...a.k.a Olorun-Ina
( _For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD....so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it_ ).
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Prayers of Freedom by Evangelist Peter Kolajo (Omo-Jesu)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instructions”
(Prov. 1:7)
In general, the fasting period popularly known as the Lenten or Ramadan period among the believers of the Christian and Islamic faiths respectively signifies the time of strict spiritual abstinence, and obedience to the precepts of God. Often believers tend to become closer to God in words and deeds showing remorse and repenting over past behavior and promising God to be of good behavior in their future actions. In short, they are acknowledging the absolute power of God over their lives, and the realization of this infinite power of the Lord to create, elevate, stagnate or even destroy creatures without any trail at His Will. The fear or dread of the Lord stems from this realization, and it is often at its peak during the Lenten period. Two pertinent questions arise: firstly, what exactly does it mean to fear the Lord; and secondly, does the fear of the Lord limited by time or by season?
Firstly, the Ten Commandments of the Lord are clearly stated in Exodus 20, and the two greatest of them all are as explained in Matt. 22: 37-40. These are: first, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (vs. 37); and second, “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself” (vs. 39). In a nutshell, the love of God and the love of neighbors are the necessary and sufficient indicators to show who fear the Lord. Obedience to these two precepts is fundamental to knowing people that fear the Lord. In other words, those that fear the Lord shall: honor their parents, not kill, not commit adultery, not steal, not bear false witness against neighbors, and shall neither covet neighbor’s wives nor properties. Anyone in whatever sphere of influence that departs from these precepts lacks the fear of the Lord, and he is only fit for perdition if he fails to repent of these heinous sins.
Importantly, in Deut. 28 the benefits of obedience and the costs of disobedience of the Lord’s precepts are clearly spelt out there: for the former, “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God …” (vs. 1-14); and for the latter, “But it shall come to pass, if thou will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses and woes shall come upon thee, and overtake thee …” (vs. 15-68). Jesus Christ also emphasized in Matt. 5:19 that, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in in the Kingdom of Heaven”. Thus a pertinent question is: if all that profess to be Christians or believers fear the Lord in truth and in holiness, why are there differences in doctrines and narratives about our Lord Jesus Christ in the Church of God today?
Secondly, in 2022 the fasting periods of both the Christians and the Muslims coincided, what does this coincidence portends to the discerning minds? Obedience to the Lord’s precepts is evergreen or timeless for the true believers. It is not seasonal, and it is expected to be adhered to at all times whether during or after the fasting period. Previous fasting becomes senseless and of no benefits, if believers failed to imbibe and obey the true precepts of the Lord in their daily lives. Thus, the current coincidence is a divine sign that the Lord desires every true believer irrespective of religion, faith or denomination to turn a new leaf, abhor sins, avoid fake prophets and clerics, and follow Him in truth and holiness henceforth.
The Bible says “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. These nuggets of advice shall be helpful to all:
§ To the individual, in the confines of your heart ask your Creator to reveal Himself to you so that you can serve Him appropriately; and also ask the Lord thy God to reveal the secrets of your Pastor, Imam or Prophet, and your place of worship to be sure that you have not fallen into the hands of the fake ministers;
§ To the family, parents should allow their children to know their Creator, and serve Him with their whole heart, soul and mind. They should allow the Will of God to prevail in the lives of their children, and not forcing their personal wills upon them;
§ To the government, leaders and followers should fear God and realize that every position occupied is held in trust, and they shall be held accountable for their deeds or misdeeds at the appropriate time; and
§ To the society, be mindful of the neighbors around you by showing concern for their wellbeing, the peer group your children keep especially their personal habits and attitudes to life in general.
In conclusion, fasting and prayer are not sufficient conditions for eternal salvation; and even to overcome personal challenges in life. Rather the “Fear of the Lord” is the divine key to enjoy the protection, blessings, mercies and favor of the Lord thy God, and also have eternal life.
To the God of Fire will be all the glory, honor and adoration.
It is a common knowledge that everyone that professes to be a Minister of God lays claims to being ‘called’ by the Most High God ab initio into this vocation. With the proliferation of such a set of people in the society, it becomes obvious that not all can be correct in their assertions. In other words, many tales of such callings are preposterous and suggest that the purveyors of such tales are outright liars against the Holy Spirit; and are therefore fake ministers – this fact is attested to by their “so-called ministerial works” afterwards which are filled with deceits, manipulations, and satanic practices. From the Biblical records over the ages and even in the present time, God often speak to His people through some individuals whom He chooses to be the channels of His messages; and this also suggests that indeed there are “real ministers” of God whose ministerial works will eschew all things that do not glorify His Holiness.
Certainly God’s callings can come in different ways and for different purposes. For instance, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and even our Lord Jesus Christ etc. were used by the Most High God at some points in time to draw the attention of His people towards Him. While a call involved the ‘caller’ and the ‘called’ on one hand, it also includes the message from the caller, as well as the choice of either to accept or reject such a message by the called on the other hand – the Biblical Jonah is a typical example. In other words, when God calls an individual for a ministerial purpose, the ‘called’ is expected to leave all he is doing in the present and heed to such a call. Afterwards, the Lord will guide the person on how to go about the fulfillment of the work.
