Читать книгу The Indubitable Battle: Christian Lifestyle - Chinyere Echefu - Страница 6

CHAPTER ONE

Call for Prayer

A Weapon The Devil Cannot Withstand

When my entire world was crumbling upon me, my immediate response was to blame God and those around me. I asked God so many questions without waiting for His response. I cried out questions like, ‘God where are you? Are you really God, the Omniscience, Omnipotent and Omnipresence? God, what did I do to you that you couldn’t forgive me? Did the Bible not say that you forgive sins, so why is my sin catching up with me after I have forsaken it? One day in our bible study, we talked about sin and punishment. The conclusion was that when you sin and repent, God will forgive you, but it does not mean that you will not suffer the consequence of the sin you committed. I concluded that my life was falling apart because of the sins I committed in the past. I was angry with myself, but I asked God to reduce my punishment and have mercy on me. In another meeting with some sisters, I made a prayer request concerning my pressing need. Before they could pray for me, a sister asked me whether I consulted God before I did what put me into jeopardy. I wondered about the question because she herself did exactly what I did, which was not a sin, but she seemed to be prospering in it. I did not think it was important to answer such questions. We prayed and left. Later on I started thinking about it.

Did I actually pray before I embarked on this journey? I did not pray particularly about it, but when the opportunity came, I embraced it as a miracle. I thought it was a way God wanted to help me from the problem I was experiencing. I still believe it was God’s intervention. I realized that there was commotion everywhere I went and in everything I did. I stopped from going to places or fellowshipping with certain people. It continued until I became isolated and reproach set in upon me. However, in all of this, I did not lose my faith and hope. My love for fellow brethren dwindled to selective love because I presumed that some were my problems. My love for God nevertheless became obsession. I clung to Him. I started studying and desired to be a good Christian, but I could not reach that standard of my perception of a good Christian. I started praying for God to help me to attain His standard.

From our human observation, a Christian turns other cheek when punched on one cheek. He professes his faith without fear of rejection or death. A Christian is ready to die for what he believes. He is poor in spirit hence he is not conceited. He mourns with those who mourn and he is meek where no one is meek. A Christian hungers and thirsts for righteousness. He is merciful and pure in spirit. He craves for peace and restores peace to others. Though constantly persecuted for doing the right thing, he never gives up. A Christian may suffer revile and libels because of his believe in Jesus the Christ. In all, he is hopeful to be a partaker in the kingdom of heaven. He is comfortable because he will inherit the earth. His natural and spiritual foods are by the mercy and grace of God. His spirit is pure and he sees God always, as the child of God. He is happy with the success of others and he is exceedingly glad because he knows heaven is his reward. (Matt 5:3-12). These are all part of the abstract understanding of what Christianity is about but in practicality, it is very difficult to find such a Christian who exhibits the above virtues or beatitude as Jesus prescribed for His followers. Christianity is more than what you wish it to be if you abide longer with the Lord of all things. I realized that many of us become Christians expecting to leave the challenges of life behind and start living in the earthly heaven, where there are no trouble and people who can challenge us. As I started, studying and praying more the Lord started revealing Himself to me. He sends me to go out and make peace with everyone. In the process, I realized that no one was having any problem with me. I was the problem. I was expecting too much from everyone and I paid no attention to what God wanted me to do. I thank God who rescued me. It was this and other experiences I had as a believer that led me to start this book. This is to help the church to maintain acceptable relationship with God and with one another through committing to prayer.

I realized that the church had built a high spiritual standard for the followers to attain, while at the same time, she is not helping them to attain it. Many people get frustrated and leave, while others hang around without salvation. I met Agnes in 2004. We worked together and often worked in the same shift. She watched me every night as I start my work with a short prayer. During lunch, I took time to read the scripture and prayed. I did not bother her to pray or join me to study the bible because it is against the work policy to preach to a co-worker without his or her consent. One day she asked me to help her to help a dying patient. As we worked, I asked her whether or not she believe in the power of God to heal. She told me she believed. I asked her to pray with me for the dying woman and she agreed. We held our hands and prayed for the woman before the paramedics took her away to the hospital. From that day, we started praying together and started opening up a little to each other. When I asked her to join fellowship with me in my local church, she vehemently refused with such veracity. “Cea, I know it will come to this. I do not want to be a Christian. I have tried it before and it was not easy for me, please leave me out of it. I am a Catholic and I am okay the way I am.” I was shocked. I did not know that Catholics are not Christians. I was a Catholic and I never thought of myself as a non-Christian. I apologized and excused myself.

