By Sam Adeoye
One of the major cause of human unprogressive life is the mistake of allowing their fellow to dictate and control what they do with their lives; and this single act is well doctored by religion and cultural system, most importantly in Africa.
Africa and Africans measure everything by culture and religion. And the level of ignorance in Africa most especially in Nigeria is very alarming and unbelievable.
The level to which they’d turned the cultures and the traditions of other people into religion and acts of worship of God is one thing I still don’t understand and whoever developed this conspiracy to place the larger percentage of humans under the slavery of religion had indeed did a good terrible job.
No human under this planet can fulfill God’s fundamental plans for his or her lives in as long as the person’s life is under the control of another fellow humans that is either standing in a position of God based on the person’s choice of religion or in the place of culture based on the family and tribes the person is born into. Either way, the person is in prison of religion and culture and if the person will not break away from these and choose the path of life that is best for him, the person will die in self-pity, unproductive life and regrets as the person life will constantly be dictated with public opinions.
A wise person I’d come to realise is a person that makes his own decisions, an ignorant person on the other hand, is he that follows the public opinions. Even though it was said in Proverbs 14:12 that; “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” We should also realised that the same King Solomon that said that was the very same person that said in Eccl 11:1-2; “cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.”
Allowing people’s opinions to hold you bound in a place where you’re not been fulfilled is been unjust to yourself. You have every right to be whom you chose to be and no religions, cultures, traditions, persons or opinions should be the determiner factors of your life.
We remain a useless good for nothing seed in the earth if and when we failed to place the cause of our lives before us and with greater determinations we convincingly say to ourselves like Queen Esther in Est 4:16; “if I perish, I perish!”
Until we die to self, every other thing around us that are meant for the fulfilment of our life and purpose in life remain dead to us. And this was made clear in John 12:24-26 when Jesus Christ said; “most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” But religion and self-centeredness will not allow us to see any of these, simply because most of our religion teachings and religious believes are nothing but another public opinions to cage us, to dictate to us how we must live our lives and do the biddings of our tormentors called mentors. We have no minds of our own.
It’s pathetic to see how many Sauls that’ll not allow the Davids to come to reign filled our societies from religion stand points, to politics, business, and entertainment; and in all sphere of social lives. Individuals that believed it’s their rights to dictate what happens in the lives of other.
This evil and uncanny act did not start today, it started long time ago and it will forever remain in our world because of the wickedness of some individuals among us. And this was made clear in Jer 17:9-10 where God said; “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
Now, it is the Lord that search the heart and test the mind of the persons around you, not you. Waiting for God to search through their heart and test their mind before you know what they are made for and run far away from them might be too late. Your greatest chance to be like Apostle Paul that said in 1 Cor 9:19-23; “for though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law(not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
I love the Message version that says; “even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized — whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ — but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
Until we become a law to ourselves, we remain under the laws of mankind; and I bet you, we’ll pay so dearly for it, with no mercy; and this is exactly what had happened to so many individuals across the world, living their lives under the laws of Man thinking they’re living under the laws of God, including the laws of Moses that we believe to be the laws of God.
Plato once said that “music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, fight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything”. “Change is the law of life,” John F. Kennedy said; “And those who look only to the past or present are certain are certain to miss the future”. I can’t deny these not to be true, most especially with the happenings regarding Mohbad’s death. So painful that majority of us only listen to beats and sounds in music but never pay attention to the lyrics. Meanwhile, lyrics is what makes the music not just the sound and the beat. Those are just supporting team.
However, I listen to one of his songs titled “Sorry” where he narrated the stories surrounding his life, saying…
This kind life e tire me
Daddy no get salary
Ten years I no see money
Step mother no care
Landlord e dey worry
My brothers are hungry
Daddy gather money make I go poly
I go poly but I no go class daddy I am sorry
The first part of the song talked about the hardship his parents are facing, the maltreatment of his step mother, the landlord threats, his brothers staying all days without food.
Trust me, all these are more than enough for anyone to be mislead and get involved in anything just to change the cause of their lives and that was exactly what Mohbad did.
In the second verse of the Lyrics, he went on to say that…
I don dey do Yahoo
I don dey chop banku
Omo pastor ti wonu aye
He just made it clear that even though he is a Pastor’s son; all that is no longer matter as he had decided to be part of anything that can bring in money and eradicate poverty out of his family.
The third version of the lyrics hit hard on his parents and their failure as parents; saying
Mummy just dey pray
Daddy just dey pray for me
Make e better for me
Me I no go school
Only thing I fit do
Music me I choose
Some parents are nothing but total disgrace to humanity. And if you are a parent and you cannot pay closer attention to your children and be sure of the kind of friends they keep and the things they do, then you are nothing but a disgrace.
Praying for your children is never enough, wisdom demands that you get fully involves in their lives and be sure of what they are doing that requires your prayers, so that you don’t end up praying for them doing the wrong things.
The last part of the song talks about he giving up on life and his total confusion of what life has in stock for him, saying…
This kind life e tire me
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi’lo
Eyin sa loloko yí wa mi’lo
Mi o mo
Eshi biri biri ke bo mi o
Iwaju loloko yi wa mi’lo
Eyin sa loloko yí wa mi’lo
Mi o mo
A confusing state of mind is a dead zone, a place of delusional and depression. A state where all the wrong things seems right even when you are so sure that whatever is flying through your mind is never the right thing.
