The question of eternity is not abstract; it is a living, burning demand upon every soul. Jesus Christ declared, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, KJV). In an age where the culture of deceit appears normalized, where pilfering is brushed off as “smartness” and swindling as “survival,” the conscience of many has been seared, and the pursuit of holiness replaced with the pursuit of advantage. Evangelist Joseph of SCOAN warns with piercing words: “You say in your heart, ‘See someone I made; I will show you who I am.’ Will this action lead you to Eternity? You are here today working and swindling and pilfering, cutting profits from your boss and here you are praying for your own. Imagine that? Will that lead you to Eternity? Have you pressed your heart with hot iron? Some of us focus only on the good things we gain and the advantage we receive from people.” His observation echoes an ancient truth: dishonesty may secure earthly gains, but it endangers eternal destiny.
But dishonesty is not one-sided. If workers cheat their employers, how much more grievous is it when employers deny their labourers what is justly theirs? Many organizations today are guilty of cutting salaries, withholding wages, and overworking employees without just compensation. Yet the Holy Bible is unambiguous: “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth” (James 5:4, KJV). Employers who exploit their workers stand under divine indictment. Bishop David Abioye once declared, “God does not joke with labourers; when you deny them their wages, you invoke heaven’s judgment.”
Bishop David Oyedepo also thundered, “You cannot claim the blessing of Abraham while walking in the deception of Gehazi.” The reference is clear—Gehazi, servant of Elisha, who in covetousness took what was not his, inherited not prosperity but leprosy (2 Kings 5:27). Such Holy biblical accounts stand as eternal warnings: dishonesty is not merely a social evil, it is a spiritual poison. Apostle Paul pressed this home in 1 Timothy 4:2, where he speaks of men whose consciences are “seared with a hot iron.” This is the condition of the heart Evangelist Joseph laments—hearts so cauterized by habitual fraud that conviction no longer stirs.
The tragedy is compounded when those engaged in daily deception are still fervent in prayer for personal breakthroughs. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome once observed, “Prayer without righteousness is mere noise; God is not moved by lips that are not matched by life.” Here lies the paradox: men cut their employers short, cheat in business, inflate contracts, yet raise holy hands in church, singing praises and demanding open heavens. And conversely, employers who oppress their staff, exploit their sweat, and deny them dignity, still kneel in sanctuaries praying for blessings. But the heavens remain brass, for as Prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “When you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15, KJV).
Dr. Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre often declares, “Character is the womb of destiny.” If character is corrupted, destiny is aborted. It is not enough to chase after open doors when integrity is locked away in hidden cupboards. The thief who prays for prosperity is like the prodigal who eats swine food and yet prays for a banquet. Eternity, the weightier matter, is mocked when men trivialize righteousness and enthrone convenience. The Bible assures us in Hebrews 12:14: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
The central crisis is not poverty, but misplaced focus. Evangelist Joseph’s lament reminds us that too many hearts seek only the “advantage we receive from people.” This utilitarian Christianity, where people are valued only for what they can provide, turns relationships into transactions and faith into a marketplace. Archbishop Benson Idahosa once warned, “If your Christianity is not changing your character, then it has not changed your destiny.” Such piercing truth unmasks the charade of religiosity without transformation.
The call to eternity remains urgent and unchanging. Dishonesty, whether in the hands of the employee or the employer, is an affront to the holiness of God. Swindling, profiteering, and wage exploitation are not light matters; they are soul-ensnaring habits. As Jesus declared in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father.” Eternity is not secured by empty prayers, loud songs, or hollow titles. It is secured by obedience, by integrity, by walking upright even when no one is watching. The words of Evangelist Joseph resound like the trumpet of warning: will our actions lead us to Eternity—or away from it?
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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