Thursday, 17 September 2020
Friday, 22 March 2019
BREAKING NEWS: TRIBUNAL DECLARES SENATOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE (PDP) WINNER OF OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
BREAKING NEWS: TRIBUNAL DECLARES SENATOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE (PDP) WINNER OF OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
The Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the poll.
The Tribunal made the declaration on Friday after dismissing a preliminary objection against the petition of the PDP and Senator Adeleke, challenging the September 2018 governorship election in the state.
The preliminary objection was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The three defendants claimed that the petition of the PDP and its candidate was incompetent and the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to hear it.
Delivering a ruling on the preliminary objection, Justice Obiora Obi who is a member of the three-man Tribunal held that the petition was competent.
He also stated that the Tribunal has the jurisdiction to hear and determine it.
The judge held that there was merit in the appeal filed by the PDP and Senator Adeleke, adding that the declaration and return of Governor Oyetola by INEC was null and void.
He, thereafter, declared Senator Adeleke, who represents Osun West district in the National Assembly, as the winner of the election and duly elected governor of the state.
The tribunal also held that the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Oyetola be withdrawn and that a fresh one should be issued to Senator Adeleke of the PDP, having fulfilled the conditions of the law.
It said the petitioner scored the lawful majority votes at the election while the rerun held in the seven cancelled units were null and void and of no electoral effect.
The PDP and Senator Adeleke had approached the Tribunal to challenge the declaration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC as the winner of the September 22, 2018, election by the electoral body.
After entertaining final arguments and adoption of written addresses by lawyers to the parties involved on March 7, the Tribunal announced that it would reserve judgment on the matter.
The Tribunal, which was earlier sitting in Osun, was relocated from the High Court of Justice Complex, Osogbo to Abuja in November 2018.
Monday, 11 February 2019
SPECIAL DIVINE ENCOUNTER 2019
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Thursday, 24 January 2019
Oby Ezekwesili quits Presidential Race for A Coalition
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| Oby Ezekwesili |
It is no longer news that during and
after the Presidential Debate organized by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group
(NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) on Saturday January
19 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the ecstatic applause that filled the
air was so much that even the deaf and dumb would have sensed that something
great is happening given the vibration, joy, jubilation and gladness that throng
almost every house declaring, “Finally the savior is here”, “These are the type of
Visionary Leaders we want in our country”, “These guys are just who Nigeria
need to Lead us”, “Imagining these three people coming together to form an
alliance or coalition” , "Now, we have a replacement having not to choose between two devils" amongst several other words that is in the lips of many.
It was so glaring that our Nation
Nigeria truly need a savior who will deliver the country from the impeccable
mess which has salvage it for many years by the corrupt politicians in the
ruling party APC and his counterpart PDP which according to one of the Presidential Debate candidate, Fela Durotoye of ANN, referring them as
"two sides of the same bad coin".
This was also corroborated by the Kingsley Moghalu of Young
Progressives Party saying that
"One is a kettle and one is a pot. And they call each other black."
Just in the early hours of today
(Thursday 24th January), Nigeria's leading Female Presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili who was also participated in the Presidential Debate posted
on her twitter handle that she is withdrawing from the race, pledging to form
an opposition coalition to defeat the ruling party.
She said (extracts from her twitter handle), “following the
reactions of Nigerian citizens at home and abroad to the 2019 Presidential
Debate held on Saturday 19 January 2019, and after extensive consultations with
leaders from various walks of life across the country over the past few days, I
have decided to step down from the presidential race and focus on helping to
build a Coalition for a viable alternative to the #APCPDP in the 2019 general
elections.
This coalition for a viable alternative has now more than ever before
become an urgent mission for and on behalf of the citizenry. Over the
past three months, I have been in private extended talks with other candidates
to make a coalition possible that would allow Nigerians to exercise choice
without feeling helplessly saddled with the #APCPDP.
In doing so, I have not hesitated
to offer my willingness to step down my candidacy in order to facilitate the
emergence of a strong and viable alternative behind which Nigerians can line up
in our collective search for a new beginning. My commitment in this regard has
been consistent and in consonance with my agreement, at the request of then
aspirants under PACT in 2018, to supervise their internal selection process as
an outside observer passionate about building this alternative force.
