IT'S A WRONG NARRATIVE!

 "Let God be true, and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4 KJV). As the world nears the closing of its final chapter, humanity seems to be held captive by the systems and schemes that have woven themselves into the fabric of society, binding minds to the patterns of Babylon. All around, people have conformed to the culture of this age, dulled to the signs that echo through history and prophecy, signaling the imminent return of Christ. Yet, we seem unbothered. The idea of God no longer resonates in the heart; reason has distanced itself from faith, and many minds have lost their capacity to perceive divine reality.

Who has deceived us? Everything surrounding us is out of joint, far from normal, and this is not merely a cautionary tale—it is a truth you may not hear again. Open your eyes, and you will see that nothing here is as it should be. The "kingdom of this world," under Satan's dominion, has aggressively rewritten the narrative of truth, shaping values and customs in stark contrast to the kingdom of God. In this struggle, even the ambassadors of light—the ministers of the Gospel—are often misrepresented or misunderstood. As John 3:19 (KJV) declares, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

Our generation has awakened on the wrong side of the story, embracing as "normal" what is, in truth, deeply abnormal. The kingdom of this world imposes its principles and ideologies upon humanity, and in its wake, the true standards of God’s kingdom are disregarded. Yet, the call remains: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4 KJV). The two kingdoms stand in contrast; one guided by the Spirit and truth, the other by darkness and deception. It is time to choose which kingdom will shape our reality, for Christ alone is the way, the truth and life.

Omotayo Oni

BURDEN OF A WATCHMAN (Dec 12)

Where is the Church?

Where the “church” is I do not know, but wherever the Presence is, there I will be. Sometimes ago, every sunday morning hurled over my quiet soul, nudging me into struggles with demands of religion against the true essence of faith. I was yoked with the compulsion of service in exchange for eternity, a contradiction that barely interpret my role in partnership with the cause of Christ. My activities in response to church duties however was spelt with several editions of doctrine. The church cleverly built a system that duly punish my conscience if I erred or revolted against its static and preemptive policies. The rod of the tongue scourged my soul and condemnation flooded my badge of sonship with little or no help of grace to pick it up. I struggled to not yield to noxious and lustful influences and its multiple impulses of the flesh.

I have a considerable penchant for the aesthetic gem of Calvary but often felt too ashamed to look up to him that was hung thereon. I was vulnerable to guilty pleasures yet willful in embracing moral touchstone. I hoped that If I was schooled and tutored enough, I will someday become a perfect insignia of holiness; time however races against such prospect as I was fast becoming a civilized hypocrite, polished in the similitude of a Christian. Thanks to my saving Grace that was both ahead and behind in my rough alleys, mending my patches, committed to his love. A bruised reed he said he will not break, a smoking flax he promised not to quench. I was not better off than any other I would have called a “worldly Christian” for there is no such term in the branch of Christianity. I love the Lord from my childhood, I love his ways but was caught in the web of earning my own righteousness by my own resilience, an act that betrayed my convictions.

The whips of the law could not wean me from the staggering facilitations of the flesh, unanswerable questions surmount my soul when I stood in contrast to men with false heralds of grace, as their boasting against the law has produced nothing like Christ either. 

“Isn't Jesus enough?” this was all I needed to know. Would I still love him if there is no heaven or hell? If there are no rewards or crowns, if there is no hell to burn. Would I still love him? Perhaps we can all answer these questions, we would judge our sincerity. Why do I serve? If serving him just for who he is was all I was called to do, would I still love him? Do I then have to worry about eternal homes if I have truly found a home in him. Isn't the embrace of his love sufficient?

I grew tired of my own charades, When my incomprehensible lack of love met his incomprehensible excess of love. If I would be a perfect model of a Pharisee, I already have a highway to trail. But for the love of him who is committed to me and the beckoning of his perfect hope. I must take the steps farther than the borders of denomination. A decision that put my being through surge and sway. Could I serve him perfectly without a “church” well that depends on individual's understanding of the Church. No man can please God in isolation from the body of Christ. “He is the Vine we are the branches” no branch survives on its own. The Church however is never and has never been our administrative structures, our denominations and church buildings is nothing more than an esteemed edifice and famed circle of indoctrinated folks. I will rather embrace the church as the body of Christ, stay wherever he stays and leave wherever he leaves.

If then a church is the hall where the king of Zion was chased with stones, there I will also flee. If the church is the little room whose door received the King of Zion, there I will also stay. Therefore I do not know a church but Christ and his love. I will no longer be bound by the ways and the waves of religion, I have shed their petals on the floor for the effulgence of the true glory of my King. I must therefore cherish him for the sole treasure that he is, and cleave to him as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. Then it is safe to conclude that where his Presence is, there is the Church.

Oni Omotayo

BURDEN OF A WATCHMAN (New Series)

A SUCCESS STORY

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12 KJV

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing and sometimes you must be ready to risk it all. Yes, how often these words put us on our feet every morning, striving to climb the ladder of success. Undoubtedly, a success story is an eventful story with an uneventful and ignoble path, especially when the success goal does not conform with popular declivity. For me, my utmost choice clearly defines on which sides of the battle I'm born to fight.

