IT CAME AS A BULL… SO I TOOK IT BY ITS HORNS

Let me start by saying this: One of your best tools as a Christian is to recognize a battle, not pat the devil on the head, and instead, FIGHT… 

I’m glad I did. 

Violence is really the only language the devil speaks

Well, so, you remember I told you about Isaac and I and how I was able to resist temptation that came through him on Valentine ’s Day? 

OK, yeah, this is a follow up story. 

Before I continue, just so you’d know, Isaac has not said a word to me in over a month. He’s mad as hell at me. And even though, a part of me is greatly concerned, the whole of me is happy that I did the right thing.

First, a recap… Remember, I told you he came to my house on Valentine’s day, and tried to get me to make out with him, and that I sent him out of my house, and we agreed, on the next day, never to meet in private places again. 

Okay… 

Anyway, about a week after, on Wednesday, Isaac showed up in my house again when I was alone.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered as I went in to get the key to open the door for him. “What part of do not come to my house when I’m alone does the boy not understand? Ehn? Satan is really using this boy and he’s letting Satan.”

I got the key from my room, and walked to the anteroom; paused for about five seconds, but went on to open the door for him really slooowly. I was hoping he’d disappear from my driveway before I get around to opening the burglary protector for him.

“This boy does not understand the meaning of ‘taking- it-slow’ ni?” I hissed again.

I finally opened the door, and welcomed him in. 

Unlike Val’s day, no hugs today.  Today, the flesh was weak, and the spirit willing. Alleluia!!!

Not long after, Isaac started his moves on me again. I made good and successful efforts to deter him and push him away. He stayed away when I waved him off, but kept on trying. 

“Boy, is Satan stubborn!” Phew!

After a while, when he wouldn’t stop, I tried to reason with him. I told him it made me feel uncomfortable, and guilty. He replied and said I had better get used to it. 

“What? What did I just hear?” 

Pssh, reason with the devil, and he gives you many more counter-reasons, including those of why he was rightfully thrown out of heaven. 

Rubbish!

One week after throwing him out of my house on Valentine’s, it was easier to repeat same without much guilt. I opened the door, walked on towards the burglary protector, and said “Isaac, it’s time to leave my house”.

“Tumini, really? So you’re sending me out of your house for the second time in a week?”

“Well, that’s not how I see it; but I really think you should leave now.”

He left. That was Wednesday.

On Thursday, he came to my workplace, and told me of how he thinks we should take things slowly.

“Haha, duh, isn’t that what I’ve been trying to say all this while?” I thought.

“Okay” was all I could give as my reply. I was being sarcastic. He didn’t notice.

“Ahan, Tumini, is that all you have to say?”

“Okay, Isaac, I’ve heard you.”

He wasn’t satisfied, but he let it slide.

If only he knew what was going on in my mind. [You’ll soon see why all I said was “okay”].

On Friday, Isaac, still not satisfied with my response to his previous day’s request (or should I say, ‘previous day’s babblings’), decided that he was going to come to my house to see me after I got back from work. I had a church meeting that night, and I knew I couldn’t stay home for long, but still asked him to come anyway. My brother was back from school then, and I thought, “You know, the house is safe”… 

Again, how wrong!

When I got home on that Friday, I quickly checked my email, and unfortunately received two emails from two different sources with two different bad news both related to my career. I was devastated. 

I was in the bedroom and when Isaac came, he came to the bedroom to see me, cos my brother told him I was there. I was crying and so he hugged me. It was alright, no evil intended, I believed. 

I left the bedroom for a couple of minutes and then went back. Isaac was still there.

I met him with his arms open, and I just went right in. This time the hug came with a squeeze. I tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let go. And what else did I notice?

Isaac was actually getting you-know?-uhun-that’s-right. His arms were stronger, his grip tighter, and he tried to kiss me. It was then I finally succeeded in pushing him away.

Of course, he knew he had to leave, and leave he did. 

