Forty Days Famished

November 9, 2024Leave a comment

Hello again! I trust your day has been wonderful. I believe it’s a good day to read through these powerful creative pieces from a freestyle Friday.
Topic: FORTY DAYS FAMISHED
DATE: 20TH SEPTEMBER, 2024
HOST: GODZNIEL

We commenced gracefully with this piece from GodzNiel:
I have to be an example
All of my days, the chances were ample
Scrape underneath when the company is supple
Tumble at dawn, very regretful

I have to be an example
So I set my feet on his throttle
Set my ink on his blog, will
God be what I adore, will
I be wasted and sore, living in double
Praying for double

I have to be an example
Effective though these exams pull
My focus off being humble
Obedience is how I should crumble
Crumbs
Bullied their ways into how I fed
I shall not lack though I have no bread
Pouting at what Holy Father said
No divination, Mash Burnedead
The Lord said His grace is sufficient
Then sent my eyes to Ephesians
Lord please don’t let my enemies chuckle
He answered, was Jesus not humbled?
Spat at and nailed to a cross of course
Just so he’d make you too blessed to curse
If you will be an example, these forty days might just have to double

GodzNiel continued…
Pulled into the world of my spirit
My eyes adjust to God’s verses and God wit
The Word made flesh declares my flesh buried
I rose with him like a Garri baptism
Holy Nepotism,
miss me with the second death
Being born of God is when you take your first breath
Being a martyr is all that matters, I don’t choose the color
Emmanuel forever, To him be all the power!

Ten days times four, I’ll serve him every hour
Let God be true and all men be liar
I get fattened from the whispers in my Spirit
And for tea days, Christ is bread and yeah I deep it

Then the captain Godswill Ezeonyeka came in with this piece:
If fully fed female found forbidden fruit fit for fantasy fiddling
Then fasting fights from flaws for fallen fickle feinds fostering faith.

Tongue twisting and soul blessing yeah?

Then from the genius Hannah D’Ginus:
It takes forty days to lose
To lose fat
To lose cravings
To lose addictions
To lose appetite of all kinds
To lose the desire
Desire for fame
For muscle power
For talking gibberish
To discerning spirits
Knowing who spoke
Knowing what’s outdated and what’s updated
Knowing who to listen to and who to avoid
Knowing the better of two goods
The lesser evils…

GodzNiel came in again with this:
Applause for the pause of a son
Off of the world and it’s woes, I was sawn
Race to the heavenlies, Nike’s getting worn
When it’s by grace that this race can be won

One to the throne, on his way to be Cyrus
Two locked in frolicking, sore-licked in desires
Three days later, the stone rolled aside
Four times ten are the days I fought pride
Five kings defeated by Four in a fight
Seek first the kingdom and light up the night
Seven times seven times plus one to jive
We ate in the jubilee
Benign thoughts tryna bend reality
Ten over ten only tends from the Lord
Count on the Lord, or zero on the Sword

Then Godswill Ezeonyeka:
Stoney bread served on a platter
Falling man with angel insurance
Earth’s kingdoms for the worshipper
All na wash when Jesus dey the matter

And we concluded the freestyle Friday with this one by GodzNiel :
I think I got more cocky
The hard things started easing me forward
I think I got less hungry
I now know that the manna is plenty
I think I lost my insecurity
Persecutions after, what is attack to me
Lock me away in the wilderness
God’s loving tenderness is still the edge of zestiness

I am a voice in the wilderness
Echoing worship in silence
Now I can blitz through words like type writer; I’m the type to write faster
Fasting in slow-mo, my faith is belligerent
I am no Xman, I am just excellent
Not in my slash or it’s quality
But in the obedience to who sent me

Lock me away in the palm of my God
I was the prodigal son in the mud
Forty days later, I found Apocrypha
If he sees me coming, the devil may cry sha
Knees on the ground to the Alpha
I chose his blood over fanta,
How far?
It’s easy to say that we do it for Jesus,
But then go so silent when no one will praise us
To write up a vision and tuck it away
Like Revelation Ten, two to four
And Daniel Twelve, verse four
I guess I have grown, now I know who I’m for

I’m loving this twenty twenty-four
I’m learning to really wait on the Lord
And I know that this is a fresh start
I’m playing for keeps like Mozart.

It was a very impactful time we had here. Thank you always for doing this with me. Till next time, stay blessed 🥂.

