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Spirituality Check - The Breakdown

Writer's picture: Thuthukani "TK" Ndlovu Thuthukani "TK" Ndlovu

Updated: Nov 29, 2018

// This is a breakdown of the poem "Spirituality Check" by Thuthukani Ndlovu //

Greetings fam. I hope y'all are still alive and kicking. August seems to be flying by real quick, so I hope you're making the most of what this month has to offer. Anyway, I've decided to dedicate this article to decoding one of my favorite poems entitled "Spirituality Check", which I performed a few months ago at the #PIATOURJHB (Poets in Autumn Tour - Johannesburg: Featuring Ezekiel Azonwu, Janette...ikz , Jackie Hill Perry and Preston Perry).


My performance recently got uploaded on Fresh Impressions YouTube channel (Fresh Impressions TV), so I decided to not only share the performance with you, but also share the lyrics to the poem; while also breaking each part down (You can watch my performance here). You can also find other videos of performances by great artists who also performed at #PIATOURJHB, such as Kurt Schroder, Puno Selesho, Hlengiwe Mbuthuma, Tiisetso Tsotetsi, Meta-Levi and Vusumuzi Phakathi. Now with regards to the poem that I've broken down, I've included a few hyperlinks, that will help in leading you to find more information with regards to certain phrases or scriptures, but I've also shared as many scriptures as possible that relate to most of the poem. This is the first time I'm doing this, so it's definitely exciting for me, and it would be great to also get your feedback on what you think of the poem. On this note, I would encourage you to watch and listen to the poem, before reading it and following the links (Which are provided below).  It actually took me about 3 months to finally complete this poem (lol). I've realized that when it comes to Christian - oriented pieces, I'm very patient, as I never want to rush  things in case I might overlook certain Biblical principles all for the sake of trying to be creative, and completing a poem. Well, let me stop talking about the poem, and share with you the actual words to the poem. I hope you enjoy it, so here's how it goes:


Spirituality Check

"Our ignorance has got us believing that it's OK,

From Monday to Saturday, to Turn-Up, in the club,

Then on Sundays with guilty hearts,

Make our hands and faces turn - up to God in Heaven above.

It has also caused us lack of knowledge,

So we perish, even though we are God's people;

People who have become so comfortable with being spiritually disconnected to God

so when one looks for the Holy Spirit's frequency in our lives,

It's always difficult to get any signal.


I have a habit of asking intricate questions,

So I guess I'm not much of the ordinary wordsmith,

But the question I want to ask is;

If we are not filled with the Holy Ghost and God's Word,

Then what exactly are we filled with?

Most of us are filled with worldly desires and worldly passions,

Trying to keep up with worldly trends and obtain worldly treasure,

Yet our spirit continues to thirst for the presence of God,

And hungers for God's daily bread - which never goes stale because God's Word lasts for ever.


Another question I would like to ask is; 

Why do we put so little trust in God,

And why do we prefer to lean on our own understanding?

Is it because we got trust issues?

Or we're just to afraid to stand under God's principles 

Therefore our common excuse is "being a full time Christian is too demanding."

I guess we would rather meet the world's demands,

Than let our spirit continuously meet Jesus,

Yet He met Mathew, Mark..... Luke, John,

And other people in the Bible thus leaving us part time Christians

to neither look hot or cold 

But rather making us, look-warm.


I've noticed that when God does not open the windows of Heaven,

Or rebuke the enemy for our sake, 

And nations don't call us blessed, we are so quick to act surprised.

We even blame God for also not pouring out a blessing that's too big for us to receive,

Yet the church's offering baskets that lead to the store house,

Have never seen or received our tithes,

And on the same note, 

Whenever it's time for offering,

We casually ignore our spirit, and casually turn a blind eye,

Which is why we remain blind thieves,

Who continuously rob God,


We will easily get deceived and gratify the desires of the flesh,

The same way some of our sisters flock to blessers, in search of blessings,

Yet the ultimate blesser - Who is God - has  already blessed them,

And waits for them to return home like prodigal daughters

Whom once they return home will still get blessed.

We will easily get deceived and gratify the desires of the flesh,

The same way some of our (unmarried) brothers flock to different women

With the only motive to have sex,

Yet God made sex for the husband and wife,

So marriage (Monogamy) - another blessing from God - is supposed to come first.


And we do not have the Spirit of fear

Which is supposed to help us walk in the spirit and in faith

Until our own body can no longer catch its own breath.


