2020: The Great Unknown

I muse over unnumbered pages of my many thoughts, as the year set the last stage to recede and seal its chronicles, I pondered through the foliate of incalculable odds, the billows of the storm that rose, the trail of tears that dripped, the scars of the heart that was broken, the thrills of laughter that brightens the countenance, the leap of joy and the gift of love that was received as well as the great unknown set in the book of the coming age that has been written by the Author of life. I quietly ask what the new time and season shall hold for the world of the mortals...And within my spirit came the following words that chose the path of my hovering heart contrary to the forethought I could have penned down.

And the whispers in my spirit said,“It shall be to the heirs of promise according to the promises of Him who sits upon the circle of the earth. But the globe shall fall over a perpetual slopes into the effect of every prophesies spoken by the Spirit of truth.

It shall be that men shall seek the path of wisdom by the words of the Prophet and the scrolls of the scribes, trailing the sage and the age alike, but wisdom shall be hidden in the book of Him who is soon to come.

It shall be a Dawn for all that wait and a doom for men who ran against the precept of the King. The flowers shall blossom, the barren tree shall be fruitful and unpruned cedars shall fall to the foot of the pottery they fractured by the vile arms of greed. And it shall be that Hades will advance an army against the princes of Jeshurun, and the remnants of the seed of the woman. But the troubled ship will not sink, for the praying men shall arise and awake the Sailor that lay asleep, Him shall the wind obey. Men shall come to the coast of wondrous sights, signs and enigma of the unknown shall be brought to the knowledge of men but not to their understanding. Light and Darkness shall wage a battle no eyes had seen in ages past.

But the Lord of Sabaoth shall trampled his foes...

It shall be the beginning of the end, perhaps the end of the end. In the year that is to come.
Untold events and tidings shall arise with stern and fearful visage and trepidations upon their wings but only tremble before the King who is able to destroy both the body and the soul. For the great Babylon shall fall and the few remnants shall be gathered.

These were the words that broke my slumber as it kept my eyes awake through the mid of the night, whether I have wield the pen of a poet or a prophet, I do not know, the night was way too dark for me to see, but clear enough for me to hear that these things shall be according to the witness of the watchers.

 Omotayo Oni

Weekly Digest Vol. 8 By Omotayo Oni

Tyranny of Sin

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. 1John 3:8

Sin is a slave master, a wicked tyrant, it never let his prey off its hook, it uses up its victim and gives them over to death. Sin robs man of both his earthly and eternal portions, it drains out virtues from the souls of men and melts out the conscience of its victim. It drags the princes in the mud and gives the nobles to shame. Sin destroys the soul of man and sets him in enmity against God.

Sin often set forth pleasures and advantages, it carefully configures itself to suit your lust, and whatever service sin placed on the table of your heart, it is a bait with a deadly hook; a poison to both the sanity and sanctity of the soul. Sin subtly appeals to the desires of the human nature to pull men from their heights of grace by transgression to divine will and ordinances. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell”. Proverbs 9:17-18.

Sin advertises its pleasures without showing you first its price tag. It takes you farther than you are willing to go, hang around your neck consequences you cannot resolve.

The adamic life is by default a natural enemy of God, a rebel against righteousness. Nothing of the fallen nature of man can please God. God had no pleasure in anything it does. The effect of the foundational sin of Adam brought upon the race of men a colossal damage and terminal curses. 

We are by nature a sinner as Adam traded the generations of men to Sin and Satan for the necters of the forbidden fruit. Christ showed up as our sacrificial Lamb to satisfy the wrath of God, to please God’s justice system that cannot be given to compromise and to salvage the scepter of dominion over mankind from Satan.  “...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. 1John 3:8

The victory over sin is won! Christ paid for the redemption of man “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. 1Corinthians 15:55-57.

However, a slave set at liberty can remain in the slave cage if he is ignorant of his salvation, or locked up to a psychological satisfaction of his natural state as well as unwillingness to explore new life.

The deed was done, God did for us what we cannot do for ourselves, “…that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” john 3:16. There is therefore, an open invitation by the saviour saying “come unto me and I will give you rest”. On the contrary, Sin does not want you to go, except the mighty hand of grace compels, but you must answer the call of grace to turn to God for your salvation. Sin will stop at nothing to guard safely its captives and consistently beckon to the free. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom 6:16 whoever you obey therefore bear rule over your life. You have a choice, to be a son/daughter in God’s royal family or a slave to Sin, Satan and Death.