I got ready for my church meeting, and on the way had a conversation with God and myself. I had spent weeks deciding between Isaac’s feelings and my holy undefiled relationship with God; and so far, I somehow chose the former. I lied about my feelings to him to try to protect him. And for that, I am sorry.

[Okay, don’t get me wrong. I actually did feel something strong for him; but I knew for certain that it was superficial. I knew that in time, it’d fade off. I just kinda hoped it’ll become real in no time. I really did hope. Isaac didn’t help.

You see, sin never makes anything right. It never makes anything last. It just doesn’t. Sin steals trust, it kills hope and it destroys destinies. Anything built on sin will crumble.]

Today, it is over. I choose God. I choose life. I choose holiness. I choose freedom. 

I just now needed a way, a place, a good time to tell Isaac to back off in a different way. Definitely, not in the pat-the-devil-on-the-head kinda way I’d been doing. 

This is war. In war, you fight. 

It finally happened in church just before the service started. 

Isaac insisted he wanted us to sit together, and after much persuasion, I agreed. It was a really really big Christian gathering, so I could talk easily, even raise my voice a little without other people paying attention. 

I won’t go into details, but I told him what I had to say. I tried to be polite, and I tried to be reasonable, but I didn’t try to mince words, and I didn’t try to keep my voice down. 

Isaac got mad. Raving mad. I didn’t know how angry he was until two days after. 

Until two days after, he didn’t say anything to me. But after those two days, Isaac kept on calling me to yell at me and call me names. He did his last when I hung up on him twice on a particular day. 

I was sad. Really sad. Our closeness began because of our individual hunger for the knowledge of the Word of God. It, ending this way, wasn’t cool at all. 

Despite the sadness, I was super duper glad. I saw the devil face-to-face, grabbed him by his horns, pushed him to the ground, and then took his evil fork and stabbed him in the belly with it. He didn’t die. It’s not time yet. But next time, he will know that Tumini of yesteryears is gone.

This one (through Jesus) recognizes war, fights, and wins!

THE BEST MOVIE I EVER SAW

“What kind of movies do you like?” one would ask.

 “Err… Pretty much any movie that makes sense to me,” I reply “especially action movies where the beginning of the movie introduces you to the background of a mission, and the end of the movie brings a successful end to the mission, or maybe leaves the viewers with their own final interpretation of the movie."

 Those movies – the good ones – usually get me talking for a couple minutes after seeing it.

 “Just minutes?”

 “Yeah! Just minutes. It’s just one movie; ‘minutes’ is long enough.”

 I love movies…

 Now, let me tell you about the best movie I ever watched ---

It was advertised continuously on TV several months before its release day - with no previews, no pictures, and no actor names; but just a scientific description of what will happen.

Only one copy of this movie was available, but it could be viewed from certain, different places in the world. Depending on what side of the spherical earth you were located, you either saw it totally, partially, or not at all.

I was on the earth’s equator at the time, so I saw it completely – a privilege I am forever grateful for.

Watching this movie from start to finish required prior preparations that took days, and for some, cost plenty money. 

Plenty money … not for the movie though.

You didn't need to pay to watch the movie - money that was spent was used on air tickets by highly determined viewers who couldn’t watch it from their homes.

The peak of this movie, my best movie, lasted only 3 minutes, but everyone already got seated for it 1 hour 10 minutes before it started.

Did I say “seated”? Sorry, I meant “standing”. This movie was not just capable of putting you on the edge of your seat; it was more than capable of taking you to the top of the roof.

“Roof?” Oh Yeah, I forgot to mention that theaters were too small, too confined to handle the magnitude of this movie. It was shown in the sky.

Its hidden complexity required not 3D glasses, but ultraviolet shades to protect the eyes.

It’s the only movie where every viewer is allowed to scream and not just get stunned in wonder.

With no translation required, everyone from every tribe could understand the language spoken; even the deaf could hear, clearly, what the actors said.

Directed by the King of Glory;

Shot by the entire host of Heaven;

Acted by the Sun, the Earth, the Moon, and the Stars;

Made available at the same time, to as many as could watch it – Poor & rich, young & old, righteous & heathen – this movie had no restrictions.

