OLUSEGUN ISAAC BLOG

LIGHTNING AND THUNDER   Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ( Exodus 19:16 NKJV)        There's a behaviour pattern we observed in our parents and the older generation during thunderstorms. When a bright lightning struck, they quickly made a loud, double smacking sound with their lips. Although no plausible explanation is attributed to this myth, it appears that it is a purposeful act of safety, since it is common knowledge that thunder can strike individuals during heavy thunderstorm! As children, we were also warned that our fingers would stiffen up if we stood outside wetting our hands under rain showers!        According to scientific explanation, lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge in which two electrically active are...

  THE RAINBOW  "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh."   Genesis 9:13-15       As children, we were excited to see a rainbow appear in the distant sky, so we spent long time gazing at it, wondering where was its origin and its landing. I even told myself that one day when I grew older, I would venture to find out the beginning and the end of the rainbow!      The rainbow is a sign of God's redeeming grace and mercy. The Hebrew word translated “rainbow” is properly translated “war bow.” God set the bow in the sky to serve as the sign of the Noahic covenant—signifying His promise of redemption. Scientifically speaking, a...

   Several years back we took a trip to Ęrin Ile - off Akure Road in Oşun State of Nigeria, the home town of one of our leaders for his mother's burial ceremony. Even though it was well pass sunrise, the surrounding mountains in the town were still covered with thick dew smouldering like smoke. It was a strange but graceful spectacule to most of us city dwellers, but to me it was reminiscent of the glory of God that descended on Mount Sinai in the wilderness! The awesomeness of the person, power, glory and works of The Almighty God is  succinctly revealed in the scriptures:  1)To show the awesome nature of  His Person  we read, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” ~ Exodus 33:19-20. 2) For the nature of  His power...

  We read in Acts 9:36-39, 36] At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. 37] But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room...Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. 39] And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. That's a bible account of an emulable, greatly loved woman in her community. Below is an account of the acts of another present day woman full of good works and charitable deeds we all knew, a life worthy of emulation - a Nigerian!                                                          'When President Olusegun Obasanjo as...

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.  (Luke 17:15-16) . Someone sent me a video of a man chatting with his listeners on Skype. First, the man offered them a million dollars each and they jumped at it. Next he asked if they were offered one million dollars and would not wake up the next day, would they accept? The answers were no. He went further and tempted them with an offer of ten million dollars and they still answered in the negative. In other words, he went on, waking up each morning is worth ten million dollars cash, and they answered in the affirmative. He then concluded that waking up each day is worth ten million dollars worth of gratitude, and that each day promises another opportunity to live and prosper.  I couldn't agree less with this logic. We owe so much to God for waking us up every morning into the land of the living! Gr...

I Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV  [16] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1. It is going to be the next greatest event that will shock all the continents of the world. Matt 24:40-42. 2 .It is going to take place suddenly, abruptly, unexpectedly, without warning and without prior notice. 1Thess. 5:2 3.There shall be no second version of the event. 1Thess. 5:4 4.A greater percentage of Christians may be taken unawares. Matt. 24:38-39 5.Careless Christians who miss the event will have no other similar gracious opportunity. Matt. 13:49-50 6.The event shall have no regard or respect for ecclesiastical titles or church leadership positions. Matt. 5:20 7.It shall be a day when the sheep shall be separated from...

  “You give them something to eat”  - Matthew 14:16 I witnessed a recent event of charity near me that turned into a catastrophe. A wealthy philanthropist, perhaps moved by compassion for the masses mauled by the current economic distress in the land, sent out notification on social media of the plan to give a sum of money to a set number of the needy at a particular location on a fixed date on first-come-first-served basis at a particular time. But to the chagrin of the philanthropist, an unbelievably large multitude had gathered at the gate long before dawn. When the gate was eventually opened at the stated time, a massive stampede ensued during which a great number of people lost their lives. One writer told this story, 'Lisa and Freddie McMillan own a unique restaurant in Brewton, Alabama. They offer a full hot meal to all who stand in line—at no charge. This couple has invested from their own savings to make a difference for senior citizens who often go without meals and ...