Authors:
GodzNiel
Godswill Ezeonyeka
Hannah D’Ginus

Template

October 21, 2024Leave a comment

Hi there, Gods masterpiece. Hope your day is going really great. I’m sure it would get even better as we ride through this together. This particular Friday was fire – Holy fire.

Date: 6th of September, 2024.
Our able host GodzNiel introduced the Topic: TEMPLATE. And then, it rained – heavy.

The captain Godswill Ezeonyeka gathered the clouds with this:
Jesus lived life like a lesson
With skin and bones he wrote everlasting message
The 12 testified to His throne and testing
History is witness to the first God-man person

After a few minutes, the amazing Imani Nnaemeka M. came in with this piece:
The first God-man
I have contemplated not once or twice of His concept of freedom.
I consider it wise that His rhythms are unforced yet instructive for life.
I am learning to let go quicker these days, it’s vital for motion.
Death has existed for decades, yet still shocks when it stings.
A reminder of the finite state of our mortal body and time here.
A pull and quickening towards destiny for those with the template.
One that comes with intimacy and an open heart. A daily death.
I have contemplated not once or twice of His concept of freedom.
And I consider it wise that His concept is dynamic yet instructive for life.

She continued…

Template guides design but you only get to see through the colour of light shone.
What lens do you see from?
What eye are you using, the good eye or bad?
It always comes down to perspective and relativity but the heart’s intent is always laid bare,
And what it mirrors visible for all to see, open to be captured in history books by men, for men.
Let your light so shine before men, is a call to own his light in you and lit up the path for others.
Being changed into the same image from glory to glory, is an invitation for transformation.
The quality of the believer’s life is laced with an obedience that tames man’s appetite.

Almost immediately, our beloved Hannah DGinus continued the flow of blessings:
This is the template
Heal the sick
Raise the dead
Care less about diabolic schemes
Just believe

This is the template
Get deep roots
Bear God’s fruit
Bear your burden
Bear another’s burden

This is the template
Give your coat along with your shirt
Go two miles when one mile is demanded
Lend to a brother without interest
Stop looking lustfully for your own interest

This is the template
Man in God’s image and likeness
Man dominating what God created
Man hating sin and loving righteousness
Man punishing all disobedience

Then the phenomenal Ugwu David C. came in with this:
I have always known
That ” I am well able to take the city “

El Shaddai give me undivided heart
And I will be fully persuaded in your unfailing love and power.

Nothing is impossible in my clan.
Don’t you know that am from the Bloodline of Miracles Workers..

We give life to the dead
And call things that are not and they appear.

The sun ☀️ is darkness compared to the light of of my Christ.
Jesus is my king, my light and my lamb.

I am sent here to raise the dead, not to listen to mourners,
Where are the dead show me, let me show forth our signature…

Signs and wonders follows me like disciples
I and my Heavenly Father is one.

Whoooshhh. I know I’m not alone in feeling the power from these words. Hannah DGinus continued:

I am sent to raise the dead, not to listen to mourners

When will this be real in my life?
I have lost five aunties
I have lost brethren to cancer
When can I practically live this bible verse?
When can I look forward to visiting National hospital?
When will my hands touch a grave and the earth shakes?

But Christ is my template
Even if this has not come to be
I will groan until my body is a reflection of him.

Ugwu David C. flowed in immediately with this:
God of the hills,
And God of the valley.
No one knows how old you are, Ancient of days.

Your grace have crowned me envy of the world,
I am blessed in the city, blessed in the country and all over the world.

Armed by your love
I conquer tribes after tribes.
Your Name , your right arm is greatest everlasting sword⚔️

Demons scamper and beg for mercy,
But I promise them none
Praise God, the blind can see, I have brought them new eyes👀

Don’t ask why the lame are dancing,
The gospel has triumphed
Good news have conquered the city

My mother is happy,
I will eat a good meal today,
Peace envelopes my father’s heart
Joy has beautified by wife,
My siblings laughs in God’s comedy
Glory to God forever

Imani Nnaemeka M. came in hot again:
God is good
God is good

He loves me
He loves me

Words I recite when I hear he snatched another.
Death, the only victory we mourn.
Life, the ultimate triumph.
I praise God for giving us the privilege to choose our eternal state.
The gates we unlock here, make all the difference.

