In the twist of fate~ (A true story on the race of life).

This is a true story. And i was a witness to it all.
Once upon a time, there was a great conference held somewhere in a remote town. There were some two ministers who was invited as part of the guest list. One of the two ministers was an international speaker, while the other was a local preacher. At this great conference, the audience went so wild over the international speaker's presence and they celebrated him far more than the local speaker.
People shifted focus from the podium where the local speaker was speaking; when the international speaker arrived. The local speaker had to hurry off the platform so that they can introduce the international speaker who was the main speaker for the night.
As they introduced the international speaker, everybody passed by the local speaker to the international speaker, picking up his bible, honoring him and ushering him to the pulpit. There were bodyguards, protocol officers all over the place. The conference ended powerfully.
Several years later, the conference has been forgotten. Life went by as if normal. And in the twist of fate, the international speaker of yesterday had fallen into a big scandal. He has lost his reputation and had to quit his mega-ministry. Alas!The local preacher of yesterday had grown stronger and greater. He waxed stronger, until the local speaker had become an international speaker.
The moral? The Lord searches the hearts, while men look on the outward. The race is not to the swift, and the battle is not to the strong. This thing is a marathon. It is not a 100M dash. So, do not compare your life with others.

Africans how will your story end?- The benefits of Colonization.

Have you ever observed how every successful Africans get the Western attention? The West does not look at your skin colour, once you have what it takes to win. The boundaries of racism and discrimination disappear if you can deliver. This is why I caution those Africans with victim mind-set to get over it. History has proven how prudent Westerners are, in terms of quick recognition of potentials. They would rush at it vehemently until they suck out of it all the opportunities associated with it. Imagine how many Western agents would line up to sign any outstanding African athlete? Imagine how quickly the West invest in any upcoming star from any parts of the world? They may call it corporate social responsibility or giving back to the society, but its all a gimmick! It's an investment!

Alas! Africans are not like that. When Africans see potentials, they kill it! They envy, disdain, disrespect, and desecrate greatness. They gossip about it. They talk about it. But they never invest in it. They never celebrate it. They just let it rot by the roadside, until the West comes by. Is that not why Africans have been backward for decades? But this parable shall no longer be told amongst us! The devil is a liar! Africa will rise again!

 A glossary look at our heroes show how many of them died frustrated. Almost all of them were only celebrated in their death. Not when they were alive. While they were with us, we criticize them, lie against them, blackmail them. They were unsung heroes because we have not been taught how to handle greatness. We were not taught how to interact with greatness. Probably because our environmental conditions did not allow us. So we fail to see many great people until the West overtook us, carrying away everything great amongst us. Then, we are left "empty". That is why we celebrate crooks, rogues, thieves, corrupt leaders, looters of public funds, evil-doers, and everything wrong. But I can see the light on the horizon, for Africa. It shall be well. The future is so bright ahead of here.

Truth be told, the West has helped Africa in a lot of ways. I don't allow victim-mentality in my world. I love the West and the Westerners. I have great Western friends who surpass some of my African friends in lot of ways. Above all, God made us all. So, I see the benefits of colonialism regardless of how some Africans see it. Dissecting culture and traditions, and getting free from the strongholds of ignorance and laziness is our struggle. Yes. We are proud to be Africans. But we have a lot of work to do.

You know, I have wondered why the heathen gods, the African idols of our Fore-fathers did not strike down their Colonial-masters? Where were those deities back then? The fore-fathers were chained like dogs into slavery despite their loyalty to those idols? What happened to all the rituals they demanded from our Forefathers? What about the beasts? Those goats that were sacrificed at the African shrines? Those pool of palm-oil, those countless kolanuts, those white chalk, those white, black, red coloured clothes, that was demanded by the gods? Where was the gods of iron? Where did the gods of thunder go?

What happened to Ogun, Obatala, Shango, Oya, and all other deities? Are the gods dead?! Couldn't they fight? What happened to them? They did not strike with thunders and brimstones? Why? Not a single one of our Fore-fathers escaped slavery? Yet, no anger was displayed against those white men who came to enslave our Fore-fathers. What happened? I am unsure of the whereabouts of the gods. But I know better. Have you ever asked similar question?
If those idols were true indeed, why this Western dominance that has continued till date?

We were told that some of us were actual descendants of kings, warriors, farmers, blacksmiths, etc. We would have remained as such. Alas! The Western intervention brought us into the western world, where we are neither accepted nor rejected. Nevertheless, colonialism brought some "goodies". Why? Because, until we were enslaved, we were staying with those heathen gods that had no life in them. They could not save us. So, it seems to me that we were enslaved to become the sons of God...for christianity was re-introduced to us by the west.

Although, the biblical account told us how that Ethiopian Eunuch brought Christianity into Africa right from a single encounter on a road called Gaza, while coming from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This to me is significant because, christianity went across Africa from Ethiopia, to other parts of the black continent. But if the story ended there, it would have been good enough. Alas! We saw the Light,yet some of us went back to our heathen practices. Why will anyone see the light and still go back into darkness? That in itself still baffles me. Most especially, when I see people who should know better.

Anyway, Africa went back to idolatry until the Westerners came by to reintroduce christianity to us. In the wake of colonialism, the West stormed the black continent with a purpose. Their cloak was unique. The colonial masters' dressed in a way that they had the guns and the bible hidden underneath. So, we ask how genocide became a norm in Africa today? That is a wrong question! The right questions should be who sold those guns into Africa? When? And how?!
We worry over the long wars in African regions like Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Dafur, etc.

The point is not in looking at Africa and shaking heads. Rather, we should begin the enactment of laws and making of right policies that will totally stop importation of guns and explosives into Africa. We worry over religious crisis in Nigeria, when we should shun gun exchange plans. We should be executing prompt prosecution of violators of the law of the land. And at all cost ensure the reward of those who do the right things. But we allow the West to profit on us. Through our ignorance, we have enriched the Western nations.

We should have known the attributes of the Westerners. They are adventurous. That means they never stay in "their place". We have seen how the West never stay at home, when there is gold in the "bush". They may call Africa bush, but we all know better. The most naïve of the Westerners assume all of Africa is jungle, where the inhabitants thereof live on the trees. So they come prepared...to "maximize" the opportunities around these "crude colored people". So, they go around looking for potentials, golds, diamonds, oil and gas, and more.

I don't blame the West, because they are smart and quick to see! They fell in love with what we failed to appreciate. So, their search became adventure. Their adventure became a thirst. Their thirst became obsession! And they wanted all. Not just more, but all of these! Then, their strategies became a plot to steal, to kill and destroy? Not just going around looking for opportunities any more. But polluting our environment. Then forcing us into borrowing so as to dominate, exploit, and take advantage of everything called Africa. Other culture and races also faced similar oppression. But Africa lags behind longer in a bid to recover.

