Month: April 2020

Hello, glad to come your way again, and I hope your weekend was a pleasant one? Last week, I talked on how we can see a silver lining behind every cloud. Based on that rationale, I noted down some lessons I have learnt during this pandemic.

Today, I want to wrap up on that. Before I outline them, I want to say thank you to this community for massively boosting last week’s post which caught a lot of traffic.

4. Few things in this world are essential, many are not- personally, I have seen how worthless a lot of things in this world are. I already knew that from a biblical worldview, but seeing it in real time is spooky, I must admit. During this pandemic, we have been forcibly stripped to the bare minimum to survive. Shops are closed, most works are closed, systems have come to a grinding halt among many others. One of the words thrown about is “essential”. That means if it is not, it must shut down for the preservation of humanity. I echo the wise words of King Solomon in his book, Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities… “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

5. The solid rock to build on is God– “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust… ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:2‬. The constant and immovable factor in all ‘this madness’ is God. People who have pitched their tent on God have become steadfast in the midst of this. They are recognized and noticed during this time. We thank God for the essential workers and first responders, but have you also taken note of how religious leaders, particularly pastors, have been encouraging and a breath of fresh air in the midst of this? You will always get the bad nuts among them, but my primary focus is on the good ones who seem to be alleviating the angst, fear and terror among the masses. I have seen a newscaster on a popular news network ask for prayer from a pastor on his program. He admitted it was his first time doing that. Hope has become a precious commodity and that is what being dealt to the masses by the aforementioned groups.

6. All other grounds are sinking sands- this pandemic has brought untold and unexpected hardships. Jobs that we could call stable with better prospects in January are not in April as I write. Some have lost investments, financially speaking, because of this. People are scratching their heads in panic on how to pay for the mortgage, because their property could be repossessed. We all await to see how life will continue when the lockdown is over. We have seen things crash and fold which we thought couldn’t be in our lifetime. The Aviation Industry, for example, has seen the collapse and the bankruptcy of airlines during this almost two month span. COVID-19’s tutorials are brutal, yet a grim reality. The lesson here is not to put your trust in earthly things.

7. People are turning to religion– the Bible has been among the most sold out item on our shelves in my side of town. I have seen presidents of nations declaring national days of prayer. Online worship services have increased by the margin. People are searching for answers. I have observed how people are becoming more spiritual in this time. My personal experience and knowledge about God is, if you call on Him, He will answer you. He truly listens and guides us along the way. He sometimes will not take you out of the fire, but will give you wisdom and strength to navigate through.

On this note, I pray for every reader to receive supernatural wisdom, innovative ideas and unusual strength in this season.

Please stay safe and do follow the CDC guidelines. Let us be each other’s keeper in this time and let love lead.

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

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This year has quite been interesting, to say the least. No one could have predicted this present predicament we are in at the moment, but at the end of the day, what can we really do?

Are we going to see a silver lining behind the cloud? I realize that in life, you can’t choose the (bad) hand you are dealt with , but you have absolute power in your response to it and how you play that (bad) hand to your advantage.

I want to start on an encouraging note that, this pandemic will pass and yes, 2020 is and will still be a great year irrespective of what we have seen in the past four months. I am not of the belief that 2020 should be cancelled as it has become a popular hashtag trending on social media sites. I also don’t believe that we should look forward to next year whilst skipping this year hurriedly.

I pray as you read this, you will gain a different perspective and light on how you view this current situation. No way, am I undermining the countless deaths, the fear and angst among the masses; and all the horrible evils associated with this COVID-19 pandemic. My heart goes out to all severely impacted.

Quite honestly, this episode has got me thinking a lot which provoked me to use this platform. They are lessons I have learnt in this short time, and will share just seven of them over a two week period.

1. The world is indeed a global village– this world we live in is inter-related and inter-dependent. What affects me in a different geographical terrain has a bearing on this world. A virus that started in Wuhan in China, reportedly, has been able to keep this world presently under siege. It teaches me that I don’t have a private life, rather a personal life, because whatever I do matters to the next person home and away. If the world understands this concept, the schisms and divisions among us will subside.

2. Home is where the heart is– the heart of the matter is home. Now almost the whole world has come to a standstill and, we are forcibly quarantined against our will to stay home. People are working from home. I have seen some sports and talk shows broadcast from home. When I talk of the home, I am referring to the family unit. After all is said and done, the family reigns supreme above all. If you were a workaholic spending 80 hours a week away from home, that is not the story today. Of course, you will go back to work, but have proper priorities on what is number one. We have to focus on strengthening family ties and perhaps spend more time building the home than any other place, for that matter.

3. Relationships too matter- asides the family, the relationships we have built over the years will carry us a long way, especially in times like this where one can feel lonely. I heard an old wise man say, “man was not created for things, but for relationships”. That really ministered to me and I have taken that with me everywhere. We must focus and strive to build healthy relationships. It gives us goodwill in life. In my estimation, goodwill is more important than wealth. Mother Teresa comes to mind as I write. How much did she really have? Yet, she affected the world through goodwill.