The following night, she apologized for the way she responded to me. She lived with her ex-husband for ten years with three children. He divorced her. She did not know what to do but a very good Christian woman spoke to her about the love of God and putting her trust in God. This made her to give her life to Jesus Christ. She said that the woman told her that once she gave her life to Jesus, her problems would be over. Unfortunately, when Agnes finally gave her life to Jesus Christ, her problems became worst. Before she became a Christian, she had a boyfriend who supported her financially. More importantly, he helped her to pick her children from school while she busied herself working two jobs to make ends meet. When she heard the word of God, she told her boyfriend that she would like to be his friend without intimacy. Her boyfriend did not agree to her conditions and they separated. She managed to work but was not able to keep the two jobs and still take care of her children. She was not making enough money to hire someone to take care of her children. Even when she sees someone to bring them home, they were too young to be on their own when she goes to work. Her friend advised her to ask help from the church. The church was not able to help her because there was no baby sitting program in the church. Her problem was so confounded that she started doubting her convictions to become a Christian. With nowhere to get help, she fell back into the waiting hands of her ex-boyfriend. He was ready and willing to help her with the children and take care of her bills as before. She continued to attend the church services, but when some of the sisters noticed that she had gone back to her boyfriend, they chastised her. They started telling her why she must not be with the boyfriend. Some encouraged her to bring him to the church. She tried to take him to church one or two times but he did not like it. He was a Catholic and could not agree with the service procedure. When the disagreement was too much for her, she decided to follow him to the Catholic Church. She said that nobody disturbed her in that place. From that period, she had been doing well with her children and job. I guess those mattered most to her at that time. She asked me whether God would prefer her children to suffer. She concluded that when she was a Christian her entire world fell apart. God did not help her through the church and only one person was willing to help her. She does not want anyone to preach to her about living holy because she does not want to live holy at the expense of her children. She told me to never try to convince her to become a Christian again. She left me with nothing to say to her. I sympathized with her, and said after her ‘God loves you no matter what.’

I did not ask her to leave her boyfriend. I continue to share the word of God with her until she started asking questions that ministered conviction. We prayed more asking for God’s help. One day, she told me that she started praying with her boyfriend and her children. I was happy for her. Agnes is a Christian because she gave her life to Christ. The problems in her life do not suggest that she lost her Christianity or salvation. Responding to her physical needs never mean that God would forsake her. One thing that was lacking is a real relationship with God. The moment she started praying, she started committing herself to it and she developed a relationship with God. In effect, the relationship passed on to her entire family. The church has to encourage members to commit to prayer it helps.

New believers need to hear that Christians do have difficulties as they walk the path to heaven. The whole problems I had, as a struggling Christian was an attack from the devil. He did not want me to be a real Christian. He wanted me to be a counterfeit Christian, which regrettably many are today. The planting of many scrupulous as well as gossip brethren helped me to trust God day by day. Satan meant to use them to discourage me but God is with me; and what the devil meant for evil turned out to be good. Through it, I learned to have a true relationship with God. The problem is that we are living out our natural selves more than we live in the spirit. The enemy of salvation uses every weapon available to him to shoot at believers. To give your life to Jesus is to enroll in the spiritual warfare. It is like deploying one into the battlefield where there is never a cease-fire. Most of the time, we miss it by making a temporary bargain with the enemy, whose bargain is to keep us away from our own side of the battlefield. For the cease-fire to take effect, you have to sign the contract to remain in the middle. That is the worst place for a soldier to stay, because once the firing begins; he would die in crossfire. Jesus taught us about the blessings that await those who follow the rules and remain on the trail, even when it is rocking their lives. They are Christ-like because they never quit, they have purpose, they have mission to accomplish and they are wise.

We know that it is not very easy for one to live a pure Christian life. Many chose to live their lives 50% as Christians and the other 50% as compromisers to the worldly dictates. The truth is, it is not easy to live half-and-half, and it is uncertainty, unstable and torturous. The best is to live a 100% Christian life and receive the rewards. Consequently, one can live a 100% the worldly life and damn the consequences. Many of us want to receive heavenly reward, yet we compromise the challenges of life. We wish and hope all these challenges would go away so we can live and enjoy our salvation in Jesus Christ. The truth is that these obstacles, trials and temptations will not go away. They are stages to help us grow and mature into strong and better warriors. Our lord Jesus Christ suffered challenges as human, yet the Bible recorded that He did not sin. He remained faithful. Those who walked physically with Jesus experienced the heat and the scourge of the journey too. Those who walked after his temporary departure; it was not easy for them either. It is not easy and we do not expect it to be easier for the modern Christians. Many of us today expect the Christian journey to be lighter than and more comforting than in the past. It is not going to be. From the beginning of this Kingdom journey, the King of kings, Jesus Christ told us that it will not be easy in these blessings recorded by the Gospel writer:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me.”