Despite all that, the faith the West reintroduced to us clearly show us how we can be free from their "predatory" tendencies. Do you know that many times, only one out of ten Western initiatives in Africa have no strings attached? Even some Western ministers who traveled to Africa in the name of mission work, heard about how they could easily gather a crowd. Travel to Africa, get "some gullible coloured people" to hear you preach, come back to your Western country and show some footages of your "great mission work". Earn more respect. Raise some support. Go on Television. Make money and history at the same time! So why wait here and work hard in the West? Why struggle when you can birth a ministry for cheap at exchange rate? Why suffer in the name of God when you can be a star in Africa for "Christ sake"?!I know that is not true of some Gospel ministers.

However, there are some ministers who made it difficult for Atheist to come to Christ.This might not sit well with some, but I feel that one of the reasons why some Westerners hate Christianity, is because of bitter-truth like these. A "christianized mind" will always expose deceptions. Why? because true Faith sets people free! As for many oppressors, freedom means losing your captives. And to lose your captives is to lose everything. So they fight Christianity and its ideals. That is why we can identify with the insincere activism and the struggles of the Silversmith association of Ephesus, when they persecuted Paul. They did not go against Paul, just for no reason. They started an uproar in the name of the goddess of Diana because of their means of livelihood. It was all for the money in their trade. But they pretended to be defending something more. As if they had a purpose much bigger than them.

The Good News is unstoppable! Why because those who attacked it don't understand it. They see it as religion. But it is a relationship! Christianity introduced us to a Person...who taught us the Truth...and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free! So, one of the benefits of colonization is freedom. But why are we still bound? Many of us are focusing on the negative aspects of colonization. And that ignorance kept us bound. It is because we have not dared to flip the coin yet. That is why we have not seen the benefits of colonialism. In the light of these bondage, we saw the true Light.

Sadly, after colonialism ended, we still see the reappearance of it in many areas. One of several ways through which the West continued colonizing Africa is by immigration and policies. Some of us only know the good stories of those who won the Visa lottery to travel to the West. We don't know what became of them after migrating to the West. There are many of them who find themselves working odd jobs till retirement! Many university graduates ended up in factories when their African credentials was not recognized in the West. There may not be adequate jobs in Africa, but we do not disrespect people's education in any form!

This may not be "liked" by some Westerners. But the subtle style of colonialism has been unveiled. The Western system has been shut against many immigrants. It appears as though, the West are saying: 'somehow we can still continue to enslave these black people...and the idea is that, if we can no longer enslave them in their own countries as a people, then let us break them apart into fragments, by tactically inviting them over to be enslaved in our own countries'.

The problems immigrants face in settling down in the West are proof of this fact. The odd jobs immigrants have to endure. The conditions surrounding many who have no legal stay in the Western countries. The harshness of exploitative employers and more. For many of them, nobody can speak for them. They are silent voices. They dare not raise their heads. They live in strongholds, hiding in caves for several years. Always afraid of deportation. As for those with legal standing and right of stay in the West, there is failure to recognize their foreign credentials.
For those whose credentials were acknowledged at all, they can only rise so much at their workplace. Promotion is per cents! No more! They are stopped carefully from advancing. So, the plot to enslave the descendants of Africa is tactical, and subtly planned.

So do we have to stay in these dysfunctionalities? So what is the answer to our messy situation? How can we break free? How do we cross these limits? How can we rise above this static level? How can we rewrite our story? What must be done to be made whole, since we want to be whole? Do we wait for another year of stirring of the waters? Or should we settle for less? Should we give up or keep trying for the rest of our lives? Where do we go from here?

The answer lie in our vision! This is what will determine how our story will end. Africans! What do you see? Where do we go from here? The question is not who is coming next to fight our cause? Thank God for previous freedom-fighters. But we have left that era. We are now in the era of empowerment. Individuals empowering themselves, until a community is greatly empowered! We still work together where necessary, but we must train our generation about the power of deliberate personal growth and development.

Some would not mind working odd jobs forever. Some don't mind working as slaves under oppressive employers, and heartless supervisors. But there are some of us who are different. They may call us difficult. But we are just different. Why because we know who we are. We were not born for less. We were not raised on tress. Not fed with weeds. We were raised on princes' and princess' diet. We grew on King's meals. No, we were not born with silver spoons, but we were fed by golden hearts and richly minds! As a result, we are different.

We understood our identity. We understood time and seasons. We know who we are. We came out of Eden. We might be working in the fields for now. We might have a long way to go, but we will not give up, until we get there. We are from Eden, the symbolism of God's presence. Our ideals remains kingdom's ideals. Our values have been shaped. We don't fight for acceptance. We don't try to belong. We deliberately standout. We create a world, where the world wants to belong! We have seen the Light. Much more, we saw something. We have encountered a Person. We are not crazy religious fanatics. We are light-bearers! We are the salt...the seasonings. We have become a force the world cannot ignore. We are relevant. Our assignment transcends the four walls of any religious organization.

We have bypassed strongholds. We have seen the Truth. We know the truth. We have escaped corruption. Our destiny lie in understanding. So, we are outstanding...with a sense of purpose. We figured out all deception. We reveal manipulations. Because we have seen God! We encountered and triumphed over the devil and his hosts.We are in the company of the Angels! In His light, we see light. It is in these hope we rest. So, in labour we see rewards. For in all labour there is profit. As we hope beyond the present scope. We remain immovable, planted by the rivers of water, to flourish in due season. We will yet blossom because the sun will rise again!

Of the increase of His government, there shall be no end. And through us, He shall reign from sea to seas. His Kingdom will know no end. His glory will know no bounds. For the government shall be upon His shoulders. And as long as the shoulder remains a part of the body, we are reigning as God's body on earth. This light will continue to shine. It will shine in the darkness, and darkness cannot comprehend it. Because this same power that conquered the grave lives in us. Ours, is the Light that lightens the world. Africa will arise. Not just Africans but the West. Not just the West, but as many that believe in this, all over the world. For whoever call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Safety is of the Lord. Salvation is unlimited in scope. It transcends church into politics and beyond!

It is important to know! Know what you believe. But much more, who you believe. Know whose you are. It is time to rise. You have a hope and a future. You have a destiny. You have a role in God's script. You are a vital part of something bigger than you. You are making history. The whole world is incomplete without you. There is a call...and it was your name that was called. You have a root. An Identity. A brand. A reputation. So, roll your boat! Don't rock the boat! This is your time. This is your day! Now is your season. It is your moment! It is time to rise and shine again!

Olympics Lessons 101~ From the fastest man in the world!

There are wisdom in the ongoing London Olympics 2012. My focus here is on the world fastest man- Usain Bolt. I love stories of greatness. Most especially how many great men and women don't usually start out promising. The Jamaican born fastest man in the world today was reported to be a hyperactive child while growing up.  As a child, Usain Bolt was taken to the doctor for diagnoses. Thank God for that Jamaican doctor who did not medicate Usain into slow-motion! The story would have been different today. Considering the case in his hands, the doctor ensured that Usain Bolt's psyche was not dented. That was how we got the fastest male runner in the 100M at the London 2012 Olympics. 