The fleeting pleasures of sin are served with plate of ignorance, you must learn to think over the consequence of every of your actions. Jesus is the only antidote to Sin, the closer you come to Jesus the farther you are to sin. Jesus has paid a gruesome price to liberate us from the tyranny of Sin. Therefore “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God”. 1John 3:9

You cannot be in a room and be outside the same room concurrently, you cannot be in Christ and be outside him at the same time. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. Galatians 5:16

What is required of you is to continually follow after God, Root out the seed of evil before it grows up to your ruin, guard your heart diligently from sinful thoughts before it captivates your heart, submit every moment of your life to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit and Sin shall not have dominion over you.

Omotayo Oni

Weekly Digest. Vol.7 by Omotayo Oni

Raise us O Lord!

I woke up on a Sunday morning, not wanting to leave my bed, unmotivated and wearied. Seems my heart had already preempted what the Sunday routine will look like, “oh not again!” do I have any fair choice to myself, the alternatives around the neighborhood are some bunch of soulish church of clueless and excited faith-based worshipers, that gives nothing but the gospel of lawless grace, of course, I can get myself entertained and motivated and return home with my hungry soul or perhaps I should just turn on the TV and get the same bumper value to elate and excite my emotions at the expense of my fainting soul. “Would any church host the Lordship of my Jesus today?” my thirsty soul queried.

Obviously, something is wrong with us all! Our stereotyped schedule of services wouldn’t give way to the Holy Spirit. Where will Jesus find expression this Sunday morning? (There I would go). But my generation is contented with the affairs of life without God, they safely trust builders who had rejected the Corner Stone, We are excited with fallible foundations and gratifies every little compromise that frustrate the scheme of redemption; giving way to little foxes that devour the vine. Why has the wound of the Church failed to heal, Where really is the balm in Gilead?

Raise us a generation of men that seek you O God of Jacob! In a time when the Mantle's of our fathers had become mere fabrics and our Cathedrals a monument. The wailing of the saints and the cravings of my souls is to behold again the beauty of Zion, the Vista of your glory and the grandeur of your Holiness. I long to come through the aisle of celestial sensation amid your luminous angels to the wonders of your presence and the finery of your majesty to taste of heavenly enthrallments and the glamour of things to come.

What is left to our generation is the shadow of the things that use to be, the ruins of the temple that once host the glorious presence of the Shekinah; Chunks and fragments of Stones not left upon the other.

The beauty of Israel (Church) is slain on her high places, the excellences of Jacob is given to reproach. The shield of the mighty is fallen and the bearers rooted as though they were never planted. The treasures of Zion are looted, golden vessels traded for vessels of brass. Fathers failed to rise and the sons found satisfaction in a system that keeps building up against the God of the universe.

Give us revival O Lord! We are tired of the routine, the baton of the Gospel is handed to us by weak runners. Many fathers of faith have forsaken the precepts, sadly, many of the suppose sons are clueless of the wherewithal to seek the Lord.

Too many noise and distractions have left an empty echo, our churches have turned a graveyard where the slain of promising light lies extinct. The Lamp-stand had been traded away for coins of gold, Urim and Thummim shortchanged for false divinations, sacred commissions had become but an administrative routine.

Altars are bored with ashes of past flames; testimonies of yesteryears. There is no sustainable fire on the altar but strange ones Kindled by strange children. Gatekeepers charged to secure the fold of God has slept upon their call, only to usher in the forces of darkness by their slumbering spirit.

Who will go for us and bridge the gap, who will make up the hedges and present the counsel of God to the tables of men? Who shall approach to the hill of the Lord, who shall come before the everlasting burnings; to the Company of the Seraphs that surrounds the aura of His Holiness?

Many who cried out “God send me” are naive and gullible, seeking earthly wisdom to carry the weight of the mystery of the Cross and earthly pleasures to mitigate the offenses of the Cross. They left the Holy Spirit to seek mentorship with the old prophets to become prey to strange teachings and false guidance that will feed them to Satan; the devouring beast. Raise us O Lord, Watchmen for our generation! Save us from the distractions of our souls.

We thirst, Lord, we thirst! Raise us men that will break into the camp of the Philistines to bring us waters from the well of Bethlehem.