Then from our very own GodzNiel :
Christ is the Template
Sit truth on my plate
You are no longer tied down
Tell the church to wake now
Where are the public edges?
Who wrote your new pledges?
Esau I did hate, but Jacob is despised
The willful will not wait and pride perfumes their disguise

Christ is the template
Lord, Oil me to your taste
Fear attacks my eyes next
Jesus trimmed my excess,
and healed me of my nonsense
Anger bubbles up, when I look across my estate
Talents in the ground, demons meant to seal my fate
But the Lord popped in the dungeon,
He made clay of The Dragon
Yeshua woke me, moulded me, and it is
To meGod who said, ‘Son..

…Christ is still the template.
I am he who writes fate.
Be confident in Truth
Break the bands and come up

I have words for you to speak,
You are mine
The past was not your peak,
I am.
Patience, Love and My Words,
Take your eyes off this World.
You will die the death I choose.
You will not live on the views
Drink my blood and wash your halls
I am the Judge and I am God
Sit down now and write it out.
Cameras were once a dream
I am all you’ll ever need
Edit your fees to fit your feet
Defeat the filth with faith and prayers
Peel back the sins, repent in layers
Don’t wait or beg, I spoke and looked
Son, watch and pray, to me be hooked

Christ is still, the template
It’s folly to repent late
Christ is the template
Obedience trusts in God’s gate
Christ is the template
I just listen and paste

Imani Nnaemeka M. wasn’t stopping till she had us all in Holy flames:
Glory to God forever more
For clothing my spirit with flesh, and crowning me with the power to express His dominion here.
Glory to God forever more
For teaching my feet to dance in storms,
And songs of comfort on rainy days.
Glory to the highest!

GodzNiel came in again:
Prayer call,
I part seas and you see

Prayer call
I made fire and blue sea

Prayer call
Raise a banner and stand firm, my people

Prayer call
Allow them to hate you

No debating, or waiting, the blood is shouting
Down to crises
Drown the pisces, and burn the pieces
Throw away all the unholy practices
Species, without God, bolt their way to extinct
Shun the dark, and tell your beast to obey the King
Which is it?
Alive, we are cups of Him
Alive in Him
Besides Him is death indeed
Faith in Him
The Lord is enough for me
The great E.G.
The Template of Life and Peace

Then Imani Nnaemeka followed with this:
You are mine
The past was not your peak
I am

Peal back the sins
Repent in layers

Arrrgh!
Sweet Jesus 😌

There was no stopping at this point. Just like I said, it rained – heavy.

The passionate GodzNiel had a lot more to give :
Holy
Holy
Holy is the Lord on High
Throned
Casting crowns elder their knees.
Alone,
The Lamb of God,
The Kind of God,
Above,
The sign of days before the sun
Again,
The time before the stars were born
I said,

Holy is the Lord who teaches
His saints
Holy is the Lord who speaks
And sends
Holy is the Lord who sits
Alive
Holy is the Lord who gives
The Life

Every thing that has breath
Looks to Yahweh to have sight
Hearing Yah to know sound judgement
God created elements
From nothing to universe
Do repent, it’s exigent
Return to the template
Return to what God says

Aren’t we so blessed through this access to the throne of grace!

Hannah DGinus was not done at all:
You will die the death I choose
Hard truth!
Let’s listen and obey
The more we obey
The less we pray amiss
This is Christ’s template

With more intensity, GodzNiel had us hooked on these words:

Let us pray to awaken to the Voice of the Lord
To be clear of the cobwebs, blocking off the Word
Let us run from sin, than be destroyed because we’re bored
Be reborn in the Lord and refuse to cut the cord

Thank God for his Word
That he hasn’t washed his hands off
Thank Jesus for the blood
That the dark can’t turn the lights off

In the era to come, the walk will leave the park
We’ll face the choice to be Christ or to be Tony Stark
The Horses born of the Seals are riding in the Lands
Lord keep me under the cross, to catch blood from your Hands
To eat your broken body, and cry ‘Holy’ wholly
May I live for you, Jesus, and hallelujah boldly

Followed immediately by Imani Nnaemeka M.:
It’s funny yet comforting to know that in this Kingdom of ours we never grow to be independent.

The template is abiding
The structure is intimacy
The fuel is love

From our first declaration of acceptance to our absence in the body, we are dependent on him for every thing at every time in every way and He has promised never to leave nor forsake us.

What a love 😍
Thank you Jesus 🙌🏼

Then few minutes later, King David came in strong again with these
It is a long distance journey,
Unless you will come with me
I travel by chariots of fire 🔥

Don’t be afraid
You won’t be burnt
If you believe in this truth I tell you–
That Christ is alive.

