Is Your Reality Lying To You?

Is truth our reality? Is reality our truth?

Before we get into this, I have a confession to make… I just watched Spider-Man: Far From Home. There. I said it. I know it came out five hundred years ago, but for some reason I finally just got around to seeing it.

Don’t judge me.

Anyways, Spider-Man: Far From Home spurred some remarkably interesting questions and gave me a lot of food for thought. Marvel has a way of doing that to you.

How is it that something can be so real; you feel it, you see it, you know it and, everything in you is telling you this is what to believe… and yet it’s a lie?

That is what we see in this movie.

Beck, the antagonist, seemed like a great guy at first. He created a false image of himself, painted himself out to be a hero named Mysterio saving the day, when really he was the one causing all this destruction. He took advantage of Peter’s weakness: his innocence. Peter was a good person and he used that for his selfish purposes. 

Appearances can be deceiving; things (and people) are not always what they seem.

Beck made a statement in the movie that made me think. He said, ‘These days, people will believe anything.’

How accurate. 

People will believe anything. All you need to do is throw enough glitter on it, paint up a cute story to cover it and people will buy it off the racks. 

Just like their mother Eve.

Sometimes, the truth is not seen, but it’s still the truth.

You know the story (and if you don’t, you can read it here Genesis 3:1-7); God commanded the first two humans He had created to eat freely of the fruits of every tree except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them not to eat that because the day they did they would surely die.

Then comes along a talking serpent. I guess Eve didn’t know you should never trust a talking animal. Anyway, this serpent goes ahead and completely twists what God had just told them and made it out to look like God didn’t want them to eat the fruit because He was cheating them out of something good; becoming wise. But God was just trying to protect them.

The talking serpent flat out lied to Eve and what really sold his story was the appearance of the fruit.

“The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” – Genesis 3:6 (The Bible).

And it all went down hill from there. From a fruit that looked good to eat and held the promise of wisdom came every form of death we have in this world today.

She was deceived. And how great the deception.

What do you believe? Remember, what you see can be deceiving. Sometimes, the truth is not seen, but it’s still the truth.

This reminds me of another story that shows how reality can be deceiving… 

The disciples of Jesus were in a boat that was being tossed about by the waves because the wind was blowing against it (you can read the story here Matthew 14:22-33). Then comes Jesus (Master of all four elements… no, I’m just kidding. Comment if you caught the Avatar reference!) walking on the sea to meet them. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they got really afraid thinking it was a ghost. One thing led to another and Peter, one who was prone to spurts of boldness and courage, asked to walk on the water, too, to meet Jesus. Jesus says, “Come.”

As Peter steps out of that boat and begins to walk on the water, he sees the strong wind and the rising waves and, in fear, he begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus for help who immediately grabs him.

What really strikes me here is Jesus’s response to this: “How little faith you have! Why did you doubt?”

I imagine Peter, shivering from both the cold and fear, looking at Jesus speechless. ‘Well, of course I doubted!’ he would have screamed in his mind. ‘Jesus, couldn’t you see how strong the wind was? What about the waves that were as tall as houses! How is it that you ask me why was I afraid?

You see, Jesus knew the truth. Because He is the truth.

Peter believed what he saw and what he felt to be truth. He believed that the reality that surrounded him was the only reality that existed, he believed that current reality was the truth. But Jesus knew that it was a lie. The wind, the waves, the tossing boat, all of it was a lie.

They saw turbulence when they were really surrounded by peace.

Jesus is peace. In fact, He is the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6, The Bible). What Jesus was really asking Peter is this, ‘Why did you doubt? Don’t you know that as long as I’m with you no harm can come to you? How is it that you let what you saw and what you felt deceive you?’

Just like the holograms projected by Beck’s drones seemed so real and terrifying and true to Peter the Spider-Man, so did the strong wind and rising waves seem real to Peter the Disciple of Jesus. But they were both nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Deceit. It means ‘dishonest behaviour that is intended to make somebody believe something that is not true’ according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary.

It’s distorted reality.

You see, Jesus knew the truth. Because He is the truth.

From the movie Far From Home and from the history recorded in the Bible we can see that it is possible for the truth not to be seen and yet remain truth. Despite the storm raging all around you, you must believe the truth. You must not believe what the dishonest reality wants you to believe; a lie.

*

You cannot see words. They are formed with the tongue and spoken. They seem to be nothing but some breath. But words are powerful.

Books are full of words. For example, the Bible. The words in this book are truth. You can believe the words in this book, not because they will make you feel good or suit your tastes, but simply because they are truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth. The words here are God’s Word and God’s Word is truth. All that we see was made with His words. (John 1:1-3, Hebrews 11:3 The Bible) 

In a world where everything keeps changing, nothing is certain and there are so many things that conceal or misrepresent truth, may I direct you to where you can find stability? 

The Bible. In it you will find truth.

Remember, truth never changes. Truth is like a rock. It is solid and stays the same on down through the ages, come what may.

And in the end, when all the lies, and the facades and deceptions fall away, all that will remain will be the Truth.