Matt 5:10-11 (GW)

The above quote reveals that if you do what God approves, the enemy will persecute you, but God will bless you. He also tells you that people will sin against you by what they say, insult, libel, lie. They will say all kinds of evil things against you. They will say these things because you are a Christian. In other words, if you become a Christian, you must be prepared to receive insult and other kinds of persecution. Once you realize this as a Christian, you will know how to run your race with fewer casualties. Self-pity sets in during times of trials. Self-pity belittles you and makes you an inferior person. It brings retractions, withdrawals, isolation and depression. It builds up anger, frustrations, unhealthy expectations to be treated better, which is, most of the time, meet with rejections and disappointment. This is the end of the immature or foolish believer. A wise believer who understands the word of God will silence self-pity with Jesus’ statements above and below.

“I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves. Watch out for people who will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. Because of me you will even be brought in front of governors and kings to testify to them and to everyone in the world.”

Matt 10:16-18 (GW)

Jesus tells us our position, character and judgment. You may struggle to be righteous in all things because you want the world to accept you as a good person. You may want to exemplify yourself as a good Christian in the midst of sinners. Although you do not like the binding laws on you, so you obey them rigorously. You cannot tell someone you love and respect about his or her sinful life because you do not want to offend him. This is not being very wise because no matter how self-righteous you tend to be, God knows who you are. As His child and Jesus’ follower, He is sending you out to meet the world and give the testimony of your faith. Many do not understand this, but it is very important that every believer knows that we are to share our testimonies. This is who we are. You are a sheep. A sheep is humble. A sheep does not walk very far from its owner. A sheep hears the voice of the owner/keeper. A sheep cannot and does not harm anyone though others harm it. It is a sacrifice to serve others. A sheep stays where his pasture is. A sheep, which wanders away, exposes itself to the wild beasts. As sheep, we must endeavor to be where our master tells us to be. We must not allow any condition to cut us off from the vine since we are also his branches. The trials are huge and may come from the least expected places and persons but with the Lord, you will triumph.

“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father the child: and children will rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye will be hated by all for my name’s sake: but he who endures to the end will be saved.”

Matt 10: 21-22 (NKJV)

“It is enough for a disciple that he be like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household?”

Matt 10:25; John15: 20 (KJV)

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Matt 10: 26 (KJV)

If Jesus our Lord was tempted and challenged for doing what is right, who are we to expect the world to treat us better? Satan controls the affairs of the entire world. He made his temple in the hearts of many. Many who are after the things of this world for mere gratification, are suffering deception. He makes many not to believe in God because of the counter products he offers them. Satan is the cause of all the problems we go through today.

My heart breaks to see how the young generation of Christians cannot distinguish what is godly and acceptable to God from what is abomination in the eyes of God. They are after things that make them feel good, and accepted by their peers. The Devil is a counterfeit manufacturer. He cannot make or initiate anything truly good or pleasant. He knows how to imitate the perfect creation of God. Satan makes copies of everything, packaging it as though it were original. I have come to know that there is a great difference between the original and the fake. The original and the fake at a first glance look the same. A closer look reveals the differences even from the packaging, colors and the handwritings on the cover pages. Sometimes the packages can pass the test because the deceiver is perfect in his craftiness. He knows that the critical minded person would read the fine prints, comparing the print size, color and even detecting the machine that printed and manufactured the product. The devil makes sure that the cover, which is the attractor and inducer, appears flawless. It is very difficult to discover his counterfeit when viewing it with the human eyes. There are some, who know how to detect the counterfeit productions. Only a few have personal relationship with the original manufacturer. They have an intimate relationship with the one and only manufacturer. They are his wife, children, friends, brothers, and workers. They are committed and loyal to him. They are in his presence day and night. They see and know how to do the work, how the mixing, molding, filling and usage go. It is easy for them to detect a fake product because they know the original product. The devil knows them; he digs pits and set nets to catch them because he does not want them in the position they are occupying. They fight the devil back with every weapon their master gives them. They defend themselves so that they will continue to enjoy the presence of their master whom they owe allegiance.

