LETTER TO MY UNBORN CHILD

I sat down a while back and the thought of having a child was really exciting... I know I am still quite ways off from seeing that happen. However, I could not help but think how I would love my child to know Christ and experience the joy of being in Christ. 

I could not help take a while to pen down the little I have on my mind...

To my dear child, 

I begin this letter by referring to you as my child because I'm still not married to your mother, and I have no idea if you are a boy or a girl… I do not even know when you will receive this letter and read it as I pour my heart out to you. 

I bet you are wondering the reason I am writing this to you… I simply do not want you to end up taking the same paths that I took and making the same mistakes that I made. Let me be an example to you on how not to live your life. 

The first truth I want to present to you is that you have been born into a world of darkness. My dear child, the truth is, you are getting into a world that is full of sin, and you are born into sinful nature. I have been there, and I have lived in sin. I do not say it with any sort of pride, but I have to say it so that you can realize the reality of the world that you are living in. 

My dear child, please know that even with the darkness that fills the world, we have hope, and that is the hope that I found a long time after I had lived my life in darkness. That hope is in a living God who made the ultimate sacrifice to die on our behalf and take on the burden of sin. 

Can you imagine a God who chose to be punished for sins that have not yet been committed? A God who let go of His majesty and immortality and took on mortality for the sake of a people who rejected Him and choose to remain in darkness... That is the kind of love and hope that we have in Him. 

All these truths are scriptural… and I pray that a time will come, and I hope it is soon, that you will study the word of God and see these truths for yourself. 

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:5

My child, I urge you at this early point of your life, to embrace the light, embrace the love of Jesus Christ who took on flesh for our sake. May you not be like me who waited too long to walk in the light. You will soon realize that not everyone around you walks in the light. Even the scriptures say that many have decided to remain in darkness. 

I sincerely beg you from the bottom of my heart… get away from the darkness; it will only bring you pain and eternal damnation, while in the light you have eternal life through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. 

Nothing beats living in the light; nothing beats knowing that you are loved and that all your sins are forgiven. 

The second truth I would like you to know is the reason why you are alive. 

I can bet you that so many people in this world have asked themselves this question so many times… why on earth am I alive??? Now, before you get to the point of asking yourself that, may I take the time to volunteer the answer to you? 

"Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." John 1:3-4

I would love for you to begin your life knowing that your mother and I love you very much... but there is a love that exceeds the love that we'll have for you, and that is the love of God. 

You see, the reason you were born was not a decision made between your mother and I... It was based on a more supreme vision than that; it was through God that you have found the breath of life. The only way you will know why you exist is if you find Him. 

I can assure you that many of the people around you right now do not really know why they live... but, my dear child, if you begin your life with knowledge that you were created for a purpose, it will get hard for you to lose your way. If you keep your eyes on the target, you will always know which way to go. 

The third and final thing I have for you right now is that whenever you get lost, you will always find your way back. 

This is very much related to the other two truths I have told you about... The light that is there in the darkness and the one who created you for His glory is only a prayer away. 

Now please know that your mother and I will always be ready to help you find the way... But you will probably get to a point where we'll not always be there. And when you will feel weakest, when you will be at the end of your road... That is the point when His will start, that is when He will swing into action and be your superhero. 

"But he said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Cor 12:9

As you take each and every day of your life, I hope and pray each and every day that these truths will be a guide in letting you experience the goodness of our creator. 

As I said, I am writing this way before your birth, and I can attest to this wonderful God that I write about and He is the hope and trust that I live by. So may my weaknesses, my faults, my ignorance to God's will, my sin... may it all serve as an example to you on the best decisions that you can ever make in your life... Life in Jesus Christ

I love you very much my child.

Written by a father to be, with the hope of seeing a redeemed generation.  

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!!!

 

Don’t you just love being a young fellow in this current world? I just love the way the world is right now around me and so many things I have to enjoy in my youth years. Aren’t you just glad to be young and strong, let’s enjoy this and have fun… You Only Live Once, right?!

I mean, just imagine a life of party and fun; letting go of all your worries, drinking your cares away, dancing all night, club hopping, laughing, getting wasted and waking up with some mad hangover. That is definitely the life to live… You Only Live Once, right?

I know we love getting down with all the ladies, looking around and choosing that pretty girl and throwing lines, get her weak in the knees and jump in bed with her. You can get tired of that one and find another girl and go through the whole process all over again. When else will I leave this life??? You Only Live Life Once, right?

