‘Wayo’ na terrible thing! To hail a con artist may be similar to celebrating a murderer. Fraudsters can damage lives irreparably. And even when people recover after an encounter with ‘419’ thieves, their trust in humanity never fully recovers! 

But then, the worst of all fraud is self delusion. A person suffers loss from being duped by others, but he/she is lost by duping self. And because self delusion is insidious, before it is detected, the ‘index case’ is already denatured. After that, things get real traumatic for his/her victims!

Success can be deceptive!

One very ignored trigger of self delusion is success. Political, business, academic, social & spiritual success etc multiplies praise singers, which can affect our self perception. Success can put fancy goggles on our eyes until we begin to see reality from our own press reports! 

Believe me, the first delusion is always: “I am more than I am; I am the special one; It is all about me!” Aaaah! We may not even notice pride in our own heart, while we look condescendingly at others. Of course, we are better than them & to colour it godly, we add, “by his grace!”

We cannot afford to be wrong!

The second is classic: “Things are working because everything I am doing is right; Even when I am wrong, I am still right; Anyone who is not as ‘great’ as me has no right to a contrary opinion; Loyalty to me demands that you accept everything as right!” Kai! That’s the spirit! 

Then there is this one that caps it all: “I owe no one any explanation!” And for good measure, “I am only accountable to God, period!” Not spouse, not mentors, not associates, not followers! Owei! It is well o oh! Success is good o oh! 

 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom 12:3

There is hell to pay!

I’ve found out from my mistakes & that of others, that whenever self takes the drivers seat, there will always be dire consequences! The solution is in continual self monitoring, keen accountability to others & a lifestyle of ‘intentional humility’! 

Prayer:

The Lord make you a leader amongst men! The Lord give you a heart of humility & responsibility! You will grow great & still grow godly! May this week bring you to a mega dream of 2021 in Jesus name! 

Much Love

George Izunwa
Lead Pastor 

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