Though I swing my fist every day with the assurance that I will survive the most perilous situation and circumstance, It seems the existing system is designed to oppose the pact I have with destiny. As one who journeys against the wind, I have to adjust my sail between the will to rise above limitations and situations that downplay my impulse.

As much as I love to tame the grief that taunts my soul, there are seasons where unpleasant fate dealt a hefty blow against my faith, these awkward moments trim down every form of motivations, I became weary of the sayings "with greatness comes a heavy price" because time and tide tend to blackmail these entreaties of patience, painting them as stale and false hope. As my patience strives not to betray the cause, time seems to betray my patience. I could only wonder how heavy the price for greatness can get? But probably not much of a price if the success goal is limited to financial affluence, but when an appointment made with purpose strikes to the root of an age long contention between light and darkness, then all strengths and fibres had to be stuck into it. 

But for the beautiful outcome and the glorious ending, this unusual kind of success story is a story of distress and loneliness, a story of peril, plight and price. It's a story of how the enemy sponsors a fall and turn around to draw out an accusation on it. A story of learning to abound and to abase, a story that brings you into the company of angels today and then lead you through the shadow of demons tomorrow. A story that turns friends into strangers and makes alien your ally. A story with phases and chapters, A story that questions your calling, deprecate your stand, betray your intentions and challenge your convictions. A story of making what you live for worth dying for, A story that demands an answer of your loyalty to God a thousand times again.

Every journey of a noble cause is truly worth a success story, so also are its sacrifices. T. Roosevelt said, “...the credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly… who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold timid souls who have… known neither victory nor defeat.”

The table certainly will be set for my fraction of a success story, then, it shall be a story that does not fall into history but rises into a future with God. Such stories the saints and martyrs of old wrote with their blood and tears, a story of how mortality is swallowed up in immortality, a story of how the righteous rises after falling seven times. A story of crowns and credentials gathered through the aid of grace. A story of one who overcomes the world. My success story will be a great and eventful one, an amazing story of grace that shied my life of consistent impact and the onslaught of hell.

Oni Omotayo 

EMBRACE OF MERCY

 When darkness is cast against my sight

And my gaze seems obscured from you

When my heart falls below the threshold

When the waves of fate tossed my faith 

Savior, let me fall in your embrace of mercy. 

When the tent of friends and lovers are far

When the voice of teachers mute in truth

When I do not know the way from here

When axes threatens the fruit of my vine

Only let me fall in your embrace of mercy. 

When the surge of the sea stands at me

And the billows roared against my voyage

When my grip and anchor cease to hold

When too filthy could not touch the helm of your garment

Only let me fall in your embrace of mercy. 

When hell and destruction hunt after me

When hades plot to halt my purpose

When far away I wandered from your call

When at the end of the road I hit the cliff 

Only let me fall in your embrace of mercy. 

When the tongues of foes are wet in judgements

When against your ordinance I erred

When I missed your will at the borderline of choice

When I sleep in death knowing not my end

Savior, only let me fall in your embrace of mercy. 

Omotayo (Tpoet) 

Portrait Of My Mind

 Portrait Of My Mind

After a long gaze into my eyes she said

“who may know what is on your mind... ”

So I hewd my lines from the crust of thoughts 

For I did wish to unfold the gate to its horizon

Perhaps a lead and a guide to its windows

If you may see a piece of my intentions. 

If you may see the portrait of my mind

And the reflecting mirror of a many world

If you may see the infinite pages of words

If you may see the battles of fierce armies

The fearful rivalry of contending horrors

And the careful feud of defending honors. 

Peep and see behind the curtains of my mind

Perhaps you may see the unrest of filth and guilt

The pollutions that longs for my vulnerability

The dusty and the rusty wares lying unkempt 

The invaluable instruments that lies waiting 

The formidable forces of my quiet soul.

In my mind is a prodigious hall of conflict

A still quite ocean that echoes its own drops

A noisy market of untoward universe 

Where many stars flung around in amazements

A world of astounding mysteries and puzzles

Where the drums of conscience thuds aloud. 

In my mind is the groanings of valiant warrior

The restlessness of a war-ridden fighter

A place where no one knows, but he who knows

A place where I forgot my very own existence

Lost in infinite imaginations and possibilities 

A world of hostility, litigation and cares. 

A garden of love mar with the stones of hate

A transiting walls of awful and awesome themes

A world not so perfect but rooted in pure volition 

If only I could indite the volume of unspoken words

If only I could invite you to the court of many choice

Perhaps I will paint perfectly the imperfect pictures. 

Yes its a place of wealth and a trove of treasures

A room of arts, beauty and expressions

A field of choice vine preyed by social foxes

An assembly that sway betwixt right and wrongs

In my mind are tools that build the script of today 

The quarry that forges the edifice of tomorrow. 

 Omotayo (Tpoet)

The Covenant Keeping God. By Esther Ewa-Orun

Click on the link below to Download

https://sites.google.com/site/temmysongs/esther/CONVENANT%20KEEP%20GOD%7BEWA%20ORUN%7D.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1 

Puzzle Seekers Series (vol. 1)

 

Question: Should a Believer listen to secular love songs?

