The Exchange

The Exchange.
My waking thoughts this morning drifted towards money and its mysteries. I speak both in its virtual and its real formats, its awesome quality and power to exchange for anything. Its power to ride upon men's soul and bring out both the best and the worst of people. Its tendency to contend with the very Creator and be worshipped as God, revered to the highest heavens by the sons of men. I wonder if this is the abomination of the desolate that was prophecied to sit at the holy place and dictate proceedings at the holy altar. Was that why Jesus chased out traders from the temple? Money has the power to turn a house of prayer into a den of thieves. It is the focal point of thieves and their ultimate trophy for their endeavors. My thoughts rest heavily on its power of exchange. Money answers all things. Almost omnipotent enslaving all, putting all on the run, it is the power behind the mad rush. It exchanges for all things including human souls. It contends with wisdom but is less than wisdom because it has no power to preserve the life of its possessor. It rather kills. Every money that comes in has exchanged for something precious and valuable. When initiated by greed something good goes, when powered by good something evil leaves. The corrupt official got money through oppression and loses his destiny, there is no free money. The benevolent gives the needy out of pity and loving mercy and drives poverty away and increases both parties. The thief thought he'd succeeded getting free money not knowing that he had gone home with a curse as it written the curse of the Lord is in the house of the thief. The tithe thief thought he had extra money but the heaven is shut and the devourer reigns unarrested. You got paid for what should go free and you lose your inheritance. When mercy is traded for money it brings judgment upon the seller. Love that is for sale is the fake type no matter how cheap. The grace that must be paid for to be enjoyed is disgrace in disguise, it takes a fool to buy ice at the poles and it takes lies to sell grace and damnation is the liar's portion. What have I sold in exchange for my fat bank accounts? I must not in pursuit of money exchange my destiny for a morsel of meat. I must avoid Esau's profanity. I must not lose my life in search of undue gain and lose my bishoprick as in the error of Judas. I must know what I am getting with the influx of income since nothing goes for nothing. I must check my greed and lust must not push my hand into the cockatrice nest. Its only money gathered by love and labour that increases the receiver, gain coming from oppression and covetousness comes in deadly suitcases. Money is not always money much are menaces. The money Judas took could not return into the treasury of the wicked elders, they knew it was blood and a defilement.  Oh! May defilement never be credited to my account, may I not receive the credit alert! And so I much watch the deals I'm into, I must be sure death is not gathered into my pot, I must know the root of my solicitations, I must be sure what I am asking for. The riches of betrayal and the income of oppression, the gains of lies and the affluence of slavery, the increase of unpaid wages of poor labourers and the wealth that comes from vanity, sales from addiction that has made destitutes of wives and children, flashy cars and big houses from roads unbuilt and hospitals ill equipped, school fees of big institutions paid from stolen offerings of poor and faithful church men and women and many uncountable other means of affluence from the tears, pains, sweats and blood of the poor all crying to the Lord of sabaoth and will those cries go unheard?  I must check the check and be sure its from the Lord and the proceed from the riches of Christ, I'll give unto Him his due and let wisdom guide the spending of the remaining.  It may not get me the house of my dreams yet and may keep me in the class below the best but it preserves my dignity and gives me a future as the promises remain strong from the Faithful. I will rest and not be enslaved to money neither will I bow my knees to mammon. I worship God the source of all things and He shall put all things under my feet and yours too. Good morning folks!

