THE WONDERS OF PRAISE: UNLOCK THE DOOR TO SUCCESS,ABUNDANCE, HEALING AND FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH BYTAIWO OLUKOYEDE, ESQUIRE: A REVIEW1* 1.0 INTRODUCTION:

The review of this book shall be done against the backdrop of five (5) benchmarks, most of which have, more or less, become the traditional criteria for ascertaining good or standard books, globally; namely: (i) Does the book qualify as book, at all? (ii) Is the book tendentious or is it a mere mélange of unconnected thoughts? (iii) Does the book, substantially, cover all aspects of its theme, in terms of content? (iv) Does the book, really, pass any message, especially, going by the language-style adopted? (v) Is the book well-structured? This book will, now, be assessed, based on these five (5) criteria.2.0 STRUCTURE:In terms of structure, this is a 73-page book, ordered into nine (9) well-written, deep and highly informative Chapters, which shall be specifically examined shortly and all of which prepare the book’s veritable foundation and denote the author’s introductory thoughts and admonition regarding the nature, characteristics and potency of praise in relation to the destinies and divine purposes of Christians as well as their actualisation.Each of the Chapters ends with very pungent prayer-points and the book begins with a foreword and ends with a bibliography.3.0 CONTENTS:In the introductory page of the book, the author defines “praise”, decries the self-seeking, boastful and egoistic attitude of humans and emphsises the necessity of shifting attention from self-praise to God-praise, citing Psalm 113:3, to the effect that ‘From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised’. In Chapter 1, titled ‘What is Praise?’, the author defines praise as ‘the expression of respect and gratitude and as an act of worship to God’. He also categorises praise into the following: (i) thanks; (ii) clapping of hands; (iii) shouting; (iv) use of musical instruments and dancing; (v) singing praise songs; (vi) psalms; (vii) hymns and spiritual songs; (viii) making joyful noise; (ix) lifting of hands, in surrender to God; (x) being still; and (xi) being loud.In Chapter 2, titled ‘A Study of King David as a Man of Praise’, the author discusses the personality of King David as an epitome of praise. In Chapter 3, titled ‘Praise is Power’, the author describes the extraordinary power embedded in praise and underscores that, in any case, Christians’ primary obligation is to ‘show forth the praise of the Almighty God’.Chapter 4, titled ‘God is too Faithful to Fail’, begins with bold reference to 1 Corinthians 1:9 to the effect that ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord’ as well as to the all-time classic hymn composed by William M. Runyan (1870-1957), titled: ‘Great is thy Faithfulness’. The author emphasises that praise is an adorable way of expressing commendation to God for His abiding faithfulness. In Chapter 5, titled ‘Living in Divine Presence’, the author, admirably, examines praise as ‘the rule of procedure for accessing God’, insisting that praise ‘is the qualification and the eligibility for automatically gaining access to God’s presence’, citing, in support, mant scriptures, including Psalm 100:4, thus: ‘Enter unto His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name’.In Chapter 6, titled ‘Praise Delivers Supernatural Insights’, the author explores the personality of Solomon, as another symbol of praise, just like David, his father. He argues that Solomon’s heroism in building a house of habitation for God and in offering a thousand burnt offering unto God, as unique acts of praise and worship, which earned him a blank cheque from God (2 Chronicles 1:7).In Chapter 7, titled ‘Praise as a Weapon of Intervention’, the author describes praise as a ‘weapon of intervention’, citing Paul and Silas’ model of praise, which culminated unto God, personally, descending from His throne, to deliver the duo from captivity.In Chapter 8, titled ‘Living a Life of Praise’, the author emphasises the need for Christians to imbibe praise as a way of life because in it, Christians express confidence in the goodness and greatness of God and attract joy and by extension, strength unto themselves.In Chapter 9, titled ‘Harnessing the Fruits of Praise, the author submits that praise, certainly, bears fruits, which are spiritual in nature, the chief of which he lists as including being a means of making the earth continually yield her increase to one.4.0 DOES THE BOOK QUALIFY AS STANDARD BOOK?The question whether the book qualifies as standard book will require examination of the following: (i) definition of a standard book; and (ii) reputation of the publishers of the book. 4.1 Definition of a BookRegarding definition of a standard book, in the Criteria for Appointments and Promotion of Academic Staff in virtually all Nigerian Universities (including Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria and Babcock University, Nigeria, both of which are my Universities of affiliation), a book is defined as ‘a publication of more than 80 pages on 12 points [front-size] or 100 pages on 14 points [font-size] in Times New Roman [font-type], single line-spaced, cover excluded’.In the said Criteria, it is stipulated that a book ‘must have an ISBN’, ISBN, here, being an acronym for International Standard Book Number, which lexicographers define as ‘a unique 13-character identification number used to identify monographic publications’ and is allotted by the International ISBN Allotment Agency based in the United Kingdom, acting through each relevant national ISBN Allotment Agency. Instructively, in Nigeria, such relevant national ISBN Allotment Agency is the Nigerian National Library.