According to Evang. Peter Kolajo, his personal experience occurred one morning at his then workplace, Nigerian National Petroleum Company. God asked him to leave his high-paying job immediately and go back home, and which he did that same day. While awaiting further instructions from God on what next to do, it became extremely difficult to explain to anyone including family members why he had to leave his job unceremoniously. Patience and perseverance became the critical virtues the Lord Jesus Christ drummed into his psyche, as the Lord later instructed him to go into the ‘wilderness’. In the 7-year sojourn in the wilderness, the Lord provided for the needs of his family in the Lord’s own ways, and helped them overcome diverse challenges that came their way. In a nutshell, God’s calling and training for ministerial duties might come in different ways to different people, but certainly it is seldom received and learnt directly from any school but rather from the Almighty God Himself who will teach and equip one for the journey and inherent challenges ahead. In short, when a person accepts the calling of God, the ‘so-called’ must be ready to accept the Lord as his Guide in all things.
Furthermore, the cleric explained that he neither requests for tithes nor offerings from the congregants during ministrations, for the good and all-sufficient Lord is always by him to provide for all the materials needed for the ministerial duties. In particular, in his ministerial assignment to “preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in truth and holiness to every nook and cranny of the world, and deliver all nations starting from Nigeria from satanic bondage”, the greatest solace he has is to see the presence of the Lord abides with him always, and never in the abundance of riches or material appurtenances. For instance, since 2017 when he commenced his travels and ministrations across the length and breadth of Nigeria for the “Nigeria National Deliverance” program, he is opportune to meet the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the employed and the unemployed, the believers and the non-believers, the Nigerians and the non-Nigerians, the politicians and the civilians, etc. and never had he demanded for monetary rewards from anyone. Rather his simple message to all and sundry, and even to the power brokers in the country especially in Abuja is that: God wants to deliver Nigeria and its people, and He will scatter and re-arrange all things in Nigeria. Recently, the Lord revealed to him that the deliverance work of Nigeria is completed in the spiritual realm, and Nigeria should await the physical manifestations henceforth. As it was in the Noah’s days, so it is today: people seldom listen to the still “Voice of the Lord” particularly with the proliferation of “fake ministers” of God in the current dispensation.
Nigeria is a beloved country destined to proclaim the glory of the Lord to all nations in the world. Of great note is the spiritual uniqueness of the two colors in its national flag: green and white. The former signifies the earth, and the freshness and lushness of its vegetation; while the latter signifies the sky or heaven, and its purity and holiness. In the spiritual realm, Nigeria can be likened to the Biblical ‘Eden’ which is blessed for the inhabitants. It can never be divided along ethnic cleavages as some are clamoring for. Rather the “hidden glory” in the country will become manifest for the use of all, when Nigerians be they leaders or followers heed the counsel of the Lord. In particular, the three major tribes namely, the Hausa, the Igbo and the Yoruba must live in harmony according to the dictates of the Lord for their individual ethnic glory to be accessible to them all.
To the God of Fire will be all the glory, honor and adoration.
By
Evangelist Peter Kolajo (aka. Omo Jesu)
In diverse forms of ministrations: sermons, songs and articles; people often speak about the goodness of God but seldom do they fully comprehend what this attribute or virtue really means. In animate things, goodness is a pleasant quality of moral excellence, kindness, integrity, uprightness and honesty; while in inanimate things, it depicts the comparative excellence or pre-eminence of such things in relation to or over others. Situating this admirable virtue in the divine essence of the Creator, makes one realize that God cannot be anything less than the epitome of goodness because it is embedded in His divine nature as the greatest and best of all things spiritual and temporal (see Ps. 119:68, 34:8, Mark 10:18).
As Christians or true believers, constant ruminations on the goodness of God enable us to study and appreciate His characteristic nature as revealed in overt and covert actions towards us (even when undeserving) that always exhibit His steadfast love, unending generosity, protective coverage etc. The Holy Bible is replete with exemplars of individuals, generations and nations that enjoyed His benevolence and even His wrath when they strayed away from His Will and Counsels; and these are also applicable in the present time, and so will they apply in the future.
Thus, a sound knowledge of the "goodness" virtue in the Almighty God as further expatiated in John 3:16, leads us to the realization of the divine essence and place of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ in Creation, for He is the "Face" or exterior expression of the God of Fire that personifies His divine Mercy and Love towards Mankind.
A platitude says, "the taste of a pudding is found in its eating". In other words, tapping the goodness of God for divine upliftment, deliverance and so on necessitates every "Seeker of Truth" to know and accept Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior, and unwaveringly follow His precepts. As Jesus Christ knows His Father, His Power and Authority over all things, and abides by His Will, so are believers compelled to obey the Lord.
To God of Fire be all the glory, honor and adoration.
