In the year 2002, I wrote my first Christian nonfiction book. This followed my desperate flight out of the clutches of darkness in December of the previous year, when the Lord, by His grace and mercy, saved a spiritually blind fool like myself from demise and hopelessness.

This was, of course, not the first writing project pursued. As a mere lad not even ten years on the planet, I had already delved into the fascinating world of writing, therefore, lost in my mind in stories, tales and adventures. One of my first ‘secular’ attempts, even when still battling to grasp the English language, was a type of Treasure Island tale, diligently typed on a good-old typewriter. The room was filled with expectation as I banged away on the stubborn keys and the raw smell of correction fluid.

I remember another story I pursued. It was about sordid creatures of the night, written in pen by hand. What terrible attempts to create literature, but to write was already in my blood, running passionately hot. From an early age, I loved reading and was often immersed in the thrilling world of the Hardy Boys. By this time, not even yet close to my daunting teenage years (for such years are daunting for anyone), the dark reality of horror writers began to utterly intrigue and grab my attention. My other love was fantasy, and it didn’t take long to stumble upon JRR Tolkien and his Middle-earth. And as my childhood years bled into early adulthood, the strange, creepy, fantastical, wonderful and bizarre tales from writers such as Stephen King and Terry Brooks moulded my skewed reality.
Suffice to say, my world for a long time was immersed in darkness and surrealistic undertones, of which God saved me by His loving kindness and beauty. Indeed, God does deliver us from darkness unto light. Before my ‘conversion’, I had written many stories, with the pages filled with dark and twisted tales (fortunately, none were published or saw the light of day as they were locked away in the dungeon of a hard drive). By this time, the first PCs had mercifully replaced the typewriter, which today has been ceremoniously dumped into the annals of history. Praise the Lord, for he had another plan for my life, for yes, I was literally hell-bent on leading people down a path of trepidation, fear, and horrific dread. God has a plan for all our lives that speaks of wholeness, value and divine hope. It is a purpose drenched in light, not marred by nightmarish spectres of inner demons.

My first book as a follower of Jesus was Crossroads to Freedom. It was a very simple book, intended to be a tool for evangelism. I was even surprised when an independent publisher offered to print it. It was also the first time that the idea of a book didn’t generate from within the chilling chambers of my mind. God had shown me a journey, and how we are all on this journey to travel with God. Yet we need to choose to follow Him or choose to follow the world. Ergo, the crossroads. My late father once said to me that for him, it was still one of the best books to explain the Gospel and how to walk with God. Gracious words from an intellectual, but in all things, I will always give God the glory, for in Him we find our strength and hope.

The last 20 years have taught me that as a scribe of God, who can but obey and yield in faithfulness, none of what I write is by my own strength, intellectual fortitude or creative faculty. It is all God-breathed and inspired. 2 Timothy 3 says, “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” I can, therefore, comprehend in its finest, intricate detail what Paul meant by such a glorious truth. If what we are writing and preaching to the glory of God is not God-breathed, then it flows from the flesh and from the realms of our imagination. It, therefore, profits none and holds not the power to liberate and change. Indeed, it is wise not to lean on one’s understanding but to trust in His guidance and counsel continually in the storms and in the Hallelujahs.

It also needs to be underlined that I do not write for the sake of writing or entertainment or to make a pretty profit, but I do so as a scribe as instructed by the Lord and led by the Spirit of God. To put it bluntly, I have no choice but to write, for it is God-breathed. Am I not blinded by pride or duped into a false sense of self-exaltation, one may ask? I have learned to remain humble and to make sure that after two decades, never to exalt the self but always exalt (not insult) God. I write, for this is my duty and my mandate unto the eternal Kingdom. My accountability ultimately rests before the Lord, who is my Master and Saviour. Paul writes of such trust in “2 Corinthians 3: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Yes, it is by the Spirit and by God’s wisdom and understanding that I am a scribe, called to prophetically guide, correct, teach, edify, and equip for good and noble works. I write when God dictates, directs and guides. Otherwise, I am, but a fool for the letter of the law is sorely outweighed by God’s authority and Spirit. If I write to appease my interests and desire, I become a law unto myself, and I shall do only greater harm than good. What is certain is that there has been a remarkable quickening when it comes to the writing process, for I have understood that time is running out regarding our spiritual journey. God is coming, yet many still play the fool by completely ignoring or rejecting Him. The time is now to get our house in order as the world slips deeper into darkness and mayhem.

Crossroads to Freedom (which was turned into a series of devotions) was followed a while later by Bastion of Truth. My journey with God for 20-plus years has taken me over many proverbial mountains and valleys, through the holy and profane fire, and through all the toil, strife, victory and divine explorations. I have come to realise there is a clear and concise abyss between following Christ and following a religion. I also understood how God’s truth is still being twisted, mutilated and even butchered for self-gain, which has left many so spiritually malnourished, drained, abandoned and deceived. Indeed, people perish because of a lack of knowledge.

As the winters turned into summer and then flowed into autumn, I understood that there was a great need in the Body of Christ to understand what true discipleship is. Thus, the Discipleship Series was born. From out of this project flowed the Holy Spirit Series, for surely we cannot be disciples of God or understand His Kingdom without the Holy Spirit. My early years as a disciple were forged in the Charismatic churches, so I understood the importance of the Spirit of God, but I also realised that the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord’s work within our lives and within the church was not yet fully grasped. We are guilty of still being intertwined in the temporal fabrics of life and not beholding the eternal and spiritual.

Linking up to Bastion of Divine Truth, over the last 15 years or so, the Lord led me down a path of fathoming the dangers that the church and believers face in a world bound by deception, depravity, carnality, debauchery, and wickedness. And so the Perilous Times series was birthed to shine a light on what creeps, slithers and cowers so demonic and so wretched in the corners of darkness.

While embarking on this journey as a scribe of God, allowing the Lord to rip the veil that blinds just as He opened the eyes of Paul and the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I truly understood that we can only survive such dangerous times of seduction and manipulation when we are fully and utterly abiding in God. This led to the Pursuit of God series, which explores in depth who God is and how we are called to pursue Him. This calls for an intimate relationship with God so that we may understand Him so dearly, deeply and lovingly beyond the natural senses, rational thinking or logic.

And in pursuing, knowing, loving and yearning for God, we are enlightened in our spiritual renaissance to what is the Kingdom of God, for there is a difference between such an eternal kingdom and the earthly religious structures called church that we have erected. The Kingdom of God series explores the demanding truth of such a reality, and it considers the valuable need to return to God’s truth and to understand that He is a God of law and order.

The Deliverance Series is close to my heart. Just as there are so many misconceptions about discipleship, God’s Kingdom and the Holy Spirt, there are so many false concepts, teachings, ideas and doctrines regarding deliverance. Ignorance dictates our ways and conduct when it comes to setting the captives free. Tragically, in our depravity of truly understanding the nature of deliverance, we leave in our wake deep scars of hurt. Deliverance, like healing, is not a separate ministry but forms part of the duty and service of any disciple in accordance with Matthew 28.

It is only natural for me to present the Prophetic Series since this is my calling. It remains shocking how, like so many concepts regarding God and the Bible, the field of the prophetic has been sorely abused, misunderstood, twisted and distorted by a concoction of lies, demonic seductions, selfish intent and fleshly imaginations. The series also features prophetic words written over the years and an exploration of the lives and messages of the prophets in the Bible.
All the above-mentioned series ultimately flow into each other, for it deals with God’s heart, to walk in His will, His way and truth. This is a dangerous world where so many are being swept away by the tides of apostasy, and rebellion, along with all the dreaded “isms” such as secularism, liberalism and modernism! Indeed, pride comes before a fall, and so many within and without the church are plunging into a chasm of uncertainty, confusion and lies. Our ego and flights of fantasy have truly become our greatest enemies as we seek to become gods and kings of our lives.

There is also the End-Time and the Apologetics Series. Apologetics (from Greek meaning speaking in defence) is regarded as the discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. When it comes to apologetics, many will say that God does not need defending. True. He is God. Yet we are in a covenant with God, therefore, God’s interest should be ours, and as God cherishes His Kingdom and Truth, so we must diligently and passionately uphold God’s Truth, along with the ‘culture’ of the eternal Kingdom. As ambassadors of reconciliation and citizens of the Kingdom, it should perturb us if the Kingdom, therefore, God’s truth and ways are under attack.

But for the grace of God go I, for in Him I rest and seek my purpose. God seeks our attention, and He seeks our willingness to serve Him faithfully until His final command tears all asunder. May we indeed seek Him and His righteousness above all else, for God is glorious, yet He is also an all-consuming and jealous God.