Category: Spiritual

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’ “

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!

Feet Crushed And Eyes Plucked Out!

We notice them all around us. It’s simply impossible to miss them. Yet we are oblivous to certain lessons that Nature is trying to get into our skulls.

The Lame can see their destination, but they are unable to get there because of the weekness in their legs and feet. On the other hand, the Blind can’t seee their destination, despite the strength in their feet and legs. The bottomline is that both parties are unable to get to their destinations!

Let’s redefine THE LAME and THE BLIND, shall we?

To me, the ‘lame’ are people who have a purposeful vision about the direction their lives are headed. They

¤ have no zeal to carry them to where they want to be.
¤ are characterized by character flaws.
¤ have the ‘head knowledge’ of the right things to do but are weak in the spirits of their minds, so they still end up doing the wrong things.
¤ know The Word but still have serious issues in their closet lives.
¤ have the ‘will’ but cannot ‘do’.

As a result, they can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God.

The ‘blind’ do not have any clearcut vision or sense of direction for their lives. They

¤ have zeal and fiery passion which is always unguided.
¤ are characterized by 99% perspiration and less than 1% inspiration.
¤ have the mental ‘toughness’ to do the right things, but the don’t know the right things, so they up doing the wrong things.
¤ misinterpret God’s Words and cling to the traditions and customs of men, more than life itself.
¤ do not have the ‘will’ but can ‘do’.

As a result, they too can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God.

Sad, eh? I know. And I’m not even done yet!

The Bible is full of types and shadows. Like, David could be said to be a type of The Christ. So, when he embarked on the conquest of the Jebusites in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5), he was told that his mission wouldn’t be possible. Until the land had been cleared of THE LAME and THE BLIND. Interestingly, it was said David’s soul loathed the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ (vs 8) !!!

Now, if David was a type of The Christ, and he didn’t like the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’, how much more Jesus Christ Himself? Why wouldn’t Christ loath those who can’t maximize potential, fulfil purpose and please God?

But I’m still not done. Because I’ve got some good news for you.

Yes. There’s a ray of hope.

It’s God’s will for man to DO all that pleases Him.

You see, when Christ restored order to the Temple in JERUSALEM the second time (Matthew 21 vs 12, Oh my gosh! Jerusalem, again? This is more than coincidence!), guess those who came to meet Him for healing?

THE LAME AND THE BLIND!!!

Yeah! Not the mute, or the deaf, or the maimed. No! Just the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ came to meet Christ for healing. And He healed them. Why?

So as to qualify them for service in the House of God He had just cleansed! Now they could maximize their potential!
Now they could fulfil purpose!
Now they could please God by ‘willing’ and ‘doing’ His good pleasure!

What category do you find yourself today? The visionless and purposeless ones. Or the passionless and apathetic ones. Good news is that He’s still in the business of restoring vision and zeal to ALL who desire to please Him. God wants you, yes you, to walk and work with Him.

Hop in!

Sowing In Tears

Life throws things that seem to buffet us all around. We find ourselves pushed to the the wall. We get frustrated. At ourselves. At people who surround us. At the circumstances. At God.

In instances like this, it seems God isn’t interested in us. So, we cry and cry. And cry some more.

Read this exerpt:

‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weeping, bearing precious seeds, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him’
– Psalm 126 vs 5 & 6.

Note that the secret in the joy at the end isn’t a function of the tears shared. No, joy is as a result of sowing. Yes, sowing is painful. It’d never be convinient. You’d even be tempted to eat your seed. But I say to you, when you sow, you’d definitely reap in joy!

Are you going through a hard time now? It wouldn’t last forever. In fact, it’s just an opportunity to invest in your next windfall of blessings. Don’t just cry. Sow. Sow seeds of prayer. Sow seeds of time. Sow seeds of love. Sow seeds of money. Just sow. Remember, if you sow tears, you’d reap tares. Sow something worthwhile. It’s well.

Life In Its Simplicity

To me, I’d say that a life lived in simplicity is one that the Holy Spirit controls from the most basic issues to the most crucial life-defining ones.

God talks to us all. In simple ways like dreams and visions and by nature. Still others get direction from The Word and their consciences. Some even hear an audible voice. The important thing is that God directs His people, regardless of the medium used. And yielding to His direction is The Way to The Simple Life.

A life lived in simplicity is one lived in peace. This is because there is a sense of purpose and direction in such an individual’s life. The person’s life is organized and well-orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Such a life is never cumbersome because only the necessary and important things are done. Indeed, as a result, even unnecessary good habits are dropped if they are not important. Life becomes so simple that no decision is too trivial for the Spirit to decide. All decisions are met with either a ‘Yes’, a ‘No’ or a ‘Not Yet’.

