Category: ARCHIVE

The Return Of The Ark Part 1 (My First Short Bible Fiction Story)

It was still early in the morning. The sun was just coming out. The skies were clear and the birds hopped, flew and made joyful chirps all around the trees nearby. The building in the compound was different from any other type one would see in Jerusalem. It was very much larger. And it was well guarded by tough-looking men armed with spears or swords. The reason was simple: It was the King’s palace.

Inside one of the largest rooms in the building, David Barjesse could hardly control his excitement. He shifted excitedly on his large ivory throne. In his mind’s eye, he replayed how the fleet-footed messanger, Ahimaaz, had recounted the news just moments ago. The news was simply too good to be true.

David signalled at one of the servants waiting on him in the throne room

“You beckoned, Your majesty, sir”, said the slightly built young servant. He was already kneeling on the soft and furry animal skin directly in front of David.

“Get me the commander of the Army, immediately”

“Yes, your majesty”

With that, the servant hurried out of the room in a manner similar to the movement of a squirrel on a tree branch.

King David looked at the gold-plaited ceiling above his head. He smiled to himself. Of course, it was not the beauty of the ceiling that fancied his amusement. It was another article made of a similar material, yet so much more important…

The ark of God had been found!!!

David had heard so much about the ark all the while he was growing up in the backlands of Bethlehem. Yet he had not so much as set his eyes on it. The ark had been captured in a battle with the Philistines, Israel’s fiercest enemies, over 40 years before. This implied that throughout the reign of his predecessor, King Saul Barkish, the ark was nowhere to be found. And for years, the annual ritual at Shiloh still went on. The people and the priests knew the ark, which represented God’s Presence was absent from the tarbernacle in Shiloh, yet they still went on worshipping an organized structure, rather than the Personality.

But that was in the past, thought David. Now the ark was back in Israel, specifically at the house of a certain Abinadab in Gibeah. It was within reach.
David silently muttered a deep heart-felt praise to the King of kings for counting him worthy to witness the ark’s return…

” Your Majesty?!”

David blinked. Joab, the army commander, was already standing in front of him. David briefly studied the expression of the sturdy, battle-hardened man before him. They had been together right from the harsh days in the cave of Adullam. Joab might have been savagely brute but he was loyal, and that was what count. David went on to speak.

“Today is a glorious day in the history of Israel. I’m sure you’ve heard that the ark is back in Israel!”

Joab’s bearded face remained expressionless.
“Your majesty, I am fully aware of the new developments, sir. Ahimaaz debriefed me. I also double-checked the details with Cushi. The two pieces of informatiom tallied, sir. It appears that the ark is seemingly safe in the house of a certain Abinadab in Gibeah, sir. May I know your plans, your Majesty?”. Joab’s voice remained in a flat, emotionless monotone.

“Arrange for 30, 000 of the finest soldiers and get the men ready to pick the ark of covenant. I would be coming along too”

30, 000 soldiers!
Joab felt he would rather use that amount of men to expand the kingdom of Israel than employ them as entourage for the ark. He maintained his expressionless exterior.

“Alright your majesty. Permission to fall out, sir?”

David nodded and waved his heavily ringed left hand in dismissal.

(TO BE CONTINUED…)

A Heart Condition

Picture this:

You are in a doctor’s office, waiting anxiously for the results of the invasive tests you just did. The doctor soon comes in with his professional poker face. He sits. And looks at you squarely.

‘You have a heart condition, sir’

Well, the fact is that you actually DO have a heart condition. And so do I.

Fortunately, by ‘heart’, I don’t mean that fleshy, four-chambered, fist-shaped organ in our chests that pumps blood through our bodies.

No. I mean that inner you where the very fibres of your emotions are knitted.

If it were possible to check your heart condition, what would be found?
Anger, Bitterness, Strife, Envy, Lust and Jealousy?
Or Love, Joy, Peace and Gentleness?

No one needs to tell you which is the better option.

To crown it all, the best Heart condition one could have is a Heart of Worship. And I don’t mean those slow songs that we listen to on Sundays. Those are fine, but it goes more than that. A Heart of worship is a lifestyle!

When you look at the magnificence of nature and you wholehearted bless God. That’s worship!

When you bless God for the very breath you take in every moment. That’s worship!

When you remember to let your heart sing uninhibitedly to the King of kings, not only for the large milestones in your life, but also of the daily benefits. That’s worship!