Ans: BEYOND LYRICS, WORLDLY MUSICS*

I can relate to the the infirmity of words and of writers. In this light, no writings have been entire on its own without any need for references and cross references. That is the beauty of life.  

In this light I will like to add some thoughts to the above write up on *worldly music*. Because I strongly know it is not a full and complete thought yet. 

 The in-completion is of course not a fault or a problem , it is rather what befalls all writings. 

I, as a writer by calling and profession have come to reminisce on my writings over and over again to see several parts that needs some addenda and shadings. 

In this light I will paint some chiaroscuro around what the author has said to add to its richness. 

God bless whoever puts the above together.

Picking it a step further from where he stopped. 

YES! lyrics are one of the way to judge if a music is godly.But then, there is more.  

Music isn't just about lyrics alone. Actually, music isn't meant to be about words or lyrics. Music from its root word which is 'muse' connotes something beyond lyrics or words. It is the food of the soul. 

It is a reflection of the soul. The expression of the sounds within. This definition makes our perspective of music sacred and more intricate. 

Conventional definition of music is combination of sounds in an harmonious way.

So, having said this, since *we can have music without lyrics*. It suddenly means we may need to add to the above submission of the author to make it holistic. 

Music can come as just intros of sounds from chord progression of nature, animals musical instruments or human instrument. 

Because of this, sounds are actually implicated in music than words and are what makes it. Even words are classified under sounds. So, from this perspective, can we possibly have worldly sounds or music genre? 

*The answer is Yes* 

What if there aren't any word used but only beats and instrumentation. 

*The answer is still Yes*

By reality, what makes anything worldly isn't firstly the style but the source, the agenda and the channel. 1john2:15.

Source 

Agenda behind the sound 

Channel. 

As a spiritual person, I know inspiration comes from finite and infinite sources. This is true of sounds and Musics composition. Some these sounds were inspired, birthed, and bequitted from the infinite source (realm of the spirit). 

It is not a news that many musicians of our days got their beats, even style of sounds, *even dance* , not only lyrics as a gifts and invention from the other kingdom. In this light, when we bring such tunes, dances, sounds or intros not necessarily the wordings now into Christian assembly, we risk defiling ourselves.

 Because, if a sounds was a direct gift from the Satan, no matter how much gospel lyrics u composed to make it fit into church settings it won't just make it holy. Because the source is evil. 

I write as one who has experience of these things. A lady told me of a church she attends that plays the intro of Beyonce as a forward for their choir ministration.

She later told me of how she experienced being initiated by the church members. She even said, the pastor of the church told her of the demonic operations going on there. 

What makes any music demonic or worldly is more than they just the lyrics, it is more of the source. Because, even God doesn't judge by mere words or expression of mouth. He picks at the heart first and the channel. 

*These people draw close to me by their words but their heart imaarr far from me*. 

As touching if there are things that are entirely worldly on earth. The answer for this is Yes. As a medical scientist, I know of concepts ideas that at are overly worldy in agenda and source not because of their word content or concept but of the hidden the agenda behind it. 

As an Educationist who is taught in theories or education and its history. I can give many of worldly ones in terms of concept.

A little of this is 

*Evolution by Darwin 

*Some parts of biological/genetical engineering.e.g designer baby. 

Some parts of Space science and mind science.

Someone may ask, how do we now identify which is worldly?

We have to firstly tune to the spirit for judgement because the spiritual judges all things.

Using lyrics alone will not help us. You may need to discern the man and agenda behind the tune, and sound. Because the devil is smarter than that, *he works more with the Spirit of musics and sounds than the lyrics*

About listening to music

If judging by lyrics, there are several people who have sang songs who have gospel ladened lyrics. Michael Jackson is one and a host of others. This is where the channel comes in. Songs feed the soul and it's difficult to separate the life of the composer from his music. So, for Christians judging by the fruits of this musicians can help us to decide who you give your soul to be fed with. You may not know the personal life of some of them, but then, you can make a decision by the spirit. Any one you listen to in music is ministering to you beyond his lyrics, he is intermingling with your soul.

Lastly, we need prophetic eyes to judge the agenda behind some of this genres of music. The question is can the devil invent a genre of music. The answer is Yes. You may need to do a some spiritual home work to proof this to be wrong. This being the truth, it calls for discernment by the church beyond lyrics to screen out these music.

*Even the so called 'gospel music' must be discerned*

There is someone most Christians listen to in Nigeria as a gospel artiste that I'm reluctant to listen to because of the revelational knowledge I have of her. This is discernment. *Many people have our lyrics but don't have our Spirit* This is wisdom for whoever has an ear.

*Can't we hijack the music from Satan?*

Someone who is zealous may ask this? Good. To answer this, don't you think we can as well hijack the Devil too from his kingdom? Obviously Not. When is the kingdom lacking so much in wits and invention that we need to borrow and rebrand tools from the other side? 

 So, it is not about if we can or not, it is simply about give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

Your brother,

Akinwumi TAIWO. 

inhisgripoflove@gmail.com