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.  (Isaiah 40:21-22 NKJV) I thought I had seen enough of  the great wonders the Creator had done with gigantic rocks when we rode around on horseback as fresh laboratory science students in the Veterinary Research Laboratories in the vast terrain of Vom, on the Jos plateau. But when in later years I drove with my son to the Federal Secondary School for Gifted Children at Suleja on the Federal Capital Territory, I became lost in awesome wonder as we approached the colossal Zuma rock! Inside me I felt if God had formed such a magnificent structure as that, His own magnificence must be unfathomable to the human mind! When we witness the beauty of the natural w...

  FELLOWSHIP - II   But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall  be my people, and your God, my God._  (Ruth 1:16 NKJV)   Followership Decades ago, I attended the convention of a church with my wife. During his ministration, the  Man of God preaching spoke to no one in particular saying, "God is telling someone, 'Go and find your Elijah and I will make an Elisha out of you'. I told my wife I was sure the statement was for me and that I must heed the directive from God. Not long after that a close friend invited us to a service where their General Overseer was preaching. Right from the moment the man of God started speaking, a voice in me said, "That's him". We began attending more of their services and soon became members. Not long after, I began following closely one of the senior pastors and ultimately became a disciple of hi...

FELLOWSHIP-1 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons .   (Mark 3:13-15) What are the purposes in the Lord’s heart?  1. Fellowship     He...called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him (vs.13) The Lord knew in His heart those He wanted. The bible says, 'For whom He foreknew...He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified' (Romans 8:29-30). There's no mistake in those the Lord calls. He knows them from the womb and has a purpose for their lives. You were born first to answer God’s call for your salvation and then to fellowship with Him. 2.   Followership     Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him (vs. 14a) Jesus selected twelve of those ...

  For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15 NKJV) A particular scenario in the bible fascinates me: 'And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.” And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.' (Acts 16:35-39) Decades ago while I was a student, I was driving my renovated jalopy along Kilburn High Road in central London on m...

The story below, posted recently on social media, caught my attention and I decided to look closer at the question raised by the writer, 'Who are you following?', and perhaps ask ourselves again, 'Why are you following him?' 'Before the Benin-Ọrẹ highway was repaired to its current state, it was known for terrible traffic. I once got stuck there, we had already spent about five hours between Ore and Benin and had barely made any progress. Then we saw a Hilux take a detour, and our Agofure driver decided to follow. Soon, many other vehicles followed us, trusting that the Hilux driver knew a better route. We followed him for about 40 minutes deep into unfamiliar area. Suddenly, the Hilux turned into a farm driveway. The driver got down to open his farm gate. We were shocked. We asked him, "Oga, nor be shortcut to Benin be dis?" He replied, "No, na my farm I dey go." We asked why he didn’t signal or warn others, seeing how many vehicles were trailin...

  Introduction     Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, and you will be glad if you remember them and can quote them. I want you to put your trust in the LORD ; that is why I am going to tell them to you now. I have written down thirty sayings for you. They contain knowledge and good advice, and will teach you what the truth really is. Then when you are sent to find it out, you will bring back the right answer. 21.Being wise is better than being strong; yes, knowledge is more important than strength. After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.   22.Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.   23.If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker. Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has not...

  Introduction Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, and you will be glad if you remember them and can quote them. I want you to put your trust in the LORD ; that is why I am going to tell them to you now. I have written down thirty sayings for you. They contain knowledge and good advice, and will teach you what the truth really is... 11.  Pay attention to your teacher and learn all you can.   12.  Don't hesitate to discipline children. A good spanking won't kill them. As a matter of fact, it may save their lives.    13.  Son, if you become wise, I will be very happy. I will be proud when I hear you speaking words of wisdom.  14.  Don't be envious of sinful people; let reverence for the LORD be the concern of your life. If it is, you have a bright future.   15.  Listen, my child, be wise and give serious thought to the way you live. Don't associate with people who drink too much wine ...

Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!  (Psalm 98:4-6 NLT) Birds are among animals that wake up early at dawn. Most of them sing first, making melody to their Maker for the food and safety of the previous day and the gift of a new day. The common nightingale, a small, plain brown bird, stands distinct among singing birds. It is best known for its rich, hearty and sweet song with prominent crescendo effects that can keep people smiling at night or amazed at dawn. Our Lord loves praise rendered to Him in exuberance, and instances of this abound in the bible: 1)After the Israelites successfully crossed the Red Sea into freedom from bondage in Egypt, Moses burst forth in high praise of Jehovah and the whole congregation of the children of Israel joined him in what must have been th...

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake...nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done".  (Gen. 8:20-21 NKJV) Cain and Abel brought their offerings before the Lord; the Lord accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's offering. Why? There was a clear difference. Cain's offering had an aroma detestable to God while Abel's offering had a fragrance delectable to God! In those days of old, offerings were burnt on an altar set in a manner that enabled the smell to rise up high to heaven, to God! God responded differently to the aroma He smelled. Cain's aroma was foul because it rose from: 1)unclean heart; 2)unclean source-the ground; 3)grudgingly; 4)sparingly; 5)without shed blood. Abel's was vice versa. In the opening text, notic...

According to an ancient Greek legend, Damon and Pythias traveled to live in Sicily where Pythias was convicted of plotting to overthrow the despotic King Dionysius of Syracuse, and was sentenced to death. Before dying, Pythias wanted to return to Greece to see his family. Damon offered to take his place and agreed to be executed if Pythias did not return. In the end, the bully king Dionysius let the two friends go because he had never seen such a friendship. Several years back, a very close friend of ours came to me one morning to ask for some money for a pressing need. I had some money with me which we kept for a particular purpose coming up, so I gave it to my friend. When the purpose for which we kept the money came and neither my friend nor I had returned the money, my wife became furious and fought me for days despite the fact that I told her who I lent the money to and the urgent need he had. I didn't mind the castigation but consoled myself by the fact I showed love to a dea...

  But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:62 NKJV) History tells us that the great General George Washington in his battles at the birthing of America as a nation, employed a peculiar strategy. After the conquest of a battle, he moved on, crossed the river and sets ablaze the bridge on it behind them. First, his own soldiers no longer have the temptation to deflect to the enemy camp; secondly the enemy would not sneak to their camp behind them for a counter-attack!  Moses led the children of Israel successfully across the Red Sea and the Lord closed the sea first, to destroy the Egyptian forces in hot pursuit, and to avoid a turning back by Israel, for no sooner had the people crossed over to the other side after some difficulties than they started hollering to go back to Egypt. God does not expect us to look back with desires to go back to the old sinful ways of our past. Remember Lot's w...

  Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”  (John 13:36 NKJV) Henryk Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer." Quo Vadis is taken from a scene in Sienkiewicz book with the same title. The scene reveals that, persuaded by the saints in Rome, horrified Saint Peter is leaving Rome and suddenly he sees Jesus going towards the city. He asks Him 'Quo vadis, domine..?' (where are you going my master?) Jesus says: 'I am going to be crucified for the second time, because you do not ought to'. The legend says Peter immediately turned back to the city and faced his martyrdom. He was killed in Rome around the same time as Saint Paul. Fiction aside,...

Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.  (Leviticus 22:20-21). This injunction from the Lord to His people caught my attention again, and a compulsion fell on me to share it to us, His present people. The compulsion is borne out of the weight of the prescribed consequence God places on disobedience to this injunction, for not only is a defect. I've offering unacceptable to God, the bible describes it as evil: “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ ‘...when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:7-8) What then is a defective of...