At Trust's End

"At trust's end, we cease to be humans"

“Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” [Matthew 10:16]

Expressions of regret, remorse, care, compassion, and love, amongst other emotions, cease to mean anything when we stop believing them. The day we stopped comprehending sincere emotions, that day, those very emotions stopped existing. Caring is what it is, only because it is understood by everyone – or at least most people. Anger can only retain its meaning when the one you express it towards understands it. Ever been furious at a baby and he/she just kept laughing? Your anger meant nothing to that baby; that emotion was simply not recognized by the child at the time, because that child had not grown enough to master the elements that make up the human person. Little wonder as to why your relationship with that baby is so limited.

We live in a highly polarized generation – one most easily explained by the idea encapsulated in Jesus’ statement: “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of men shall wax cold” [Matthew 24:12]. Due to so much wickedness in our world, many have lost love. Today, it is harder than ever before to believe the sincere people but much easier to believe the dishonest folk. We watch infomercials discussing opportunities to help children, nations, and our world, but the first thought that comes to many minds is how the man on the television is only seeking his own gain. We are quick to think that everyone’s after our money. Though we often think we’re being smart, we’re actually truly expressing the state of our hearts – what our humanity has become.

Imagine a world at trust’s end. Imagine a world where every truth is a lie, love is hate, caring is selfish, and hope is foolish. Imagine our world at trust’s end. Imagine a world that didn’t believe your tears at the death of your father just because he was rich and left you a will, forgetting that a father’s a father no matter how good or bad of it he is. Imagine a world where the poor and needy reject the pure no-strings-attached help of the rich and powerful [no matter how caring they truly are] for fear of that rich one returning to them later in future to get his payment or returns-on-investment. Imagine a world where your love was misunderstood for an attempt to take advantage of the one you love, where your concerns were misunderstood for an opportunity to mock those in trouble, a world where every emotion of yours you can think of – platonic care, brotherly/sisterly love, and motherly/fatherly affection – was confused with evil beyond your conception.

Don’t be too small in your heart, too closed in your mind, or too myopic in your sight to understand the danger of a world at trust’s end. As seen in the opening scripture, the idea is not to abandon all caution, ditch discernment, or throw out wisdom; rather, the imploration to us all is that we make room for trust - just a little more room to believe the man crying over his daughter’s grave, the child claiming it was rape and not consented sex, the rich man desiring to change the lives of many impoverished fellow human beings, the preacher who believes he has a gospel that can change men’s lives. Let us believe them just for a second; after all, it is said “innocent until proven guilty.” Don’t be quick to assume that everything on television is fake [though a lot of it is]. Good will always overcome evil. It has to be so.

When we question motives, disbelieve sincere emotion, reject help through a belief of the worst concerning the helper [when we do all these], we lose ourselves. We lose the bond that holds us together when we don’t deem other human beings as capable of genuine emotion, the same emotions we express and expect others to believe. At trust’s end, we cease to be humans – we become babies – limiting our potentials to love, communicate, and create the world in which we live. 

The Foolish Things

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” [1 Corinthians 1:27]

Is God’s Word too simple? Are His methods unbelievably straightforward, so much that they become increasingly difficult to yield to? I heard a story once of a Christian who had been through severe hardship in his life. After enduring for a rather long period of time, he decided to confront his Pastor for a solution after a church meeting. The Pastor, full of wisdom and the HolyGhost, listened attentively to the young man. Upon the troubled Christian finishing the story of his ordeals, the Pastor recommended that he purchased, listened to, and meditated on certain Christian materials [books, tapes, CDs, etc]. To the Pastor’s amazement, the young man, looking rather disappointed said to him, “you don’t understand”. With those words, the young Christian Brother was attempting to convey to his Pastor that it could not be that simple; the young man must have been thinking “this man [referring to the Pastor] must not know how serious my case is for him to be asking me to go and listen to some sermons; didn’t I just listen to a sermon?”

Many of us Christians are like that today. God’s Words and instructions seem too simple to hold any weight. Moses made the same mistake and it cost him dearly. God had instructed him to “take the rod…and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water” [Numbers 20:8], but Moses in his anger looked lightly upon the Lord’s instruction and struck the rock instead of talking to it. Maybe if he had known that the rock represented Christ which was only to be struck once [representing his death] after which words [confessions of faith] would produce results in His name, he may have not disobeyed the Lord. As simple as the instruction was, it was very important to God that it was carried out precisely.