—

Hello. Thank you for reading this blog post! If you have any questions or anything constructive to share, please feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. -Oluwatomi

How to Never Get Tired of Life

So, you wake up to yet another day.

Another day where you will do the exact same thing you did yesterday. Wake up, go through the same routine, with the same people, in the same place. It’s particularly tiring because we’ve all had to be at home for the past three months (and longer for some people). Most of us are probably starting to lose it.

In times like this it’s hard to be excited, or happy about anything. You find yourself asking questions like, “What’s the purpose of all this?” It’s easy to get frustrated, and discontent with the way things are and life in general becomes one big blur.

This happened to me, too. But I realised something. And it’s a game changer.

Why are we frustrated and tired of life? Because we have begun to take it for granted. We have begun to get too familiar with everything.

Life is not supposed to be a burden. Life is a blessing to be enjoyed. When you begin to see it this way it makes all the difference.

Do you remember the last time you got something new? Or something great happened to you. Maybe it was something you had been waiting for a long time.  Do you remember how excited you were? Maybe you got a new phone, or you got a new job.

 New things have a way of making us happy, and for a while that’s all we can think about. But then the excitement begins to fade. You stop looking forward to going to work.

What changed?

You got used to it and it stopped being a big deal to you. In fact, now you pick up that once new phone and what used to be a source of excitement has become a source of discontentment.

This goes for anything; marriage, schooling, friends, traveling. After a while it all gets old and boring. And then we become tired of the same old things, and the same old people and the same old routines. And life becomes one big blur.

So, here’s the solution.

Gratitude.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

All you need to do is make the switch: Instead of waking up and immediately dreading the entire day, how about you wake up and smile and think about how amazing it is that you have another day to live. Another day with the family you’ve been given, another day working at a job that gives purpose to your days (because others are desperately looking for one!).

Instead of staying inside and moping around, why not go outside and enjoy some fresh air and the beautiful nature around you?

What about the people in your life? When was the last time you told them thank you for all they do for you? For simply being a part of your life?

When was the last time you just stopped and looked at your life and appreciated all that has been given to you and all the opportunities you’ve had and the impact you make in the lives of others?

This is how to never get tired of life. By being grateful for it!

Don’t let life lose it’s shine. Stop taking the life you live for granted. Simply be grateful for the life you get to live every day. 

You know, I’m particularly grateful for someone today and I will be every day I live. The Lord Jesus Christ.

He made a sacrifice for me that is simply invaluable.

Jesus saved me from my sins. How? He took the punishment I was supposed to have. Jesus has given me eternal life. That means life doesn’t end for me when I die. I’ll begin a whole new eternity in Heaven where He is and His Father, God, is. Also, because of Jesus’s sacrifice I get to be God’s child too. I’ve been adopted into the family of God. I cannot count how many times I’ve found myself in hopeless situations and because I prayed to Jesus He made a way out for me. I mean, where do I begin! Because of Jesus, I don’t even know what defeat is!

I’m grateful to Jesus for the joy He gives, for the peace He brings especially in times like these when it should be impossible for one to be peaceful.

Jesus saved me. He gave me a brand new beginning, a second chance at life. The greatest way I can show Him my appreciation for all He’s done and all He will do is to tell everyone else! He did this for me and more, He wants to do it for you, too! He made this sacrifice for the whole entire world, everyone who has ever lived and who will live. I can’t keep that to myself, all He’s done for me belongs to you, too.

How can you ever get tired of life… when it’s a life lived for Jesus?

“…I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10b (The Bible)

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (The Bible)

Living For One Day

I’m not living for anything on this earth.

I’m living for one day.

Everything I do, I do with that single day in mind.

The day eternity begins.

There’s coming a day and it is very soon. There’s coming a day when King Jesus will be seen in the sky; the day He’ll come to take all those who are saved home to be with Him. Forever.

There’s coming a day when it won’t matter how many cars you had or who did what to you or what you never had. There’s coming a day when these things will not matter and all that will matter is if you knew Jesus. All that will matter is if you lived for Jesus, is if you loved Him and loved His people. I tell you there’s coming a day when you will forget the nights you went to bed hungry, and the mean words spoken to you, and the fame, and the popularity, and the wealth, and whatever it is that consumes your mind right now because what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul? What does it profit you to spend 70 years on this earth and all you lived for was money? For the praises of people? For your self?

What do you think is going to happen after you die?

The Bible says, “A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time.” (Ecclesiastes 7:4, The Bible.)

Do you know where you will go? Do you know what is next for this world? Do you know the purpose of human existence? Do you ever pause to ask yourself why you are here? You go to work and you go to parties and you crave for more likes and more followers but then…what? What does it all amount to in the end?

When you die what will happen to your job and the parties and the likes?

Jesus loves you. I’ll tell you a lot about Jesus on this blog. I don’t know everything about Him of course, but I’ll tell you what I do know: He loves you. He is God’s Son and He came to the earth to give us life. Eternal life. Ever lasting life. Life that will never end. Life that transcends the earth, that transcends the natural, and the now and all the things we are so focused on in this world today.

I’m telling you there is MORE. And how you live in every moment of every day on this earth is going to determine what your eternity will look like.