I can make all the money I want in the world, I can get anything I want… But who cares how I am making that money? I can pull off a number of deals under the table and make some big cash! I have to enjoy my life and I know money is all I need… You Only Live Life Once, right?

Just look at life, I only have a short part of my life to make the most of my youthful days, I have to make the most of it and enjoy it. I can do the rest of life after I am old and worn out. You Only Live Once, right?

And anyway, I can get saved whenever I want, right… I’ll have all the fun I want right now, make the most of my youth and enjoy being strong and energetic; I have my whole life ahead of me. You Only Live Once, right?

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.” Prov 22:15

Well, let’s go ahead and enjoy this youthful life, let’s make it all worth living; You Only Live Once!!!

Let us keep walking further and further away from God coz I’ll still get back to Him ‘at the right time’. I can choose when to get saved so I’m alright… I hope I’ll not die before that anyway.

I just can’t imagine the boring life without all this… why would I want one girl the rest of my life when I can walk around and cheat on them? Why would I want to go to church and yet I can live the fun club life? Why would I want to work hard for my dreams when I can cheat my way through life and succeed?

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” Prov 1:6

So my ways will lead to destruction, my choice will lead me to my downfall and I will end up being judged, I’ll live eternity in damnation and gnashing of teeth, I’ll experience the suffering and pain that comes with the life I have chosen to live, I’ll live my life away from the glory of God… Coz You Only Live Once, right?!!!

And anyway, the Bible lets us choose, right… this is the choice I’m taking, coz Your Only Live Once, right?!!

 

"SIN IS GOOD"

 

I grew up loving movies... And the only person who has never been a movie person at home is my mum. So Dad, Sis n I would sit through a movie almost every single week. And boy was it a wonderful time; laughing through comedy, grabbing onto something when it was a horror movie, a bit of hiding the tears in those emotional scenes and just the bonding we had through those movie sessions. We still all love movies, and I can watch a movie numerous times if its a really good one.  

Now dad took time to tell my sister and I a story once as we watched a movie and it went like this... 

A dad once made some cookies for his kids one day. They were very much normal cookies except that he added a little bit of dog poo from their dog's litter box. So as they sat watching TV together, the dad brought the cookies to the table and welcomed them all to eat. The kids looked at their father and went like, "No way!! They've got dog poo!!" 

Sis and I never really understood what this story was about till when a scene beyond our age appeared, dad confidently pointed out... "That's dog poo!". It was those little scenes of kissing that we could watch in movies that poisoned the whole movie.

So as my sister and I grew up, there were scenes in movies called "Dog poo!"... it was any scene beyond our age. I even remember a time when my sister would make fun of me because a movie was rater 16 years and I was not yet 16 and she'd tell me to go to bed because it was not for me. 

Later on, I had no hindrance to the movies to watch. I was above 18 and any movie was right for me to watch... Romance, action, horror, comedy, animation, epic; I've watched them all. 

The reason I give this story is because the only thing that stopped me from watching movies was that I was not old enough. But with time, I was convicted that it was not just about my age, it was about the content I fed my mind and spirit as I watched those movies. 

We live in a time where TV is one of the worst things for any Christian; I say this because I am a victim. I've seen some of the most absurd things... From cartoons that are gay and lesbian, to scenes of homosexuality in so many of the series on our TVs today. 

I have been a victim of the corruption that out television sets have become; having "become of age", nothing could stop me from watching sex scenes on TV or buy a series and watch on my laptop. I remember my days in campus when I would take time to watch 'Spartacus' and that threw me deep into sexual sin. 

Our generation right now says Sex Sells... But we end up selling our souls to the devil; we end up throwing our lives into sin in the name of entertainment. We teach our children to engage in obscenities by letting them watch those obscenities on television.

A simple cement or energy drink advert will end up as a sex scene on our television and we sit with our entire families and watch.

Sin has walked into our homes through televisions and mobile phones... I know, because my sexual sin was as a result of television and my mobile phone. It took me deeper and deeper, with the convincing of online articles that there were so many benefits to my sin and that made everything just right. The lies will come, the proof will be sold to us that our sin is a benefit to our health, that there's nothing wrong with a little bit of indulgence of sin here and a little bit of sin there... and we slowly get lost in sin knowing that it is good. 

I am in tears whenever I see a series on television showing gay and lesbian scenes, or a poster on Whatsapp welcoming 'girls only' for a speed dating session, or when a group of young people will sit in a TV studio and justify why their drinking habits are good and should be followed by others. It’s shocking how we watch gay and lesbian marriages of celebrities and it is celebrated on our television screens, or how a man will change gender to a woman, get a reality show done and the entire world gladly sits and watches and admires the sin that is sold to them.

