YOUR LOSSES SHALL BE CONVERTED INTO TESTIMONIES OF GREAT GAIN.

 By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi

 Luke 12:15 AMP "And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.".

        The world measures a person's success by his or her material wealth ; it determines our social status. This is the driving force behind societal upheavals. The world loves the rich and famous and everybody wants to feel loved. This is not true love ,it leads to emotional disaster.Over 90% of those you assume to love you actually love what you are and hate who you are :this is visible in how fast public figures easily get forgotten after their demise.You will be loved as long as you are a source of some sought of benefit . This is not true love. 

         Proverbs 14:20 AMP "The poor is hated even by his own neighbor, but the rich has many friends." True lovers love you regardless what you are. Loving people based on what they are and not who they are makes one vulnerable to emotional and spiritual manipulations. Unfortunately,some preachers tend to accommodate the excesses of the rich in their congregation for the fear of losing out on their donations. A person who is afraid of correcting you whenever you are in error does not truly love you (Hebrews12:6) . This kind of love is selfish and destroys family values,an example is in 3 John 1:8-10 NLT "… Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us… Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church."      The truth of the gospel could not be preached in this local church because of the censorship by Diotrephes: he was rich and controlled what came in and out of this church, it was his will and not God's will that was being done. There are many of such persons in the church of Christ who have gagged up the minister and turned the church into a personal theater for the display of arrogance and presumptuousness. This was what led to Job’s downfall.

           He fell into Satan’s trap because he always sought for prominence among God's people due to his immense material wealth: he was rebuked by Elibu the teacher of God's word in Job 36:8-9 AMP "And if they are bound in fetters [of adversity] and held by cords of affliction, [Ps. 107:10, 11.] Then He shows to them [the true character of] their deeds and their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and self-sufficiency]."  We should not place ourselves above correction . Wisdom comes from the least expected sources .Honour all men. Despising wise counsel leads to insecurity , loneliness and misery (Rev.3:17). It is misleading to measure wisdom and security by wealth , Proverbs 11:28 AMP say "He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident in his riches shall fall, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like a green bough." Marriages hinged on material wealth are easy prey for the enemy. The just shall marry by faith and remain married by faith which comes from hearing God's word. Faith is the lifeline of a marriage not money. We cannot love our spouses and money at the same time, it is absolutely impossible. You either love one or hate the other. If you cannot love a man when he is poor , you cannot truly love him when he is rich. This is why marriages fail during economic recession , they never truly loved themselves with a godly love at the beginning. 

           Love is the fulfillment of the law of God and compliments our faith and we should be willing to sacrifice anything for a better fellowship with Christ ( Phil 3:8) .Wealth depreciates and so do those who love it; therefore  a man's true worth is not measured by wealth but by the honour God has placed on him or her. Some of the most influential persons on earth have less material wealth than most persons . The lord desires that nothing competes with him for our affection (Ps 73:25). When Job made God his first love, he began to experience a recovery and received more wealth than he ever had (Job 42:12-13) : his losses were turned into everlasting gains and so shall it be to you .
Prayer :Heavenly Father,  forgive me of my sins against you, I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation, I receive him as lord and saviour and receive grace for extraordinary recovery in my relationships, health, finances and spiritual walk in Jesus name. Free prayer /counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com.