I am flashing back to one critical moments in the world history because a doctor handled his medical practice with wisdom. Many medical decision don't always go that "right". Usain went out of that doctor's office to become a thunderbolt in tracks and fields of the world's sport because of one doctor's decision! Today, Jamaica as a nation can boast of producing the fastest male-runner in the world!

The question is how and when is history made? The answer? Everyday! Every moment! Everywhere! Every time! Your small and big decisions make history. In parts and pieces, we all make history. We are all writing history per second. The actions we take, our inactions, all contribute towards history. Your one minute reaction can make history. My choice to write this piece is part of history. Your choice to read it, is part of history. As difficult as it can sound, history are only understood in hindsight. Before they are ever made, history remain a mystery, unclear. 

However, we can avoid certain negative incidents from going down in history. For example, history has proven how some human assumptions, judgement, criticisms or conclusion end up quite wrong. For Usain, he was assumed to be hyperactive. Behold! His hyperactivity end up justifiable! Your hyperactive child of today may be another Usain Bolt in the making. That child may have been designed for something special like Bolt. Usually such level of greatness are hidden from all of us, until the divinely set time ticked!

This is why i caution that we all strive not to break the spirit of any child. It is dangerous in the name of discipline or correction to break people. Don’t try to contain them. Our individual personalities are all designed differently. Our makeups are based on what our life purpose(s) are meant to be. You don’t know whether or not, you are nursing, teaching, treating, serving, parenting, coaching, feeding, the next Usain Bolt. So, beware how you quickly react. If you break a child down into what you can “manage” and “contain”; you have lost that child! Several people have killed the greatness that was in the brooding stage around them, under their roof, in their very homes!

 Out of ignorance, due to wrong culture, out of parochial viewpoints and sometimes envy, some people have lost what would have catapult them into greatness of a lifetime! You never know what is hidden in any child. That is why it is important to stop the western doctors from medicating children into disability. Just because the teachers cannot contain this child does not mean the child has a problem.

I am neither a Pediatrician, nor a child-psychologist; but i believe it is time to start talking about these things. Let us stop the western teachers from sending hyperactive kids to special needs schools, or special learning classes. Do not cull any child into special learning group just because you cannot understand them or handle them. Those children are your challenge to push the limits. They are your life-tests of tolerance. They are your assignment to be figured out. It is time for the world to learn from the Olympics by picking life lessons that are applicable to what we see around us daily. 

Looking beyond the childhood of Usain to his present victories, we saw a man who won the gold medal in the 100M race for men. He just did it again you will say?! A quick evaluation of his success showed us something worth noting; that his private world was not "normal". Such level of achievement was attained through hard-work, goal setting, a sense of purpose, endless rigorous practices, a regimented life of discipline that is full of sacrifice. 

There were days of injuries when pain would have to be endured. Yes! We watched him play and celebrate in the public, but his hidden life was spent preparing over and over. Surprisingly, Usain did not like to take himself too seriously but he never underrate the place of hard-work, passion, purpose and preparation. He maximized life principles to get to his dreams. His relationships were carefully chosen. He was loyal to his old Jamaican coach even when he made it big! He remained humble in victories.

Through this fastest runner of all time, i strongly believe that life is teaching us many things.

Some of those life-lessons are: just anybody can achieve greatness irrespective of where they are coming from. You don't have to be born with a silver-spoon. You don't have to be born with a supernatural hallow on your head like Jesus Christ. All you need is understand important principles of life. Such as: setting goals, working at them. And once you have achieved those goals, set bigger goals! Be hungry for greatness. Usain Bolt is thirsty for more! He want to be a legend! It is not bad. Avoid settling for small, ordinary life of nothingness. Even,those who live in Nottingham don't settle for nothing!

The fastest man in the 100M of 1996 Olympics was Michael Johnson. According to him, he retired because he ran out of goals! Once he set goals and achieved all; he stopped! Alas! His early retirement was defined by what he could see. Although, he has achieved much; the danger is in running out of goals! So the question is what are your goals? How many are they? What are you seeing? How far are you looking? Are you still gazing into the future? What are your dreams? Do you think you have set enough goals? Are the goal-bars too low? Can you reset them? What can you still add to the list? Where is your book of vision?

Beyond dreaming big, the place of execution is very vital. It is the most important. It is the great gulf that separates us all. It is the gap between failures and success. The margin is not race, discrimination or injustice. It is execution! Bolt could not be stopped from winning. Nobody can stop you! You are the maker of your own destiny! If you can remind yourself that the cutoff point is not what the teacher/lecturer wrote on your scripts; rather it is the implementation of your dreams and vision! Can you work it out? Can you log in those hour? Can you withstand the pressure? Will you keep moving even when no prize is in sight for you? Can you take the lonely journey until the goal is achieved?

There were days Usain and his coach were alone on the track, just pushing at it. There were days they had no one to affirm them. There were days nobody clicked "like" on their Facebook pictures. There were days no one viewed their profiles/status on new social media. If they had stopped because they had no fans, they would not have made history. But they stuck at it. They hung in there. Until that great moment came when everybody wants to be associated with them. "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I  press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Usain's story taught us how and why we need to become determined...to be resolute about winning in our own field of endeavor! Especially because it is possible! Winning becomes normal when you see mortal men and women like you doing it. All we have to do is strive for it. Run to win. Work towards it. Achieve that goal. Do whatever it takes! Once you have set your hearts to do it, just do it! Usain's life-goal is to become a legend in tracks and fields. His preparation took him as far as practicing for eleven months in one year! Can you imagine that? I am sure that many of us love to play. How would you quantify and qualify your time with respect to how Usain spend his time? Considering such level of inputs, you can see where success stories emerge from? You can see the single gulf that separates us. It is not racism, it is not discrimination, it is not injustice. It is execution! 

Nigerians hope in the Olympics for the return of honor!

Yesterday, I wept as I watched the Nigerian female athlete: Blessing Okagbare won one of the 100M semi-final race to qualify for the final rounds. I wept because the name Nigeria has been disdained and dishonoured. And here is a lady running to bring honour back. Here is a lady pushing the envelopes, giving her all, working hard to bring honour and glory back for her nation. She ran in such a way to overcome a slow start, blasting through from behind the rest in the first round of the 100 meters race. She finished first in one of the semi-finals.

Certainly we have not seen the finals yet. But as far as I am concerned, I have seen something worth celebrating! I saw energy! I saw attitude! I saw the indomitable power of the human spirit to overcome set-backs! I have seen the will to succeed in a "woman-being" I have seen a good reason to be hopeful! Why I am making a big deal out of this lady? Why am I writing about one athlete when there are countless participants in the Olympics? Why am I excited over a process than the end-product? Are there not countless athletes already decorated with medals at thesame Olympics? Of course, there are. However, I picked the moment Blessing Okagbare crossed the finished line in the Semi-finals as one of my personal memorable moments in the ongoing London 2012 Olympics; because I see national honour returning to Nigeria!