Despite disagreements within the
Allied Congress Party of Nigeria on these and other issues, I have decided that
it is now necessary to show by action and example my determination on this
issue by stepping down my candidacy and focusing on building the coalition once
and for all.
We have no right to allow
citizens give in to despair. We will #Fight4Naija together, and prove to all
that the mess that has now become the political class will not be allowed to
destroy our spirits and the nation. We are also determined to ensure that the
message keeps resonating that our beloved country deserves better, and that if
we are to get the best that we deserve, we must fight for it. From last year, I
have made it clear to the nation that Nigeria has always had a 20 year cycle of
change - 1959, 1979, and 1999.
2019 begins another 20 year
cycle, and together with all Nigerians of good will, I stand ready to play my
part to ensure that we do not miss this opportunity to sing a new song. We have
no more time to waste. Let’s get to work!
These were the words of a woman
who served as a former government minister, and a founder of the civil society
organization Transparency International. She was considered for the 2018 Nobel
Peace Prize in recognition of her anti-corruption work.
Fela Durotoye has also in his twitter handle showed respect to what Oby Ezekwesili did by saying:
Oby Ezekwesili is known more recently for her work as co-founder of 'Bring Back Our Girls', a campaign which seeks to raise awareness about some 270 girls who were kidnapped from their school in the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014 by Boko Haram.
I have always believed that leadership is about service & sacrifice & today, I would like to commend Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili @obyezeks for leading the charge to forming a viable coalition to presenting a Consensus Candidate for the 2019 Presidential elections. To ensure an alliance is formed and we present a united front, I AM READY to come into coalition talks with my brothers Omoyele Sowore @yelesho & Prof. Kingsley Moghalu @moghalukingsley.
And to submit myself to any transparent process that will help us arrive at a selection of a Consensus Candidate from amongst us. To be clear, if the process produces any other candidate apart from myself, I AM READY to support whoever the Consensus Candidate is and to do all I can to support the coalition to win the 2019 Presidential elections for our generation. Let us come together and seize this historic window of opportunity for our generation to select one of us to go ahead of us ... so that ALL OF US can come together and speak with one voice at the 2019 General Elections.
Oby Ezekwesili is known more recently for her work as co-founder of 'Bring Back Our Girls', a campaign which seeks to raise awareness about some 270 girls who were kidnapped from their school in the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014 by Boko Haram.
Many of the girls managed to
escape in the hours following their abduction or have been released in the last
few years, but about 100 are still missing and their condition is unknown.
From my point of view, It would however be in the best interest
of this nation to support a visionary and young leader who is passionate in the
right direction and not a clueless old ruler who is dispassionate and taking us
to the grave as Mo Ibrahim, the Chairman, Mo Ibrahim Foundation in his words
said,
“Why do we pick up leaders at 90 years old to lead… to lead us where?… to the grave?
That is a deep word for thought."
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| Banjo Isaiah, a writer, a youth leader, a media practitioner, an administrator and political analyst writes from Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, Nigeria. |
Wednesday, 2 January 2019
RCCG 2019 PROPHECIES - Daddy E.A Adeboye
Daddy E.A Adeboye giving the prophecies for 2019 in codes... Watch this... SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL #BanjoIsaiah
2019 PROPHESY ACCORDING TO PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE.
As the year was running to an end; as usual I sought the face of the Lord that Father, what is the New Year going to be like.
And then we have a little problem. The little problem is that in Nigeria, this is the Election Year and anything I say will be twisted by who? By the Politicians!
So Lord I want to know what the New Year is going to be like and yet am afraid that if you tell me, and I tell them it will be twisted.
Oh thank God for God.
It is a Good Thing to be close to God. I beg you this year 2019 be close to Him.
So the Lord reminded me and say that is no problem. He remembered when at the table - The Last Supper I had with my disciples. When I said that one of them will betray me.
And they were asking me who will do it. And Peter beckoned to John the Beloveth and say: You ask Him, He will tell you. And John asked Him. And I told John that I won't mention his name but I will take a little bread, put it in the stew and put it in his mouth.