So, the question is not really about how you’re living, because that is the result of another question, which is, WHO are you living for?

Who are you living for? Your children? They’ll grow up and die and most likely you’ll die before you even see that happen. Your job? You’ll retire one day or you could get fired or need a new one or it could shut down. Your followers on Instagram? They don’t even know you.

The only One worth living for is Jesus. He is the Only One that will transcend time.

Jesus is coming. Are you ready for your eternity?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. -John 3:16-17, The Bible.

And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. -Revelation 22:12-13, The Bible.

Get Into The Boat

Have you thought about eternity recently?

Now, before you exit the page or completely let everything else go over your head, just think about it.

Maybe you’ve lost someone you’ve loved, or maybe you’ve just heard of someone, who is completely unrelated to you in any aspect, who died suddenly, and you’ve just wondered, “What happens when people die? What happens next?”

Well, something happens next alright.

Everything doesn’t go black, nor do their spirits just wander about in a grassy field forever. I mean, think about it (friendly warning: you’re going to have to do a lot of thinking as you read this), how can a person spend over 70 years on this earth, being a part of a family, contributing to people around them, achieving their hopes and dreams, fighting for justice and liberty, some spend their whole life fighting for a single cause and then they would die and… that’s it?

That doesn’t seem right. Think about it. It really doesn’t, does it?

There’s got to be something that would make it all worth it, there’s got to be some sort of compensation one would receive after this life for the things done in this life! A reward of some sort.

Friend, whoever you are reading this blog right now, in this moment, at this point in time in your life, you need to understand this today: there is a life after this.

There is an eternity.

And there are eternal rewards to go along with it.

Every Story Has An End

Why it’s so important to realise this is; the truth that eternity is calling. In fact, it’s almost at our doorstep. This isn’t just like, “Oh, you know, everyone’s going to die at some point.”

No, I’m talking about The End.

It’s like how we never thought The Avengers could have an end… look how that turned out.

Every story has an end and ours is only a few turns of the page away. Earth, the universe, everything. It’s the final chapter.

You know it too, don’t you? This isn’t just weirdo talk; I know because I don’t like weirdo talk either. This is just the glaringly obvious truth. Even the blind can see that things are wrapping up here. The ecosystem, the governments, the cultural traditions, the deterioration of human morals; it all shows us one thing: Eternity is calling.

It wants us to know it’s almost at our doorstep.

I’ve been given a message. I’ve been told to help sound the alarm you might say. Just like Noah with the flood. Just like the angels in Sodom and Gomorrah. Just like Jonah and Nineveh.

(You can read the story of Noah and the flood here https://www.bible.com/bible/114/GEN.7.NKJV ,the story of Sodom and Gomorrah here https://www.bible.com/bible/114/GEN.19.NKJV and the story of Jonah and Nineveh here https://www.bible.com/bible/114/JON.3.NKJV)

Just like Noah with the flood.

You’ll notice that only those who believed the warning were saved from the flood or the fire. Everybody else was lost.

Friend, I ask you today to believe the warning. Eternity is on its way and you need to get into the boat if you want to be saved.

Forget The Clichés

To do that you’ll need to know the One who alone can save: His Name is Jesus.

Yup. I knew you would’ve heard of Him. But now it’s time to believe in Him.

Forget all the clichés, forget all the mean people who used Him to justify their actions, forget the religion that you grew up in that choked you until you finally cut loose from it.

You know it’s interesting how the good guy always gets such a bad rep.

Forget all the misrepresentation. Jesus is your guy. He’ll save you, in fact that was His whole mission His entire time on earth. If you don’t believe in Him, you’ll be like everyone who was on the other side of Noah’s ark when the rain started…

Can you picture it with me?

It would’ve been like any other day. Noah, and his family, and all the animals would’ve already gotten into the ark a few weeks ago (it must have been a zoo in there…), the people would’ve already written them off as completely bonkers.

Just a normal day… people going about their daily errands, people setting up their shops in the market, children coming back from school, maybe someone was even going to throw a birthday party later in the evening, maybe a woman was putting the final touches to her wedding plans… and then a drop.

No one would’ve noticed it. Then another drop, then another and another. By this time people would’ve started looking up at the sky, there would’ve been a general confusion. Then the skies would’ve become dark with black clouds.

Then the rains came down in torrents.

I can imagine some people being so stunned that they would’ve just stood there, rapidly getting soaked in the rain. “But how can this be?” They would’ve said in shock. “How can it rain in the desert?”

…and then a drop.

The painful realization that Noah wasn’t crazy after all but had been telling the truth would dawn on them. “He tried to warn us.”

They would bang against the door of the ark, and scream, and beg, and plead as the waters began to rise and their belongings began to float away, but it would be too late. God had already shut the door after Noah.

Game over.

Get In

What about present day reality? We’ve still got time now. It’s only now we can be assured of. Get into the boat now before it’s too late.

Here’s how:

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” – Romans 10:9-11

If you say out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! You are now righteous in the sight of God and so when eternity arrives finally, the door won’t be shut on you.

Congratulations on getting into the boat.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton