Allegiance: Man and His loyalty to a cause

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‘‘ You can never rise as a mortal man by your strength, the physical is always controlled by the spiritual. As a mortal man, you must pay obeisance to a deity. An alter must speak for you.

The 7 mountains of influence; family, religion, business, government, education, media, arts/entertainment are guarded by gatekeepers and except you are aided by a spirit you can never rise to the peak of any of those mountains. Your rising in life is determined by who you submit to’’

These were the words of the well-suited preacher on my TV who was preaching with so much skill and passion. I sat down watching him preach while I continued drinking my garri after an unsuccessful interview which ended with the usual phrase ‘ we will get back to you. ’

Even though I was uninterested in anything related to religion, those words struck my heart as they reflected my present condition.

Lying faced down later in the evening, I allowed my imaginations to run wild. Thinking about my life and what the preacher said earlier, I realized that man by nature has an inner drive and quest for power, fame, and money either consciously or otherwise.

Every African believes in a supreme being, but there are differences in terms of practice and method of worship. Each of these worshippers surrender's their lives by the belief of the deity. They offer sacrifices to plead for atonement, seek blessings and favor.

I was struck with surprise when I heard that some of this people sacrifice blood, while a particular group drink the blood of their savior and called it communion.

I have been repeated approached by different groups, including cultists while in the university. All of them come with the promise of power, prosperity, and protection. The question that I am still left with is: Who is that protection and prosperity from? my question still remains unanswered.

But something was common with all of them; they all relied on a supreme being for everything including a promise of a permanent place after life on earth, they try as much as they can to win more members to their kingdom as though they would get a reward for it.

I breathed aloud, after reading a lot of 

motivational books and attending seminars of which it has not produced any result. I then came to the logical conclusion that the rising of a man In life can be controlled by a spirit and it was time to do what I ought to have done, as this fight is no longer flesh and blood neither are our weapons of warfare carnal.

I picked my phone, called my mother, and granted her long-time request. Her joy knew no bounds and I promised to see her as soon as I can. The time has come for me to pay my allegiance.

Moving through my street the next day, I overheard some people in a building singing and shouting for joy, I took excuse from my mother and went inside to join them. Stepping inside, I was wowed at such glorious atmosphere I encountered.

I found out that It was this same preacher that I saw on the television the previous day that was leading the service. Everything went on fine, and when it was time for people to surrender their lives, I stood up and made my way to the front with a few others, while the congregation rejoiced with a clapping ovation. 

Within minutes we were done, and there was this uncommon peace and joy that filled my heart. I left the service that evening with renewed hope and assurance about my future.

Allegiance is the act of being loyal to a superior group, institution, and cause. It is synonymous or can be likened to loyalty, fidelity, and patriotism. The word allegiance might sound quite simple and common from my definition, but its meaning is deep. It's the oath that binds an individual or group of people to a government, or deity.

Taking an oath of allegiance just like you did when matriculating in the university means you were willing to subject yourself to the rules that govern the university system and also receive the punishments and privileges that comes with breaking those rules or obeying them.

From a larger perspective of people, It is a term usually used when talking about one's duty as a citizen. For example, when you recite the pledge of a country or its anthem, you are reaffirming your loyalty and allegiance to that country. It is one of the reasons why anthems are recited in all school, social, and government functions.

When an individual pays his or her allegiance, he/she is bound by the law to adhere to the laws and beliefs of the country, he can be punished if he breaks any of the law. He /she also enjoys certain privileges accorded to a citizen of that country.

Just like in the physical world, the spiritual system is no different. Looking through history, you will discover that man by nature has by all means tried to understand his origin and what controls the universe.

Apart from scientific explanations, what tops the list is the believe of a supreme being somewhere who is responsible for ruling the affairs of men and controls everything. 

Over the years, several gods have been worshipped by man and even the total number of gods cannot be certain. For example, according to some research it was estimated that Indians have 33million gods, although this has also been regarded as false by others. (you can do your research on that, am sure you will find something interesting and intriguing).

This research has shown how much value and importance people place in the worship of sovereign being and the yearning to know more about them.

Having a believe in a sovereign being happens to be like the physical system, you are paying your allegiance, you become loyal and patriotic to the sovereign being. You keep to the laws and acts within the jurisdiction of the supreme being.

And you also get to enjoy all privileges given to one who has paid his allegiance. Lawbreakers can also be punished.

Note that the purpose of this writing isn't to prove the existence of a God or which one is better than the other.

Do you think the rising or the success of a man is largely affected by a sovereign being or by just natural course?

We would like to hear from you in the comment section.