We, as believers, need to be more conscious of the fact that God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to confound [stun, amaze, and leave speechless] those that are wise in this world by making the “foolish” things contain the most power. Consider the foolishness of meditating on the Word of God in order to see tremendous progress and prosperity in your life [Joshua 1:8, 1 Timothy 4:15]. You may also examine the foolishness of prayer. God does not require you to pray a powerful prayer; you do not have to shout down the heavens. He needs you to simply “ask, and…receive” [John 16:24]. Finally, consider the foolishness of giving or sowing seeds of faith into the lives of men of God, brethren, and the poor; as foolish as the giving of your money is [to the wise people of this world], it is the key to true unending prosperity [2 Kings 4:1-7, Luke 6:38].

The man I referred to earlier may have found it easier to believe if his Pastor had instructed him to fast for 21 days and eat only veggies for another 21 days after that, while praying for two hours at noon and at midnight all of those days. Funny, isn’t it? Yet, that is the way many believers are. We find it easier to believe more in a complicated process, when God said it has been made simple. Whatever deliverance you need is in the Word of God; the knowledge of it will literally cause your eyes to be open to see that you were never bound [Proverbs 11:9].

Salvation came as simply as saying that you believe Jesus was raised from the dead and confessing His Lordship; if the most important thing in your walk with God came that easy, why should anything else be harder [Romans 10:9-10, Romans 8:32]? Focus on the Word of God, enjoy fellowship with God in prayer, and give with a heart of love. 

While you post your comment, here's a beautiful song [originally written, composed, and sung by Frank Edwards of LoveWorld Records] covered by a dear friend and sister of mine - Chidimma. The chorus is in the Igbo language from Nigeria. Enjoy!

True Patriotism

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” [Psalm 50:2]

The famous Apostle Paul wrote extensively about a new creation, a heavenly Jerusalem, and a family on earth and in heaven, to which every Christian has been called. Time and space will fail me to list the scriptural verses where those thoughts were shared, but I advice that you take a look at Hebrews 12:22-23; in it, the Apostle further expressed that there’s a new ‘nation’ to which we believers have been called. For more on Zion, take a look at my blog post titled ‘Peace within our borders’; you’ll be blessed by it.

Zion is the city of God – a spiritual Israel, and we have been called to be citizens of it. In this post, I will not be discussing the benefits of life in Zion. Rather, my desire is to challenge us to see Zion as beautiful. The strongest nations in the world are built by indoctrination; citizens are taught that their nation is the greatest. The term ‘nation’ in itself has strength in it that means much more than geographical boundaries. As I was very adequately taught by Rev. Chris Oyakhilome, a state or country can only be referred to as a nation when its citizens have a common vision and speak one language [or have one mind].

The opening scripture shows us how God feels about Zion; it is the perfection of beauty. He wants us to be indoctrinated; God wants us to know that there is no nation or country in the earth greater than ours. Yet, many of us are consumed by a love for our earthly nations at the expense of a love for Zion. In Romans 9:8, the Bible says "they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." To be a child of the flesh is to be carnal enough to primarily identify one's self by physical or earthly nationality. In Romans 9:8, Paul shows us two types of children - those of the flesh and those of the promise. The 'promise' here refers to God's Word. Do you see that your origin is from God's word? Or, do you still identify first as Nigerian, American, British, South African, Korean, or Australian? If you are a Christian, that should not be the case.


This topic is so important, because our earthly nations have become more beautiful to many of us than Zion. We identify as Ugandan Christians, Brazilian Christians, and the likes instead of ‘just being Christians’. In our churches, some of us even form factions based on ethnicity or nationality. There are ‘Black’ people who will not attend ‘White’ churches and vice versa. I put the words Black and White in quotes, because in reality, once you become a Christian, you are neither White nor Black; you are a new creation [Galatians 3:28].

Learn to appreciate Zion TODAY! See Jesus in the eyes of every Christian, whether or not they speak your earthly language. Embrace them like you would Jesus if He lived in your house. Like Abraham [under God’s instruction] abandoned his earthly kindred, abandon yours also for Zion. This does not mean that you should not still love your earthly nation. It only means you should love Zion more. If someone asked you “where are you from?” let your answer first be Zion. Or, say to the person “do you mean in the flesh or in the spirit?” Either way, the person’s answer may lead to an opportunity to share Jesus with them.

If God Almighty could shine out of Zion, then you should be proud of your citizenship in this beautiful country!

Your Case for Christ

“Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man…I have a greater witness than that of John.” [John 5:33-36]

Christianity is not a religion and should never be regarded as one [except when we fill out forms, of course]. I appeal to you to listen to the rest of it before leaving this site; it is okay to challenge your knowledge every once in a while. We all agree that there is a religion that is an aspect of Christianity, but to define Christianity completely as a religion will be a fallacy.