My Honeycomb

My Honeycomb.
I woke up this morning with my heart indicting a merry matter. I look at the sweetness of life, the joys that sorround me. The pleasures I am blessed with, the romance and the acorns of my life blossoming around me. I consider the people in my circles, those who offer their hands and those I offer my hand to. I wonder how destiny has been able to weave the web and build this great honeycomb cell by cell. I also wonder how I have been able to miss some that I may also never meet again and why these happen to the ones tentacled to be connected to me. I wonder at the complexity and I marvel at the specificity. Some speak of coincidence but I know that God rules in the affairs of men. I am sure I could have married some other women, any out of scores. That could have changed a lot of things and these children would have been others, unrelated, unconnected. But divine providence chose these and I derive joy from the serendipity. It could have been someone else and it makes me appreciate the stewardship accorded me to be responsible for those God has put around me. They are my joy. All of them. The ones that came by me naturally related, those that came by me socially connected and those who came by spiritual connections in churches, in the neighborhood even on social media, none is without signification, within each lurk some good waiting to be released. Within each are treasures and the contribution of each makes my world's big picture.
I'm sure not many would click like on this treatise of relational utopia and of a legendary fairy tale that makes us all live happily ever after even with perceived enemies in friend's clothing as some would say. Yes, but everyone in my world makes the world go round.  Some make me grin, Some make me smile, some make me laugh, others make me think and reflect and many others just make me learn, grow and mature faster than would have been without them. Some would want me angry but I decided against anger long ago. Some might even try to make me cry but I choose not to cry but learn. In all everyone adds something to my dream of utopia. I may not have met them and not that I chose to meet them but providence brought them and God must have had a reason in mind but not to hurt me rather to prosper me and bring me to a future and a hope expected. Not everyone will be like a bowl of delicious meal, some must represent the pain of hunger to make the food necessary and sometimes the closer, the more opportunities to hurt and yet these are the ones indispensable. I have no chance of stepping on your toes if I'm not within the length and stretch of the leg. So why complain? Rather I'm grateful that each is there forming a part of the web. Even those that left might someday come back better like the one who left as a slave but came back as a brother and a son in Philemon. Everyone is a keg of joy yet each has to be reckoned so, not everyone will present the joy at first. The treasure is kept in an earthen vessel not always on a platter of gold nor even gold platted. The light of joy in each must be commanded out of darkness, the white pap must be wringed out of the black soothed pot. So I recognise first the good hidden in each and tend the vineyard for someday I will drink of the wine. The rough compressed carbon someday will polish to a diamond,  aren't they made of the same substance? The process demand faith and for each I'm ready to invest my conviction until the glory shine forth and the value hit the roof. Then my joy today will be justified then the joys will be full. Everyone will see it and it won't fail. So today I speak kind words even in correction, I give a hand in failure, I encourage in discouragement, I smile out someone's depression and shake out someone's timidity. I pull off the covering shielding the virtue and paint the picture of the better tomorrow for the blind even if it will take my sleep im sure someday I will rest in peace joying in the travail of my soul. I believe in you and I'm sure to see your glory. You won't die like this. I'm committed! The greater you lurking and locked up within will manifest and that day my joy shall be full. Tell it to somebody else. It's you I speak of. Thanks for being part of the web and the honeycomb because you aren't a pain but a bundle of joy and I love you. Good morning!

The Balance

THE BALANCE
The sound of worship woke me up today. I am up long before schedule. A neighbour and others had chosen these few days to pray at midnight and only a nine inch wall separates us. So I am awake. I am awake but thinking. I think of heaven and of earth. Of the spiritual and the physical. Of good and bad, I think of darkness and light, of spirituality and carnality, of spirituality and religion, of Christianity and religiosity. My mind seeks a balance. A justification for each. I seek the effectiveness and the relevance, the productivity, the advancements and the progress that are expected. I am a Christian.  I believe in God. I love God. I am passionate about Christ I will stand for Him any day and I hope to be able to stand at all cost. He's sure worth it. I have seen religion too even in the name of Christianity that adds nothing to the development of the soul of man beyond the selfish animalistic instincts. I have seen spirituality that produces the supernatural too and superimpose possibilities in place of physical limiting laws. I ask again which one works. True religion must be one that does good and not hurt, true religion must be one which clones God in man and not that which highlights man and his baseness. True religion must be equal to godliness in character and not mere zeal in outward worship. Then true religion then must be the least of spirituality and the gateway to the supernatural. There is spiritual and sincere worship, such, Jesus said the Father seeks. True religion recognises God who hears in secret and rewards openly. True religion recognises God in the helpless in the neighborhood. Spirituality sees God in the sun that shines not just on the godly but also on the ungodly. And true worship desires to do same. I seek that balance. I don't want my spirituality to become a roadblock to passersby, my worship must be a plus even to those who are yet to appreciate God. My godliness must shine its sun on both the good and the bad. I can love the sinner and hate the sin without compromising righteousness. Religion when not true can be deadly. It propagates the selfishness of man and guards wickedness with the shout of  'Lord, Lord!' While the shouter shouts on to perdition. It's religion that will put heavy loads on its adherents without lifting a finger to help. It is religion that will pay the tithes of even the smallest of items while the weightier matters of justice and mercy are left as plagues.  Religion  is one whitewashed on the outside but filled inside with rottenness and the bones of dead men. Religion is man manufacturing God and using the product to propagate self and pursue his own passions and ambition in the protectiveness of outward piety. When I read  of Jesus I learnt of the Pharisees and the sadducees and I saw the deadliness of religion. And that is why I love Jesus. He is the balance between the physical and the spiritual. He shows me how to worship God in spirit yet being in the physical. He shows me God beyond the chief whip of the universe and tells me the possibility of going and sinning no more. He tells me you can defy religion and yet be godly, he tells me the possibility of loving the sinner and not being a sinner. The possibility of forgiving without end and saving to the uttermost. He showed me the laws of the spirit in contrast to the handwriting of contradictory ordinances.  He is the balance. He tells me how speaking the word only can make a miraculous difference contrary to the powerlessness of the shoutings of the worshippers of Baal.  He shows me God. He tells me when I do good to the least of men I do it to him and not otherwise. When I cloth the naked I had covered him and he wont forget, though that doesn't sound religious yet deeply spiritual, when I visit the prisoner I had visited him, when I give to the hungry I had fed him and when I visit the sick I visit him. How long have we kept him hungry yet giving fat offerings?  how long have we left him on the sick bed judging his unbelief in divine healing? How long have we refused to help him in his poverty telling him to go get a job and listen to good prosperity and motivational preachers? I must isolate mere religion from true spirituality, I doubt if religion will ever see God though much more popular amongst men. I realise also that religion isn't fully resident in religious houses or amongst claimers of religion. Even those who are not adherents to a religion still create their own gods and accompanying laws to critically judge spirituality and scorn true righteousness, it's religiosity hiding under a different garb. But I see God in Christ and it suffices me. I must strike the balance so as not to fall into the deceit of mere religion and religiosity. I must make my life the blessing God intends it to be, religiosity must not stop me from worshipping God in truth and in spirit neither must it stop me from seeing Christ in the people around me to bless them and not to hurt them. This is my spirituality, this is my Christianity; it is what I call true religion as against mere religion and it makes the world go round and makes the impossible possible. I hope I had spoken of yours too. Find your balance I have found mine. Tell it to your friends too! Good morning!