Cultivate the best heart condition today.
A heart of worship!!!

Four Cardinal Points

When I was younger, I used to tease my female classmates. A lot!

For instance, I once asked them how they would feel if on their wedding day, the officiating minister read John 4:18, instead of I John 4:18.

The latter reads:
‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love’

And the former reads:
‘For you hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly’

Needless to say, the very prospect of that scenario sent shivers down the spines of those ladies. Bless their hearts!

On a more serious note, the most memorized Bible verse is John 3:16. It talks about God’s love for humanity and how God sent His Son to give everlasting life to as many that believe in Him.
However, not many Christians are familiar with I John 3:16:

‘Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren’

For some reason beyond me, we all have been indoctrinated with an attitude of selfishness.

Our 4 cardinal points seem to be: Me, My, Mine and Myself. For others, it’s worse: I, I, I and I!!!

We all naturally want to amass and amass for ourselves to enjoy alone.
But alas, we are instructed to walk in the steps of Jesus.

Jesus put aside the splendour of His glorious heavenly majesty and came to the earth as a full man. Yet He was without sin. This fact alone should motivate us to be less self-oriented.
But Jesus didn’t even stop there!
He went on to die for our sins and imputed us with His righteousness. And we’d never be able to repay Him for His act of love.

Now, it’s highly unlikely that you are going to die for another person. Christ has already done that!
But are you willing to get ‘spent’ for the benefit of the less priviledged?
Are you willing to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in whatever manner that seems neccessary at any point in time?

Remember, you can’t walk with God and stay alive (to your Self-ish Cardinal points)

Lose your (Self) life, and you’d find your (God) life. The difference is so clear!

Is ‘COOL’ Really Overated?

When I saw it again this morning, I just knew it was time to chip in my two cents’ worth.

Is it a good thing to be ‘COOL’?
Is ‘COOLNESS’ really overrated?

Well, let’s first identify what ‘COOL’ is.

For some, it could mean being reserved, shy and soft-spoken.
Others would disagree and say it means being smart and trendy.

As a Christian, I believe being ‘COOL’ entails much more.

Yes, I understand that we are different people with different characters, mindsets and ideas. And as a result, our interpretations of ‘COOLNESS’ is a subset of who we are…

But allow me to submit to you, this day, that the height of ‘COOLNESS’ is being totally wrapped up under the control of the Holy Spirit!

Really.

Don’t you know it is possible to be charged up with the FIRE of the Holy Ghost, yet at the same time you are overflowing with living WATERS?

Duh, THAT’s cool!

You can be as BOLD as a lion, and still be GENTLE as a dove? Logically, they just don’t go together. But again, nothing in the Spirit ever makes sense logically.
How much ‘COOLER’ can one get?!

Be sincere now:

If you were just a regular ‘Joe’ and you came across a highly anointed individual, who manifests spiritual gifts and fruits, what would be your response?
I, for one, would go into my closet of prayers and desperately cry out for the Presence of the Spirit in my life, more than ever before!

My point is this:

There is a dearth of genuinely ‘COOL’ individuals out there.

What we have mostly, are individuals who fit into our preconceived notions of what ‘COOL’ should be. And as always, our preconceived notions are usually wrong.

The right kind of ‘COOLNESS’ is like a beautiful masterpiece of the Spirit.
It can never, never be overrated.
And thankfully, it’s meant for all!

The Mark Of The Beast Is ALREADY Here!

666. The number of man. The mark of the beast.

Imprinted on as many that want it.
Without it, buying and selling would be impossible. Talk about cashless economy!

Some have opined that the mark would be in the form of electrosensitive microchipped fixed into the forehead or right hand.
Perhaps they are right.
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before it all happens.

(For more Biblical details, check Revelation 13)

Without disreputing the claims of those who see a worldwide usage of microchips for safe business in the future, it’s imperative for all to know that:

The Mark Of The Beast Is Already Here!!!

Doubtful? Pay attention to the following nuggets:

¤ The Mark Of The Beast

It has been suggested that the Beast would probably be a powerful political leader in the near future. What I’m sure of is that the Beast symbolizes the evil and corrupt world system. Today, evil and corruption are being ‘worshipped’ in the world. A way we can know this fact is explained in the next two nuggets.

¤ In The Foreheads

The forehead houses the brain, which is the bodily organ through which the mind operates. The mind comprises of the will, the emotions, and the intellect.
Now, if the beast represents evil, and his mark is placed on the mind, what do you think would be the product of the mind?