He (God) said to me that we can see talk in codes.
... So codes.
Glory be to God!
The following therefore are the Year 2019 Prophesies:
1. FOR INTERNATIONAL SCENE:
Joel 2:28-32 KJV
28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
2. FOR NIGERIA:
Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
... So those of us who are already praying for God to be Merciful continue your Prayers as you are on the right track.
3. FOR INDIVIDUALS
Isaiah 3:10-11 KJV
10. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.11. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him : for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
And since everything is in codes:
4. FOR RCCG:
Psalms 91:1-end
So you cannot say Adeboye said. You can only say "It is Written".
... Glory be to God - Hallelujah!!!
Banjo Isaiah O.
Thursday, 30 August 2018
CHAPTER THREE - WHAT DO YOU CARRY INSIDE OF YOU?
IN THE SECRET
Written by Banjo Isaiah
CHAPTER THREE
WHAT DO YOU CARRY INSIDE OF YOU?
“It is not the size of a dog that matters in a fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
Preamble
While I was serving my fatherland in faraway North-East Nigeria, Adamawa state to be precise, I was privileged to serve with the National Christian Corpers’ Fellowship as the State Evangelism Secretary in the year 2010/2011. On one of our visits to the Zones (Local Governments) to conduct an interview for the Zonal Executives, we got to a particular place and interviewed quite a large number of people. A brother came in, we asked several questions and this brother was ‘sound’ and answered most questions correctly. There were about five of us conducting the interview, but I did not ask a question from him because I had great trouble in my spirit with his person. He sounded so convincingly good. He was a perfect match for the office of the Zonal Coordinator and all my co-executive would have consented to him being the next Coordinator.
Finally, I felt led in my spirit to request for his phone. He reluctantly released it. I checked through the music store and was amazed at what I saw. Several worldly songs filled the lists. As if that was not enough, I checked through his pictures and saw some disturbing images and video of nude persons. And to crown it all, the pictures and videos were not downloaded but recorded live. This took us aback and we had to start another round of counselling, through which we discovered that he was just pretending to be born again. We led him to Christ, and he did not get the position of Coordinator. Afterwards, in our visitations to other places, it became our practice to check prospective executives’ phones to give us a clue of who they are. Some even use a password for their phones, picture gallery, WhatsApp and other social media because of the things they are hiding from the public gaze.
Introduction
Your outward look and appearance may be deceiving, huge, gigantic, spiritual. The performance of acrobatic skills and gestures but the heart condition is just like a loaf of bread, tiny and inconsequential.
A man is perceived as being a real and substantive threat to his opposition not by noise making without substance, but by operating in an undeniable greater force and exhibiting a strong will even in a seemingly calm, quiet attitude.
A Yoruba proverb roughly translates to mean “a ram that retreats is not lazy. The retreat is to garner enough strength and energy for impactful damage to its opposition and contender in order to overcome”.
Likewise, it is with a man who goes on a retreat into his ‘personal space’ or war room to garner strength. He does this by going back to his source of strength which is God Almighty to recharge his battery level for optimal impact in the world he lives.
Many so-called Christians have replaced retreat for recreation and fitness exercise. The church has become a place where talents and skills are been showcased, whereas, their secret places are not been well utilized to recharge their batteries but only to embark upon illicit atrocities. There should be a re-evaluation.
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Physical appearance – artificial looks, beauty, comeliness, shapes, contours, enlargements, cosmetic and dressing prowess should NEVER be the real definition of the true self of a man. A man should be defined by the content of his hearts and character towards God and towards mankind, just like Martin Luther King Jnr. said,
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”.
However, what men judge in this present time is mainly physical look and not the strength of character. Show me a man who loves God and I will show you a man who is truly handsome (inside out).
Imagine a sugar-coated, milky, crispy, chocolate icy cake with the inside is full of maggots and worms. So many believers ‘have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof’. Only God knows the state and condition of the heart of man. The heart is well hidden from sight. No man can see what the heart processes. Only God knows the intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
That is why it is easy to make the costly error of judging a man by his physical appearance. In fact, it is inherently human nature to judge through the physical appearance.