God-willing, will continue next week. Stay safe, follow the CDC guidelines, be full of hope. There is light at the end of this tunnel.

Please say a prayer for all the first responders and essential workers. We are thankful for their services.

Keep well!

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

“I am your chosen one. You won’t leave me in the grave or let my body decay.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:10‬

Now this quote here is a prophecy of King David, who was also a psalmist. He talked about this event we commemorated yesterday as the Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday. This was written more than four hundred years to the event, and it happened as predicted.

The event was, Jesus Christ was going to be crucified and he will die, but on the third day, he will resurrect. Peter, one of the founding fathers of the Christian church, who was also a disciple of Jesus corroborated this fact more than four hundred years later.

““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” Acts‬ ‭2:22-24‬ ‭

Now you may ask me today, what significance does this hold today? Why should I be concerned about a man who died and rose from the dead? Personally, it means the Bible is proven to be historically true, so it gives me solace that I am not in a fraudulent faith. Secondly, as a Christian, it proves to me that death, an enemy has been defeated. Death is the greatest enemy of any living human being.

From the scriptures, you can clearly see this truth:

““Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your power to hurt?” Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:55-57‬ ‭

Death has lost its power to hurt us. The sting of death has been broken that when professing Christians die today, they will just transition seamlessly into the hands of our master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:13-14‬ ‭

Death becomes like sleep to the believer, so we are enjoined to sorrow and mourn the absence of the person in body, but not hopelessly because of yesterday’s event. His resurrection gives us hope that death couldn’t touch the person. Since death is sleep to the believer, he will awake again in the hereafter.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”” I Corinthians‬ ‭15:51-54‬

So the event, Resurrection Sunday is not abstract from humanity. It is rather about our destiny which is when we die in Christ- we only sleep and we will wake up again this time to God with a glorified body where we can all say of a truth, “death is swallowed up in victory”

When Jesus resurrected, he awoken us to this reality, which is called “a mystery”. If you are a Christian reading, have faith and hope that death will not harm you when it is your time. We should be afraid of premature death rather, but the certainty of death should not scare us at all, because we enter into a realm of glory.

The Christian Faith is hinged on this truth we celebrated yesterday as an event.

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” I Corinthians‬ ‭15:12-14‬ ‭

Personally, I am glad for my Christian faith. That is why I have a passion to tell all and sundry through speaking on a platform, having a conversation with a friend or a total stranger, or in this regard, writing.

Your remaining years on this earth will be good to enquire if there is an existence of God?

I will leave you to think hard and meditate on this.

Peace & Love

“No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].” John‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Hello, glad to come your way again. This week is known in the Christian calendar as The Holy Week commemorating the last week of Jesus before He was crucified, died, buried and resurrected.

In the Holy Week, we have the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday. The week celebration is popularly known as Easter. In contemporary times, I think we have reduced the sacredness of this occasion to bank holidays, Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. The fun with the commercialization is gradually making us lose the true meaning of this spiritual event.

Since the focus is on Jesus, who is He? There is a book in the Bible called John which gives us an accurate view of who He is. I will recommend that book of the Bible to read.

To answer your question; Jesus is the Son of God, and also has a relationship with God the Father. God has a divine nature, and has never been seen before. Unseen things are very much as real as the seen. Back to my point, the meaning of the word divine speaks to the truth of God having perfections. It has to do with his deity.

“But Jesus answered them, My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work.” John‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Jesus walked on this earth to help us understand who God was to us. He did that in word and deed. So you will see scriptural references of him healing the sick, proclaiming liberty to the oppressed and the captives, and basically doing good. God is a healer. God is a liberator. God delights in doing good. All these attributes to God’s awesome wonders and also in explaining who God is.

Jesus became the window through which we can have a clear view and understanding of who God is as a father. God does not delight in being a mystery. Truth be told, he has been unveiled through the gift of Jesus and the Holy Bible.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” ‭‭I John‬ ‭4:7-9‬ ‭

Above all, Jesus came to demonstrate love, who is God. It is important to understand this truth about God that He is love. God has had a bad P.R. for evil things He never did. Unfortunately, it has been propounded through traditional views which are inaccurate or people who don’t have a proper relationship with Him. With all the uncertainty we are facing at this time, one thing is certain for sure: HIS LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

I don’t know whether you will see this week as a spirtual event or just another bank holiday depending on your faith, but I will leave you with this thought that God loves you and He is as real as the person sitting next to you. God desires fellowship. Want to experience Him? Try Jesus

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭

Happy Easter to all and please let us do well to follow the CDC guidelines to stay safe. With that in mind, let us filter the information we feed on, and spend the time we have in this lockdown with our loved ones. That matters the most!

Till I come your way again!

Peace & Love