THE READING PUBLIC MAGAZINE
A SO ARISE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED 2019 ISSUE-6
WEBSITE: THEREADINGPUBLICMAGAZINE.COM INFO/ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: TRPMAGAZINE@YAHOO.COM BOOKINGS: SAMIBOOKINGREQUEST@GMAIL.COM FACEBOOK + INSTAGRAM: @TRPMMAGAZINE
CHIEF EDITOR | GRAPHIC DESIGNER APOSTLE-PROPHET STANSHAW CORNELIUS
COPYRIGHT 2021 SO ARISE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL, THE READING PUBLIC MAGAZINE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
by Carolyn G. Phlilip
“The First Wealth Is Health”
Isaiah 58 provides a picture of the type of fast God desires. It is a fast that is prefaced by repentance and a sincere motive.
The Israelites had obviously fasted, but their prayers remain unanswered. Therefore, Isaiah was given a message from God to deliver to them. “Shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins”. They were daily seeking God and asking to know His ways, as though they were “a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God”. “They took “delight in approaching” Him. Yet, their requests did not touch the heart of God. Their fast was impure and ineffective. Beginning in verse 3, Isaiah provides a picture of their condition during the fast:
During your fast, you are still seeking after pleasure. You are thinking only of yourself.
During your fast, you are still abusing your workers.
During your fast, you are still getting angry and pursuing fights. Your carnal emotions are still at play.
Clearly, their fast was lacking, as they were not focused on the God to whom they were praying. Their fasting had become merely an outward exercise. The people were seeking God, not realizing that selfishness and sin had creeped in, restricting responses to their prayers. God rejected the outward display of sackcloth and ashes, abstinence from food and false humility. In verse 6, Isaiah outlines the type of fast God was seeking from His people. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen?” asked the Lord.
To loose the bands of wickedness
To undo the heavy burdens To free the oppressed and release them from their burdens. To feed the hungry
To be hospitable to the poor To help the needy
God was saying, “you have missed it”. Fasting is not about you. It is about seeking me from your heart, soul, and mind. It is not merely a display for your own gratification. Further, our lifestyles should reflect what the Word teaches. The Israelites were fasting, but their selfish desires and sins were rendering the fast useless and ineffective.
The scripture is instructive for us today. What is our attitude towards fasting? Do we fast merely because we want something from God? Or are we genuinely seeking to know Him and to learn from Him? Do we approach our time of prayer with repentant hearts? Are we focused on God, or are we still distracted by the pleasures of life, problems we may be experiencing, and other time- consuming activities? When we learn to truly fast and pray in the manner God desires, He promises undeniable results: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
Fellow believers, we serve a God who keeps His promises, but answered prayers are conditional on our obedience to God’s Word. Just look at His promises to
the Israelites!
We serve a God who desires the best for us. He never leaves us. As a matter of fact, Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us: “Behold, the Lod’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
In this season, we need to ensure that our fast is acceptable unto God. There is much going on in the spiritual realm, and we need to be in close contact with our Heavenly Father. As we begin this new month of July 2021, let us conduct a spiritual checkup, lest we find ourselves in the position of the Israelites, seeking the Lord in prayer and fasting, oblivious to the fact that our hearts are not right before Him. May His words to the Israelites penetrate our hearts and minds today, that we may fast and pray in accordance with His will.
“Fellow believers, we serve a God who keeps His promises, but answered prayers are conditional on our obedience to God’s Word.”
These are simple words that are filled with profound significance. They are the words of David, one of the great kings of Israel.
During the mid-19th century, Hungarain obstetrician Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis discovered that by washing their hands, doctors could have saved thousands of women from the fatality of “childbed fever.” But his advice went unheeded.
The Vienna Maternity Hospital where he worked was divided into two clinics. Doctors and medical students at one clinic realized that by 1846, the mortality rate of expecting mothers was 11.4 percent. Out of 4,010 patients 459 died of “childbed fever.” Midwives in the second clinic saw a death rate of 2.7 percent; only 15 out of 3,754 laboring women died.
Through extensive research and observation, Semmelweis discovered that the doctors and medical students were performing autopsies and then examining expecting mothers without washing their hands. He became the first person in recorded history to associate the infection and death in “childbed fever” to the condition of the hands.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.… Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
In David’s case, he discovered that the problems in his life were directly related to the condition of his heart. Psalm 51 was written after the prophet Nathan confronted David about adultery and murder that was in his life. David had developed an ungodly affection for Bathsheba, which led to adultery. In order to cover his misdeed, he orchestrated the murder of her husband, Uriah. His life was spinning out of control.
This psalm is a reflection of his quest for relief from the ungodly affections that were overtaking his life. He gives us several principles we can follow to overcome addiction and be free from its power and guilt. It's a journey for personal purity that begins with true confession. David faced the reality that his life was not in order. “I acknowledge my transgressions,” he said, “my sin is ever before me.” There was no denial of the fact or shifting of blame. Eugene Peterson translates David’s words this way: “I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.” As bad as the situation was, David was willing to face the truth of the matter.
Another important principle in the journey to personal purity is
our willingness to take personal responsibility and recognize our own weaknesses.
