Sound doctrine, Truth and Spiritual warfare

In the last two installment of this series, we have looked at sound doctrine and its relationship with apostasy and salvation. The two are related in that; unsound doctrine endangers the all-important salvation enterprise. Apostasy is a misleading away from it down the path of rebellion. It has also been established that Satan’s weapons are lies and deception and his ultimate aim is to destroy man by taking him down with him.
 

From the beginning, Satan sought to make himself the object of man’s worship[1]. It is this misplaced ambition born out of pride that has led him into rebellion[2]. Given that God created man for His(God’s) glory, the worship of Satan is the direct usurpation of God’s purpose and constitutes the height of all sin. The first commandment on the Decalogue is against the worship of other Gods[3]. Scripture shows that the rebellion was terminated by archangel from whose ranks Satan came. Essentially he is also a creation of God just as man—not a god by any stretch of the imagination. He is a creature, not a creator. He has no omni-powers of any kind and cannot be at war with God. The fight is between God’s faithful-s and the unfaithful-s—the rebels.

Spiritual warfare it must be understood then, is the war between God’s forces and rebel forces. So that man by accepting the devils suggestions[4], joined ranks with him in his rebellion and stepped out of purpose; much like the devil himself had done. In his naivety, man was doomed to sharing in the fate of his new master. Every rebellion against God(sin) constitutes a worship of the devil and supports his cause. His plan is to take worship away from its true owner and direct it at himself. He is a thief who seeks nothing but to steal kill and destroy[5]. He epitomizes the lies he fathered[6]—he is one with his offspring. In the same manner, Christ is the Truth by whom and for whom the world was created. He and His father are one[7] too and He is His father’s very utterances[8]. The war for man is therefore one between the forces of truth and those of lies.

Spiritual warfare has physical dimensions. Man’s prayers, fasting and his very manner of living have spiritual ramifications—they are all acts of worship and obtain their by whose will they align with. False religions also encourage prayer and fasting but to false gods. Man is in fact spirit in a body and the two are intertwined. It is for this reason that it must be understood that spiritual warfare is essentially fought from the natural realm into the spiritual real through. For the believer, it is adherence to truth and imperative disdain for lies. The Apostle Paul treats this in detail in his letter to the Ephesians.

The body armor of God’s agents, will enables a stand against the schemes of the devil. We have seen that his weapons are lies and deception.  He is not on earth as flesh and blood; he is here in the form of rulers, and authorities. He also functions in the spiritual realm as powers over darkness and spiritual forces of evil (i.e. those who are against the almighty God).  Paul proposes an adornment of the complete combat gear designed to withstand all attacks of the enemy and suggests a firm stand. A belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, and shoes of readiness made possible by the gospel of peace.  A shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation—beneficiaries of salvation have these if they are true. The above list comprises mostly of defensive gear; except for 1. The only offensive weapon mentioned is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Engagement is by praying at all times in the Spirit (i.e) bringing everything to the presence of God and including intercession for each other as a way by which the larger army is united in God’s will. Every one of these is an act of worship directed at its rightful place in the life of the believer.  

Truth’s potency was under severe test in the wilderness experience[9] of Jesus where he may have laid the foundation for Paul’s later treatment of the matter. When Christ as man came face to face with the father of lies who wasted no time in throwing his fiery darts of lies, He already had on the full gear for he was without sin and epitomized righteousness. He was indeed the weapon—sword of the sprit in flesh. He was steadfast in the Lord and was not about to be tossed about by every wind of doctrine[10]. The three poison darts fired at him were repelled with ease even in the most testing conditions and countered with the Word. Truth triumphed and led the way to the salvation of mankind. Had Jesus fallen for the wiles and deception, man and his kind would have been doomed. This is reminiscent of Adam’s failure to resist this same devil and the doom to which he subjected mankind. It is this first failure that made the salvation enterprise a necessity in the first place and now, man will be back in line if he would hold onto the hand of grace extended to him. He must then redirect worship to its rightful place. It is a war between God’s creation—those loyal to him and those who are not and seek to be the object of worship of their fellow creatures. Spiritual warfare is a thing only because lies tried to usurp the place of Truth.