Evil!

Look around you. Isn’t that what is rampant in the world today?

Evil everywhere.

While you’re still waiting for microchips and all, the mark on the forehead is already operational!

The worldview of the evil world system is,
‘You use what you have to get what you want’.
And when that worldview is queried, the reply usually received is,
‘That is how ‘it’ is done!’.

So, we have evil bills passed into laws.
We have the evil music industry churning out lewd songs that boss our airwaves.
We have rotten practices in the business and academic spheres.

The list could go on and on.

¤ In The Right Hand

The right hand is usually the stronger and more active hand in most people. We use it to write, eat and WORK!
I believe the mark in the right hand symbolizes the evil handiworks of men.
It’s only normal to expect the evil mind to produce evil actions.
Tune in to the news, you’d find that regardless of your location, the common denominator of all the news items is evil works!

My dear, irrespective of your willingness to believe these truths, the events are already happening. Ignorance, in this case, isn’t bliss.

I don’t have a final say on the sequence of events that would highlight the end of time.
But in the meantime, don’t lose your guard!

“And what I say unto you, I say unto all, ‘Watch’ “

‘Para’ Mode, aka, ‘Boys Are Not Smiling!’

They are three seated in the living room: A father, his son and the son’s friend.
The friends need to share some ‘highly sensitive’ information that must not register any meaning in the older man’s mind.
They succeed!

How? By these ingenious inventions fathomed by every generation at that period when they decide not to be as stupid as the older ones.
(I’m sorry, but that’s how the youths think)

These inventions are Colloquialisms.

In this part of the world, one of the most frequently used colloquialisms in the youths’ parlance is ‘Para’. This is totally different from what you’d find in Chemistry’s 4-paranitrobenzene. (By the way, I’m not sure that compound exists)
‘Para’ here simply means ‘angrily serious’ or ‘seriously angry’, whichever makes more sense to you.

You’re probably sitting leisuredly, skimming through this post.
But haven’t you had enough yet?
No! No!! Not this blog, of course!
I mean your status quo.
That routine you are already enslaved by.
Yes, it’s safe, tested and trusted. But it’s boring too.
It feels like you’re forced to do it.
All indicators are pointing to a dire need for change.
Creative juices flow no more. Instead, you’re squeezing yourself like an exhausted toothpaste tube.

You’ve got to ‘para’!

Anger is harmless when it is directed at one’s self or situation. That way you’re motivated to do all in your power to get things moving.

God has equipped you with all you need for success. You were not created to be entangled in a web of boring routine.
Imagine 80 years of mechanical predictability.
That doesn’t sound like abundant life to me!

Don’t fold your hands and watch your life waste in an eventless fashion.
Get angry and challenge yourself.
Don’t just sit there, waiting for a miracle to happen. Oh yes, miracles do happen.
But they require you to get angry with your current situation and have an expectant heart.

Unless you throw aside the garment of complacency..
Unless you desire more than suffering and smiling…
You’d probably remain at the same spot.
For a long time!

You are delaying your progress by your stubborn refusal to move out of your rut.
God isn’t going to move until you do. By the way, He doesn’t even have to move, as all things are contained in Him.

The ball’s in your court.
How hard are you going to hit it???

‘Para’!

Holiness, Not Loneliness!

For the umpteenth time, I’m going to tell you what you already know:

Nigerians are the most religious people in the whole world!!!

While I’m not averse to spiritual warfare (believe me, there’s more to life than what meets the naked eyes), but most Nigerian Christians are over the top.

I know that sounds like sacrilage, but hear me out.

It’s an open secret that God, by His Spirit, has given Christians an exceedingly unquantifiable amount of power in the Name of Jesus! (Check Eph 1 vs 19 for more details). However, for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume this power can be divided into units. Now, IF every individual, including pastors, is entitled to 10 units each, guess what would happen…
Over 90% of all Nigerian Christians would expend 9.8 units of the power on Spiritual warfare!!!
They’d contend with the evil spirits from their fathers’ side. Then, they concentrate on those from their mothers’ side. When they are done with that, they go on to bind the spirits of the rivers, trees, rocks, sands…….

Imagine being given 10 units of spiritual power and all you can ask for is your enemies’ head! When there are promises to be claimed and lands to be won for the LORD! Hmmn….Nigerians!