You’ll cease to be clay
Silver and gold will envy you
You will become flames of glory.
But before we visit the angels estate
Walk on water with me.

Come,
Take my hand
It is easy.

Gods faithfulness is unfailing !

Hannah DGinus kept the flames burning with these:
We will face the choice to be Christ or Tony Stark

Iron man was hero until the world saw Christ
We were Tony Stark until we met Christ
Iron man, or should I say “we,” have become daily sacrifice
It’s a win-win
When we meet the Grand Master of Endgame

GodzNiel was not done just yet:
Jesus
Take these lungs longing for your way
Take these eyes eyeing what you say
Take these feet and fit them in the harvest
Her vest escape my eyes but not the Lord’s mesh
Animated spirit, we need reeducation
We’re your nation
Take us to where we lay down everything
No saw the demons, they only saw foolish virgins

Jesus, Son of The Abba
Only you Lord can cover your own from all the danger
Only you can whisper us warnings before the stranger

Help us choose and stand
Help us choose to stand
You are strength and wisdom
Please hold us by hand

Hannah DGinus came in again with this piece:
I get
When it is the Lord you meet
You fall as one dead
Whispers, suggestions, and soft voice becomes command
Gist becomes instruction
That sonship is responsibility
Stories are footprints, blueprints…

Few minutes later, the phenomenal ChyD came in with this:
Experience is shaped by perception.
Perception by knowledge and conviction.
You either wear God’s yoke like a badge of honor or an instrument of oppression.
If I were a blogger, I would be posting lifestyle content.
I would manny through Ice Age and with each rhema, I would turn on my ring light to spill tea.
I would be showing off muscles gotten from lifting weights of bondage and oppression;
Body toned by years of fasting and prayers
My viral video would be a challenge of 24 hours dry fasting and praying.
I’ll boast of getting fired from my job for preaching Jesus, because I have joined the Justice league.
Paul dem mandem!
I would count my self denials like I count my blessings.
And add each one to my mark of Christ
Pain is gain
And like a gym rat, I’ll continue going back to my addiction!
Christ!

And Ugwu David C. had more Marvelous words:
Thunder be quiet
Let them hear my voice.
Don’t you know beautiful ones?

El Shaddai is the Ocean Divider, he transplant nations with ease.

Like a farmer transplant a plant ☘️ he transplanted Abraham and his descendants to a better soil.

Where do desire to go?
Write it down
And make it plain
Give to me,
If you don’t have pen

You can recite it in your heart
My Father is a Spirit
He knows all things
Rejoice
It is a done deal✅

Soil flowing with milk and honey

Few minutes later, Hannah DGinus shared this:
Paul dem man dem
Paul dem mad men
I’m looking forward to this madness
Fool for Christ?
World’s foolishness
Fool for Christ?
God’s wisdom

Then Imani Nnaemeka M. put this in:

He sets me up for royal treats in the darkest storms and redeems me with the outpour of his spirit and an overdose of merriness and joy.

Surely goodness and mercy follow me forever as I am now a host of His eternal spirit and life.

Just as he gathered the clouds, he concluded with these words Godswill Ezeonyeka:

I am stone
Jesus is model
God is sculptor

All this hammering
Is proof of God’s labouring
And Jesus perfect posturing

The freestyle Friday was over but these words remain in our hearts as flames that wouldn’t quench, seeds that would bear much fruit in season and out of season. Thank you for coming all the way with me, Its always lovely when we do this together. Have a spectacular day. I’m JahzRhythm and till next time, Adios.

Authors:
Godswill Ezeonyeka
Imani Nnaemeka M.
Ugwu David C.
Hannah D’GInus
GodzNiel
ChyD

Hide and Seek

October 14, 2024Leave a comment

Bag chasing, don’t keep a girl waiting
Using a Pop star to measure my self-rating
Hardly a chance passed without my drool booking
Open the door for her scowl and gascooking
Servant Maker, Lady of King’s Landing
Calling me Dragon, while dragging me from Eden
Yeahh
When I turned to the guys,
Dey go cover my eyes
Where majority blind
He who sees isn’t wise
Racking karma at night
I would dawn on the heights.
Why should I sacrifice
When it’s comfort I like?
Come Saturday Nights
Side hustle of Life
Didn’t matter the fight
If I’m winning delight
Sing songs of might
Who knows when I die
Gimme wings to fly
Only know when I try
Only smile when I buy
Does it matter why?
Instant Motivation, climbing up congratulations
Uniform of the patient, Moses on the wrong mountain