Can you imagine that even a prophet of God, Samuel, whom God always backed the words of his mouth to come to pass that none of his words ever fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19) was almost deceived by the physical when God asked him to go and anoint a king from the sons of Jesse after rejecting Saul.
First Samuel 3:19 said;
“And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words falls to the ground”.
Such was the great portion of grace upon Samuel’s life. Yet, when Samuel got to Jesse’s house to anoint a king, Samuel said, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before Him” when he saw Eliab, the first son. Hmmnn! The great prophet Samuel was deceived by physical appearance. Eliab must have looked like a saint and probably a good replacement for King Saul. He might have smelled so nicely, have well-built body, looked energetic like a man of war, but God quickly intervened and said to Samuel, “Do not be deceived my dear son, don’t look at his physical size, appearance and look; his heart is in a dilapidated state (paraphrased)”. God sees the heart of every man. The condition of your heart speaks volume. From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The other seven sons still passed before Samuel and yet God rejected them all.
What amazes me most was the fact that, probably grace would have covered them and Samuel may have had to select who will be or not. Why? They have all just been sanctified.
1 Samuel 16:5-7,
5“And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to sacrifice. 6And it came to pass, when they come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him. 7But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not in his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart”.
It was Samuel (the great prophet) that conducted the sanctification exercise for these sons, they were cleaned and prepared to offer sacrifice to God and most importantly to select who among them will be anointed. But in spite of the sanctification, not one of them was qualified. All the seven sons passed by Samuel and he could not find any qualified. One can only imagine the kind of disappointment Samuel felt that day. With all of his anointing and the sanctification exercise, none of the sons still qualified for the position of kingship because God already has his own candidate who was “A Man After His Own Heart”.
Amazingly, David was not at home when the sanctification was conducted. Yet, when he came into where Samuel was, God told Samuel to arise and anoint him immediately.
David did not need “rush hour sanctification”. He was already sanctified. He already had a relationship with God. He had kept his heart pure. You do not commit leadership responsibilities to those who just did kwashiorkor or impromptu sanctification or just got born again. They misuse the power. They have not been tested yet. You do not take an untested rifle to the battlefield, you might lose your life. Likewise, you do not put a wounded soldier in charge of a battle.
In fact, the three eldest sons, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah were strong fighters; warriors who regularly followed Saul to battle (1 Samuel 17:13). They were committed to serving their country Israel. They were cheered by people, encouraged, praised whenever they returned back from war because they probably have the fitness and look for winning a battle. Whereas David did not have the look, men were looking for. David’s best job in the sight of people was to keep the sheep and run errands.
In 1 Samuel 17: 17 and 18, I discovered that one of David’s assignment was to take the meal to the three brothers at the battlefront and look at how they are faring. One special thing that caught my attention in verse 18 was “… and take their pledge”.
18“And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.”
“What! Take their pledge! You mean the Israelites have a pledge they observe, just like Nigeria which has a national anthem and a pledge?” This was my first reaction to that verse.
Although, looking at different parallel scriptures, the word “take their pledge” denotes “bring back a report on how they are doing – NLT; bring some token from them - ESV; bring back news of them – NASB; bring a confirmation from them – HCSB; bring something back from them – ISV; bring back their pledge that they received that they received the goods – Net Bible; Other versions like American Standard Version, American King James Version, Darby Bible Translation, English Revised Version, Webster’s Bible Translation, Young Literal Translation, all used the word ‘Pledge’ in their translation just like King James Version.
But at first, my mind went to the Nigerian Pledge and I could imagine the three brothers saying this (using the Nigerian Pledge as an example):
“I pledge to Israel my nation,To be faithful, loyal and honest,To serve Israel with all my strength,
To defend her unity,And uphold her honour and glory,So help me God (Amen).”
What a pledge, you say. But alas! Dedication, commitment, zeal and passion for God’s work does not equate to God’s approval and acceptance of being chosen for anointing. These three brothers were actively involved in defending their country, God’s own people from disunity, defeat, to uphold their honour and glory, serving it with all their might, strength and even their lives. However, in the secret place, they have been rejected by God. In the public, they received cheers and encomiums of the populace. They were macho men. But in the secret place, they were babies and toddlers, immature kids in adult body.