I see honour coming back not just through our athletes, but through those whose lives will be influenced by them! I strongly believe that as long as we have people like Blessing Okagbare, there is still hope for our nation-Nigeria. I see the restoration of lost glory. Nigeria will not remain dis-credited forever. We shall rise to the place we have been yanked off in history. Honour is coming back! Nigerians be prepared! Honour is returning to us! Although, We have been stripped of respect. We have been regarded as a corrupt nation. We have been doubted and stripped-searched especially at every Airport in the world. We have been blacklisted into terrorist nation. We have been second-guessed as the headquarters of Cyber-crime.

But honour is coming back! Honour is coming to Nigeria as surely as God is God. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream (Psalm 126:1). I see restoration of lost glory and a great future! I see the grace to rise above the present darkness!

So what do we need to do for honour to return to our nation? It is not enough to shout and scream with excitement. If we are going to be celebrated. If We will birth great victories out of our small victories. There is work to be done. We must not just create a system, without respecting that system we have put in place. Nobody should be above the law. Disorderliness must be punished. Criminals must be prosecuted as examples for others. Our leaders cannot make rules which they do not obey.

We cannot allow any misrepresentation of Nigeria. We must take such moments when Blessing Okagbare crossed the finishing line in the Semi-finals of the 100M race as sacred moment. A moment worth reflecting over. A defining moment. A moment that meant something significant. A sacred moment of greatness that gives birth unto other great moments. Much more, the motivation of this athlete should begin to stir us towards good works. Why because such moment brings to our youths a level of inspiration that words can not describe.The aggregates of such moments is what transform a nation. Anyone can run. But not many can win. And as we allow that victory to gradually transform us, our nation will be changed. One victory at a time. 

I know the whole world is still waiting for the finals. But i celebrate this one moment in the semi-finals because it is part of the process. Many people wants to do great things for their nations but they are at loss concerning how to do that? We sometimes fail to realize that life is a matter of process. That great things are birthed out of small things. That there is no small success. That we can achieve much more through our chosen career. That by working diligently around our corporate goals, we can even achieve national victories. That this thing is not a matter of your size, but your role. That it is one step at a time. That you don't even have to be an Olympic champion to do greater works. That all you need is: be the best you can be. That your career is relevant regardless. That your best will inspire others, and it will light their candles. That by igniting others, the fire will go from one person to another. Until the entire nation is aflame!

The State of African Politics:A case-study of Nigeria (A Podcast)

Role of Political Parties in Extinguishing Terrorism in Nigeria

This is a quick attempt at analyzing the last election. This SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis will give us clarity to where internal terrorism actually kicked off into full blown phenomenon in Nigeria. The SWOT analysis of the last campaign has proven how irrespective of their sizes or victories, political parties have a major role in reforming the nation. 

At times, it seems that it is only in Africa, we fail to evaluate elections. We need to see what went wrong and how we can not just remedy it; but even avoid that same error in the future. Somehow it seems that the last election has a subtle affinity to the present terrorism we now experience in Nigeria. 


The trends show us that when terrorism began in Nigeria, it was gradual and at a point when the election was drawing closer. What the naïve will later call a religious war can actually be traced back to a political crisis. So, the way to reform a political crisis is not to shut our eyes to the root cause of it. By calling a spade a knife is silly. This is why I strongly believe that the unrest we are seeing presently can be calmed if the political parties can come together at some point.

The need for a round table discussion, and dialogue towards the way forward in terms of national reform must be mutually worked together. There is need to strategize towards  peace and unity in Nigeria. This is just one of the least good deeds these political parties can do for us as a nation. Another role the political parties can play among several is to consider incorporating opposition into reform processes in Nigeria. 


The plethora issues facing the nation require more than one ideology. There is no unity if the extinction, exile and excommunication of the opposition is all that is advocated by the ruling party. It is sad that when a political party lose in Africa, they don't want to have anything to do with the winning party and vice versa. The winning party rules without considering opposition party as partners who they can work together with in reform process of the nation. This is why implementation of laudable policies has been difficult because some people are not in support. 

In considering, the roles of the political parties in quenching unrest of terrorism in Nigeria, we must evaluate the last electoral process to realize how we got here; and avoid the repetition of similar error in the future. Firstly, this SWOT analysis of our last election reveal flaws in the selection process of the gubernatorial and presidential aspirants. Let us consider them step-wisely: 

The strengths: 
Many prospective aspirants trooped out that we did not expect. There was diversity in terms of the attributes and origins of those aspirants. We saw elites, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and even clergymen showing interests in rebuilding the nation. Since, that diversity reflected what we normally see in the West, we can say that in some aspect, Nigeria is moving towards development. Although, the pace of development seems slow, but we are getting there gradually. 


 The Weaknesses: 
We saw major components missing in terms of what it takes to rebuild a nation. One of the most glaring was the criss-crossing of aspirants regardless of the differences in their values-system. This evidently reflected in how the minority parties could not win where they might have won. The candidates were paired up based on ethnicity rather than their values, vision and victory records. 


In bid to do justice to the Geo-political zones and demands for ethnic-balance, the selection of candidates was totally flawed. So, what was the outcome? Some people saw those "mismatches" and felt that we are not there yet. Others were not discouraged along that line; but obviously the two schools of thoughts voted in frustration. Candidates who would have negotiated and made successful alliances were unable to do so because of that same mismatch of aspirants. So, the masses were not the only people who were confused at some point but the aspirants also were confused concerning who to form alliance with. This resulted in the way the electorate voted. Most people were forced to re-vote their incumbent leaders. Some did not vote at all. 

The landscape of our national politics, allow the electorate to culturally prefer the old to the new; especially where the new seems undecided. So most preferred the devil they knew to the angels they were about studying. The consequence of this was seen months later in wrong timing of the oil subsidy and some other socio-political issues. In terms of whether or not the country chose the right leader? The answer may not be audaciously stated. Why because the terrorism that ensued tells us that the nation may have done well if the present leadership were to operate within 100 percent cooperation of all the opposing parties.


The fact that we have chosen a seemingly "wrong" candidate, in a seemingly wrong time tells us that we need to start considering timing in choosing our next leaders. For history has proven how important it is, to discern the right time for candidates; especially when it comes to minority aspirants. Although, minorities may be advocating for their turn in rotational leadership pattern Nigeria has chosen, the timing may not be right. As we can see how many lives have been lost to terrorism in our nation?


 This is not to state that a particular leader was not good enough; but misjudging the timing for such leader to lead the nation might be critical. Leaders come in different forms. Some are natural pioneers, others are managers. It takes wisdom to discern what kind of leader, the nation need per time. And that goes beyond making ethnicity and tribes as a variable for selection. It may be the turn of your region, but if your region cannot present the kind of leader the nation needs, it is better we pass to another region and still live together in peace. 

Our primacy ethnicities have drawn us into more national problems than we can ever imagine. It has led us into errors in our electoral process. Among several other weaknesses we also observed that some missing part of the puzzle during the last campaign and election was: the lack of wisdom, inattention to the need for speed, the absence of strategy, absence of foresight, Inability of candidates to pay full attention to details.