When Paul admonished young Timothy to adhere to truth, he was giving him the most important tool he needed as a teacher of the word. He was to study to show himself approved[11] and qualify to teach truth. In doctrine he was to remain sound. A doctrine is sound in so far as it is grounded in the bedrock of Truth— Jesus.

The most dangerous of all lies are those close to truth. They are difficult to identify especially when perpetrated by supposed agents of truth. It has been pointed out that Christ Himself was concerned with such persons (false prophets) and predicted that many will come in the last days. The devil disguises himself as angel of light and deception is his key strategy. After years of experimentation with pure lies, half-truths have become his most important weapon. They are difficult to distinguish from the truth.  

This is why it cannot be overemphasized that; believers must imperatively turn to the word and avoid ideas and traditions of men unless they are grounded in the truth of God’s word. These are matters of right interpretations. Bad and wrong interpretations whether intentional or otherwise do only one thing; they distort the word and minimize its efficacy. It must be born in mind that the only weapon of offense the believer has is the word. We have seen how Christ in his wilderness experience example resisted the devil with the safety gear and overcame with the word. Unsound doctrine means that one has no assault weapon or at best, a very blunt one. Constant study of the word is the lot of the believer—it is his powerbase. It is by this means that he gains understanding and increases in faith so that he prays without ceasing and trusts wholly in God to give strength. He then benefits from the presence of the Holy Spirit who brings discernment and ensures that the victory that has already be won is manifested in the life of the believer.

Surely it must be evident by now that ignoring sound doctrine is rendering believers weak. The African church is now the devil’s playground because of the departure from sound doctrine. This is why SD-21(West Africa’s first sound doctrine conference) will be the important event for the African church this year.

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[1] Isaiah 14:12-15

[2] Ezekiel 28

[3] Exodus 20

[4] Genesis 3:1-6

[5]  John 10:10

[6] John 8:44

[7] John 10:30

[8] John 1:1

[9] Matthew 4:1-11

[10] Ephesians 4:14

[11] 2 Timothy 2:15

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Sound doctrine and apostasy

One of the chief concerns of the New Testament is the end times or the “last days”. Between Christ and the apostles, the text spends a lot of words articulating the things that will characterize the period. The expression “last days” itself has been a source of controversy. One cannot number the voices that have claimed knowledge of the exact day on which Christ will return. From heretics like Charles Taze Russell[1] to a reformer like Martin Luther, men have failed to heed the warning of Christ to not meddle in such matters[2].

 “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority”
—Acts 1:7

In the revelations, the apostle John reinforces this all important point that all believers must observe with necessary reverence;

¹⁵ (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Men did not take heed. Failing spectacularly in their predictions, they missed the simple fact that the “last days” is a period that ends only with the return of Christ. No man (regardless of how plausible their analysis may seem) must dare predict a date. While Christ himself had warned against this as we have seen, He however, provided pointers by which believers are to recognize when the end was near. Interestingly, those pointers he provided begun to manifest very early after His departure. It was clear then; even the apostles were living in the “last days” much as we are today. The last days then is a period starting from the departure of Christ to the moment of His return. They are false prophets because in disobedience, they made predictions when Christ had categorically instructed against such pronouncements.

Among the pointers to be expected in the last days is apostasy, a departure from the teachings of Jesus and the proliferation of distorted versions of it. These are to be perpetrated by false teachers who as it will be around in large numbers. By the time Paul’s ministry took off, the attack had begun in earnest. Many will fall for it unless they stayed with the teachings accredited custodians of the Gospel. In keeping with the words of Jesus, Paul writes to his beloved Galatians and shares his concern;

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!” — Galatians 1:8

In laying out the kingdom manifesto during the famous Sermon on the Mount[3], Christ warned very early in his ministry;

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” — Mathew 7:15

In the verses that follow, he provides a treatise on what it all means for those who will in disobedience follow them. It cannot be doubted from then on, that false prophets, false teachers, here referred to by Christ as wolves in sheep clothing will infiltrate the church. In the book of Acts, physician/historian and Gospel writer; Luke captures an important admonishment;

“ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” — Acts 20:28-30

Verse 30 of the above text is of great interest;

“Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”.