God had rejected them. Their zeal was just keeping them busy, but their reward was nothing. When a man shows zeal and passion for God’s work, people easily get carried away; praising him, giving him awards, rewarding him for his dedication. Yet God might be saying,
“I have rejected you, Mr. Man”.
If a man’s heart is not in tune with God, he might perform great signs, wonders and miracles, he might teach well and preach convincingly, and God might still say “Depart from me, I know you not”. May that not be our testimony in Jesus’ name.
How sad will it be for any man if after all his activities for God, he is tried and his works burnt in the lake of fire.
Everything still points back to the condition of our heart.
What is the reason, purpose and motive behind all these zeal and passion and generous giving? Your heart’s condition is what God is interested most in and not what you do outwardly. Even though your outward appearance should have been an expression of the inward content but alas, that is not the case.
Even the scripture attested to the fact that: “their mouths and lips praises me but their hearts is far away from me” (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8, Mark 7:6).
Your confession ought to be an expression of the belief in your heart. “With the heart, man believeth, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
Whatever you believe, you should confess unto salvation before many witnesses. Let people bear witness to the fact that you have surrendered your life to God. Accepting salvation should not be a secret act where people are told to close their eyes before those coming to the saving grace of Christ can do so. Let the friends and neighbours and church members see with their eyes open that you have publicly declared to live for Jesus and whenever you start doing otherwise, they will be the same people to draw your attention to the fact that they thought you have surrendered your life to Christ. They will then provide a check and balance for your character, deterring bad things from coming up again as you embark on the spiritual journey.
The need to be accountable to someone is key and pivotal to spiritual development. It aids spiritual growth and development.
CHAPTER TWO - THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN
IN THE SECRET
Written by Banjo Isaiah
Written by Banjo Isaiah
CHAPTER TWO
THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (KJV)
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14
Preamble
A couple of years back, the entire
country Nigeria, was thrown in a confused state. Everyone was practically
running away from one another. People could not shake hands or hug for fear of
catching a deadly disease. The entire country and even Africa was thrown into a
seriously fearful state. Anywhere you visited, you were told to wash your
hands. Even medical personnel were scared, and Nigerians started heeding to the
advice of maintaining hygienic lifestyle all because of the fear of a deadly disease
called “Ebola”.
In Nigeria, the disease first
berthed in Lagos State when a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer infected the medical
doctor and nurse who attended to him, leading to the death of both. Everyone
became more hygienic inclined. In fact, at some point, people were advised to desist
from eating bush meat, the suspected conduit for the disease. Handwashing
became a culture, and health workers became more painstaking in the use of
protective kits and procedures as measures to stop the spread of the disease.
Awareness Campaign Organizations
suddenly sprung up to sensitize the general public on Ebola virus. Some states,
particularly Ministries of Health suddenly started advising the people of their
states to adhere to high standard of personal and environmental hygiene at all
times, surveillance were activated by some states in a bid to mapping out
strategies to check the spread of the virus. Precautionary measures were put in
place to handle cases to prevent outbreak. It is important to note that
churches also joined in the campaign too by issuing out notices of warning to
their congregations, urging them to control their movements and be careful in
how they relate with one another.
We can go on and on in a bid to
give us a picture of what I’ll say is “The fear of Ebola, is the beginning of
Wisdom”. Every church woke up to the responsibilities of educating
their congregation on purity and cleanliness so as not to become a victim of
the deadly virus (ordinary virus, I add).
Let us take a quick look at this.
Ebola is simply a virus people fear most. But when you tell them “fear God”,
they look at you like someone speaking Spanish to them. Why should I fear God?
Is God real? Can God even kill? And you hear quite a lot of things which will pierce
your hearts like a sword pierces a paper through.
They do not fear God but they fear
Ebola, they fear evil, they fear death. People want to enjoy their life at the
expense of their soul wasting in hell fire.
Introduction
Let me start by saying that “the
very essence for the creation of man is to have an intimacy with his creator.