David puts it this way: I have sinned because I was born and shaped in iniquity and sin. A third important principle on our journey to purity is spiritual cleansing. As David makes his petition for cleansing, he exhausts the Hebrew vocabulary. Take a look at the words he uses: purge, wash, blot out, clean, renew and restore. These are all indicative of a longing for true purity that transcends the human spirit and soul. This is not a casual cleaning. The concept of cleansing portrayed here is that of washing a garment than has been stained. Soap and water will not be enough. It needs a strong detergent to remove the deep stains of our human weaknesses.
The journey to personal purity continues with a desire for spiritual restoration and renewal. When a life has been affected by discouragement, depression, substance abuse, broken relationships and moral failures, it is good to know that there is a place to find hope. God is our refuge and strength, we are told, and an ever present help in times of need. Think of what would happen in life if there was no hope of a second chance. For some persons, this may mean a third or fourth chance. Regardless of the severity
“Regardless of the severity and circumstances
in which we find ourselves, when we place our confidence in God, we find grace, mercy and peace...”
and circumstances in which we find ourselves, when we place our confidence in God, we find grace, mercy and peace. David prayed that the joy of the Lord's will become his experience again. From time to time, we all need to experience spiritual renewal and restoration. each others’ keepers.
In our culture there is no shortage of sexual immorality and violent crimes, and we are on a relentless pursuit for solutions. The answer, according to Semmelweis and David, is clean hands, clean hearts, and clean lives. God expects us to live with moral strength and integrity.
In the book of Philippians, we are reminded that we live in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom we must shine forth as lights. This is a call for moral and spiritual purity.
In a final principle I will mention is that our journey to personal purity should involve a commitment to provide support to others. Having experienced the cleansing of my own heart, I am now able to use this experience in motivating others. David puts it this way: I will be able to teach transgressors the ways of the Lord and sinners will be converted to the Lord. The journey to personal purity involves a commitment to invest in the lives of those around us. As an old adage says, no man is an island. We
are culture that promotes sexual immorality, lack of moralintegrity and a decline in our value system. David turned to God because he knew that only when people have been washed by God are they truly clean.
My prayer is that we will all turn to God and say: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” I also invite you to join with a community of Christian believers where you can develop and nurture spiritual strengths. transformed by his mercy and grace.
“The journey to personal purity involves a commitment to invest in the lives of those around us.....”
TRPM: Where did you grow up? How was it back then compared to now?
Jimmy Fagan: I grew up in Kingston 8... to be exact an urban community call Whitehall Ave. ... Back then it was like a community where you could raise a child, especially where a watchful eye was concern,ed. Now it’s somewhat different but even though a bit of that vibe exists you have to be more mindful of your own affairs.
TRPM: Who are some of the key persons that have helped you become the man you are today?
Jimmy Fagan: Key persons that have helped me become the man I am today are like first and foremost my Parents (Lillian Adams/ Eric Fagan), got to mention them for making sure that school and church was a must..., of course a few community elder stalwarts too nemerous to mention... but of course Pranko big up uself. Likewise a few teachers ( Basic & High school alike) and I could not be even here much less to be the man I am today without a one Ms Una Fagan my soulmate.
TRPM: How did you get your first start in music?
Jimmy Fagan:
My first start in music came about via some friends of mine
I met at a record shop Aquarius Records ) who were producers at the time. It was upon joining the organisation as an employer they found out my interest and knack of wanting to do music..., so they decided to give me my first experience in the boothe and also to teach me the nooks and cranies of being a producer... ( Clive Kennedy & Hillary Knight big up)... hence my first record as an artist and as a producer.
TRPM: Tell us about an experience you have had that drew you closer to the Lord.
. Jimmy Fagan: Not necesarily an experience but it fact it's a combination of experience tht infact drew me closer to the Lord,, a typical factor fir me was hearing sermons tht spoke about the reality of the conseqences of our action when we die without having that relationship with our Heavenly Father and his begotten son Christ Jesus. One stand out factor to mention however though was when i started to court my wife who then at the time ministered to me about the none effectiveness of procrastinating.. , hence that advice(s) really summed up those other factors for me to have a more focus approach.
TRPM:
What would you like the world to know about Jimmy Fagan?
. Jimmy Fagan:
It's not so much what I would want the world to know about me per say but more about what I want the world to know about the gospel.... As artist alike out there championing the spiritual cause, just seeking a listening ear and as the scripture said... Paul planted, Apollo watered but it's God who grant the increase... So I am looking forward to worker in the vinyard.
TRPM:
How did the collaboration come about with Jumu Grant for "King Jesus"?
Dangarii:
Jumu Grant is a very humble and kind man of God. Our connection was divine, we connected through Facebook one year ago, since then we've been encouraging each other in the ministry and uplifting each other. He became more than a friend and I could share any thought with him.
There's this day we were talking and I suggested we should do something for the glory of God though I wasn't that serious..so he kept reminding me of the suggestion then I finally came out with an idea and we went to the studio..
TRPM: Describe a moment in your life when you felt really hopeful about the future.