It is also important to note that their master is a perfect designer. He is the maker of all things. He says and does whatever He says he will do. He blesses whomever He wills and curses whomever He wills. He treats them how they individually want to be treated, that is how He is (Psalm 18:24-27). Sometimes He seems very hard to please though He is not a taskmaster. Nothing corrupt can stand in His presence. He hates sin and cannot tolerate sin of disobedience and unbelief. He gives His people rules and regulations that would lead them through right judgment. He is loving and patient. He is always forgiving and his mercy last forever. He gives his people rules that would lead them back to Him in repentance. He is very jealous because He does not rejoice in double standard. He cannot share His glory with anyone. This is why many who do not know Him lodge complaints against Him. They despise Him even though they do not know Him. In rebellion, they fall into the open hands of the devil. The devil provides them with the counterfeit relieve, temporary love, short-lived joy and fake happiness. They never rest because the devil never rests and cannot give rest. No one in his court, can be restful, he lacks real rest. The devil uses them to flourish in his industry to produce fake productions that would eventually lead to death. The devil is a user and a dumper; his agenda is a hidden agenda!

The devil has learned to turn the things created by God into weapons of destruction. His aim is to cause man to displease God. Our God is the manufacturer that the devil tends to imitate and compete. Satan is working his way to take full dominion of the entire world. He uses power, politics and democracy money, sex, drugs and alcohol as his powerful micro agents. It is not that he has the power to take over, but God has fashioned it this way. God will use him to fulfill His desire to save His children, Israel first then those that love Israel and believe in Jesus Christ, son of David of the tribe of Judah. Christians are the archenemies of Satan and he does not want them at all. How then will the Christian survive Satan and his attacks? Through prayer, we will survive Satan’s attack. God has given us the power to resist him. Prayer is the most punitive and offensive weapon Satan cannot withstand when aimed well and shot in the name of Jesus.

Prayer is the life style of a Christian

You can believe in God and accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you will not start experiencing the grace of God in fullness until you start praying. You will not start living a lifestyle befitting of a Christian until you start living a life of prayer. In other words, prayer life and Christianity equals a lifestyle. A Christian’s lifestyle is comprised of an intimate relationship with God. You may remember to pray because the church requires Christians to pray. Prayer will not be meaningful to you and those around you until you make it your lifestyle. Praying makes your life to attract worthiness and your purpose becomes more attainable. You feel like you are missing something when you skip prayer. Then you start thirsting and hungering for prayer. When you start praying wherever you are, whatever you are doing and about every little needs, you start enjoying the love of God. When you start interceding for every little happenings, then you are in for something glorious. This is a lifestyle and it is real Christianity. If prayer is not your lifestyle, the devil will start playing his dangerous tricks on you. His sole intention is to make you abandon your belief and faith in Jesus Christ. You may start mixing and compromising your faith. This will absolutely amount to unbelief. Even though you have come to obey the Lord by learning the scripture and committing it to heart, you may not be able to integrate, appropriate or apply the word to your life for full benefit without praying the word.

Once the devil determines to attack you, he will even use the word of God to manipulate you. This is the more reason you should study and pray the word into your life. You may obey and keep the Ten Commandments ritually and religiously, but your whole life would be embittered trying to live right. Once you fail on one you will understand the works of Satan. You may claim to be an apostle, prophet, pastor, and evangelist; anointed and blessed only for a moment if you are not prayerful. You may put on truth, righteousness, word of the spirit, and preach the gospel but without prayer, your effort is fruitless. You will be a struggling and stressful Christian. Prayer is the beginning of Christianity. It is the sustaining of faith and the only common and universal heavenly language (Praise and worship) that the winners would speak (Rev19: 6). A Christian who does not pray does not enjoy his salvation, while a Christian who prays is the right hand of God. There is no end to prayer and there is no particular place for prayer in other words prayer is unlimited and unrestricted.

If prayer were not of primary importance in the life of a Christian, Jesus our lord would not have mentioned it. He would not have prayed or encouraged us to pray. Prayer is a necessary step for every Christian especially the new believers. Satan is targeting the new believers. Before they accepted Christ, they were with the devil serving him daily whether they knew it or not. The devil does not labor over the unbelievers because they are in the same judgment with him. Once anyone of them breaks away and runs into the safety of our Lord Jesus, they violate the devil. Like Nebuchadnezzar, he would come at once with his armies to kill and to destroy and take captive (Jeremiah 52:1-ff). Jeremiah 52:3 states that King Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon, and in verse 4, the calamity fell down on Hezekiah and his kingdom. As you read, you will see the wickedness of unbelief, position and power as was manifested through Nebuchadnezzar and his quartermaster/ the captain of his army Nebuzaradan. He was cruel. This is how the devil acts when anyone gives his life to Christ. Satan sees it as a rebellion against his kingdom. He would fight violently to get that person back into his kingdom of sin (Babylon or Egypt). In the attempt, he may kill the person physically and spiritually. This is the reason believers who preach to unbelievers should tell them that to be a Christian is to live in a war zone. Explain to them what it really means, that when they give their life to Christ all their problems would end. In the real sense of it, the battle intensifies. The way to win is the way of the cross through prayer. No one is safe from Satan’s attacks he even attacked our Savior. When Jesus was in His village serving His people as a carpenter, Satan was very happy thinking that He had a hold of Him. It took Jesus thirty years to come out to declare His mission. The devil would have wondered: “What took him this long to come out?” It took Satan by surprise, I would say. One would imagine that he would leave Him alone, knowing who He is, but the devil is not omniscient. He does not know all things. If he knew that Jesus was set to defeat him completely, he would not have tempted him yet he did.