Time would fail me to pick these points one after the other. But mainly, these are the missing link in most of the last presidential and gubernatorial aspirants we saw in the last Nigerian election. So, the ability to know what to do next; which we can call wisdom was a missing puzzle. 


It is not enough to be excited about joining the political race. It is vital to understand where does the road lead next? Many aspirants were just angry about the status-quo without actually presenting a better strategy that can change the status-quo. Some were just happy to be part of the political debates, just to prove a point that they are part of the national issues. 


These "me-too-aspirants" made the electoral process more complicated. It is much more important to know why, when, where and who leads the nation next. It is a mark of honour to see greatness in others and celebrate it, without blindly competing against them. Some people were just competing out of insanity!

 We also see that a lack of idea and absence of vision seems to be disturbing many of the aspirants. Some old leaders who re-appeared had nothing new to say. The challenge for crowning leaders who are at their wits-end is that we will be expecting a change, when in actual fact no change would be coming in a long time. So what role does the masses, the church and the youths play in all these? In ameliorating this kind of experience? We need youths who understand political intelligence. We need those who understand cutting edge governance as a matter of wisdom, vision, leadership, timing, development, strategy, and more.


 So, how can you come in? You can start getting diligent in your sphere of influence and field of practice so that you can support the future leaders in all ramifications. We have observed that lack of information is adversely impacting our nation. There are no reliable data-base systems, records that are substantiated with facts and figures. There are no cutting edge statistics that can support developmental reforms. So, when such components are missing, the aspirants have already failed ever before their campaigns started. Not to talk of when they get into office. 

 Another vital issue was that as we followed some of the political aspirants online, there were those who had no websites. Some were not even known except within their geo-political region. There was no deliberate maximization of the new social media. The internet was still held at a distant from the electoral process. We could not track the results of the election online, immediately they were counted. We were kept in the dark as the ballot boxes were trooping in. 


So, technology like we saw in the western elections was not maximized. If I was asked that do you think that the absence of details made the last election from campaigns to manifesto and eventual election not convincing enough such that the masses were unable to trust the results. As a result, it has led in part to the present violence and terrorism, we now see as a nation. I will say yes.


 This is why we must start looking forward to the next election now. It is not too early to prepare. We saw the absence of preparation in the last election. We saw how urgency was missing in the manifesto of most aspirants. We saw how goals were set without deadlines. In points of fact, there were no goals in sight for some aspirants and what they were proposing to do. How do you think such error can perpetuate trend in African politics? 

What are the opportunities? 
I hate to be one of the doomsayers. There are lots of opportunities awaiting our nation. The opportunities in Nigeria lie in the population. There is strength in our number. We have intelligent minds in our nation. Nigeria is one of the well-traveled nations of the world. We can bring the endowment of experiences and expertise of our travels into the governance of our nation. In addition, we can tap into the momentum we saw in the last election. The entire world was watching Nigeria. We saw international observers sat in our presidential debates. This was not a joke.


Another opportunity can be harnessed in terms of pulling the aggregates of our diversity in building our nation irrespective of our different alliances with political parties of our choice. Although, most aspirants will think that this is foolish, but I strongly believe that many of those who came out to contest can still pull the same resources, manpower and energy together towards reform. It should not be in who got the accolades so far the job is done. This will even boost their integrity towards the next season of election. The masses can see how fair you have played despite your losses, and support such candidates based on their strength of character. 

 What are the threats? 
Delay-culture is one of the threats to our national development. We lack the sense of urgency when it comes to time. What we observed during that last election was that we did not act until it was too late to make a reasonable progress. We saw the die-minute attempt of some political parties towards alliance. This was what they ought to have done immediately they started their campaigns. So, coming into the eve of the election and confusing the electorate is a threat to our national progress. 


The archaic methods of politics of the 80s and 90s must be done away with. We can no longer wait for the last hour before preparing the electorate for the Election Day. This fire-brigade, fire-fighting culture has not helped our nation at all. It reflects not just a weakness in our political transitions but it generally poses threat to our national lifestyle. Other threat that has already graduated into a risk is in the unrest and violence that erupted since that last election. 
Immediately the election was over, you will assume that sleeping dog would lie; but no! Among several, we saw the loss of lives, businesses, plummeting of our Naira in foreign exchange market. We saw how expatriates are scared of coming to invest in our nation. We saw the loss of international trades. We saw how the nation has become seemingly ungovernable since then. 


The implication?
You may ask how all these impact our national development? The violence and terrorism has driven many Nigerians out of their country to neighboring countries like Ghana, Chad, Benin, and Cameroun. These people are crossing borders to resettle. Many of them will re-marry, have children and make mix-blood descendants. 

The implication is that, there will be fewer full-blooded Nigerians in the next generation. 


Besides, another impact of this exodus to the Nigerian economy is that our national economy will continue to dwindle because the active workforce is being lost to other nations. People who are supposed to actually build the nation will be building another nation. The increase in this rate of loss will require that we invite strangers in form of immigrants, to sustain our country in the future. The sad awakening question is who will love to immigrate into "unsafe" zone? The threat we are now facing is not mere lower level of our national development; rather, it is even the national brand that we are impacting. We are writing our national history unconsciously.

Living between the Promise and the Problems?

I have many doubts while growing up. Having been born into the Faith, I struggled with doubts. Many of my doubts were in line of paradigm, pragmatism, and paradox. Where did the rubber meets the road? For instance, where is the connection between faith and society and politics? If God is God, how about these divides of poverty and inequality between the tropics and the temperate region? What about these politicians? God did you made them too? How did they turn out to be this way? Will politicians make heaven? Why should God allow His own creation to be ruled by politicians who violate his principles, yet He commanded us to submit to thesame authorities?
If I must go to school, why should i go through pain of school fees, strike actions, etc? When and how will that education count eventually? Where is my Monday mornings in alignment with my Sunday mornings? What does it mean to be truly successful? Get married, make two kids, own two cars, two houses, and live inside a two-storey house,that is located on house number two, on the corner of second Avenue? Will these bring it all together?

As I discovered, most of us have similar doubts. Yet we were not truly taught HOW our lives and Faith aligned. Where our workplace converge with our heart-place. We were not well-informed concerning where the real issues of our everyday life, merge with the reality of plethora socio-political issues of the day. So, when certain realities weigh in, many become confused, frustrated and lead unfulfilling, disenfranchised lives! In my search for the answer (and I am still searching), I found some things; eureka! Parts of my findings are: how we have been told a lie by some people who we really trusted and respected! 

My struggle to find the connecting dots between my Sunday morning routine and my mundane activities such as mowing the lawn, doing my laundry, cooking my breakfast and changing the oil in my car engine; led me into discovery of the meaning and the reason for the Grace that came to us in our lowest estate. I realized that Grace meant Great Grace! And Grace is not merely saying that unmerited favour was released without measure to humanity. It means that humanity must receive what was released by divinity. It means that Grace was released that we might no longer be enslaved by the craftiness of the devil and by the traditions of men! This Grace that was given was a Person. He was not irresponsible because He said I will do the work of Him who sent me while it is day, for night comes when no man can work. My Father work up to now and myself, I am working. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. So, if he was not lazy, what was His work? Since, he did not disprove work, what is work?