Really? How does this not bother some people? They will rise in the church ad their agenda will be a selfish one. They will draw men to themselves. The indefatigable Peter shares a concern and a piece of advice;

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. — 2 Peter 3:17

Along came the game-changing Paul who had previously subscribed to the unsound doctrines of Pharisee-ism and was consequently persecuting Christ’s followers with never-seen-before zeal. After his rather dramatic transformation by the renewal of his mind[4], his ministry was characterized by the defense of the faith and a concern for the sanctity of the word. He writes to his protégé Timothy;

“ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” — 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Un-sound doctrine undermines God’s word and it’s power. It is the door way to false faith and apostasy. We become Christians because of something we believe. We miss it if what we believe happens to be wrong. False preachers and their false doctrines may not present themselves openly. That’s the whole point of being a wolf in sheep clothing. In between their language rest subterfuges and nuances that will in small doses pollute until they have crystalized into death. The devils main tool is deception and he has mastered his craft over thousands of years. From very early he made great strides. False teachings and half-truths by supposedly credible men of God are his Trojan horses and too many believers are flocking to them with itching ears. This generation may have seen more apostasy than the rest of history combined.  In the African church, the conversation about sound doctrine must begin NOW and SD-21 is the Launchpad. The apostasy of false teaching for personal gain has become the norm—just as Christ predicted. In the second instalment of this series, We will attempt to throw some light on the importance of sound doctrine and how it was handled by Christ and the apostles as well as the prophets of old as we gear up for the sound doctrine conference; SD-21. Go to part 2

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[1] Founder of the Jehovah witnesses)
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events (a comprehensive list of end time predictions)
[3] Matthew 5-7
[4] Romans 12:2

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Faith in its fullness

Faith is the force behind every great achievment. Those who do not have it soon find they will die without actually living. Faith is a permanent part of our lives. We know this because it is clear that without it one cannot get from point A to B. All men have faith, just not in its fullness.

Faith is belief. It is fair when the two words are used interchangeably even in a secular context. Everyone believes something. But not many are clear about what it is they believe and to what extent. The Bible’s view, while taken for granted as with everything religious, is quite instructive: it can move mountains. Some may look at this as a metaphor of a sort and they may not be far from the truth. But even then, the spirit behind the expression is a powerful one. If we are to look for the chief proponent of the faith idea, we must end up with the most accomplished human being to ever walk the earth– Jesus himself. 

 

His teaching is loaded with faith and what it can do if one has enough of it. And when men have failed to accomplish, he has attributed it to the lack of it. He posits, that faith is so powerful one only needs a mustard seed helping in order to move mountains. Even if we were to hold on to the metaphor school of thought, this idea still carries an enormous amount of weight. The thought that anything or faith for that matter can move a mountain no matter how big, with a mustard seed size of itself is disturbing and incomprehensible from first level thinking. One is going to have to reason beyond everyday thinking and wonder into the realm of the supernatural. For in the natural, this cannot be.

But faith like its many counterpart is not physical. It is an intangible force whose outworking is only perceivable in the actions and accomplishment of men. In other words, it cannot be seen until men have enough of it to act. It is not surprising them that in Christian thought where the supernatural is the driver behind the natural, faith is held as supreme. So that the natural remains how it is until the supernatural moves it. Those who do not believe do not act and therefore never change anything. 
 
It is followers of Jesus like Paul and James who will clarify this powerful teaching of Christ by which men have change the world and bring it to our understanding. James posits that faith is made perfect in works. Paul pushes for a walk by faith and not sight– in order words making choices by what you believe and not so much what you see. Philosophers and scientist of old and present have proposed that our natural senses are not always honest with us and every human being knows this first hand. Some have even gone as far as denying the existence of themselves and the world as it is. The things you think you see (in the natural) are not necessarily there. The things you do not see (in the supernatural) can be if you believe them enough. For they are manifested through your works that is the result of what you have believed. Those who believe enough must of necessity act or they don’t believe enough. 