With very elementary analysis of the subject, we can see that Jesus did not bring a religion called Christianity, since He never called us Christians; we were first called Christians by people who weren’t necessarily believers in a city called Antioch several years ago [Acts 11:26]. On the contrary, Jesus said He brought life [John 10:10] of a different quality – life like God has it. That life is what Christianity is about; it is the reason for every other aspect of our service to God.

I will not be going into other reasons why Christianity is not a religion in this post; you can read James’ definition of religion in James 1:27 and determine for yourself if Christianity fits solely as a religion. I only touched on Christianity not being a religion in order to set the stage for today’s subject. Religions need to be defended, because they are based on philosophy (searching the way), but Christianity, on the other hand, is based on the way [Jesus] not a searching of the way. The finality and absoluteness of Christianity shows us that it does not stand by reason of men’s defense or ‘nondefense’ of it. It stands anyhow!

The purpose of this post is to re-establish the Deity of God in the hearts of believers. “What do you mean by that”, you may ask me? Many times, we Christians are tempted to play the defense attorney for God in very unnecessary places. For example, some of us have found ourselves spending hours convincing an atheist of the existence of a God that does not need any man’s testimony [according to the opening scripture]. Have you ever thought of the fact that, regardless of whether you believe in Him or not, He is [Isaiah 43:10]? Think about it; before we were, He is – not was [John 8:58]. Many of us only talk about God when an argument ensues; after such times of heated discussions, we feel like we have defended Him well. No, God is not pleased by that! Rather, He is pleased by the faith we demonstrate when we talk about Him to people who did not raise an argument or ask us what church we go to [Hebrews 11:6].

I think I should mention that I believe that nobody could believe in God more than an atheist. Atheists believe in God more than they care to admit; they only resist the thought of a Being as sovereign and omnipotent as God is. If they didn’t believe, why would they fight so much against Him? If they truly did not believe in God’s existence, they would not care to waste breath, ink, and paper on Him and those who believe in Him. So, quit talking about God only when there’s an argument. Talk about Him everyday; He is the way, the truth, and the life [John 14:6].

Make your case for Christ when no one asks you to. Live your life as an epistle, ever making a statement about the nature, reality, death, and resurrection of the Christ to mankind [2 Cor. 3:1-4]. Two days ago, I saw a young man express certain gestures towards a friend of his; those gestures [of heartfelt love] would convince any passer-by that the two young men were either in the same fraternity or cult of some kind. And, for a second, I thought “thank God we Christians fit into society so well unlike these folks”. Immediately, the Spirit of God stopped me and said “that’s the problem…you blend in with society”. Immediately, I changed my heart and thought to myself that how else will Christ be made known if we do not stick out [like a thumb] in the same way as those young men.

In this Easter season, realize that Jesus did not make His case for you in hiding; He was humiliated and crucified, not as a martyr but as a sacrifice for you in the open. Make your case for Christ where it counts. Make it before the sick, weary, and hopeless. Declare your faith before the meek and humble; announce Him before friends, foes, and family. Your case for Christ is not primarily an argumentative one; it’s a life you owe the Master!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

P.S: As you comment, please enjoy this song. It’s my favorite Easter song, and it reminds me of the precious blood of Jesus that was the price for my atonement.

Holy Flows: "You Are the Answer"

It’s great to come your way again this week. I’m really excited about this blog, and it’s all because of your faithful readership. Burnivine’s Blogoscope… is currently being read in over 23 countries and 67 cities in all the continents of the world. In honor of you, the reader, I have decided to publish something from a reader for this week. The following is a very inspiring piece by a truly gifted friend, Ms. Evanna Fabulosity Ebose [reppin’ Dublin, Ireland]; please, enjoy and meditate on it:

NOW LISTEN JC IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
I AINT GONNA LIE BUT IF YOU AINT GOT HIM, YOU GOT NO LIFE!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOW THIS IS THE CASE OF MANY
THEY LIVE TO DIE IN PENURY
THEY LIVE A LESSER LIFE COS THEY AINT GOT THE GREATER LIGHT
BUT ONE THING FOR SURE IS YOU'VE BEEN SENT TO GIVE THEM MORE

A WISE ONE WINNETH SOULS
A WISE ONE HEALETH BONES
YOU'RE FROM ABOVE, YOU HAVE THE POWER
THE DEVIL'S DOWN BELOW, THERE'S NO NEED TO COWER.

IF U ARE WISE, YOU'D WIN SOULS
IF YOU ARE WISE, YOU'D HEAL BONES
DON'T LET PEOPLE SUFFER IN PAIN
GIVE THEM HOPE TO RISE AND LIVE AGAIN!

MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
LEAD THE WORLD AND SET THE PACE
NEVER NEGLECT ANY RACE
BUT SHOW THEM THERE IS A GREATER GRACE!

THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE GREATER LIGHT, 
HAVE YOU WON A SOUL? HAVE YOU SOLVED THEIR PLIGHT?
THE WORLD DEPENDS ON YOU, 
JUST SHOW THEM WAT TO DO!

REMEMBER UR FROM ZION!
LIVE EVERYDAY LIKE JESUS IS COMIN TOMORROW
PUSH ON LIKE A LION!:
WIPE AWAY THEIR PAINS AND SORROWS!

YOU ARE THE ANSWER!
STAY BLESSED...............MISS FABULOSITY 2010!

P.S: If you have something you would like me to consider for publishing, I’ll definitely be inclined to take a look and get back to you. Just send an e-mail to burnivine@gmail.com and notify me when you do. God bless you as you place your comments below!

Why I Love Jesus

Today, I began to think about certain things, and I thought this may be a good time to strengthen my own faith by re-assessing the reasons why I love Jesus so much. In an effort to bless you with my own reasons and start up a trend of declarations of reasons for our love for Jesus, I have decided to write today’s post.

It is important to remind one’s self of these things, because Jesus had to remind Himself of the purpose and expected end-result of His death in order for Him to carry on with His task: “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” [Hebrews 12:2]. You see, even Jesus had to remind Himself of the joy that would follow [the joy of seeing us become God’s vision] in order to endure the cross and the shame of it.

I sincerely hope you are inspired and blessed by my reasons for loving Jesus so much that you search out your reasons [and possibly share them with us].

Only He truly knows me. I thank God for the friends that I have and the awesome family He has blessed me with. In fact, I dare say that I am surrounded by some of the best people anyone could ever want for friends in this world. But, none of them knows me like Jesus does. And, I cannot expect them to do so. You need to understand that He knows what I like, what I don’t like, the things that inspire me, the things that hurt me, the things that make me angry, my aspirations, my hopes, and my dreams more than anyone else. He knows the things that make me unique. That’s why only He can speak those ever so soothing words that are sure to combat any raging thoughts, confusion, or hurt that men may throw at me. He knows how much more than an expensive gift of shallow worth I esteem a sincere hug. He made me, so no one can ever know me like He does. I love Him for that!

He first loved me. This, I learned from the man to whom I owe my aliases – St. John the Divine [1 John 4:19]. I have thought about the life of the man that died with Christ out of whose death I was born – the man that many know as the ‘old man’, otherwise known as “who I was before I got born again”. I may not have been the worst sinner, but my righteousness was definitely not taking me anywhere. I lived a life that I knew did not completely match up with God’s desire. Yet, even then, He loved me. When I made mistakes, He loved me. When I regretted my mistakes and hoped someone would understand and help me get up, only He [Jesus] was there to pick me up, wipe away my tears, and speak those ever so soothing words that set me on my way. Only He knew how much mess I truly had and was willing to deal with it. Like an orphan child, lost and disoriented, who fell into a ditch [or gutter] and began looking for people to help him clean up, I searched for hope. Door after door, no help came, till I found one who not only welcomed me for a clean-up, but had also prepared for me a new life in His wealth and love. Do you see now why I can’t stop talking about Him?

His “not-so-beautiful” hands. Jesus’ hands still have holes in them from those big Roman nails with which He was nailed to the cross - all for me. You see, His hands are not the most beautiful to behold; don’t imagine the holes in there as perfect circles. No! The nails ‘tore’ His hands; they did not ‘construct’ matching circles into them. Plus, the holes in His hands must have stretched to become ‘uglier’ due to the weight of His body pulling on them as He hung from the cross. His hands are not so pretty, just for me. You had better believe that He still has those holes in His hands till today [John 20:26-27]. Here’s a story I heard very recently that I can’t get out of my mind. A young girl was always embarrassed by her mother’s ‘ugly’ hands – so embarrassed that she always begged her mother not to show her hands when her friends came around. Every time she said this, her mother cried, until one day when her mother sat her down for a story. “My hands have not always been so ugly” she said to her daughter. “In fact, they were once like yours” she continued. “One day, when you were very little, there was a fire in the house and you were the only one left at home. While I was trying to rescue you, because the fire was already so great, my hands got burned. You see, my hands are the way they are because of you; these are the hands that saved you”, said her mother. Upon hearing those words, the girl fell on her knees with tears in her eyes, saying “Mother, you have the most beautiful hands anyone could possibly have”, realizing that she owed her life to those hands. In the same way, those “not-so-beautiful” hands of Jesus’ are beautiful to me today, because they are the proof that He sincerely cares about me.

Many people have told me in my life that they care about me, but only one person has proved it more than anyone else and that person is Jesus. He proved it by giving up His own life so that I may live. He took sickness, bad habits, sin, poverty, confusion, failure, and death on Himself so that I will never have to experience them. Don’t you think He deserves my love and unwavering devotion? He went to hell – that horrible place of darkness – so I will never have to go there. Is He not worthy of all of me? Even if no one follows Him with me, I will continue. Why? I will continue, because He went to the cross rejected and alone.

Like Paul, I have now “suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” [Philippians 3:7]. Now, you know why it seems like we Christians have no life; it is because we are no longer permitted to live as unto ourselves. Except one were an ingrate, the only fitting thing to do for someone else who gave His life for one will be to live as unto the one that gave His life [2 Corinthians 5:15]. That’s why I love Him so!

Please, share with us the reason(s) why you love Jesus; you may never know who will be blessed by your testimony. As you share your testimony in the comment section below, enjoy the following video. God bless you!

Forgetting the Past

First, I’d like to appreciate everyone that reads this blog, puts up comments, and sends in ‘thank you’ messages. Your response to what I share reminds me every day that this blog is a ‘God idea’. Most importantly, I am appreciative of the person of the HolyGhost that is with me every day; He blessed me through men of God like Rev. Chris Oyakhilome with the information that I now share with you heartily.

“but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 3:13-14]

I think it is good to mention the importance of who we are receiving most of the information on this topic from – the man, Paul. If there’s anyone that ought to know a lot about forgetting the past, it should be Paul. This man, prior to his conversion, not only resisted the gospel vehemently, but he also went forward to arrest many Christians. He was, in a sense, an “enemy of the Christ”. After receiving the gospel, he said in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10, “am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But…his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”

Paul had to become confident in the grace of God; in fact, so confident that he is currently regarded as one of the greatest Apostles in the Bible, though he never dined with Jesus. From the opening scripture, we see how he achieved his success – by forgetting the past. Testifying of himself, he said in 2 Corinthians 12:11 “for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing”; he had learned to look beyond his past and embrace God’s grace. That grace is God’s word to you telling you that your past does not count anymore. All these I mentioned so you know that Paul is a worthy instructor in the subject of forgetting the past. With that, here are three points to consider on the matter: 

Old things are passed away. Have you ever been tempted to think that your past is greater than the cross? Do the mistakes of yesterday have you reconsidering the feasibility of success? In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God speaks through the same Apostle Paul saying “therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Being born again is a big deal! It means that God has forgotten the man you were before you accepted Him. Why? Because that man died together with Christ; that very man was judged on the cross, so you will never have to be judged for those wrongs again. Many of us find it hard to accept this truth, because we live in a world where we pay for everything. “Nothing is ever truly free”, we are encouraged to think. But, remember that God called Abraham righteous because Abraham believed Him. Abraham believed in one of the most physically impossible feats – that God would cause Him to have a child at over hundred years of age with a wife well over menopause. If God was thrilled by Abraham’s response in faith, He will surely be thrilled by yours. Believe God that the past is not an issue, and move on! Until you do this, you will go around in circles, calling God a liar by not accepting His truth. 

God is greater than your conscience. Have you ever found yourself constantly remembering a wrong, even after you have asked God for forgiveness? Religion and the world have taught us that the discomfort we feel after sinning (even after asking for forgiveness for the offence) is the HolyGhost convicting us. But, I have evidence to the contrary. I was elated on the day I found the scripture that I now share with you, taken from 1 John 3:20: “if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart.” Let the word of God that says that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us” be greater than those nagging thoughts of condemnation. Except you want to be God to yourself, you’ve got to accept that it’s okay when He says it’s okay. In Luke 9:62, Jesus made His position on the importance of forgetting the past clear when he said “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” You should never worry about things you did before you became a Christian. In fact, you need not ask for forgiveness for them; accepting Jesus and becoming born again took care of those actions. But, for the wrongs we may now do, it will behoove us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy.” [Hebrews 4:16] 

The path of the righteous is as a shining light. Solomon highlighted something that ought to get every Christian excited every day in Proverbs 4:18: “but the path of just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”. We have been made righteous by God through the sacrifice of Jesus. As such, this scripture is describing the mentality that we ought to have. The issue with many of us is that we think our minds and our bodies are us. No! No! A thousand times no! The real you is your spirit – that’s the one that got born again. Your body is your house and your mind is your library of information that you have gathered through mass media over the years. Though God has changed your human spirit, your house and library may remain the same. It is up to you to “be…transformed by the renewing of your mind” [Romans 12:2]. Part of that transformation is expecting that every new day will be better than the last. Endorse that truth in your heart so that no matter what happened yesterday or some minutes ago, you say “my path is as a shining light; I’m getting better.”