 What I wake up in the morning, get dressed up for is the work that pay my bills. Is that what He is expecting of me? If that is it, then I am doing well; because I even go to the length of doing some humanitarian services where I volunteer some hours weekly in one good deeds or the other. If there remains a rest for the people of God, then they are resting from something. That thing is the work that you are talking about. So, the work He is expecting me to do must transcend the 9 to 5 work. So what is that work. The work God expects me to do is the work that defines me. It is the work that is unique to me. It is that which only me have been given the gifts and talents to do. So, I must find me, in order to find that work! So finding me is what led on to the search for Grace. If I understand that I did not create myself, then somewhere along the line, I will need to find the one who made me so that I can find me. If I am not lost in Him, I cannot find me. In order to find my work, I must find the one who created me, and created the work for me.

Alas! I am not novice about the Person you are talking about. I have read countless books covering such topics. So, what are you talking about? What I am talking about cannot be taught. It can only be caught. So read on.
When Grace was given, a type of work was ceased. We were released into the dimension of work that is true to our person. We were supposed to profit from that work that is true to who we are. This is where labour ceases to rule our lives.

The confusion today is that, not many…not many comedians are making money, not many preachers have churches, not many churches have congregation, not many women have children, not many business make profits, not many true leaders win election, and not many singles get married. Not many! Not many!! So, as we observe these realities, we ask why? Sadly, some generations were taught never to question anything. Do not question the leadership. Just obey and follow. And that even worsened the case for many in our day. Since, the questions posed more puzzle, we are confused the more. In our state of confusion, we take our lives in our hands and just run and run and run…in search of the answers. We work crazily to bridge the gap. We strive, struggle, hustle to mend the widening gulf. The widening gulf between what we are supposed to be and what we are seeing are traceable to what we are fed. There is a gulf between the message of Grace and work, Prosperity and Truth, Humanism and Divinity, Feminism and God, Supernatural and Principles, and Discernment and Witchcraft.

The gulf of separation between reality and the promise that was given to humanity by divinity led many into shunning the reality of God. Depending on the God you cannot see now seems unnecessary when you can depend on the things you can see such as the government, Visa card, and immigration policies and still live considerably. But we were not called to place our faith in what is visible, because the visible was created out of the invisible.
 As much as I am confused by those who work crazily without leaning on that Grace and what He came to do for humanity; I also disagree with those who preach cheap grace that lack responsibility. 

You cannot preach grace without showing people how the giver of that Grace suffered and died. That will be incomplete. And you cannot show me how He died without showing me the empty tomb from where He resurrected. And while showing me His resurrection, you cannot be clear if you don’t tell me why He rose from the dead!
And if you tell me why he rose again, without showing me how that affects my life today, you are speaking jargon! Why because, the same power that conquered the grave was released on the Pentecost for a purpose. And I do not believe it was meant to be retained in church services. If that power cannot influence all aspects of my life even on Monday mornings at my 9 to 5 job, then count me out! I don’t want to be part of religion. God did not send Jesus to start a religion but a movement! The people who joined that movement were called: Ecclesia- the called out ones.

So if they were the called out ones; from what were they called, and into what were they called? If they were called to be rich, it means they were not called into anything because the Agnostics are rich.  The guy beside my house who has yacht, cars, houses, bonds, and stocks has never been to church. Yet he is rich! So tell me something else please!
If they were called to be poor, why will the one who called them feed 5000 multitudes and at another time some 4000 people who came to listen to His message of the kingdom. And he fed those audiences by multiplying some pieces of two fishes and five loaves of bread! A poor man cannot empower people. He must be rich! Because if He was not rich, why would the scripture say that for my sake, He became poor?

 I strongly believe that prosperity without the clear indication of soul-prosperity is error. You cannot teach people about blessing without showing them that even Abraham was blessed through his relationship with God. Before the covenant, Abraham already had material wealth. So, why will God say to him that I will bless you? It means that something was not yet in place. That thing that is missing is the blessing. And if you are going to be blessed, get ready to be persecuted! For verily, verily I say unto you that many have preached prosperity to you without showing you the consequence of being blessed! Yet, prosperity is just a piece of the puzzle. It is not the entire definition of blessing. Why because scripture said: "the blessing of the Lord maketh rich and add no sorrow to it." So, if the blessing makes rich. Then, riches is not the blessing but a result of the blessing. So our search should be for the blessing of the Lord! Why because it is possible to be "rich" materially, and still be poor in all ramifications. And that is where most of the message of today needs a balance.

The Truth needs to be re-introduced even as we fight for various rights in our day. Woman rights are valid. However, as we shun the same gospel that commanded submission, we run into the danger of birthing feminism. As we now see today that the spirit of feminism is taking over the church. You will be stupid to reject female preachers because that is not how feminism is creeping in. Rather, just as Adam and Abraham missed out on something crucial when they disobeyed God in bid to be gentle men. The consequence? It was not mere invention of Ishmael but the persecution of the promise bearers! And Ishmael will  continue to hunt the promised generations forever because of one decision! We did not lose a mere garden when Adam lost Eden. The symbolism of what was lost was God's presence! So, when we lost the presence, a widening gulf emerged. Thankfully, the gap was bridged when Christ came to give us Grace without measure. So in order not to lose what Christ came to give us, we will be careful to protect the Grace through obedience. 

If we want to continually be politically correct, we will lose things that money cannot buy. We will have wider gulf of separation between what we are supposed to be and what we are seeing. That gulf will get wider as we are seeing it today. In order to bridge the gap, we must be ready for persecution. You cannot strive to do God's will and expect to be popular at the same time. It is not possible! You either choose to be the nice guy and lose things that money cannot buy. In all honesty, I do not support brutality of women. And I strongly oppose mutiny and abuse of female gender. But I will not buy into feminism and witchcrafts in other to be accepted as a gentle man. No never!

I think, the challenge for some women in our day is that in desperation to marry, they don’t stop to truly ask themselves some questions. Part of which are: can I truly submit to this man, am I really sure I love him,  can I truly trust his judgement in all ramifications, can I walk with him through thick and thin, even when I don’t fully understand him. So, they rush in wearing a wedding gown and then rush out at the same time. If only women will free themselves from the fear of what the society will say. If you don’t get married, so what?! The dread of the ticking clock of age that threatens to leave women unmarried has made many run into unnecessary problems. Since, many were not prepared; they rush out through the same door of the court system that pronounced them married.  Since, many did not weigh the cost before signing up; they live a life of perpetual pain.

As much as I hate to meddle into opposite gender`s issue because I cannot truly understand what it means to be a woman since I am not a woman. The question someone once asked me was should we have a female president next? And how will that transform our society. I will say yes! Sure, we should have a female president next! Personally, I am tired of these guys who misrepresent men in politics! I will certainly vote for any intelligent female candidate. But I will never cast my vote for a foolish female aspirant all in the name of gender equality! The fact is that it is not a matter of gender but ideals. And Truth is the ideal we must strive towards. 