Like saying know the love of God that is beyond knowing
Like work out your salvation but it’s not about works
Like claiming something is deep without understanding it
Like knowing God keeps things secret but not willing to play hide and seek

not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
With God

Nun of the above
Still replaces love,
I became foolish
dodging what they want
Skipping last minute
Praying while I work
Till the cloud shifted
Made the view worth
My spirit stay lifted
God is my mounting
Teaching me to war
Redefining Work
Isaiah fifty five
New joy in my life

not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
With God

Looking down now, I can see my own footsteps
Pieces of my heart, dinner dates with Miss Steps
Time is of the Lord,
God defines essence
Swallowing the Word
Na so I take get sense
Body count above
I pass over nonsense
Word-based love
I escape pretence
What is in the World?
Their stories don’t make sense.
Struggling to be
Only to regret
Saving up to live
Then spend it all on excess
Gun are the days
Of shooting up my exes
Father washed me clean
Gave me new habits

not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
not willing to play hide and seek
With God

Hannah DGinus
©2024

Ways of repentance

September 24, 2024Leave a comment

Hello again and welcome to freestyle Friday recap 🥳. Hope you are doing great, glad to have you here. This is JahzRhythm and I am very excited to take you through this awesome time we had on Friday the 19th of July, 2024.

Our phenomenal host GodzNiel inspiringly presented the Topic for the day to us: Ways of Repentance.
The floor was opened by the captain Godswill Ezeonyeka with this powerful piece:

The worst expression of humanity is fit-framed into a four-letter homonym honed from our deep-seated need to be like our God.

M ade from dust, yet we make ourselves into fickle feeble fallacies of strength. Assuming our minds into mines that craft our perception into a reality that we did not make, we deceive ourselves.

I nsorburdinate we stand in our fallen fate. We grasp at the nothingness that tricked us into ourselves. Our insufficiency stares back at us, declaring that we never had anything to claim for “mine”

N ever has a man found fulfilment fiddling with feigned mastery of the mystery of existence. Salvation implies we need help, and therein comes the Lord saling on the streams of mercy.

E very good and perfect gift comes from God. The first time we tried to claim ownership to something outside of God, we lost everything. It is here that I repent. Nothing is mine. Everything is the Lord’s.

Take a deep breath.. yeah, take it all in. So awesome. Then at dusk, just after he was sure we were done savouring this, the amazing GodzNiel blessed us with this outstanding piece:

Haba

Saved by Grace, not the one that has a surname
Sure odds, face what I’m saying to the one lame
Someone said I should counter with Mohammed
Dey your day, we go meet amidst the last day

Kolobi,
all the Spirit benefits
I’m a Sniper when I speak
Dem go doubt until e hit

Jalabi
Matthew seeks thirty-three
We’re permitting anything
But say Jesus and we leave
Doing shoprite with your sin
Have you tested, have you seen
Now I’m hunting on the fringe
Unbelievers only please

Me wey bin dey cast pass Cyril Stober
So low behind no Charles Okocha
More wild thoughts than Miss Rihanna
But I’m preaching these days and I sprinkle anger

Father Father Biko teach me character
Now that I’m a soldier, it is Sir yes Sir
Make e no be say I still dey form Jonah
Make I no go slumber when I see Esther

No no, me I no go gree
Wisdom is my cup of tea
No vex, Father told me since
Step One, get em saved indeed
Then it’s thick Obedi
Fast off enemies
Life wan taya me
From remembering
Remember me, Oh Oluwa mi
Ah, I handover my “ought”
You know me

A significant day we had with these remarkable pieces. I hope you were blessed reading this, I believe God has spoken to you through this. Do have a good day ahead. Till next time, Adios.

Authors
Godswill Ezeonyeka
GodzNiel

BOOK REVIEW: Dear Unloved

July 17, 2023Leave a comment

Author: The Christ A Poet Team
Editor: ChyD
Pages: 33
Publisher: The Christ A Poet Concepts Ltd.
Reviewer: Ubamara Ezenobi

The book Dear Unloved lives up to its title.

It is not unusual for human beings to fall into sad states occasionally, and Christians are not left out of the trend. While these tragic states may be caused by a variety of reasons, the different poets that contributed to this work have proffered only one solution: Christ.