Remember that God lives in the NOW! He is I AM, not ‘I was’ or ‘I will be’, but I AM. Though He lives in eternity, God actually dwells in your present – the NOW of your life. He is not ever so concerned about what you did last week or the week before. Paul gives us strong words in Hebrews 12:2 Amplified Version “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith.” Your past is a distraction that may not want to let you go. Like Paul said in the opening scripture, forget the things that are behind and press on toward the mark. Even your past successes could be a distraction if not approached with the mentality of outdoing them. It is no other person’s responsibility but yours to forget the past.

I am always so blessed by your comments, and I do appreciate them. Please, listen to one of my favorite songs of all time as you bless others [including me] with your comment on the subject. God bless you!

Hearing God

Quite recently, I saw a question on this blog from a dear brother asking about hearing from God. I initially wanted to write a reply immediately, but I thank God for an opportunity to share my mindset with everyone. First, I’d like to appreciate Rev. Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy for teaching me the word of God. Many of the things he has taught me, I sometimes wish I had known earlier, because they are capable of setting a man up for unending success. Well, here are five important things that every Christian who desires to hear God consistently needs to know [of course, assuming this Christian has already received the HolyGhost]:


God wants to talk to you. This is so important, because we are tempted to believe that God is some extremely strict personality that reveals Himself to a select few without any reasons. No! He is a rational being, and He created us to be in fellowship with Him. In fact, I believe the first and most important thing to know is that God is more interested in talking with you than you could ever be. In Genesis 3:8, we see Him “walking in the garden in the cool of the day”; He was out to have fellowship as usual with Adam. Notice that He was the one that went looking for the man. If God wanted that kind of relationship with Adam [who was not born again and could not be], then how much more you who contains His very life and nature? So, get the monologue idea out of your mind; quit thinking you are so desirous, yet God is so resistant.


Get to the Word. This is critical because it is a part that many of us miss. To hear from God consistently, you need to be able to recognize His voice; however, how do you know His voice except you train yourself to do so by studying His only literary work? When you read an author’s writing, you learn a lot about His personality. Jesus said unequivocally “search the scriptures…they are they which testify of me.” You need to search. I believe this is a good place to let you know that there’s no formula for hearing God – no 2 plus 2 equals 4. Absolutely not! You’ve got to train yourself to hear Him. John 1:1 says “and the Word was God”; when you read the bible under the HolySpirit’s tutelage, God is unveiled to you. You learn His communication skills and preferences. It’s a lifelong experience that only gets better, so don’t seek to learn it all in one day.


Have expectations. I think this is a pivotal opportunity for Christians to be different. People of different religions around the world pray all the time, yet do they get a response – or, better still, do they expect a response? You may have been so used to praying without answers that you cannot imagine even hearing from God. Well, that mindset has to change. Proverbs 24:14 says “so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul; when thou hast found it…thy expectation shall not be cut off.” Here, Solomon speaks of the knowledge of wisdom. Wisdom is the word of God. As I share these thoughts with you, you’re receiving the knowledge of wisdom. The next thing Solomon says for you to do is to have an expectation. Then, he promises without an iota of doubt that your expectation will be realized. So, expect God to talk to you! And, don’t hear Him once and think “oh, glory…that’s okay for me.” Expect to hear God every time you talk with Him.


Don’t seek the spectacular; focus on the supernatural. Romans 9:8 lets us know that “they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” The senses in this verse refers to your five senses (of touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell), while the promise refers to the Word of God. To be a child of the flesh is to rely completely on how you feel. It is to live based on your physical senses – to be instructed, guided, and controlled by them. However, the children of the Word, as we know, do not live by their senses “for to be carnally (sensuously, fleshly) minded is death” [Romans 8:6]; rather, we live by the Word. As such, you do not have to feel a certain way when God is talking to you or hear a roaring sound, thundering, and such things. If you thought you never heard God before, who do you think reminded you recently that you had not yet studied the Bible? No, it was not your mind! You thought it was your mind, because you have trained yourself to look out for the spectacular. God is not always in the spectacular; but, He is surely in the supernatural. If God says something as simple as “go and read your Bible” to you, it’s supernatural, because natural men do not experience such reminders. I am sure you were not reminded to pray when you were an unbeliever. So, though that experience may not be spectacular, it is very well supernatural. You ought to cherish it and obey the voice; in that instruction, God is training you for greater future conversations.