I’d heard both parents talking about he giving them money, they’d never talked about he telling them or discussing with them of his challenges, fears, plans and future; that speaks volumes.
I’m sorry to say this, but his lyrics on this song, speaks more of his parents failing him big time. And if you are a parent, please pay attention to your children and be their closest friend.
Not all the children that have the mental capacity to say no to what they believe is not right for them. Some of us are strong enough to walk away from anything and anyone we considered unhealthy to our wellbeing. Some don’t know how to.
As responsible parents, it is important that we pay closer attention to our children, question their source of income and find out what the plans regarding their life is. It’s important. If the record label that signed Mohbad had not be threatening him and seized all his recorded songs (catalog) and oppressed him every now and then; Mohbad would have become another great personality in the entertainment industry; selling Nigeria to the world but his life was cut short by the very tormentor he considered a mentor.
Now, let’s drag this matter home. There is nothing going on in the Entertainment industry today that had never been in existence for ages now or rampant among the religious bigotries.
The same way Mohbad was killed and DJSplash ran mad is the same way so many founding Pastors had killed the destiny and the ministry of so many young Pastors that left their ministries to start theirs.
One Pastor I’ll never forget in my life is Pastor Joseph. This Man was so anointed that in one of our Drama Ministry Vigil, he came to where we were having meeting, touched one of us, the person touched another person and before you know it, everyone was on the floor laughing uncontrollably except myself and three other members of the group.
The moment he left the ministry, everything about his life and marriage fell apart. He was practically begging to Eat. This was a Man that was doing so well while in the ministry.
Then before you knew is, they came up with a Theory that when you remove yourself from a place of grace, you deliver yourself to a disgrace. Painting a picture of themselves as your only survival to greatness. What a shame.
I’d seen so many Pastors suffering endlessly under this manipulations and evils. That is why you hardly see Young Pastors that left another Mega ministry to Pastor another Mega ministry of his own except in Daystar Christian Center. That’s the only place where I’d seeing Rev. Sam Adeyemi gladly released the Pastors that had served in the ministry and still support them financially and help them to grow their ministry. Today, there are several Mega and Mini Mega ministries across the earth; individuals that had worked directly with him and his wife and now Pastoring their own ministries independently. How many Pastors in Nigeria or across the world can point out ministers that are excelling in ministries as a result of leaving their own ministry to pioneer a new ministry?
The concept of killing and silencing someone leaving their leader because the leader is threatening of their skills and capacity to outshine them did not start today and it’s a common factors in the church and in some many spheres of life. Even in the Departmental and Leadership levels. It’s all there.
I tried to have my hands and eyes on both sides of life with no sentiment or judgmental mindsets. Knowing fully that the beauty of life is never in what you say or do, but in the content of your heart and dexterity of your soul. While it’s very hard for the religious organizations to personally and deliberately bring someone under their wings, equipped the person and give wings to the person to excel in life and ministry; the people outside the religious cycle, the individuals majority of us reffered to as sins or unbelievers do this effortlessly and as a result reduced the level of hardship and sufferings in our society.
The likes of Davido of DMW for example had helped so many people to excel, such as Mayorkun, Dremo, Yonda, Peruzzi, Idowest, DJ Ecool, Ichaba, Lil Frosh, Ayanfe, May D, Deinde and Liya. Everyone is talking about WizKid and Starboy Record today, but if not because of Banky W, no one wouldn’t have gotten to know who bears the name WizKid. And from one man lifting him up to stardom, he had single handedly lifted R2bees, Efya, Terry, Maleek Berry and Unbelievable Beatz.
Don Jazzy, Mavin Records Rema, Ayra Starr, Magixx, Ladipoe, Johnny Drille, Boy Spyce, Crayon. The likes of great artists like Tiwa Savage, D’Banji, Wande Cole all rose to stardom as a result of their association with Don Jazzy. Olamide the CEO of YBNL has not only given the world Fireboy DML, Asake, JayBoi and Senth Music. He also gave the world Adekunle Gold and Naira Marley. He did not kill their destinies when they both decided to be on their own. But it is so unfortunate that when one had turned out to be an angel saving lives, the other had become a demon sucking innocent blood. These are individuals that had fulfilled the words of Christ in John 12:24 saying; “most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
In this life, never trust any religious leaders or your so called boss. He or she is smiling and laughing with you because his making money out of you. The day you chose to be making money for yourself, doing the same thing his doing; you become his competitor and his enemy. The next thing his after is to take you out.
Remember King Saul and what he did to David just because he doesn’t want David to be King. So many people don’t want you to reign in life but by the grace and the mighty power of God, you shall rule and reign in life. Every conspiracy of the evil ones against your life heaven will determinate. You shall fulfil destiny. Your purpose in life will not be truncated. Shame and pains are over in your life and destiny.
Robert Greene, “never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies. Be wary of friends — they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove.
If you call yourself a devoted Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist or other religions and you keep mute on oppression against fellow human being, or unlawful killing of an innocent person; then you’re a killer too and the love of God is not in you. Love your neighbor God said not love your fellow religious syndicates.
- Pastor Sam Adeoye lives in Lagos.