It pains me to hear young people claim their adulterous lifestyle is dating, they establish their own rules and claim that God is OK with having such kind of relationships. Those are the exact things we feed our souls when we sit in front of our screens and claim that what we see is the best life to live. We have put our real manual (The Bible) and we have adopted that series, that movie, that celebrity lifestyle… that’s the life we want to live.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

The truth is that the devil will not establish any new systems to steal from us, to kill our souls and destroy our lives… He uses what is already in existence and he has found the perfect way. He doesn’t come dressed in a red cape, pointy horns and a pitchfork; he comes as everything you’ve ever wished for.

It took me God to get me out of sexual sin, it took the giver of life who gave himself for fallen sinners to get me out and embrace me as His child. It broke me, it killed me inside to be reminded of my sin and I desired the love of the Father.

You see, it really doesn’t matter what life you have led before; it only matters that you want to change your life, it only matters that you want to turn back to the real giver of life and let go of the lies that have been fed to you, it only matters that you have seen the truth and you want to live a life of truth… And He will embrace you just as you are.

He says He comes to give life, and gives life to the full… It is a choice, and I can do nothing more than urge you to choose life.

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR…

 

Every morning I wake up and get myself ready to face the day. It’s the usual process of spending time with God, a little bit of a workout whenever I can, taking a shower, dressing up, taking breakfast and leaving for work… That’s more or less the standard morning I have. 

But today as I stood in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but think of the reflection I was seeing there. Is it just me or does everyone stand in front of a mirror and have lots of thought about life???

Well, I know there are a few who get in front of mirrors and just can’t help taking selfies… I guess it means that whatever/whoever they see in the mirror makes them smile and they just have to share it with the rest of the world. 

So what do you see when you look in the mirror???

Now, my I just point out that it is impossible for you to lie to yourself… You can hide a lot from the rest of the world in the way you appear, the way you dress, you can even have a smile plastered on your face every moment of your life and all that deceives us about the real you hidden inside. 

I stood in front of that mirror today and that is the same thought that went through my mind… Am I living a lie? Am I wearing a façade to show the world how everything in my life is just right and I am doing just fine???

So how then am I supposed to be? What image am I supposed to be seeing every time I stand before that mirror? What should I see???

As these questions went through my mind, I was reminded of one major fact… we were created to glorify God, we were created to worship God at every moment of our lives. When you sit down to eat breakfast, or you are seated in a matatu in traffic on your way to work, seated in that ‘boring’ staff meeting, out on your weekly Friday date, watching your favourite movie… whatever you do, it is meant to be an act of worship 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

I was once reminded that the challenge with having us as living sacrifices for God as an act of worship, (Ref. to Romans 12:1) is that the living sacrifices can walk onto the alter every Sunday as we come to church and walk away on Monday all the way till Saturday. And I have an experience of that…

You see, looking at myself in the mirror reminded me of times when I lied to the world that I was saved yet the life I lived away from their eyes was nothing close to pleasing in the eyes of God. Yet that is what God expected of me… to reflect him at every point of my existence. 

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit.” 2 Cor 3:18

One of the main things I am learning is that God just smiles when we worship him, and by worship I do not mean when we sing and lift up our hands in church… I mean when we intentionally make sure we want to bring Him praise at every moment of our lives.

Do people hear the voice of God whenever they hear us speak???

Do people see God in the way we carry ourselves at work, walk in the streets, do our chores at home???

 

Do people see God when they look at your Facebook page, your Twitter handle, your Instagram pics and your WhatsApp Chats???

The truth is, many in this generation would rather live their lives to please others, to feel appreciated by peers, to have the best friends, to live life the way the world would expect. But living as a follower of Christ calls for us to forsake the world and follow Christ.

There is no point we put aside our salvation and wear the world and live like it. The expectation is that we wear a garment of salvation and we never take it off… we get to live as reflections of Christ so that the world can attest to the fact that we have a God living in us.

The other day, one of the Teens asked me if we are supposed to spend every moment telling people about Christ. And I answered him this way… Our daily lives are supposed to be a ministry in itself, the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we eat, sleep, dance, study, work; that is our avenue of preaching Christ. It calls us to maintain the same reflection of Christ living in us.

So… What do you see when you stand in front of the mirror; do you see Christ, or the World?