12 THINGS THAT CAN DESTROY THE LIFE OF ANY MAN
Bisi Adewale
Many things can destroy the life of a young man, hurt their destinies, stop their growth, slow down their progress or block their advancement in life. All young men should know these things and avoid them. They are:
- LIVING WITHOUT GOD
Failure to acknowledge God propels a man towards self-destruction. Giving your life to God is the best decision you can take. It will bring light to your darkness and give your life meaning.
“Receive, I pray thee, the law from His mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust and the gold of O’phir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver (Job 22:22-25).
Don’t wait till tomorrow; do it now! Commit the rest of your life to the One who can keep you safely in his hands. All you need is to follow the path of righteousness. I took the same decision as a young man several years ago, and my life turned around. Darkness gave way to a shining light that made me what I am today. Are you ready to give your life to Jesus NOW? Then say this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner who needs you. I am very sorry for all my past actions and misdeeds. Wash me with your blood and save my soul from destruction. I promise to obey, follow and love you for the rest of my life; grant me the power to live in the path of righteousness and total devotion to you. In the end, give me the grace to make heaven. IN JESUS PRECIOUS NAME I PRAY. AMEN!
- FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE PATH OF GROWTH
After giving their lives to Christ, young men could make a mistake of not pursuing personal spiritual growth. Sometimes, some of the reason that coming out for the altar call, saying the sinner’s prayer is all they need to be mature Christians. This is wrong. If you want to remain in faith and grow to maturity in Christ, you must follow the path of growth. You must go through a new-convert class or young believers’ class as the case may be. You must also associate closely with the children of God. Above all, the Bible must become your closest companion and prayer, your regular activity.
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee, oh let me not wandered from thy commandments (Psalm 119:9-10).
- LIVING WITHOUT PURPOSE AND VISION
A friend of mine once said, “Guys of nowadays love television but live without a vision.” This is true. Many young men don’t have vision, aspiration or even a plan for tomorrow. It is easy for any man without a vision to go into error. You can’t be the best in any trade if you don’t have a particular goal you are pursuing.
Living without a vision and purpose is very dangerous. You must know the reason you were born; that is your purpose. You must know what you want to do with your purpose; that is vision.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)
- ALCOHOL AND DRUG
Again, young men ruin their lives with alcohol and drug. When young men are exposed to drug and alcohol at a very tender age, the effects go beyond what they ever expect in life, as they easily get inducted into the dark world of crime. This eventually throws many behind the bars or early death.
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink” (Proverbs 31:4).
You are born to be king and priest, run away from Alcohol and drug lest you destroy your beautiful destiny.
- WRONG ASSOCIATION
“He that walketh with the wise shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Psalm13:20). As a young man, your association ultimately determines what you will become. Choose your friends wisely. Some friends are ‘multipliers’ while others are ‘destroyers’. Who is your friend? A wise man once said, “Show me your friends and I can accurately predict your future.” The company you keep determines your accomplishments.
- CRIME
Wrong association and information lead to drugs and alcohol usage. The resultant effects are crime, gang fights, cultism, armed robbery, arson, murder, hooliganism, street fights and so on. The long arm of the law will surely catch up with wrongdoers who will eventually end up in prison, to waste their precious years.
- SEXUAL IMMORALITIES
Lust, fornication, pornography, incest, voyeurism, nudity, masturbation, homosexual activities, rape are all sexual immoralities and serve as a means the devil uses to destroy the lives of young men. Don’t expose yourself to them; don’t associate with those involved in them because sexual immorality will surely destroy you.
- LAZINESS
Oversleeping and indolent lifestyle is dangerous to any man. A man, I mean a real man should be bold enough to work. He must be a man of the field, planting and harvesting for his future. When a man is a lover of his bed, lazy and lukewarm, there is no way he will not serve his mates and live in abject poverty and penury.
“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mere men (Proverbs 22:9).
- DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS AND LEADERS
Any young man who finds it difficult to obey his parents, pastors, leaders, teacher or mentors, cannot go far in life. He is marked out for destruction.
“Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and mother which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on earth (Ephesians 6:1-3).
If you want it to be well with you, to live long and enjoy life, do what the scriptures say. Do the right thing; obey your parents, both biological and spiritual.
- LOVE OF MONEY
“For the love of money is the root of all evil which, while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1Timothy 6:10).
Love of Money led many young men to armed robbery, crime, violence, stealing and dubious dealings, in the process, it destroys the life of so many young men, who populate our prison yards today, please don’t join them.
- WRONG MARITAL CHOICE
Impatience, choosing carnally can make a young man end in the hands of his enemies. In other words, when a young man combines all the wrong factors to pick a wife, he endangers his destiny. And that may hinder him from fulfilling the plan of God for his life.
“Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).
- RELYING ON INHERITANCE
Any young man that puts all his hope on the property of his parents, waiting patiently for them to die so that he can take over, will end up destroying himself. There is dignity in labour. A young man should labour with his hands and make a living out of his sweat. Men that wait for inheritance do waste it if they eventually get it.
“It is good for a man that he bears the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27 KJV)
© Bisi Adewale 2020