However, if we choose to remain ignorant and not walk in faith,

We will be like withered trees planted far away from the rivers of water,

And God's plan for us like the man in Psalm chapter 1,

Is some thing that we may never see,

Because our roots won't be planted in God's Word,

We will lack the rain that pours from the flood gates of Heaven,

And we won't receive the energy and light that shines from God's son,

So we should not be surprised when we don't bear fruits that are found Galatians 5 verse 22 to 23.

(C) Thuthukani Nlovu 2017


The Break Down:


1st Stanza

a) "Turn-Up" : Phrase commonly used by the youth,  synonymous to party/ go clubbing and drinking.

b) Perishing due to lack of knowledge : Job 36v12, Proverbs 5v23, Proverbs 10v21, Hosea 4v6 (Bible Gateway)


2nd Stanza

a) "Filled with the Holy Ghost" : Acts 6v3, Ephesian 5v18, Acts 11v24, Acts 9v17, Acts 2v4 ... (Knowing Jesus)

b) Filled with God's Word : Ephesians 3v14-19

c) "Worldly Treasure" :  Matthew 6v19-21, Luke 12v21, James 5v3

d) Thirst and Hunger : Matthew 5v6, John 6v33-35, John 4v13-14, Revelation 21v6

e) "God's Word lasts for ever" : Isaiah 40v8, Psalm 119v89, Matthew 24v35


3rd Stanza

a) Trust in God... lean not on your own understanding : Proverbs 3v5-6, Psalm 9v10, Psalm 20v7, Psalm 56v3

b) "being a full time Christian is too demanding" - Christianity can become an outfit that people only wear on Sundays

c) "meet the world's demands" : Romans 12v2

d) "Luke-Warm" : Revelation 3v16


4th Stanza

Malachi 3v8-12

(8) Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say,‘In what way have we robbed You?’:In tithes and offerings. (9) You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts,“If I will not open for you the windows/floodgates of heaven and pour out for you such blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it. (11) “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake,So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”Says the Lord of hosts; (12) “And all nations will call you blessed,For you will be a delightful land,”Says the Lord of hosts.


5th Stanza

a) Walking in the Spirit and gratifying the desires of the flesh : Galatians 5v16

b) Blesser : is a slang term for a rich man who offers support (typically financial and material) to a younger female companion in exchange for sex, friendship, etc. (Urban Dictionary) . God as the ultimate blesser - someone who blesses men and women (Philippians 4v19, Psalm 1v1-3, 2 Corinthians 9v8, Exodus 23v25, Proverbs 16v20 ; Numbers 6v24-26, James 1v12, Ephesians 1v3, Deuteronomy 7v13,  Malachi 3v10, Corinthians 9v8-9) in exchange for our obedience to His Word and Holy Spirit.

c) "Sex and marriage" : 1 Corinthians 7v2, Hebrews 13v4, Acts 15v19-20, Galatians 5v19-21, Thessalonians 4v3-5, 1 Corinthians 7v8-9, 1 Corinthians 6v18-20 (CCDiscover)


6th Stanza

a) "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." : Romans 8v6

b) "Spirit of fear..." : 2 Timothy 1v7

c) "Walk in the Spirit" : Galatians 5v16

d) "Walk in faith" : 2 Corinthians 5v7


7th Stanza

a) "Trees planted" : Psalm 1v3, Jeremiah 17v8

b) "Roots planted" : Colossians 2v7-9

c) "Energy and Light" : John 1v5, John 8v12, Psalm 27v1, Philippians 4v13, Isaiah 40v31, Psalm 118v4.

d) "Galatians 5 verse 22 to 23" :  "(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."


Aaaaand, that's about if fam. 7 stanzas and a whole lot of scriptures for you to indulge in. I really hope you enjoyed listening and reading the poem, as well as reading the scriptures too. Feel free to share the poem with others, and please don't forget to watch the other performances by the poets that also performed, because they were all amazing. To be honest, it would really be an injustice for you to only watch mine. Anyway, this marks the end of yet another article. I actually haven;t performed in a while, so for those in Bloemfontein, I'm hoping to perform early September (I'll definitely keep you informed, because I haven't performed for the past 2 months). Let's keep on spreading the Gospel using what ever talents we have, with everyone around us, not forgetting those who are in our sphere's of influence. #StayBlessed , #GodBless , and let's link up on Twitter @2tukani (If you're in Bloem, we can link up for coffee too).

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