Dangarii: I remember this day when I got connected to a friend of mine from Jamaica called Stephen Murphy. He hosts a Reggae Show with his close friend called Kweli Simba..By that time I had recorded songs but I had not shared with anyone...I was feeling like am not perfect. I was still molding my craft.
One fine morning I decided to share one of my recorded song to Stephen Murphy, I needed his
compliments....Guess what! He liked the vybe and he actually played it on his show. The response was amazing..He opened my eyes, he really motivated me to make another step...I was even invited for a concert in a neighbouring country, Uganda.. I felt so hopeful.
Dangarii
Official name, DAN MUKUNZA MUSHEBA. He is a Dancehall Gospel mMnister from Kenya, Africa. Born 1992 from a humble background, a family of six, him being the fourth. Grew up in a Christian family. During his childhood he was very active in the church choir at “Kenya Christ Gospel Ministry”. Started his music career when he joined High School in the year 2009. After graduating High School in 2012 he left the village tand moved to the city to pursue his music ministry.
After a long struggle he managed to get to the studio to record his first single called “WINNER” in 2020. It was a tough year for many but God opened doors for him. The song did very well. A second his second single, a praise song called “HOSSANA” soon followed. It also did very well and opened major platforms for him in ”KENYA” and other cpcountries like the UK, US, Canada, Jamaica and many more Western countries. Dangarii has been interviewed on various international Radio Stations i.e Gl 365 Radio in Texas, Isaac FM in Trinidad and W107 Radio in Trinidad.
His music journey has been a blessing to many despite the self management which is not that easy and the hardships he’s been through. He also has some international collaborations on the way and he believes they will be a blessing to the world.
TPRM: What is your greatest hope for the world?
Gil Joe: My greatest hope for the world is that all the people would receive Jesus Christ and the gift of His Salvation to us.
TRPM: What are the components of a really good song in your opinion?
Gil Joe: I think for me, I love great lyrics and deep words, also big on sweet melodies as well. The beat also has a major role to play, but I believe if a song comes from the heart of an Artist, it will reach the hearts of the people.
TRPM: Name two persons who have made a significant impact on your life and in what way?
Gil Joe: Jesus Christ. His life and Spirit, the Holy Spirit in me, is the greatest impact in my life.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, his journey as a minister of the Gospel, and the stories of His walk with God and how he’s overcome his major challenges are forever an inspiration to me.
TRPM: Tell us two important keys to a victorious life?
Gil Joe Profile: Serving the Lord God with all your heart in all sincerity. Staying the course/purpose of your life with all of your focus, energy and time.
It’s been such a consistent Music journey for the Christian Baller, as He has recorded a high level of fan base in His young age as an Afro Gospel Musician.
Popular for His creative style and uniqueness, Emmanuel Gilbert Joseph who is famously known as Gil Joe, today is one of Africa’s leading young Artist of the New Sound Gospel and pioneer of the genre #AfroGospel, a New genre churning out of Africa and taking the rest of the World by storm.
Gil Joe gave His life to Jesus Christ in 2009. His passion for music started back in His High School days as a rap artist where He joined His colleagues in rap battles and performing at different shows. Gil Joe’s teenage years were dedicated to His Music as He started producing Music at the age of 17, which was due to an opportunity He
had of working with one of Nigeria’s finest Gospel producer ‘A4Jeazy’. With His commitment and passion, He was able to acquire His production skills and knowledge within the space of 11 months; Gil Joe has therefore produced 90% of His official released projects till date.
His amazing style of artistry has inspired millions around the World, and has given His fellow big names in the Music industry the opportunity to work with Him; Gil Joe is unarguably one of the most influential young Gospel Artist from Africa the World has ever seen. His Music sensation is mind blowing and His craft has gained and continues to gain massive grounds both in the local and the international market. It’s been such a consistent Music journey for the Christian Baller, as He has recorded a high level of fan base in His young age as an Afro Gospel Musician.
Popular for His creative style and uniqueness, Emmanuel Gilbert Joseph who is famously known as Gil Joe, today is one of Africa’s leading young Artist of the New Sound Gospel and pioneer of the genre #AfroGospel, a New genre churning out of Africa and taking the rest of the World by storm.
Gil Joe gave His life to Jesus Christ in 2009. His passion for music started back in His High School days as a rap artist where He joined His colleagues in rap battles and performing at different shows. Gil Joe’s teenage years were dedicated to His Music as He started producing Music at the age of 17, which was due to an opportunity He had of working with one of Nigeria’s finest Gospel producers ‘A4Jeazy’. With His commitment and passion, He was able to acquire His production skills and knowledge within the space of 11 months; Gil Joe has therefore produced 90% of His official released projects till date. His amazing style of artistry has inspired millions around the World, and has given His fellow big names in the Music industry the opportunity to work with Him; Gil Joe is unarguably one of the most influential young Gospel Artist from Africa the World has ever seen. His Music sensation is mind blowing and His craft has gained and continues to gain massive grounds both in the local and the international market.
“Jesus Christ. His life and Spirit, the Holy Spirit in me, is the greatest impact in my life.”