On March 29, 2006, the ‘Total Eclipse of the Sun’ became my best movie.

'Twas not just an action movie; it was a movie of all genres – dramatic, romantic, thrilling, scientific, epic, documentable – it was amazing in all its naturality.

Its purpose was simple and clear – to put smiles on the faces of the world at the exact same time, and to let everyone remember that “God Reigns”.

And I didn’t just talk about this movie for a couple minutes; I’ve been talking about it for years now…

COMING SOON: It Came As A Bull... So, I Took It By Its Horns

Hey guys watch out for a sequel to my valentine's day article. I've not written it yet on paper (I've written it in my head, though), but I'm excited and I want us to be excited together. Hehe... If you've not read the valentine's day article (Bruised, But Not Defeated), scroll down and read it. So, you don't drag us back on our fun ride... hehe...

SING & THINK; THINK & SING

Although, I have known this for a long time – since I was little really, I just got inspired to write about it on Monday. I was at the housewarming ceremony of a family friend, and boy, is the house beautiful! Well, towards the end of the event, the choir began ministering in songs; one of which was “the Battle Hymn of the Republic” – what many of us know as “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”. I was enjoying the song, and I sang along…
 

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Glory, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

The Church is Marching On

That is what I sang. That is what I thought the song was. Really! Just that the choir didn’t sing that too. They ended with “our God is marching on”.

I was shocked. “Uhn?” I asked Elijah who was sitting beside me if he heard the same thing, and he confirmed what I heard. 

The first thing that came to my mind was “where is God marching on to?”

“This cannot possibly be the real lyrics of the song”, I thought. “Of course, it cannot be.”

So I did the smart thing with my Smartphone. I googled it. I was wrong. They were right. The author actually ended the fourth, fifth and sixth verses and choruses of the hymn with the phrase “Our God Is Marching On”. And this dear choir – children of God – sang the song without thinking. 

Wait, am I judging too harshly? I don’t believe so. Let’s take some time to evaluate this…

Where can God possibly be marching on to? I thought we call Him the Most High God; Higher than the highest. He isn’t just at the peak of things; He is the Peak Himself. He is the very standard for everything. He is the standard for love; and holiness; and righteousness; and peace; and joy; and life; and so much more. He is the HIGHEST. Where else can He be marching on to?

Saying that God is marching on implies that there is somewhere or something or someone higher than Him that He is working hard to reach. 

You see, as Christians, the more we get God’s word into us, the more we increase in knowledge and godly wisdom. It’s the truth of God that we get through His word that determines how closely the Holy Spirit will relate to us. 

So, it is most likely that Song Writer Julia Howe was inspired by God to pen down these lyrics. She was inspired to the level to which she had a revelation of God.

The fact that a song made it to the studio or to album level and is being marketed does not mean we should open our mouths to sing it. What you sing reflects how much of God you know.  

A knowledgeable Christian knows that the Church is marching on, God’s truth is marching on, even we are marching on, but God is already there. He has been there since He was. He will be there every time. He has no predecessor. He has no successor. We are the ones marching on to where He is. He is not marching on to anywhere. He is at the Apex of Apexes. He aint marching nowhere. 

If Ms. Howe were here, maybe she’ll be able to explain to us what she meant by that. But since she isn’t, we can quietly change it to my version, “the Church is Marching On”. I doubt that she’ll notice. 

Song Number Two

When a song does not make sense to me, I either stop singing it or I change the lyrics if I like it; just like this next song I’d like to make reference to. I really love the song, so I changed the lyrics a little. We all know it (at least, I know Nigerians do). Here it goes:

My Soul Doth Magnify the LORD

And My Spirit Praises Him

For Death Could Not Hold Him Captive

Even In the Grave, Jesus IS LORD

Even In the Grave, Jesus IS LORD

Regenerated children of God, is Jesus still in the grave? Why will you say Jesus is Lord in the grave?

Yes, Jesus is Lord. He WAS in the grave, and was Lord when He WAS there. He is no longer in the grave, why do you still sing that He is Lord in the grave? 