Dear Unloved starts with Osione’s Crackhead, where she passionately describes the addictions we all at some point or the other go through with depression. You can see yourself in the words as she skillfully paints the picture of a man helplessly adapting to his companion. As we ride through the waves the poets craft for us with their symphonies, we find the same symptoms recurrent in the seemingly unloved human. Pain. Listlessness. Deep sadness. All of those words tell the same story.

Many of the poems in this book are duets, causing the rich blend of poetry and passion you’ll find within. There’s Project Proposal for example, where ChyD and Imani remind us of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. In their own words, someone already produced results for this problem. Dear Unloved resonates with suspense as the characters go through their own phases of darkness.

It is not often that I get to review a book that leaves me reading through, spellbound. The sentences got my attention. The choice of words left me amazed, and impressed. Ultimately, I started all over again, because I found it good for my soul.

If you’ve ever felt dark times, and if you are in fact going through dark times now, then Dear Unloved was written with your name beating in the hearts of the poets.

Download the Book for Free

TURN

June 10, 2023June 10, 2023Leave a comment

The book of Luke chronicles three very famous parables of Jesus in its 15th chapter. These are the parable of the Lost Sheep, the parable of the Lost Coin and the parable of the Prodigal Son. In case you don’t know, a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels (Oxford Dictionary). These 3 stories were brilliantly arranged by Luke to tell a concise and consistent story. The main message is the subject we will be discussing with some references to the parables but I highly recommend that you read the entire thing in Luke chapter 15.

In the first two parables, Jesus uses a word that is sadly becoming unpopular today: “REPENT”. In the past, the word was associated with the archetype of the angry preacher yelling damnation at people. However, seeing that our Lord used this word Himself, it will do us good to separate the word from this stereotype and understand as Jesus meant for it to be. The Greek transliteration of the word is “metanoeō” which means to change one’s mind. It means that the repeated phrase Jesus made in verses 7 and 10 can be rewritten as “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that changes their mind”

This change of mind is said to be something that Heaven rejoices about. I take this detour from our line of thought to establish a point. The sinner’s repentance or change of mind is something that is not in the control of Heaven or any supernatural force. This is why there is rejoicing. This change of mind is completely controlled by the will of a man. Therefore, Heaven’s best efforts will only present a compelling argument to the man but he or she can reject that argument no matter how convincing. In the event that someone, anyone makes that change of mind, Heaven rejoices. The third parable illustrates this perfectly.

The parable of the Prodigal Son has some odd bits that can help us in understanding this dynamic. For reference, the Father represents God and the prodigal son represents the Sinner. In this parable, the son asks his Father for all of his inheritance and the Father gives him. We know nothing about how the Father feels about this until much later but we do know the Father does not try to stop him. The son squanders his wealth and becomes painfully aware of his need. All through this experience, there is no interruption from the Father. Finally, the son makes a decision. He changes his mind about living on his own dime. In other words, he repents!

How did this happen? What caused repentance? How does a sinner come to change his mind?

The key is in verses 17-19:

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home, even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ (Luke 15:17-19 NLT)

At this point we see a very important action the son took: he said to himself. This is important because the bible tells us that Faith comes by hearing and for that to happen there must be a preacher (Romans 10:14-15). Consequently, 1 Corinthians 1:21 (NLT) says:

Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.

This means that the ordinary human cannot just think through repentance; we have to have it preached to our minds – even if the preacher is ourselves. In some supernatural situations, the preacher is supernatural like in the case of Paul before he became an apostle in Acts 9. Somehow, every sinner will hear the word of God, every sinner will have the chance to change their mind, to repent. The prodigal son preached to himself and glory to God, he repented.

In verse 20, we see two important things that bring our discussion to a sweet close. First, a change of mind naturally leads to a change of action. Once the prodigal son was convinced of his state and what he needed to do, the next verse opened with “he went and did it”. Many people in our present day cannot reconcile this transition with their lives because we assume that these steps happened speedily. While I cannot make any inference as to how long each phase lasted, I can say from experience that the “preaching” phase is the longest one. Our minds are not quick learners, it takes persistent and consistent preaching for our minds to change. Think of how long it takes for a child to start speaking fluently – Years! It takes even much more for an adult to learn a new language, yet all these are systems that we are naturally inclined to. For a spiritual lesson, our minds reject it but the key is to keep on preaching. Sometimes, we assimilate things intellectually but our minds do not budge. We agree but we do not believe. This is tricky but from verse 20 we learn that the clearest proof of a change of mind is a natural inclination to want to change your actions.