Friend, we’ve been invited to live our lives in the simplicity of the Spirit. In that way, we can cast our cares and worries and troubles on His broad shoulders because they don’t belong to us anymore.

I leave you with this peculiar translation of a popular verse in the Bible:

‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you’
– Jesus (Matthew 11:28-29 The Message)

I’m Tired Of Being Normal

You’d never find a mad man who would agree with you that he’s mad. Instead, he’d insist that YOU are the mad one! I’m going to say some things that would either make you think I’ve gone gaga. Or make you doubt your sanity. Except you’re in the same frequency with me.

I’m fed up of being normal. I’m sick and tired of flowing with the generally acceptable trend of things. I want to shake things up a bit and start walking in the consciousness of who I am. And if that means that I should become crazy to fulfil that, I really don’t mind. In fact, I want to be crazy! Crazily putting away the tried and tested traditions of the fathers. Crazily embracing the Ultimate One’s Words regarding me.

For starters, I have life. Abundant life at that`. This doesn’t only mean I have a home in heaven when I die. I’m also not meant to manage life on THIS side of eternity. Struggling and merely passing through is disobeying the Words of The Ultimate One.

See, I’ve also been given ALL things that pertain to life“! Not some things. Not most things. But ALL things. Why should I continue cheating myself by living less than what has been appropriated to me? Why should I continue to thrive on what people, circumstances and situations have carved out for me?

Don’t you get it? Let me now blow your mind: The power of the Ultimate One raised up His Son from death. The same power set The Son in heavenly places far above everything that has existed, exists or will exist. The power then put ALL things in The Son’s control. And because I’m a Believer, THAT power is available to me“`!!! There’s no way I’d hear this and still retain my senses.

I wasn’t made to live as a normal person. No sir, I was fashioned to be an anormally supernormal creation! And if the world sees that as craziness, it’s all good with me.

Spend time with the Good Book and The Ultimate One would open the eyes of your heart to know your place in Him.

` John 10:10
“ 2 Peter 1:3
“` Ephesians 1:19

What’s Reality?

Imagine you woke up to find all your entire life as just a dream. Or maybe all your dreams as just a continuation of your life. Many philosophical arguments and their consequent philosophical gyrations have been based on what exactly reality is. I find the topic quite interesting and I just felt like chipping my two cents’ worth.

1. All humans have a yearning within their hearts pertaining to the reason for existence on earth. This yearning is a pointer to the fact that there’s more to life than what our senses can perceive. Otherwise, we’d just go through life without giving a hoot about our purpose for existence, where we came from or where we are going to.

2. The yearning has been put in our hearts by God because we all were created by Him and originated in Him. Man was initially in the dark as regards his origin. He was groping in the dark, looking around for his Source, as well as meaning to life. Religion, however, came into the picture. The diverse religions have had varying successes in providing Man with valid answers.

3. There’s eternity which is the period where time doesn’t exist. Our time on earth is sandwiched between two periods of eternity. We originated from eternity. We are born. We live our lives. We die. We slip back into eternity. We all originated from Heaven but not all would spend the second half of eternity there. Our destination would be a direct consequence of our choices on earth.

4. Eternity is a realm that doesn’t have time and space delineations. The eternal is also the spiritual since it can’t be picked or sensed by our senses. However, there are interactions between the eternal and the physical.

5. Man is a Spiritual being with a Soul and a Body. As a result, Man, in himself, is the link between the eternal and the physical worlds.

6. The Eternal controls the Physical. The physical world deals with all that can be seen, felt, smelt, tasted or heard through the senses. The physical world also originated from superiorly perfect versions in the Spiritual realm. Thus, Man has two realities: An eternal one he senses with his spirit and the physical one he senses with his sense organs. Man CAN influence his two realities by his choices and actions.

From my highly simplistic approach, it’s evident that man can have the best of the two realities. Nothing in the physical happens arbitrarily without an influence from the spiritual. So many are just concerned with living here and now. Stop cheating yourself. It’s God’s will for man to have the best of the two realities, even on this side of eternity!!!

N.B: Tapping into the Spiritual reality without God’s covering is writing an invitation letter to the forces of evil. These can manipulate your perception of the spiritual reality. You have to believe in God to experience the benefits of the spiritual reality. Here on earth and also in Heaven.

Evil’s Open Secret

Just take a good look around you. What do you see in the health sector? What do you see in the educational sector? What do you see in World politics as at now? The international policy makers and top government officials are all confused because nothing seems to work. As it were, they are just moving around in circles, giving Band-Aid to the deeply ingrained cancerous problems the world is facing now. They hope that these problems would just go away by a placebo effect or something.

