Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but, against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
PAUL encouraged the Christians not to take their community for granted because they involved in a war, which will need appropriate armour. The nature of the war we are fighting around us today includes: Sinful acts, attack of the devil from the pit of hell, sickness and diseases, poverty is part of this war, bad governance and wicked rulers. Christians are not exempted from these activities around us. Bad governance and oppressive leaders are afflicting the masses today through self- centered programmes. The heat of this bad governance is so much that criminality is of high status. Christians must fight bad governance at the poll and on their knees. I Thessalonians 5:22 says “From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves”x
Again, the sinful activities are rampant and must be fought through the weapon of the gospel. The gospel of peace and prayer can defeat the power of sin. If sinful act is reduced, wickedness shall reduce and later eliminated. There are forces behind cultism, alcoholism, prostitution and fraudulent acts. But the power of the penetrating power of the gospel will break the power of sin. Satan has a highly organised kingdom. In that kingdom, there are various areas and levels of authority. The demons controlling sinful activities are in operation, such that a father impregnated his daughter, homosexuality and ministers of the gospel engage in ritual killings, among others. May God grant us the grace to fight this war successfully in Jesus name! Christians are the light of the world. We must arise to shine in the dark community and bring the gospel of light. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Finally, the invasion of the forces from the neighbouring country is a major activity of the day. Many of our brothers and sisters in the Lord have lost their loved ones. The demons in charge of the sectional war are in operation. The Israelites fought the only known enemy, the Philistines, in many occasions in the Scripture. In I Samuel 17, David made use of his weapon to fight the only giant terrorising Israelites. We must arise to be equipping with the weapon of prayer as a State and at National level to fight this battle. The book of Proverbs 18:10 emphasises that “The name of the Lord is a great strength, and the righteous running to it are exalted” (CEV). The mightiness of God in the life of believers cannot be intimidated. Let us stand up in our faith to fight the common enemies of our nation. Christians do not yet repose…
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ojo, Christ the Rock Baptist Church, Mende, Maryland, Lagos (The Glorious Church)
WhatsApp: 2348034538413
Email: emmanuelakanji@ymail.com