Omotayo Oni

Weekly Digest Vol 6

THE IRONY OF GOD'S LOVE ( Part Two)

_ By: Omotayo Oni

Indeed God is good, full of mercies and Grace. The world has known no greater miracle than the miracle of his redeeming love.
Weeks back I came across this song that says “Jesus you are too loving to leave me, you are too committed to leave me” watching the singer and his audience as he sang the song, my heart bled. As good as it appeared, all I saw is a generation of Christian whose heart is set in taking advantage of God's grace, who loves the comfort zone of zion and delight in the gospel that offends no one. “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria...”Amos 6:1. This song among others like it; is true of course in what God has been to us, but this truth is not in its entirety. The human nature is comfortable in receiving love and not giving it back in return, this self-centered nature of man is enmity to God and can not please God.
The long-suffering of God towards men is invested in a given time and God has expectation on the lost world whom he invested his only Son for their redemption. But this expectation from many is still wanting. Sadly, we delight ourselves with songs that promote the goodness and love of God in isolation of his Holiness. The craving heart of God for righteous men that will stand and reflect his integrity is quietly ignored, no one is yielding to be a light to the dark world. Jesus indeed is so loving and committed, he will not leave the men he died for, no, not without an appeal, not without the earnest plea of his Holy Spirit, sometimes through the instrument of the human conscience and sometimes through his human agents but if after all you rely on the fact that God is good and merciful to still indulge in your vices and secret sins or tend to ignore the sauntering sinners because you want to gain their favor or approval, you will soon be shocked that Jesus your loving Advocate will someday sit as a righteous Judge to reward you according to your works. Jesus said “In that day I will “confess” that I never knew you, you workers of iniquity” Matt7:21-22 ( to confess means to admit the truth) to think that we understand God and his scheme of Justice perfectly is nothing but a display of untamed foolishness. In Luke 19:41-42 Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem Saying, “If thou hadst knew, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes”. It's sad, Christians are void of the understanding of God. The Revolution in the heart of God is simply the saving grace brought through the blood of Christ his Son but God's attitude towards sin has never changed, He sternly loves righteousness and hates iniquity. God has an uncompromising resolution towards sin and nothing is changing that, Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2Tim. 2:19 The time for the redemption of mankind is fleeting and vengeance is imminent upon the ungodly generation. We can't continue in our sins and hold to God at the same time. Judgment shall begin in the house of God. 1 Peter 4:18 said “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” then I wonder where songs like this will get us. We trade ancient songs of zion that reminds us of the coming of Christ, that convict lost sinners of his wicked ways for songs that promote lawless liberty in Christ. The grace of God is not lawless it has come to teach us to deny ungodliness. Titus 2:11-12.
God will not clap for us for acknowledging his mercies, love, and goodness while we frustrate the purpose of these tributaries of grace. It's like making mockery of God.
I reserve no apology to whoever these concerns, for God can not be mocked. If only we've been men of his presence we will understand his heart cry towards the ungodly generation. It's good to appreciate the goodness of God but if this is all you do with your unrepentant life then be prepared to meet your God. He's a God of Justice and the cup of his wrath is almost at its brim. The old-time religion was a movement that brings down the contemptuous heart of men to the feet of the Cross, rescuing souls from the claws of hell, these were the potencies of the songs of zion which no longer appeal to us except for the polished ones that display our musical prowess with lyrics that acknowledge God's goodness in seclusion of God's righteous yearnings for you and I. Nothing honors God than seeing the perfect image of his Son revealed in you and I, this we must press towards and his grace will lend us divine help.
I will draw my conclusion with the words of Charles Spurgeon "IF SINNERS BE DAMNED, AT LEAST LET THEM LEAP TO HELL OVER OUR DEAD BODIES AND IF THEY PERISH, LET THEM PERISH WITH OUR ARMS WRAPPED AROUND THEIR KNEES. IF HELL MUST BE FILLED, LET IT BE FILLED IN THE TEETH OF OUR EXERTIONS, AND LET NO ONE GO UNWARNED OR UNPRAYED FOR." Grace be unto you all. Amen!