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) even defines a books less, stringently, as a ‘published work of literature or scholarship’, which is a ‘non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages [whether 12 or 14 points front-size, whether in Times New Roman font-type or not and whether single line-spaced or not], cover excluded’. 4.2 Reputation of PublishersAlthough not a yardstick for measuring a standard book per se, nevertheless, the reputation of the publishers of a book, sure, has tremendous impact on the value of the book.4.3 Verdict on Whether the Book Qualifies as a Standard Book, Whether it is Tendentious, Whether it Substantially Covers Aspects of its Theme, Whether it Passes its Message Through the Language Style Adopted and Whether it is Well-structuredThe book, eminently, meets the first parameter for determining a standard book, being a 73-page book, with ISBN 978-978-996-488-8, issued by the Nigerian National Library, as the relevant national ISBN Allotment Agency in Nigeria, and having been published by a reputable publisher - Spanners Publishing Limited, Lagos, Nigeria. It is, however, hoped that the second and subsequent editions of the book will contain a preface (general introduction to the book, which indicates its subject, scope, aims, et cetera) and a general index (roadmap of key subjects and words used in the book, which points to where those subjects and words appear in the book), both of which should enhance the standard and value of the book. The book is also tendentious, in the sense that its focus is quite unequivocal, deep and pervasive and from its beginning to its end, it never deviates from this clear focus. Furthermore, it is unexpected that any book, at all, will, in its coverage, exhaust all aspects of its theme, which is praise. In order for the book to be of standard, therefore, it suffices if it, substantially, covers aspects of its theme and this book, remarkably, achieves this.Certainly, too, the book, really, passes its message through the language-style adopted because it is written in very simple, fluid, alluring and easily understandable language-style that compels the reader to read it from the front cover to the back cover. Also, the book is well-structured and indeed, one of its strengths is its near-perfect structure. It is, consciously, made to be symmetric and within this context, one Chapter, naturally, flows into another, from the beginning to the end; thus, making the book, a well-integrated bunch of complimentary units and on the whole, an adorable beauty to behold.5.0 CONCLUSIONThe author has produced a book, which, on its face-value, appears to be limited in scope to only one (1) out of the various fundamental subjects in Christianity; namely, faith, especially, as chief-cornerstone of Christianity. In reality, however, the book is so deep, pervasive and wide in amplitude and coverage that it encompasses, virtually, every aspect of Christianity, every other aspect of Christianity being hinged on the all-important subject of faith.Undoubtedly, the book, which shall be presented to the public, shortly, eloquently, meets the five (5) criteria for determining whether the book is of high standard or not earlier identified. Indeed, the book is a profound treasure and an inestimable addition to foremost Christian literature; and for this reason, the book is warmly commended to all children of God and indeed, everyone.Permit me, therefore, to warmly congratulate Pastor Taiwo Olukoyede, for the highly laudable scholarship and industry deployed into producing this high-calibre book despite his very demanding schedule. However, that the author has succeeded in producing this top-notch book is not entirely surprising, as, since 1991, when he joined forces with some other brilliant and enterprising youngsters, to produce an authoritative book, titled: Contemporary Issues in Nigerian Law (Essays in Honour of Prince Bola Ajibola, SAN), he has metamorphosed into a formidable and accomplished author. He has, also, produced two follow-up classics, titled: F.R.A. Williams Through the Cases (2000) and Landmark Cases in Nigerian Law (Melange in Honour of Hon. Justice M.L. Uwais, GCON) (2006), respectively.

Professor Olusesan Oliyide,

Faculty of Law,

Olabisi Onabanjo University,

Ogun State,

Nigeria.

25 September 2021