Secondly, we see that in verse 20, the Father responds early and massively at the instance of his son’s repentance. From His response, we can infer that He had been waiting for this moment. We can now see that He considered His son lost and dead when He left. This cannot be easy for any Father. It is not easy for God either. So when His son made that crucial change, He was overjoyed. As great as this joy is, the best part is that the Father took over the responsibility for His son’s restoration. The son did not have to work for His father’s favour or earn his way into salvation. His Father welcomed him immediately and set up a system for the son to be restored. This is what distinguishes Christianity from every other religion in the world. We believe and God does the heavy lifting. Where every other religion gives you a list of things to do, Christianity gives you a list of things to believe, to be convinced about, to change your mind, …to repent.

I will close this off with a very important lesson. It is our job to preach to ourselves or expose ourselves to the word of God. God will not do that for us. However, what we expose ourselves to is now more crucial than ever. Self-help motivations won’t do. Tips and tricks will not work. Our minds are very hard to convince and it truly takes something out of this world to convince them. This is what Christians say that it is the Holy Spirit that does this work. I agree with this notion but the bible actually tells us that the Holy Spirit convicts us by reminding us of the words of Jesus. On this premise, I can boldly say that the functional element for repentance is the Word of God. The Bible puts it this way:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

This means that if you can diligently expose yourself to the preaching of the word of God either by yourself or others. It will only be a matter of time and your mind will cave in. When this glorious event happens, Heaven will rejoice. Even you will notice that something has changed because your desires will switch and what once looked like an unquenchable thirst will be replaced by peaceful satisfaction. The best part is that God, your Father will take responsibility for your restoration. Like the Father in the parable, He will set it all up and you can just rest in His embrace. It really is that simple.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus Chorus by Helen H. Lemmel

Grace and peace family.

Ezeonyeka Godswill
(c) 2023

Christrospection

May 9, 2023May 8, 2023Leave a comment

Time’s refreshing there’s a threshing hand are pulling off
I’m uncertain as I set it there’s a shaky thought
First the focus was the process and out of the box
Then we grooved into the tracks that they warned us about
Who hasn’t had to fake forgiveness cause Love is the boss

Weld my hands to them ploughs and comot the noise
Yah my Jireh and the dark is in both of the testaments
Both of the testaments
And my brethren are runners from different walks
Sparking through the throng, Jesus with the miracles
Jesus with the miracles

Zero till he did it
None till he gimme
Sometimes it hurts, but chasing is fun
Faith say he will finish
Blind to the seeming
Sound the horns, let the Word Ones wake

Time to wake the message in the hearts of many men
What was hard before can eat the ease of acumen
Born to start infernos, tongues of fire on their heads
I said Take the full armor, they said Take your meds

Called By My Name

March 23, 2023March 23, 20231 Comment

Like most Christians in the western world, I find that I am quite fascinated when we sing about the name of Jesus. I do not doubt that the name of Jesus holds a sense of comfort and power, as I have personally experienced the saving power of calling out that name in dire situations. However, this article is about something different, it is about how the name of Jesus holds a sense of belonging for the Christian. It is the character of the name of Jesus that reminds us that we are people bound in fellowship by a name and that name makes all the difference in the world.

The position this article takes might seem a little bit derivative but this use of a name is more common in our daily lives than we acknowledge. Every human that exists currently can be linked to a nation and/or people group who are identified by a name. This form of identification is usually contested by popular culture but when all is said and done, one’s genetic information aligns one with a name that is not their individual identification but tells of where they belong. In essence, we all belong somewhere and that belonging is identified and associated with through the function of a name. For instance, I am a Nigerian man. No matter where I travel to or naturalize to, if all documents were lost and my genetic information harvested, all links will point back to that name – Nigeria. This is the same approach I assume as I refer to the belonging that the name of Jesus affords everyone that believes in Him. When we believe in Jesus we undergo such a spiritual transformation that when our spirits are tested, the information will always point back to Jesus.

The sense of identity and belonging we have in Jesus implies that we are a people, a nation. Therefore, it is not uncommon that we have a name that refers to the connection we have to our heritage. People of Nigeria are referred to as Nigerians, people of Rome are called Romans, so it follows that people of Jesus are called Christians. If you are confused about the disparity in names, Jesus was also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus the Christ. ‘Christ’ is used as a title which means “the anointed one” and is an equivalent to “Messiah”. It is this essential character of Jesus as Christ that was used to identify his followers, hence the title – Christians. This is particularly interesting because we are identified not just by a name but also by the character of the one who bears the name. To be called Christians essentially implies that we belong to a people group that has its identity rooted in our anointed role of saving the world by pointing it to God.