He is Lord! In one of my favorite scriptures of all time, Revelations 1:17, Jesus said to St. John the Divine “Fear not; I am the first and the last.” My question to you is “is Jesus the Lord of your life?” If He is, why then are you worried about failure? Why do you think it may be getting too late for Him to speak to you about your future? Why do you feel constrained by time? Be patient; He is Lord! If He is Lord of your life, you can be rest assured that He wouldn’t mess your life up. He never destroyed anyone’s life, and yours will not be the first. So, don’t feel like He’s taking too long to answer; while you wait for instruction about your career, listen to instructions about being courteous, studying the Word, and praying. Let those “simple” instructions prepare you for the big ones. The Lordship of Jesus is more than a casual declaration; it means that your life is His responsibility. He said He is “the first and the last”; that means He lives in eternity. So, do not be concerned about time. It is the exact reason He said “fear not”. Trust in His Lordship.


Remember, God wants to talk to you. Just study His Word, expect His voice in your spirit, and look at the right thing – not the spectacular but the supernatural.


I am eager to read your comment and suggestions about the blog; so, make sure to bless me and someone else out there with your thoughts. While you comment, enjoy the following worship song; you'll be blessed by it. God bless you!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

As it is said “love is in the air”! That statement is even truer today.

Just before you begin thinking about the thousand-and-one things that could be wrong with Valentine’s Day, think about what could be right with it. As Christians, first of all, we know we do not just love or celebrate love on Valentine’s Day, because love is our nature. But, I encourage you to view this day as an opportunity to let those who you love know how much they mean to you. Just like we don’t celebrate Jesus only on Christmas Day, but we have picked out December 25^th to specially celebrate Him, you can make today a day to specially appreciate those who love you as well as those you love.

It’s time to celebrate our fathers, mothers, siblings, co-workers, friends, and ‘foes’. Think about how they have improved your life. Show them that you care, just in case they are not sure or the idea needs emphasis in their hearts. Remember Jesus asked Peter “do you love me?” three times over [John 21:14-17]. If Jesus needed Peter to declare his love in that way, I am sure those you love would like for you to show it. And, if you have any faulty relationship, there is no better time than now to do something about it.

With that, I’d like to appreciate certain people. I want say “thank you” to my parents – Mr. Emmanuel & Mrs. Beatrice Olubusi – for raising me up in the word of God and providing for me; I love you very much! Also, to my siblings – we’ve been through it all together; I love you all very much! To some of the most special people in my life, the leaders and members of BLW Morgan State, you all know you have salted my life a lot, and I love you! To my Pastors [Rev. Chris, Pastor Aloy, and Bro. Soji], thank you for teaching me God’s word which is the material with which He has changed my life. To all BLW brethren and Christians from other ministries, especially my U.K., Nigeria, South Africa, and North America brethren that I met on Facebook, I sincerely do love you guys.

To all my Morgan State University friends, classmates, and acquaintances, you have made the experience an exquisite one; therefore, I appreciate you as well. To my K.C. besties – the seven; you guys are just too cool. You all are a different breed, and I love you just the way you are! To my primary school friends that I am still in touch with, especially Seun Olalekan, much love!

Very special thanks to you the readers of Burnivine’s Blogoscope. Even though the HolySpirit has been my constant strength and supply, without you all, there would have been no one to write for. So, I appreciate YOU! Many thanks also to the editor of this blog [who was hitherto unknown to readers] – Emeka Obiaka; you have been a great encouragement. And, to my publicist – ThisGokeBoySef Olubusi – you’re super-cool!

Finally, I appreciate my standby, helper, strength, guide, peace, joy, and righteousness – the Spirit of Truth and Grace Himself. Thank you, precious HolyGhost, for your love and faithfulness. I love you very much!!!

Go ahead and celebrate those you love right now! Also, write a shout-out comment!

Peace Within Our Borders: Unity In the Body of Christ

“Praise the Lord…O Zion. For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates…He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.” [Psalm 147: 12 - 14]

It is of utmost exigency that believers begin to conduct a reassessment of what exactly we are about. The Spirit of God is doing something amongst us, but we need to let Him; we have to allow Him to “gather together the exiles of Israel”, that is those who are Christians but do not live as such.

Before I go further, I need to establish certain premises of why I refer to us as Israel today. First, we know from Hebrews 12:22-23 that “ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God” so that we know that the church [as well as the physical Israel] was being referred to in Psalm 147. Also, we were rightly informed by the Apostle Paul that “they are not all Israel which are of Israel” in Romans 9:6-8 where he explains to us that the true spiritual Israel are the children of the promise. To further bolster his point, he mentioned in Galatians 3:29 that everyone who is in Christ is Abraham’s seed and an heir according to the promise.

