Abandon Harmful Habits, Preserve your future.

ARE YOU TRULY EXCELLENT? 

ARE YOU SET APART FROM VICES?

A very bright student named Promise (name, changed) was the head boy of his secondary school, and he was very brilliant. He eventually graduated as the best graduating student, winning many awards. 

However, he was part of a circle of friends who engaged in dishonest things, including chasing after ladies, abusing their bodies, and drugs. 

I was his junior by some years, and I had admired him for his academic excellence. I eventually graduated from secondary school. 

A few years later, I heard from a reliable source, one of his teachers, that this my senior had a serious mental illness(on account of drug abuse) and was in a rehabilitation centre.

He could not advance his studies, at least not until he had been fully rehabilitated and re-integrated into society. 

I was heartbroken. 

“How can such a gifted person have his dreams interrupted so early in life? Is this how his God-given potential will be wasted?” 

These were questions that troubled my heart, for which I could find no answer. All this happened because a gifted young boy had not understood the need to separate himself from habits that displease God and threatened his future.

(True story paraphrased and sent in by a member of The Prime Project)

Having read this story, I want you to reflect –

“What negative habits am I accommodating presently?”

 “What negative consequences have I had to bear because of them?” 

“What risks do these habits pose to my bright future?”

You may think, “Let me just enjoy my life now with my boyfriend/girlfriend, or with these drugs that make me feel high.” Or yours may be: “I just have a sharp mouth; if you give me, I give it back to you hot.

I don’t even care if you are a teacher or an elder or my mate, nobody can outdo me with insults.” 

But you do not realize that these things you do consistently displease God and can ruin your future!

These habits are cracks in your foundation, and they should be thoroughly removed if you intend to build a great future.

Our discussion in this will focus on describing these vices clearly, so that you can easily spot their appearances and avoid getting trapped by them. 

In case you find yourself already trapped in any of them, we will also recommend practical steps on how to break free from these vices by the help of God. Yes, freedom is possible with God’s help and with support from others.

The vices we will fight against together, through our articles, are split into two broad categories:

Social Vices: Habit that distort the normal, loving way God wants us to interact with people –They both involve how your behaviour affects others and how other people’s behaviours affect you. Some examples are: sexual impurity, wrong relationships, drug abuse and cultism.

Emotional Vices: Wrong ways of thinking that affect how we feel about ourselves and others, such as low self-esteem, identity confusion, comparison, and so on.

So, get ready to be: enlightened about the common vices that seek to trap young students like you; break free from their traps; and, how to live separate from them and live separated unto God from a young age. 

The last statement is our ultimate goal for you, because that’s noble. And it’s beautiful. And it’s the best way for you to start and continue in life.

Thank you for reading, we'll see you in the next article for our July series.