This brings us to my most important point, it is true that all men have a measure of faith. For they are not sitting like stones. They act and do things according to their beliefs. How far they go in their works is our only opportunity to measure their level of faith. By this, it will appear that many of us are functioning from a tiny fraction of a mustard seed. Nothing in its 'half-ness' is comparable to its 'fullness'. This is why faith-fullness is key to any kind of success. Too many do not understand that faithfulness is a level of faith. Whatever you are faithful to, you have faith in. What you are faithful to you give your only true possession– your time which in effect is your every existence broken down into units of hours and eons. What you are faithful to, you are devoted to and you make sacrifices to and for. It has no choice but to give you its rewards. But it can only give you what it has so it is wise that you are faithful to the right people or things. One cannot give what one does not have. Those who truly believe (have faith) in a God are truly faithful to him and this is exhibited through their works. Their presence when he calls and their level of sacrifice is the means by which they demonstrate their faith. No one gives their only possession to one who does not exist to them.

Many claim they pursue something, perhaps a dream or even a career. Many may choose a life partner to whom they cannot be faithful. Many simply lack the understanding that the success that they seek is only possible through faith-in-fullness. One cannot have the best relationship with a spouse without faith-in-fullness. One cannot have the best career without faith-in-fullness. For one to be their best at anything, they must have stayed with that thing through thick and thine. He stays and fights even when everyone has deserted and death is imminent. Malcolm Gladwell’s idea that one can only break into the genius level after 10,000 hours of practice is a rare portrait of faithfulness. Men like Bill Gates and John Lennon reached this level through long hours in obscurity. There are some who desire the achievement of the great and yet are not faithful to a cause. They lack the Jesus prescription which in my opinion is above all prescription. Scepticism in any form is a tragedy.
Ref: Luke 17:6 – Jesus, James 2:14-26 – James, 2 Corinthians 5:7 – Paul

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Life minus love equals zero

Roger James Hamilton with 3 gold medals this week, Michael Phelps is now equaling the 2,168 year old record set by Leonidas of Rhodes (in 152 BC) for the most individual Olympic gold medals and has a chance to beat it with his two final races this Thursday (200m IM) and Friday (100m fly).
This is all the more incredible, given the story of his 2 year climb from the verge of suicide, which I wrote in July. Here is Michael’s story from rock-bottom:
One night in September 2014, less than 2 years ago, Michael’s world came crashing down when he got arrested for drink driving. He says "I thought the world would just be better off without me. I figured that was the best thing to do - just end my life."
Struggling to come out of retirement for one more Olympics, Michael's training wasn’t going well. So he had headed out to the Horseshoe Casino to binge on alcohol and poker. At 1am his Range Rover was pulled over by police and he was arrested.
It was the second arrest for DUI in 10 years. After the first time he was publicly shamed and promised he would never do it again. Now it looked like his chances of making a comeback were over.
Out the next day on bail, he locked himself in his house for the next 72 hours, texting to his agent “I don’t want to be alive anymore.”
What caused the breakdown? After his 4th Olympics in London, Michael was crowned “the most successful Olympian in history” with 18 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze Olympic medals. He said “It’s like we dreamed the biggest dream we could possibly dream and we got there. What do we do now?”
In the two years after the Olympics, he went from the highest high to the lowest low, losing all purpose and meaning in life. Then, in 2012 he told his coach, Bob Bowman, that he wanted to try for the Rio Olympics, despite being older than any other competitor.
They started training, but Bob said “It was very difficult for him to get back in shape. I think he got discouraged. I got discouraged.”
That discouragement led to the night of his arrest and Michael wanting to kill himself.
What flipped the switch from self destruction to his record-breaking success today?
One of the first people that Michael called when he was arrested was his friend, retired Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Ray said “I basically told him, ‘Okay, everything has a purpose, and now, guess what? It’s time to wake up.’ ” and he gave Michael a copy of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life”.

Despite facing 18 months probation with a one year suspended sentence, and suspension from the US swimming team, Michael was moved enough by what Ray said that he stepped away from the pool, took the book and checked into a rehab centre.
At the centre, he soon became known as “Preacher Mike” as he would begin each day by reading a chapter of “The Purpose Driven Life”.
That then led to him reading more books like Viktor E Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” and Joseph Murphy’s “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind”. Instead of focusing on his body, he focused on his mind and spirit.
Michael left the clinic a changed man. Within months, he had asked his girlfriend, Nichole Johnson, to marry him. A year later, this May, they had a baby boy, Boomer.
As for the training, Michael got back in the pool with a new energy.
Realising that what he did out of the water affected him enormously in the water, he said of his previous life: “I tried to fake it, pretty much. That’s what I was doing." and of his life today, "I’m just living a freer, happier life now. I don’t feel like I’m carrying weights around anymore.”
Michael was the youngest competitor to ever swim in the Olympics, and now he is also be the oldest to ever swim in the Olympics (At 31 he is 2 years older than the 2nd oldest at the Rio Games). Asked how he feels, he says “I’m thankful, I’m sitting here alive today.”
Maybe you haven’t risen as high as Michael, or fallen as low.
But what new purpose could transform your own success and fulfilment in life today?
What could you do differently out of the water, which would change what you do in the water?
It's never too later, and you're never too old.
“Life minus love equals zero.”

~ Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Original July 1st post here: http://bit.ly/
2aNjvHG )

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Edward Effah leads Fidelity to 79% Profit increase

In March 2001, Edward Effah was selected as one of the best twenty young leaders in Ghana for the inaugural class of the Ghana chapter of the Africa Leadership Initiative. Since then his name has never left the top performers list. Fidelity Bank under his leadership has recorded some phenomenal successes over the years and shows promise of continuous growth. In the industry, the bank has won several awards including the prestigious Best Bank- Customer Care for the Ghana Banking Awards under his leadership. He is by all standards a high performing individual.

In 2014, the nation was faced with an economic downturn that presented a turbulent period to the financial sector. In spite of this challenge Fidelity Bank recorded an appreciable performance under the leadership of Mr. Edward Effah in 2014 when profits increased by about 79% from the previous year’s GH¢63 million to GH¢112.5 million in 2014.

At the bank’s annual general meeting, Mr. Effeh said; “In the year under review, operating income was GH¢326 million, representing a growth of 67 percent over last year’s figure of GH¢195 million. Growth in operating income was as a result of a 59 percent growth in the net interest income from GH¢117 million in 2013 to GH¢186 million in 2014. Growth in fees and commission on the other hand increased but was below expectation due to the shortage in foreign currency and decreased international trade activities in the year”. He said that effective cost savings, notwithstanding the higher inflationary environment, supported the profit performance, saying “operating expense for the year came to GH¢183 million, 57 percent above that of the previous year.”

According to a news item published on the company’s website; assets of the group soared significantly by 85 per cent from GH¢1.69 billion in 2013 to GH¢3.14 billion in 2014. The bank’s profit after tax increased by about 90 per cent from GH¢43.86 million in 2013 to GH¢83.38 million at the end of last year, buoyed by about a 71 per cent growth in operating income from GH¢197.1 million in 2013 to GH¢336.7 million in 2014.

Mr. Effah attributes the Bank’s performance to improved internal processes substantially, enhanced delivery of service to customers and increased footprint in the Ghanaian banking landscape. He said the bank brought on board IBM, a leading IT company to provide the latest technology platform to serve its customers, invested in a state-of-the-art contact center to serve customers as well as the acquired ProCredit Savings and Loans Limited to ensure expansion of its activities. These factors are largely responsible for the growth. Mr. Edward Effah noted that the integration has been very smooth and that Fidelity currently has the best combination of Human Resources in the sector.

Board Chairman of the Bank, Dr. William Panford Bray, touching on the acquisition of ProCredit noted that the acquisition of ProCredit had helped the bank to increase its footprint across the country with an extended network of 80 branches and 110 ATMs. With the integration of processes and credit methodology well integrated, The bank can now boast of customer base increase from 485,000 to 621,829 helping to improve deposit base by 31 per cent to GH¢1.8 billion.

High performance in the financial sector enables high performance in all other sectors of an economy. With the likes of Edward Effah at the helm of affairs, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Africa as the Cheetahs, slowly move to the front-line. Mr. Effah is a classic example of high performance; a person who’s very presence in any group forces change in the upward direction.  Team SPiD-UP is working hard to find out what his driving philosophy is and when this is done, we hope to bring you an inspiring article that will encourage you towards being the best you can be. In the meantime, keep brightening your corner. #SPiD-UP

If you know other high performers, nominate someone into the performance recognition Program

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Isaac Wallace and Mosquitoes

My conversation with Isaac Wallace was challenging. It turned out to be nothing near what I had expected. But that’s what you get for approaching another person with your preconceived notions. It gets even more complex when he is an authentic musician who approaches his trade with a personal philosophy. One that you may not be familiar with. Given that he reminds me so much of Lee Scratch Perry provides enough grounds for me to label the man eccentric. But that’s another thing I probably should not do. You cannot really box this man, he is his own man. You don’t define him, he tells you what he is and you simply make an attempt to understand.