Nature

The songs of nature strayed out of pace
Yet it echoes with the sweetest rhymes
It's sinuous shade dive with poise and grace
Fitting in perfect pace and time

Nature wore the vista of many colours
Nature wore the scent of many fragrance
I feel its sensation across the hills
And its wonders across the sea

I love the smell of rain in the sand
The excitement of the winter months
The dusty mist of the harmattan
The water fall and the fountain deep

How with beauty nature rebound
Breaking out of its own prison of chaos
With nuptial devotion to perfection
Budding anew in the wake of the season.

Omotayo Oni

My Sunshine

My wondering heart met with the sunshine
She's such an enchanting glow
The sight of her burn with passionate flames
Her smiles with darling tones,
She's such beauty beget of grace.

Amiable on my adventurous field of love
With beautiful stride and pageantry
Her golden ray evolves in my waking soul
She's such treasure the oceans has kept
The jewel the mountains has hidden

She walked through the walls of my heart
And painted it with the colors of her love
I wrote aptly to my folks and tribe
Saying “Mo ron todun - Moti re nikeji mi”
They saw my sunshine, she's a loving soul

And thus I prayed every night and day
That our love conquers all obstacles
May it dwells with passion most profound
May it sail through the wild oceans of life
May it be that my heart finds its sanctuary in you.

 _Omotayo Oni_

Weekly Digest Vol 5. By: Omotayo Oni

Pace and Proximity: Closeness with God.

The tenacity of a lover to woo his object of affection comes with selfless grit, such that command insane and unimaginable things.
One of the most foolish and ridiculous things I've watched sane people do were things they do for love.
Every impression we show to people we love is a message of how much we care, admire and cherish them. What these impression aims to achieve is to create a closer intimacy and induce mutual passion.
Consequently, the closer the people we love come in love with us the more their actions matters to us, the more our expectations on them. Offenses weighs more based on the the level of proximity.
When two lovers aligned, tolerance and expectation strikes same equilibrium. If expectations are not met it creates offenses that over burden tolerance. Anger sometimes are natural response to these effects. Love overlook flaws and natural shortcomings but not offensive act or omission, such act or omission hurt based on the degree of proximity.
When someone throw stones at far distance at you it seldomly hurt but if the same stone was thrown at a closer range it cannot but hurt deeply. As much as we cherish closeness with lovers, the easier it becomes to be offended by their wrongs. We only get disappointed in people we have expectations on if the expectations are not met. A man who means nothing to you can barely hurt your feelings by any of his tendencies.
Love comes with anticipations, Anyone you deeply love holds the rod to hurt you in the same proportion. Such rod is traceable to your expectations on such one.
In like manner, God's dealing with his people has everything to do with the extent of our intimacy with him.
Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us”
God the Father of grace was unpleased with the granite wall of transgression that impede the fellowship between him and men.
God seek intimacy with men through his unfeigned love, this he achieved by satisfying his wrath on his own begotten Son that he might mend his relationship with us. The price God paid for love is huge, it wasn't an easy one on him. He mended the bridge back to his glorious family and will go extra miles to woo men in accepting his love.
When we accept God's invitation and draw closer to him. He set his heart before us through his word and expect us to reflect and reciprocate this love.
The closer we reach for God the more he unveil his nature and the more of his understanding is expected of us. When our actions contradict his ways he becomes disappointed with us. What God makes known to us is based on the level of intimacy he has with individual. The more of God we know determines the level of our exploits in the kingdom service.
 Psalmist remarked, “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel”. (Ps 103:7). Likewise psalm 25:14 unveiled that “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he show them his covenant”. A man like Moses understood his ways not just his doings that is why God will not tolerate his offensive act against his simple instruction.
It is in our own interest to get close to God, but diligence is however required over negligence in aligning our lives with him. The abuse of proximity and frustration of love will not go down well in our relationship with God. Understanding God is key to our fellowship with him.
Love will pay any ridiculous price for what its eyes is set on, but having done all if expectation is not satisfied its passionate flames burns out leaving its object to the natural consequences of rejecting the outstretched offers.
Let's consider the overview of God's Word in Isaiah 5:1-7
“...My well-beloved hath a vineyard...he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes... judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?...And I will lay it waste:... I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it...For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel...”
Never delight in God's grace and mercies in isolation of his laws and expectations.
Grace is not lawless, as many as have took the grace of God for liberty to continue in sin and lawlessness will eventually met with God's wrath and vengeance. And for those who reject God will meet with damnable end for rejecting the only one route of salvation laid down for all humanity.

Omotayo Oni