The whole world is waiting. Anxiously waiting. Waiting earnestly for the manifestation of the Children of The Light who would serve as problem solvers for this generation, for posterity and for the world at large.

But what do we have instead? We have Religion shifting its focus away from its old foe- Science, and engaging in a mortal combat with Spirituality. I’m not saying that it is bad to go to church or it’s bad to fellowship with other believers. But it is the Spirit that gives life, sheer muscle and willpower do not profit anything: if you spend a million years in a church building and you are not filled with the Spirit of God, you are only wasting your time, religiously. Religion is NOT Spirituality!

The problem now is that despite the fact that we have numerous individuals who are filled with the Spirit of God and Wisdom, they prefer not to go out of their comfort zones. The world is like a battle field and the Church is more or less like the Barracks where the Children of The Light should be inspired and motivated to shine their lights into the darkness in the world. Instead, the Children of The Light prefer to stay in the Barracks and shine their Lights to each other when there’s thick darkness out there.

It is at this point that EVIL’S OPEN SECRET is being made manifest. The products of Evil are NOT kept in the warehouses. No, they are pushed into the various walks of life. They are made to infiltrate the entertainment industry, the health sector, the legislative, judiciary and executive arms of government. They are even made to infiltrate the so-called Barracks of the Children of The Light. So today, we have pointless and distasteful bills are are being passed into laws at the houses of parliament all over the world. Why? Because the Children of The Light would not go out of their comfort zones to shine in the darkness. Today, we speak of the evil music industry with more and more being led into the captivity of darkness. Why? Because Lights are busy shining and smiling to each other religiously in the Church while darkness is being enthroned in the world out there.

I’d conclude with this: Daniel was a very spiritual man of God in the Bible. He did not have a church, he didn’t heal the sick and he probably heard God audibly speak more times than we would ever hear in our entire lives. Yet, if he had lived in today’s world, he would have been a politician holding a high public office.

I’m being given a platform. I’m being given a voice. And no matter how shrill that voice may sound, I WILL TALK! Enough with the arguments about doctrine and let’s move out en masse and restore normalcy to the dark, upside down world that we’ve been comfortably living in. Let’s Shine!

God Is My Brother.

This is going to be a very short and laconic one. Okay, now that is settled, can we move on to today’s issue?

For reasons I’m not too sure of, many people think that what I right here resemble sermons and consequently that makes me a pastor, or something. I really don’t understand that sentiment. I made it quite clear in my first post on this blog that I would be writing on various issues from my heart and mind’s perspective.

Pardon my sense of continuity but I had to settle that, because today’s issue might look as if I’m preaching. But I’m not. Okay, I was doing something quite random yesterday and a name was impressed on my heart. Ahijah. Now, I’m quite familiar with that name. I scanned through the recesses of my mind and I remembered that in the Bible, this was the prophet that told a man called Jeroboam, that he (Jeroboam) was eventually going to rule over ten out twelve Israel tribes. Then, an impression was made in my mind. The meaning of Ahijah. For those that do not know, in Biblical times, the interpretation of an individual’s name went a long way in determining his character. For example, Simon (Peter) means ‘reed’, a very weak, easily swayed plant. This was evident in his unstable character during Jesus’ Earthly ministry.

The name Ahijah, means ‘God is my Brother’. Isn’t that awesome. I made another mental scan to find out other individuals who made this seemingly ‘boastful’ claim in the Old testament (in the New testament, Jesus called the doers of His Words, His brothers; Paul also called us joint-heirs with Christ). Father Abraham was called the friend of God, the Great David qualified to be a man after God’s heart. But Ahijah. He called God his Brother.

To me, I am fully convinced that the man Ahijah didn’t just bear the name for the fun of it. No. He was an embodiment of the name both in character and in deeds. How many of us would take a new suit and tear it into pieces, just to explain God’s point to somebody. This guy’s relationship with God was so tight. Even when the man Ahijah was so old and blind, he could not be deceived by the very same test that Isaac failed miserably. I really can’t tell you all you have to know about this man Ahijah. Maybe in your free time, you should check 1 Kings 11 & 14.

I didn’t plan for this article to be this long, but I won’t be satisfied if I didn’t say this: I’m not asking you to change your name to Ahijah so that your character would be like his. Afterall, Jabez, who probably had the worst name anybody could dream to have, didn’t change his name before God changed his story. What I’m really concerned about is how we all get our relationship with God to be so tight that we can boldly unequivocally call God our brother too.

God is yearning for people to have a deep, real-life family-like relationship with Him. But apparently, many people are afraid to draw near to God because of what He might tell them to do. Always remember this: God loves you and He has your best interest in mind. Why not draw nearer to Him, so He’d do the same with you?

Selah!