Fellowship is the key factor to fulfilling purpose in life.” Regardless
of any profession, career, job, or skills you practice or engage in, the
ultimate is that your service must be heavenly focused.
In genesis, God created man so that
he can come in the cool of the day to fellowship with man. Then the unexpected
happened. Adam fell and was cast out of God’s presence. He no longer dwelt with
man as was the original plan. He only comes occasionally to those that decide
to draw themselves to him.
Hence, the struggles, the
challenges, problems, difficulties all came into play. Man began to do things
their own way, sin penetrated into their hearts, evil plans and thoughts took
grip of their hearts and mind. They no longer fear God who created them. They
do what pleases them and displeases God.
Revelation 4:11 says “Thou
art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”.
Every man was created to give God
pleasure and once your life is not giving God pleasure, definitely it is
displeasing him. When a life displeases God, such is bound for destruction.
Our central scripture is found in
Ecclesiastes 12:13, it says:
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the
matter: FEAR GOD and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, for this is the WHOLE DUTY OF MAN”.
King Solomon wrote this statement
as inspired by God. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, “all scriptures is given by
the inspiration of God…”
He was the wisest being that ever
lived because God gave him divine wisdom. After so many wise sayings, preaching,
counsels and proverbs, he concluded by saying, ‘after all is said and done,
this is the end of the matter, this is the total summation, the very
conclusion, the total package, the final judgment, the peak of all discussion,
the main thrust of our discussion, the big picture, the final word,’ summed
into two: i. Fear God; and ii. Keep His Commandment
Why?
King Solomon said, “For this is the entire, the whole, essence
duty of man”. This is the best counsel you can receive from anyone,
especially the wisest man on earth. Imagine a specialist in a particular field
of endeavor giving you counsel concerning a matter, will you not pay heed?
A doctor whom everyone throughout
the world respects because of his skills tells you, “Don’t take sugar because
if you do, it will affect you, possibly cause your death.” Do you go ahead to
eat sugar? How much more a person whom God has divinely given the gift of
wisdom.
So, when the wisest king that ever lived
gave a counsel that, “Mr, Sit down,
listen to me, your very essence for living, the purpose for your existence is
to do just two things: to fear God and to keep His Commandments.” That is
something one needs to take very seriously.
Likewise Moses, a man whom God used
mightily and spoke with face to face. God himself handed over to him the tablet
of commandments, and used him to perform great exploits. However, at the
beginning of their partnership, God instructed Moses to fear him.
Deuteronomy 6: 1 - 2, specifically
verse 2, says, “That thou mightiest fear
the Lord thy God, to keep all his statues and His commandments, which I command
thee, thou and thy son and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life: and that
thy days may be prolonged”.
In several places of the
scriptures, you see the phrase, “Fear God”.
It is a very serious matter that
needs to be looked into greatly. Maybe we should go over it again.
Two things are involved here. First,
“Fear God” and second, “Keep His Commandments”. Why? It is the whole,
complete, overall, expected, totality and responsibility of man.
May I ask you? What is your duty? What
is your responsibility as a man? What is the totality and overall
responsibility of man? Did I hear you say “Fear God” and “Keep His
Commandments”?
In the Amplified Version,
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says,
13“All has
been heard; the end of the matter is: FEAR
GOD [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation,
the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all
happiness, the adjustment of all inharmonious circumstances and conditions
under the sun] and the whole [duty]
for every man.
14 For God
shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it is
good or evil. (Matthew 12:36, Acts 17:30 & 31; Romans 2:16; 1Corinthians
4:5)
Let’s hear New American Standard
Version:
13“The
conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God and keep His Commandments,
because this applies to every person.
14 For God will
bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or
evil.”
There are
quite a lot we can deduce from the above scriptures. However, one thing that
should be clear to us is the fact that what makes us perfect, righteous,
qualified and approved can be summed in the fear of God and keeping His
Commandments.
Keeping his
commandments is obeying His instructions: simple obedience to simple
instructions given.
Deuteronomy 6:25 reveals this: “And if we are careful to obey all this law
before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our RIGHTEOUSNESS”.