Think and sing, people; sing and think too!

I won’t waste much time on this one. I have three more songs to go. Anyway, here is my version of this song:

My Soul Doth Magnify the LORD

And My Spirit Praises Him

For Death Could Not Hold Him Captive

When Even In the Grave, Jesus WAS LORD

Now Even On the Throne, Jesus IS LORD

Now, how neat is that? Lol… 

Song Number Three

I won’t waste any time on song number 3. I don’t even have a replacement lyric for it. I think it’s a boring song that shouldn’t be sung at all. But because most people I know (including me) sang it as kids during their family morning devotion, I will mention it here. Here it goes:

Good Morning Jesus; Good Morning Lord

I Know You Came From Heaven Above

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ON THE THRONE

Good Morning Jesus; Good Morning Lord.

Wait! Who writes all these songs, anyway? First of all, how is the third line of this song related to the rest of the song? Secondly, is the Holy Spirit on the throne? 

My mom, when we were kids, changed that part to “the Holy Spirit moving like a dove”. That may even be better, but it is not still correct. As far as we are concerned as Christians, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us; hence, the term “Indwelling Spirit”. Read your Bible – John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19. 

Like I said, I don’t even have a replacement lyric for this one. So, let’s move on. 

Song Number Four

My heart breaks for this one; solely because this song used to be a good song. It was heavenly inspired; written by someone who knew His God; it was a good song. Oh! It was a GOOD Song. But carnally minded, worldly-pleasure-seeking church going individuals changed it from the correct thing to what some of us now sing happily. 

How Sad!

Here’s how it is sung now:

Today O! I Will Lift Up My Voice in Praise

For I Know You Are Always There For Me

Almighty God, You Are My All in All

No Matter What I Face, When SUCCESS Comes My Way

I Will Praise The Lord.

Before, I go spiritual on this, does that even make sense in English Language? Grammatically, it does not make any sense at all to use a detour on two positive phrases. You are singing that EVEN in good times, you will praise the Lord. Of course, in good times, you will praise God. That is how it is meant to be. That is what we do. Facing a challenge and praising God is what makes it special or different. 

People, God gave you a brain. Use it to think, please. 

I remember when people first changed the song years back, I joined the choir in singing it this wrong way, and my sister, Fiyin, mouthed from the congregation “it doesn’t make sense”. I mouthed back, “I know”. I thought I had to join the choir to sing what they sang. Now I know better. I don’t have to.

Please, let us try to always sing the correct version of this song. Jesus said we will have tribulation in this world (John 16:33). It is unavoidable. Even the Old Testament tells us that there are those rivers, waters, and fires of life that we must pass through (Isaiah 43:2). We just have to trust God to be with us, and praise Him even in the storm. 

So, y’all can sing what you like, I will continue to sing “No matter what I face, when TROUBLE comes my way, I will praise the Lord”, because that is what I will do.

Song Number Five

This one is a really beautiful song, and it is understandable that a lot of people continue to sing it the way it is. Like I said earlier, what you sing reveals how much of God you know. 

My friend, Kunle Bade, actually brought this one to my attention, when he told me of how the Holy Spirit convicted him on the song. Here it goes:

You Are the Pillar THAT HOLDS MY LIFE – 2xce

Master Jesus, You Are the Pillar THAT HOLDS MY LIFE – 2xce

To some people, Jesus may be the pillar that holds their lives. They still have their lives with them, so Jesus still helps them carry on with their lives. 

But people like Kunle and I have been crucified with Christ. The lives we now live, we live in Christ (Galatians 2:20). Kunle and I are dead, and our lives are hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Christ is OUR LIFE (Colossians 3:4; Deuteronomy 30:20). So, He isn’t just the pillar that holds our life; He is our life. 

Here is how I sing it:

You Are My Pillar; You Are My Life – 2xce

Master Jesus, You Are My Pillar; You Are My Life – 2xce

I’m actually singing my version of the song as I end this article. He indeed is my life. My mind was further renewed the minute I read – really read – Colossians 3:3-4.