The question of belonging is one that is too complex to tackle in this short piece but I would like to emphasize the point earlier made as regards to how our biological identifiers define where we belong. This implies that we are born into whatever group we belong to. Hence I am Nigerian not by choice or selection but by birth. I was born that way and there is not much I can do to change it. Definitely, I can get citizenship in some other place but my biology does not change. For my essential biological identity to change, I must literally be born again. This goes to explain why the bible uses such drastic imagery when referring to our transformation into Christians. It is not a contract or agreement we undertake, it is rebirth. Our spirits are literally and unironically born again. This is why we can lay claim to the name of Jesus. Without this process, we cannot bear the name of Christians in truth. Jesus said to Nicodemus:

I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:5-7 NLT)

To be called by name, by God’s name is therefore a question of what birth we have gone through. This can sound very confusing and even Jesus acknowledges it in his conversation with Nicodemus but Paul comes through with a beautiful explanation:

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13 NLT)

The sum of Paul’s and Jesus Christ’s statements clearly makes the argument that by believing that God through Jesus has taken the payment for our sin and declaring that faith in the name of Jesus, you are reborn by the Holy Spirit and you are now a part of a people group called Christians. Ain’t that exciting?!

Being a Christian for as long as I have been has been all kinds of beautiful. It truly is a salvation. Imagine having a natural immunity to a disease that affects everyone else and then having the capacity to transfer it to anyone that wants it! That is what living as a Christian is like! Yes, there is sin, sickness, shame and pain in this world but it has no power in my life. This means that although I get into those experiences, I always have the option of engaging them from my identity as a Christian and when I do so, they lose effectiveness and I thrive over them even up to the extent of miraculously putting them to an end physically as well. These are rights that are accessible to us only because we belong to the body of Christ. It is similar to how I have certain rights as a Nigerian that I never got to earn. I only got access to them because I was born Nigerian. In the same vein, by believing and confessing the beautiful work of salvation in Jesus, we are born of the Holy Spirit and we have access to certain rights because of that birth.

It is important to note, that regardless of my birth, I can be unaware of my belonging or the benefits of it. Where adequate communication with the source is stifled, a citizen can be alienated from things that are rightfully his primarily because he is ignorant that those rights exist. There are too many Christians that live like this. They have believed and accepted the Lordship of Christ and are born citizens of the Kingdom of God but they live as though they never experienced anything and the primary reason for this anomaly is the lack of communication with the source. The name of this article is culled from God responding to the prayers of Solomon at the dedication of the temple and God makes two things clear;

I have chosen you as my people
To enjoy the benefit of being my people, you need to act accordingly

Belonging to any group of people gives you rights that can be sidelined by your actions. In the same vein, belonging to God’s people gives you rights that can be made ineffective by your actions. God said to Solomon:

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT)

It is important to note that much like citizenry, action does not negate belonging. It rather affects the experience of belonging. This means that there are things that every Christian should enjoy but they miss out on these things because their actions do not align with the principles for those things. These principles are communicated through the Holy Spirit both directly and through the written word which He inspired. When we maintain this communication line, it is akin to reading your country’s constitution and in the same manner that it makes you bolder in your identity, communication with the Holy Spirit makes you bolder in your Christianity. It is one thing to have access to every blessing God has given to His people but it is another thing to know how to use it.

In conclusion, to be called a Christian is an affirmation of citizenship. It is to say that we belong to a LORD – Jesus the Christ. It is to say we bear his name and we have access to all that He has given us. We are not a religion, we are a Kingdom and our King is awesooooooooooome! We got into this Kingdom not by anything we could do but we accepted an invitation to believe that God through Jesus paid our debts and when we believed this and confessed it, the Holy Spirit rebirthed our spirits granting us citizen status among God’s people. Our citizenship is not questionable but our experience can be challenged when we are not familiar with who we are and who we are meant to become. Therefore, communication with the Holy Spirit is paramount for us so that we can learn the ways to maximize all that God has made available for us through Jesus Christ. One thing stays true throughout this process and that is – WE ARE A PEOPLE CALLED BY THE NAME OF GOD.

Ezeonyeka Godswill
(c) 2023