In the days when we struggle between knowing people intrinsically for who they are, and not what we think they are; it is important to strive for truth! We have seen well-intentioned people struggle in this area. We have seen pastors trying to know their church-members and vice versa. We have seen politicians trying to know the people in their cabinet, parents trying to understand their children and vice versa, employers trying to understand their employees and vice versa.  Even churches are struggling in this area. We are all trying to know people we are dealing with.  Some of these frustrations have led churches into Googling up the names of their first timers and regular members. Some even go to the length of running a criminal record checks on all their members. Just to know who they are dealing with. You can’t be too safe; they said.  The truth is that when discernment is missing, we begin to walk into suspicion and eventual witchcraft. We do not know people according to the flesh. We must discern them. You can live with people and not know them. Life has taught us this! You cannot know people according to the order of flesh. That will terribly ruin your relationship with them by depending on mind-reading to know them.

How can people know these things when they are not taught you asked? Yes you are right. As we came into the 21st century, folks began borrowing psychology, principles of management, marketing, branding and business to run their churches. So those gimmicks work to some length and they fail greatly in areas that matters most. Since, we were not searching for the main thing that encapsulated every other thing. So we have branded our churches to the point where there is nothing so spiritual other than the facades of phasard. And the challenge in that is: we have drawn people in their millions, but we could not keep them. They soon walk away in search of a more branded mega-church. And the search goes on and on.

 So what is the solution? Retention capacity will come when people can see power at work in our churches. This is the antidote for empty pews. It is not in manipulating guests to stay after their first visits to our churches. You set your church AFLAME with the power of Holy Spirit and watch people you did not even invite show up in your services. They will come as surely as God is God! When Preachers begin to truly TARRY for His Presence, FAST and PRAY longer. When they STUDY the Bible harder, the people will stay! It is painful to walk into services and listen to boring messages. You are giving wrong impression that God is boring. Sir, God is not boring! You are the boring preacher. Go find another job if you cannot deliver!

The church will be a place where Agnostics want to go, where people want to stay when we start teaching the right message! We're in the day of His Power where the 21st Century Church must return to the Supernatural. Could it be that we've kept the potency of this Gospel hidden for too long that Agnostics disbelief God because we didn't display His POWER and love? The resurrection of Jesus was to give victory to His Church! If Moses, Elijah, Jesus and many others fasted for forty days and forty nights in the scripture, proving to us that revelation knowledge exists. Proving to us that RAW Miracles is possible in any generation, we cannot experience what the Apostles experienced through fluffy messages. Who told you pep-talks will chase the devil away? You cannot rebuke the devil when you operate in his system, using his methods and reveling in his works.  That is why it is important to know what you're doing in ministry. And if you are not a ministry person, learn how to identify wrong ministries and run before they mess up your life!

Having left some services with disappointment and soul-hunger, I understood why many stay at home on Sundays. Sadly, many of these well-meaning people are searching for the real thing. But they kept falling into wrong ministries. My advice to such people is to keep searching for the Truth. Do not give up. Don’t use the wrong ministries as an excuse for not serving God. The fact that there is fake means that the real exists somewhere! So, keep searching, for at the end of our search, we will arrive somewhere, knowing where we began, seeing where we have arrived and what we have attained.

How Satan engages human mind...(A true life story).

This is a true life story of an encounter with demonic spirit and the power of God.
Growing up, I saw several real life incidents that made me understand the supernatural realm. I saw firsthand experience as a child, how the devil operates. I saw how the devil can enter into a human being. I also saw how God can deliver. I saw series of divine operations of God in people's life.
Let me quickly touch upon brevity of autobiography here: I was born and raised by a clergyman. He was a mighty man of God who had the gift of prophecy and deliverance. He often delivers abnormal people from the oppression of the devil who held them captive. Being a son of a prophet, i often watched my late father perform series of deliverance prayers. One of several encounters was this particular incidents that stuck with me till date. I remember once when he brought home to our church, a lunatic. The mad man seems to be normal at one time, and abnormal at other times. He speaks normal and watched everything around him for a while. Then, he switches into a realm you cannot fathom at another time.
 I was a very young boy back then. But i can still remember vividly till date all that happened. I did not understand everything perfectly then, until now that i have come of age.

It was a fateful Sunday morning and the church service had commenced. Everything was going on well for a while. That morning, the lunatic sat not very far away from me. I watched him stood up. As he sprang up to his feet, he turned around and swirled in circle. This was all in the midst of the church hymn that was being sung. As the mad man soliloquy and rambled. He turned around again and again inside the church. The service was still going on. Then, he danced for a while, and stopped dancing abruptly. He stepped backwards as though he was going out of the service. He approached the exit door. He hesitated for a while. As he stood before the sliding door, he watched himself through the glass door. He muttered some words to his own reflection.
As all these was happening at the back of the congregation. You can trust the church people. They were not oblivious to whatever was going on, but nobody did anything, because they did not know what to do. So, they just kept singing and at the same time they kept watching from the corner of their eyes. You know how believers can watch and pray with calculated understanding?! Some were even singing with fear!
All of a sudden, this mad man walked literally through a sliding glass door, and out of the church service. As he ran through the glass-door onto the street. He kept shouting very loudly. Once outside the church, he went straight for the standing mud-waters in some potholes. He started bathing himself like pigs in the puddle. As he waddled in the puddle for a while, he was screaming wildly. The street of the church was suddenly cluttered with people who came out to see what was happening. The mad man started screaming my father's name. My father was the presiding pastor of the church, and he was leading the church service. But this mad man won't just stop screaming his name. Such that the entire neighborhood was wondering what was going on? We call these kind of people gossips: "Gbe-bo-run!" (people who poke-nose).

What happened next, changed the entire course of my life completely! It thought me boldness! I remember how my father boldly stepped up to the occasion. He just went out of the church service and grabbed a hold of that mad man. And all by himself, he brought the mad man under control. My father tied him up and brought him into the church back alley. Then, all of a sudden, he was begging for his life as if he did not do anything wrong. Once on the church ground, his lunacy was curbed again. And my father just went into the house. (The church mission house being on the same property) My father just changed his clothes into a clean outfit, because the man had stained his clergy-robe. He was blood-stained and mud-stained from that encounter as the mad man ran through glass door into muddy waters. Wounded and bloody, yet the mad man did not even feel any pain!
Having, seen lunacy curbed under the power of boldness that emanates from the Spirit of God, I came to understand the place of Anointing. I draw a conclusion that the thing called power can only be surpassed by greater power! The demonic spirit can only submit to a greater power and authority. Another thing i learnt from that single experience was how the power of God surpass the power of Satan. The devil can only operate as far as we give him room to operate. Once a demonic spirit is not tolerated, they just go into a state of withdrawal. The devil tends to take over people's life through demonic influence. And it takes the power of God to put this under control.
And you cannot afford to be a Jelly-fish when dealing with evil spirits. Like David ran towards Goliath, you must act with boldness! Just as my father brought that lunatic under control, you must take initiatives. As a leader, you cannot tolerate devils around you! As a priest of God, you cannot give the devil room under your roof! It will be too costly. You cannot tolerate demonic operations around you! You must be bold! Be strong! And do all what you can to kick out the damn evil through the back door by the power of God!
Some people can continue to blab and argue against the supernatural until they encounter one.
Just one experience or the other, will be enough to tell you that the supernatural realm is real. You never know until you have seen one.