His history is complex. He has and continues to work with three generations of musicians. His influence is very diverse. His philosophy is original. Put all that together and the result is ntumtum akeka me dwe—the title of his debut album. But if you think a debut album is all there is to this man, think again. In his tracks are many hits produced for and with some of Ghana’s most celebrated artist including the likes of Ofori Amponsah and Kwabena Kwabena.

He has a different view of hi-life. He argues that it is not really a type of music or even a style for that matter. It is just “high” Music and perhaps as you will get with the music of Bob Marley. I shall desist from explaining this view for fear of misrepresenting the man. Like I said, I wasn’t sure if I understood he idea enough.

Currently n tour in Australia, here is a link to the video of our conversation when I met the man recently at the Achimota retail center with . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRVBd4AcmVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geid75jkbaw&feature=youtu.be

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Maanaa unfolds the Black I journey

For the morally-conscious individual, it is very easy to write off dancehall music because of the disturbing lyrics (often violent and near-pornographic) that have come to characterize the genre. Those who understand the music however, will contend that this is not a true reflection of the original dancehall music that started in Jamaica as a sub-genre of the conscious, liberating and righteousness powered reggae music. Like a normal child, dancehall became more morally decadent with every step it took further away from its mother genre. In the process, love gave way to hardcore pornography and the rant for justice gave way to wanton violent lyrics strong enough to shock the unprepared mind.

The situation is however, not hopeless as the genre also benefits from the work of both young and veteran artiste who are championing what is referred to in reggae-lingo as roots and culture. This breed of musicians, are working hard to bring moral sanity into the music while pursuing the restoration of true African values that are in sharp contrast to the now mainstay. In Jamaica, musicians like Anthony B, Louie Culture, Bushman, Capleton, Buju Banton, Jnr. Gong and many others are senior officers in this Special Forces unit of the Army.

The scenario is not that different in Ghana. Since dancehall music slowly begun to gain mainstream attention, it brought along the violence and the explicit sexual lyrics. Indeed it is this kind of content that has defined Ghanaian dancehall music with the conscious soldiers having to strive harder to project the positive, progressive, youth-conscientizing, love-promoting and nation-building aspect of dancehall music. This is what can be referred to as the “clean-up exercise” now being championed by Atlanta based Black I aka Nii Quarcoo. On the Ghanaian scene, he is the commanding officer in this unit of the Army.

Black I shot onto the scene with the bellwether-ing Tininii Kwano (the right way) that effortlessly forced a fan base into place leaving them yearning for more. His latest offering; Maanaa is a love story like no other. It is a commendable reverence of the African woman through the Rastafarian cultural conduit leading to the much needed heavy dose of consciousness for the neutralization of the debauchery in the music. The lyrics glorify culture in countless ways as much as it upholds the powerful image of the African woman. It promotes the unadulterated version of her character and bares the often not so evident African man’s love for his woman. Maanaa is a masterful work of art not only in lyrics but also in sound and quality. It is a well-crafted crossover born out of a fusion of traditional dancehall and hip-hop that is guaranteed to win the hearts of even non-dancehall enthusiasts. This great piece was produced by the young Golden Kid under the guidance of the indefatigable Atlanta based Kaddafi who has been behind the many hits from the Black I camp. Maanaa is bound to shift the Black I engine into 5^th gear leaving many behind as far as Ghanaian reggae and dancehall is concerned.

In Ghana and Africa for that matter, talent abounds. The bane of artist has always been character and discipline. Black is a combination of talent, discipline and sound reasoning and this is demonstrated not only in his lyrical dexterity but also his choice of sound. Maanaa epitomizes all three into one work of art. If you haven’t heard Mannaa yet, get ready to be wowed out of your skin. If you are not a dancehall fan, prepare for your baptism. Maanaa is juts that song and Black I is just that artist. Listen to maanaa here https://soundcloud.com/blackimusik

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