The Sore Point

The Sore Point
I woke up to think of the areas of my life that need expert attention. Wounds that need treatment. I must be sincere with myself to isolate those areas. They fester still if untreated and become worse if unattended to. They are the sore points bear around. Covered. Stinking. Painful. Anytime anyone seems to reach for that area for whatever reasons I cover up in self protection. Sincere discussions and general commentaries becomes personal when they tend to address such issues. I must protect these areas because they hurt. How did I get these sores? They came through the crashes I have had. Some others came through accidents of emotions and of decisions. Some are results of other people's wickedness inflicting psychological and spiritual injuries of destiny. Some came through personal foolishness and foolhardy. Some were never to be until I went looking for trouble. Their sources  vary. Some have been since the day of youth even coming from childhood. Many have been there for long festering. Hardly would you have anyone without an injury over this long journey of life. Injuries are common it is the attention and treatment that varies. The transformation of an injury to a sore is all about treatment and attention. Injuries must be treated. If not, it gets infected and create a problem getting healed. But treatment requires pains of sacrifice. I must submit my sores to the painful treatment for a healing to take place. In most cases the sores won't heal first day of treatment, healing takes time, it takes consistent treatment over time for a sore to close up, throw out the scab and leave the scar. It takes my submission to painful treatments which is for a season to enjoy a long lasting healing without pain. Somehow I have managed to cover up the sore with a big smile over time, but cover smiles don't heal sores. I will have to face it, I will have to confront it and expose it  for the healing to begin otherwise it festers on and I fear amputation. But who do I expose my sore to? Who can handle it when it's eventually exposed? Who will not just exclaim and cover the nose?  Who can endure the stench and respect the openness? Not everyone. So I must be careful not to add pepper to injury and cause more wounds and pains in my search for healing. Definitely I may need more than self treatment but I need people compassionate and considerate. People who themselves had gone through pain. Christ Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are and so can be sympathetic to our infirmities when we are tempted. I need people with such mentality. Can I expose myself and expect to be covered, can I tell of my sore and expect someone to be there to treat my wounds? That has been the fear and it is the fear that must be expunged. I must trust people with my pains for it to go. But the trusted must be tested, tried and found true and then can be trully trusted. I must not be exposed to the enemy who wants more sores for me. The enemy would pamper and not care. The friend would care and not pamper. The hard questions must be asked and answered, and the pain of the process endured. Then the healing comes and freedom from pain. I have met some whose pains are of the religious sort. They are hurt when you touch Christianity and faith. There's need for healing to enjoy the virtues of Christ.  There are some of marital sort. They won't touch family life matters even with a long pole yet avoidance don't heal wounds. I must resolve today to do something with my sores and get them healed. No sore is incurable, no tears are unstoppable,  pains are not meant to be forever. But it takes pains to heal pain. I must start facing that pain that heals from today. The pills may be bitter but they heal and make better. The relatonship that has gone  sour may need a painful attention to restore the honey and the wine. Whichever way let's face the fear and heal the sore. I receive strength today to face it sincerely, and deal with it effectively so I can be free eternally painfree! Today, start dealing with the sore points instead of avoiding or arguing around it...there's healing for every sore. Good morning!

No violence

No Violence
This morning my mind is filled with all sorts. I see that inspiration is impeded by mental distractions. Amidst the jungle of thoughts an issue stands out coming from an experience I had yesterday. Three young boys in an SUV attempted to jump me for  'almost' scratching their car in traffic. Checking my mails this morning, I saw a campaign ad against violence against women. The two connected instantly. Violence is violence irrespective of who is at the receiving end. I don't want violence within my borders. Nobody wants it either between two people or between two nations. I am sure everyone has the tendency to be violent. I had raised my voice beyond acceptable decibels too, I had imagined being able to retaliate an advantage taken of me. I had reacted violently to certain to the foolishness of close acquaintances and I know violent tendencies lurk somewhere within waiting for opportunities to unleash its venom on a perceived weaker entity. Anger, frustrations, pride, the sence of being cheated,  self protection, oppressive tendencies, retaliation and so on are the woods that power the flames of violence and nobody is immuned. Meanwhile, what goes round comes round. If I look weak when my son is taken advantage of in school by another boy or even a girl for that matter and I scolded him for allowing such a cheating and that he should go back and deal with the situation and bring back a better  'report', I had planted a seed of violence. What goes round comes round. I would have wrongly defined strength and weakness. I would have made strength weak and weakness strong. Violence would have taken on the non fitting garment of strength. Violence is not strength! And everytime the retaliator is beaten he becomes weaker and the violator becomes stronger. Predators is strengthened through the fear of the prey. Beauty attracts the suitor and so barking sends the fear that marks out the prey. Who is weak but he who only gains confidence through violence? Who uses his body and physique and not his personality and humanity to record a presence and attention? Strength is from within. A wise man is stronger than ten men. Soft answer arrests raging anger and makes a fool of the violent. Tell the bully that bullying is weakness, no bully is an hero.  I will rather use my bullying tendencies to help someone who is weak. I will not bully with my bulky biceps rather cuddle a weeping child with the large surface area of my broad shoulders. Why do we try to make the world see how strong we are? Why do we think being fearful adds to respect? Violent people really do not belong to society and I must restrain the tendencies within or go on exile to the animal kingdom like Nebuchadnezzar. The love of God contrains. The love of God holds down the tendencies. As it is shed abroad in my heart I must allow it to overflow. It makes me see violence as weak and meekness as strong. He who has no control over his own spirit and responds instinctively just as the opposition is like a city without walls, anything and anyone has access. I have realised that if I don't put myself under control other unwanted things will control me. When I allow just anything to control my emotions I lose my control and dance to any tune even to that of my enemies yet the responsibility of my destiny is mine. If it gets better I bear the responsibility and if it gets worse no one shares it. So I must take responsibility and take charge. So I only get angry under my own control so I don't sin. I refuse to be provoked and so curtail corresponding violence. Quietness is strength and peace is stronger than trouble. The forces of peace chain the rumblings of trouble and enforce quietness. Meekness is not foolishness only the foolish fuels the troubles he cannot control. I won't start a war I wont be able to bring to an end, it makes no sense. Why would you start a fire you won't be able to quench? Violence makes no sense wisdom is better. I must deal with my frustrations and my anger,  I must learn to forgive, retaliation hurts no one but me. The arm raised against the innocent withers and condemnation is to the one who oppresses the poor. I must not allow my fear to push me to oppress. There is no strong front that can cover for the weakness within. If no one knows my weaknesses I know them one by one and covering them does not replace them with strength. There is no point trying to tell the world how rich you are spending a million dollar at a strangers' party on champagne. If you are rich you are and if you are not it adds nothing trying to make yourself look so. Violence has its roots in wanting to be what is not and tryong to prove what is unnecessarily.  The husband is the head even if poor and there is nothing to prove. The wife is help even if with billions she is just being qualified to be. When a leader has to remind the followers that he is then he has lost it. Why should I prove a status that is obvious? And why should I be ashamed of the level I have found myself? Shame does not change statuses, being ashamed of my dented car won't change it, it would only bring worry that leads to more deadly emotions and here comes violence. Why would I have to prove my class to people? Class consciousness is conceit and foolishness. Nothing that confers class is permanent none is reliable. The only class we all belong to is that which makes us all hungry, want sleep and want affection and that class is the most stable and permanent from cradle to the grave. Violence isn't worth it. It improves nothing it destroys anything and it must not be heard within my borders. It shall not be heard within your borders...Good morning!

Starting out with blogging

Hello everyone. I've been trying to do this for a while and following friends who feel so strong about getting my thoughts to many more people,  I have decided to go on and share with interested people some of my personal inspitations that can add value to lives. I sincerely hope this becomes a great blessing to everyone who comes around. Keep enjoying the grace...Pastor Toks Emmanuel.