The value of your soul--the richest part of your body!

Your soul is the most important asset you have in this life! Since, many times we cannot see what goes on in the supernatural realm, as a result of that we tend to underestimate the value of the soul.
The soul of a man is so important to God and to the devil such that, the enemy of our souls (the devil) wages war day in and out for the soul.
The devil is not after your belongings. He does not care about your university degree! The devil is not after your house! He is only using that property as a bait for something bigger! That is your soul! The devil does not care about what you drive! He is only using the car to seduce your soul. He knew that once he can get your soul, that car is no longer yours to drive! The day he has access into your soul, all is over from that day on! This is why you are facing many attacks on your life! The day you understand the reason for these plethora attacks that is when your victory comes. The night is never too dark. The rain never falls too hard. But the fight is over your soul.
The devil wanted to sift Peter despite all his ranks and file within the twelve disciples of Jesus. Despite, his theological stance, his wealth of understanding and strong loyalty to Christ. The devil almost had Peter!Thank God for the prayer of Jesus!
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32)
Some people don't understand that the devil prays! And one of the prayer requests of Satan is for sifting people away, and separating them from God!

The value of the soul
"Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life."(Job 2:4).
This scripture gives us a window into the level where the soul is held in high esteem by Satan; such that he is bent on fighting tooth and nail to get as many souls as he can get!
Sadly, some people have sold their own souls to the devil.
"Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:37).
The soul of a man is so important to God that scripture says that there is joy in heaven over one soul that repents."I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."( Luke 15:7).
The writer of Psalm 124 expatiate on the war over the soul when he likened the soul of a man to the man himself:
“Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,”
         Let Israel now say,
“Had it not been the LORD who was on our side
         When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
         When their anger was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have engulfed us,
         The stream would have swept over our soul;
Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
Blessed be the LORD,
         Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;
         The snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:1-8)
You can count the number of times the Psalmist represented people with the word: soul  in the above text.
The soul is so paramount to God such that Jesus asked: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"- Matthew 16:26
The question: what shall a man give in exchange for his own soul means that nothing in the whole world can be likened to the soul. No wealth, no achievement can be compared to the soul of man!

So, what is the soul?
What is the soul? This is the mind...the center of all knowing, the center of cognition, the seat of awareness, and the seat of salvation! For it is with our whole mind, we worship and serve God!
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."(Deuteronomy 6:5).
"Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
(Matthew 22:37)
"You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness." (Exodus 23:25).
Due to the fact that the soul is in connection with God, it is the richest part of the human body! Why because nothing contacts God and remains the same! God is too rich that the soul that encounter Him, becomes rich as well! "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7). It is so important to know that everything that a man will accomplish in the earth has been deposited by God in the soul. All you have, and all what you are going to become have been kept in your soul. That is the deposit of plethora resources. That is why when a person dies, what died is more than a mere human being! A nation has died! A universe has been killed. The world has been robbed.
The devil understand this and that is why he is trying to steal the treasures from the soul of as many men and women that does not know this! The human-spirit is so locked up with treasures as a bank's vaults. The soul is so rich that only when we open our mouths and hearts is when other people can see through into our soul. Even then, it is only a glimpse of what is really inside of our hearts, is seen! Nobody can see all that is really inside the other's soul. Although, through discernment, we can still perceive what is in the souls of others. Yet, not very many people operate in this gift of discernment. Nevertheless, the soul is rich. And we can seen through into the souls of people through their faces. We can see through the eyes. That is why psychology enables mind-reading, whereby we can understand people's mind by mere looking on their countenance.
The writer of the book of proverbs proved that there is a connection between the soul and the eyes:
"Bright eyes gladden the heart;Good news puts fat on the bones." (Proverbs 15:30)
The joy of the soul radiates on the face of the man and woman who is carrying treasures.
And Satan being a thief (John 10:10), he is all out to steal and to kill and to destroy all that is hidden in that soul. Satan wants the treasures on the inside.

Soul exchange!
In the olden days until now, wars have been fought based on the concept of soul exchange. It has always been soul for soul. Life for life. All homicide are a bet on the souls of humanity. "So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: "If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life." (2 Kings 10:24).
Even, Satan understood this concept of skin for skin and life for life; when he  approached God concerning Job: "Satan replied to the LORD, "Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life." (Job 2:4).

So what must you do to preserve your soul?
Having read that Satan is after your soul, the smart question then is: what must you do to preserve your soul?
-Give your life to Christ!
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." (Acts 2:36-40).
And it is important to know that after surrendering your life to Christ, it is not over! You will have to continue in Him. Why because Satan will keep coming to check you out whether or not you are still in God? So that he (Satan) can steal your soul! How did I know that? Because scripture said so:
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him," (Colossians 2:6).
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18).
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:17).

Understanding and mastering the Western system.

In this age, understanding the Western culture and mastering the Western system is not getting easier. As for Immigrants who may have escaped wars, poverty, bad leadership and corruption in Africa, there is a challenge. Many of these immigrants have skills and education from their home countries which is not getting them any where near the top. So, they are trapped at the bottom of the ladder where they do odd jobs all across Europe and North America. The frustration has made many immigrants return to their countries of origin; thinking that there is no hope for significance.
Understanding the Western system require the understanding of the central laws of productivity! It is by significance that we can gain true undeniable access into the Western system. Why because in the real sense, we only gained a partial access so far. We have just succeeded in getting through the boarders. The western system has not really been opened to us yet. The Western governments have only decided to tactically open their boarders to immigrants but not their system. And in order to gain access into the system, we will need to be fully productive. We will have to be diligent. We will have to create solution, provide values and make unique exchange of relevant products and quality services. The results of that is that we will earn influence. The influence we earn can be converted to help Africa.
So, a typical immigrants who is working an  odd job can save African society on his own level by being diligent with his work. His/her boss will trust him/her. As a result of this trust, the boss may decide to invest in Africa. That little investment will go a long way in helping the development of African communities.
So, the trust we earn with our bosses can lead to a mutual relationships like partnerships of economic importance. We can offer mutual relationship that the western society will not be able to reject. Why because we are solving problems on both side of the ocean. The people in the West are running from heavy hand of the Tax that their government are dealing them. And CEOs and employers of labour are looking for ways to escape from Taxes. So, by investing in Africa they will be able to make profits that they may not have made by investing in the West. On the other hand, Africa is benefiting because of such pool of resources that are coming into the continent. So, do not underrate your contribution as immigrants. You are still relevant and significant to the destiny of Africa despite your situations and irrespective of the odd jobs.