The initial premise being established, we now know that Israel in Psalm 147 spoke concerning us as well. But, before I advance to the main point which is unity in the body of Christ, I’d like to dispel any assumptions that everyone reading this blog knows what the body of Christ is. According to Colossians 1:18, “he is the head of the body, the church: who is the first born from the dead; that in all things he may have the preeminence” letting us know that Jesus Christ is the head of the church which the bible refers to as His body.

Knowing this, why do we work against one another? Is there a good enough reason why slandering, malice, hatred, discontentment and other such things should be found in our midst? In my experience as a Christian, I have heard more Christians speak against and condemn ministers of God than unbelievers themselves. How can we function cohesively against the massive attacks from the enemy in these last days, if we are divided over our pre-conceived ideas of what Christianity and moderation should be? Is there a reason why we cannot share stories of challenges and victories in our soul winning exploits with one another?

Consider the Apostle Paul’s confrontation with Peter concerning the issue of eating and communing with Gentiles in Galatians 2:11-14 where Paul says concerning Peter, “I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed”. There was a simple disparity in revelations whereby Paul had a higher revelation that, Jew or Gentile, we are all one new creation in Christ Jesus, but Peter was yet to manifest a complete agreement with the idea mostly because of concern about criticism from Jewish Christians. In spite of that occurrence, the Bible does not record a fight or continued disagreement between them. In fact, the Bible records Peter giving Paul a form of admiration in 2 Peter 3:15 where he says “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you”.

Another point to consider in evaluating our somewhat childish disagreements is that there are different families in Zion just as Israel had twelve different children all with different traits. Even though we are all children of the same heavenly Father, depending on the family (local church assembly) to which we belong, our characteristics and strengths may differ. Using Israel’s children as a case in point, they all developed into strong nations with different trades and responsibilities, some as kings [Judah], others as priests [Levi] and so on according to the gifting of God [Genesis 49]. Understanding this, we should not be offended or taken aback when other believers don’t meet our outward expectations, as long as they hold to the important foundational principle of Christ. Like Joseph said to his brothers “be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life”, we should walk in love, respecting one another, and giving ourselves a long rope.

Also, it has been my desire to write concerning an issue that has been of great concern to me. One would think that Christians would understand “touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm” [1 Chronicles 16:22] more than anyone else, but sadly, the reverse is the case. We find Christians condemning some and otherwise accepting some men of God. It is not in our place to do such a thing; in fact, it is a manifestation of spiritual childishness to demonstrate such audacity as to speak negatively about a man or woman of God, whether or not you think he or she has gone astray. In Romans 14:4, the Apostle Paul wrote “who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand”. Do you want to condemn a man of God that fell, only for God to restore him afterward? What then becomes of you who has touched the Lord’s anointed? Well, you may say that the anointing left him when he fell. But, think again!

After David had been anointed king and Saul had made attempts to kill David, Saul eventually died having already been rejected by God. After he died, a certain man brought news to David about the death of Saul and even lied that he killed Saul himself. Many of us, if in David’s shoes, would have burst out rejoicing considering that we have already been anointed and this ‘nuisance’ has been taken out of the way. But, David said something striking to the man that brought the news; he said “how wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed”? [2 Samuel 1:11-15, 19-20] Notice that David still referred to Saul as the Lord’s anointed. David ended up mourning for Saul and killing the young man that brought the supposed ‘good news’.

Afterward he forbade his men from letting the Gentiles know about it. Why must unbelievers hear about the fall of a minister of God from the mouth of believers? Why do we talk the most about ourselves in a negative light? This must change for us to be efficient as a body. For a while now, I have developed the mentality that my only business with another Christian’s spiritual life is to pray for them and give thanks to God for their successes. I believe fellow believers should adopt the same mentality, knowing that God deals with His children on an individual basis based on His expectations and no one else’s.

Jesus made it clear how we’ll know our brothers and sisters – by their fruits. He did not leave us in doubt or make it a confusing issue. John expounded on that by letting us know that “every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” according to 1 John 4:2. Can we believe the word of God and relate with one another as siblings regardless of any other differences in understanding of the word of God?

Finally, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, which I strongly encourage you to read, Paul explains in-depth the importance of this subject of unity. There needs to be peace within the borders of Zion, and God can only establish it through us. We cannot keep cutting each other down instead of helping to heal each other’s wounds. Refuse to be the stumbling block in the way of the Masters’ work. When you are outside of your Christian family [local church assembly], function from the standpoint of members of one body. Let us love one another, work with one another, pray for one another, and strengthen one another till the day that the Master arrives, so that He will indeed find a “church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish” [Ephesians 5:27].

The church the Apostle refers to in Ephesians 5:27 is not your local assembly, but the body of Christ.

Be concerned about the body!