The truth of the matter is that God
will bring to judgment every work, action, thought, and deed. So, it is crucial
to always have the fear of God in our hearts before embarking on any evil plans
or falling into any temptation.
The reason why people fall into temptation
so easily and often is because the fear of God is not yet rooted in their
hearts. They believe God does not see them and he cannot do anything to them.
He is slow to anger. Everyone is doing it and possibly escaping “God’s wrath”
but the fact remains that God will put to judgment all works.
I see evil been perpetrated every
now and then; young girls and guys having illicit affairs; corruption in every
strata of life. I came across a recorded audio of a girl that was interviewed
on air by a radio station that sleeps with the father and yet, was unremorseful
about it. She talked so boldly and was happy about it. She actually lured the
father to be sleeping with her and she was so engrossed with the fact. She said
she envied her mother. The present generation no longer has the fear of God
again as the time of old.
I remember while I was in school during
my Higher National Diploma about eight years ago, I visited a lady friend whom
I had once lusted after. I was a Sunday School teacher, a fellowship executive
and to crown it all, I used to preach against fornication, adultery, sexual
sins in general early in the morning before lectures commenced.
But on this fateful day, I went to
her house, and we started gisting. Not long after, I presumed both of us had
lusted after each other and before we could say Jack Robinson, we were on top
of the bed romancing one another and kissing. That was when I knew I was in for
it. In my subconscious, I played along although I stayed like a log of wood but
still, I enjoyed the moment. My heart started racing with quite a lot of things
within that period. I thought to myself, “see me, they call me pastor and I’m about
to commit fornication which I preach against, how will I stand before the
people and preach against it now?” I thought about my position in the
fellowship. I thought about HIV/AIDS. Hmm! That was when HIV/AIDS was daily in
the news. “How do I know this lady is not HIV positive? It’s not written on the
forehead,” I thought to myself. But when I remembered my covenant with God, I immediately
jumped up, gathered myself together, and practically ran home.
I got home and could not stop
thinking about the whole incidence. Two voices were speaking into my head. The
first said, “God saved you oooo”, while the other said “what an opportunity you
wasted. You got served on a platter of gold what so many had desired and longed
for, and rejected it.” To stop thinking about that fateful event, I left to see
a male friend who stayed two buildings away from my place. I figured talking
about school things would distract me from the conflicting voices in my head. I
got to his place, met him and not long afterwards, I slept off. The guy allowed
me to sleep, but by the time I woke up, I had already bed wetted so much that
the urine was everywhere. I asked myself “why this disgrace?” And I heard God
tell me, “this is just a warning”.
In fact, the original plan was to
publicly disgrace me as I was to attend a Wednesday vigil at the RCF Student fellowship.
I would have bed wetted and be exposed to public ridicule on campus and in my
class. The shame would have been unbearable for years after. When I heard this
from God, I simply turned the “Why God?” prayer into “Thank you Lord” for not
publicly disgracing or dealing with me that way. And of course, I told my
friend that God was dealing with me and thank God, he kept it to himself and I
never heard of the shameful incident afterwards.
Thereafter, I stayed away from the
lady for several months. I went late for lectures in order to sit at the back
in a bid to avoid her. It became obvious that something was wrong as people who
knew us both as friends suddenly wondered why the distance was just there.
After several months, I stumbled into a close relation of hers and she said,
“Our runaway friend”. That word hit me like, “Oh Oh, runaway friend. I think
it’s better to run away than fall victim”. That made me to tighten up my seat
belt.
The total summary is that ‘Don’t
fear things that do not matter much, fear God’. Hebrews 12:24 says, “For our God is a consuming fire”. He is
merciful and yet can consume anyone that stands in his way. Do not keep displeasing
God. Rather, start allowing your life to give God pleasure. He chastises him
that he loves. Be willing to accept his chastisement and start fearing him.
Love righteousness and hate iniquity. This will help in fulfilling the law.
As earlier posited, according to Deuteronomy
6:25,
“And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our RIGHTEOUSNESS”.
When you obey God’s commandment and
instructions, this will be your righteousness. Someone defined righteousness as
“Total
Obedience to God”. Not partial. It is non-negotiable: complete
obedience is required from all.
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