. Why? Because people start a “till death do us part” relationship but cannot complete it. We love to start things than finish them.

Jesus says,

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

V.33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. #Bible (Luke 14:28-30, 33)

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Jesus spoke about this very issue and said, “You have to count the cost of whatever you do/are about to do and ensure that you complete it, else you will be mocked.”

Beloved, you’ve got to finish that new program or course; you’ve got to finish on your resolutions and ideas; most importantly, you’ve got to finish this walk of faith. I pray that no one will ever get the chance to mock you because you will finish well in all aspects of your life.

Beloved, you and I have to finish our race; there’s no turning back now.

So we’ve got to count the cost and finish this. The cost in this verse as Jesus says is “to forsake all.” To forsake means to turn your back on something, to leave behind, to abandon, to renounce or give up something VALUED OR PLEASANT.

The NIV translates that phrase as ‘to give up everything.’ This is what it costs to be a disciple of Jesus. To have faith in Christ, we have to leave our past lives behind; we have to give up the PLEASURES of our fleshly desires; we have to give up our VALUED convictions and beliefs and follow His.

In reality, this means you and I have to take God’s Word, the Bible, and the voice of the Holy Spirit, over our REASONING AND LOGIC. It means we have to give up pleasing the world and following popular opinion. “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.”

For instance, the world views homosexuality as a personality issue and a person’s sexual preference, God views it as a sin issue.

He doesn’t separate it from pride, lying, greed, murder, fornication, etc.

God doesn’t excuse sin because “it is my own body/life and I know what I’m doing.”

Take note. In the image above Paul says, “And that is what some of you were…” This means some of the Corinthians were: idolaters, sexually immoral, homosexuals, thieves, greedy before they came to know Jesus but not anymore. They were not those same people again.

Q. How so? How did the homosexual become straight?

Ans: Same way the thief stopped stealing and lying man became truthful…

“But you were washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Do you know how difficult it is to make such stands in this day and age? Almost the entire world comes at you.

How many young men can be proud about being virgins and keeping their sexual purity till their marriage vows? How many? The women also. You’ll be ridiculed and laughed at.

Why is that? Because the world sees no VALUE in God’s standards and His Word. But there in that moment, when you make your stand, you give up the need to be accepted by the world so that you can follow Christ.

We see the sinner and condemn them (maybe we don’t do it out loud), but God says, “Give that up also! That person just needs me in their life. Share My Gospel with them, show them My love, pray that more labourers be sent to the vineyard to reach them for Me.”

So yes, you’ll need to give up everything. Your pride, your social standing, your beliefs about life, your desires; basically your entire life is offered like a sacrifice, so that you can follow Christ.

“Boham, this is a hard teaching, this is too difficult, I can’t take it…”

I understand that, because it is difficult. But thank God we don’t have to do this alone. The Holy Spirit is here to help you and I; He will strengthen us and He will guide us, He will teach us all truth and He will help us.

Everyone has their set race and their set rate. We are competing with physical and spiritual struggles of life; note, we are not competing with our fellow brethren. Let the Holy Spirit help you and take it at His pace.

I end with this. Revelations 3:4 says, “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”

This simply means, at the start of the race, they were all in white garments… As the race went on, some got their clothes soiled.

Thus, their inability/ability to complete their race is linked with whether or not they soiled their clothes or they had a white garment, respectively.

Those with soiled clothes couldn’t finish the race. And those who had finished had not soiled theirs; they hadn’t compromised.

I will be quick to say, it is easy to compromise especially in this age and time; it’s the easy way out. Because this society is open to compromise on God’s word than on obeying His truth.

White garment refers to holiness, righteousness, integrity, purity, honesty, etc. Don’t compromise on these. We compromise by lying here and there, stealing and changing figures, living in lust, not forgiving others, refusing to take a stand, etc. In doing so, we soil our garments.

(I’ll share soon on what we stand to gain by given up everything to follow Christ).

May grace help us to not soil our garments, may the blood wash us anew, may the Holy Spirit guide us and help us to complete every unfinished building in our life, Amen.

(Oh and Congratulations, you finished this post; our longest ever 😀 )

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If you do not have this white garment of salvation, or you had it but it is soiled, and you want be born again or re-dedicate your life to God, you must ask Jesus to come into your heart and life. You have to pray a prayer like this and mean it from the bottom of your heart.

Please friend, please put any pride aside and let’s pray;

“Lord Jesus, I come to You as a sinner, lost and condemned to Hell. I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I believe with all my heart that You died on the cross and rose up again for my sins.

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I open my heart to You and receive You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Wash me white as snow, and put on me a new garment. Please take control of my life and make me what You want me to be. From today, I am Yours and You are mine. Thank You, Lord for this wonderful gift of salvation. Amen.”

Congratulations!! You are glowing in your white garment!
If you prayed this prayer for the first time, or you just re-dedicated your life to Christ, we would like to know you and help you on this new journey… isn’t that amazing?

Just click here and get in touch.

We believe you’ve been blessed by this; Can you share with someone today? I want you to share it with all your friends and family. Be a blessing too!

(Disclaimer: All images are not original by the author and were inserted from Google).