It doesn’t even end there. You see, the religious Nigerian’s favorite scripture is Obadiah 1 vs 17. Yet, they quote this verse in a unique manner:

”But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance…and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”

For some reason, they always seem to omit the phrase ”…and there shall be holiness…”!

God is a Holy God. And He desires His children to be holy like Him (Check Lev 11 vs 45).

It’s never going to be easy to be holy. But the good news is that Holiness comes as a result of cumulative righteousness. And we Christians have received that righteousness as a result of faith in Christ’s redemptive work (Check 1 Cor 5 vs 21).

The Mathematics of God in Obadiah 1 vs 17 is:

God’s Deliverance + Holiness = Possessing Our Possessions!

God is ready to deliver His People. But we want to possess their possessions without going through the pangs of Holiness first. Hence, we allow God to be ‘LONELY’ in His Equation, while at the same time, we want the blessings that follow. C’est dommage!

The Word that is out is: God is not a respecter of persons!!!
He would neither lower His standards nor relax His principles for the sake of anybody.

So, do yourself a favour. Don’t greive the Spirit of God by leaving Him ‘lonely’. Instead, step up and consecrate yourself to be Holy. Only then, would you be surrounded by peace, while simultaenously possessing your possessions!

F***? Not A Chance!

You’re probably wondering whether I just implied the forbidden ‘f-Word’, right?

I sure did. But it all bores down to perspective

But before you unsheath your swords to skin me alive, here’s a reality check for you:
There are probably thousands of words that qualify to be the so-called f-Word. And there are hundreds of 4-letter words that would seamlessly fit into ‘f***’.

If you still have any doubts, you can consult your dictionaries! 😉

Without further ado, my ‘f-Word’ today is…

F A K E !

Seriously, that should be a taboo word amongst the Children of The Light. Especially in our actions!

If only your eyes would be open to see your capabilities for what they really are.
If only you’d enjoy the thrills of your journey towards purpose.
If only you’d stop focusing on what God hasn’t done (or wouldn’t do) for you but has done for your neighbour.
If only you’d stop blending in and pretending to be what you aren’t.
If only you’d realize what a rare specimen you really are and your uniqueness is no mistake.
If only. If only.. If only…

It would be a shame to waste your years being someone other than yourself. You can admire the strengths of others but that shouldn’t be an excuse to copy them, shortcomings and all.

Make up your mind to stand out.
Decide not to be a regular guy off the ‘mass production’ line.
God created you to be much more than a complement to another’s purpose and needs.

God needs you to be you. The World needs you to be you.

Be your God-given self and adopt ‘FAKE’ as your taboo ‘f-Word’, especially in your actions.

Peace!

Life 101: Finding Your Purpose

There’s nobody alive today that is without a reason for existence. Yet, the percentage of people that identify that purpose for their existence is astonishingly infinitessimal. And those that go on to fulfil that purpose are even smaller!

As believers, our general purpose is to please God with our lives. But again, there’s a specific purpose for each individual. And without finding that purpose, one would just be a bundle of untapped potential.

Well, I’ve got some good news for you. You CAN find your purpose for living. NOW!

Yes, there are long questionnaires that could help you with that. But you don’t have to go through all that ‘STRESS’.

Below are 3 tips that can help you locate your purpose, so you can be set on the right path for fulfilment:

1. Look Upwards:

Looking for your purpose? Why not ask your maker, after all, He is the one that created you. As I’ve mentioned before, God is not the author of random and haphazard confusion. He created you for a purpose. Ask Him for that purpose!

2. Look Inwards:

You are unique and specially wired and shaped with specific qualities that make you what you are. Others might be similar to you, but none is the same with you.
You have certain talents and spiritual qualities that make you stand out.
You have a heart for something that no one else gives a thought about.
You have certain abilities and capabilities that others do not possess.
You have a personality that is unique to you.
You have had some experiences that have moulded you into who you are today.
A combination of these qualities I have mentioned to you could be a pointer to where your purpose lies.

3. Look Outwards:

Around you, there are certain issues and challenges that your peculiarities would address satisfactorily. Settle down and carefully be on the look out for what these challenges and issues are. Who knows, you might be on the road to identifying purpose!

What I’ve highlighted might look like fast tips to finding your purpose. But in the real sense, they are anything but that! These steps would take considerable time and must be taken carefully and prayerfully. I wish you God’s best as you step out to please Him by finding and fulfilling your purpose.