The scripture noted that immediately Jesus came out of the water after His baptism, the spirit took Him into the wilderness to tempt Him by the devil (Matt 4: 1; Mark1: 12, 13; Luke 4: 1, 2). Jesus did not fall for him because He knows the word and the power of prayer as He commanded him to obey and worship God (Matt 4: 4, 7,10; Luke4: 4, 8, and 12.) The devil will always tempt the believer because he wants him to fall. Trusting the word and prayer the Lord will succor you (Heb2: 18, 4: 15, 16). Trusting and believing, persevering and being bold in the spirit you will bruise his head (Gen3: 15). Once you learn to pray as a beginner, it will become a less cumbersome activity. It will become part of you and your world and become entwined in your life. This is what Brother Paul was saying to the Ephesians when he says:

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, do not be unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore be ye not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Eph 5: 15-20 (NKJV)

We must do everything; wrap up everything, with prayer. We must do it ceaselessly in season and out of season and every moment of our lives. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah!

Jesus our mentor

Jesus led a lifestyle of prayer. He did not do anything without first praying about it. Throughout His story, the writers pointed out His commitment to prayer. He is the one we should emulate. He has taught us to pray. He taught us the importance of prayer in our heavenly journey. He used His pattern to show us how to reach out to God at all times.

He started praying with fasting (Matt 4: 1, Luke4: 1). He defeated the devil while in the wilderness. When he came out, His ministry began. He took forty days and forty nights to seek God concerning his ministry on earth. He is God yet He walked like the natural man. He did not just come out of the Jordan and went into his full ministry. The Holy Spirit took Him rather and set Him apart. During this time, He sought God through prayer as He studied the word of God. God gave him a clear picture of his ministry during this period. He understood the purpose of his calling. He knew the danger that is associated with his ministry. He knew exactly where and how to launch His ministry. He planned his ministry prayerfully. His ministry started like sowing a little seed of the mustard. It sprouted and continued to grow. It actually started production after His departure. He got all these revelation (talking about him as a human) through and during His communication with God in prayer. This account is to teach us how to walk with and work for God. He used His life of prayer to teach His disciple and us to commit to prayer. The scripture tells us that He always finds time to pray before and after His daily meetings/services and evangelism.

He prayed all night:

“He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Luke 6: 12 (KJV)

Jesus kept vigil. If He did, we should do the same. He invited his disciples to keep vigil with Him (Matt26: 36-50; Mark14: 32-46; Luke 22:39-49). He prayed until His death and he is still interceding for us. His disciples did not understand the importance of prayer at the time because they slept when they should be praying. We do the same thing today. We sleep over every problem with heavy heart without prayer. We take much time to talk about our problems to one another than to pray. We bend over backwards trying to solve our problems only to realize too late that we cannot help ourselves. Instead of praying first, we pray last, when desperation sets in. Jesus does not want us to sleep too much. He wants us to keep watch and pray even at night, when naturally we should be sleeping. He knew that the enemy is a thief and can strike at any time, especially at night when no one is awake.

He taught his disciples to pray:

“He was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

(Luke 11: 1 (KJV))

When they noticed He had a commitment to prayer, they desired to pray like Him. They did not know exactly how to pray like Him. Wisdom moved them to ask Him to teach them. This points out the importance of prayer in the kingdom. We must develop the desire to do what Christ did and does. We must not be ashamed of asking help from God. He will teach us how to pray. He will open our natural and spiritual eyes to see and learn to pray His prayers. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

He prayed early in the morning:

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

(Mark 1: 35 (KJV))

If Jesus can wake up this early to pray for what He already knew, I believe He did it to teach His disciples intimacy and commitment to God through prayer. He wants us to start our day right by starting with God. It is a fulfilling day when you start with the Lord!

He prayed to begin his day and prayed after every accomplishment: “And when he had sent them away, he departed into a Mountain to pray.”

(Mark 6: 46 (KJV))

“And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”

(Matt 14: 23 (KJV))

He teaches us how to top-up, refill and recharge after expending all our spiritual energy during the day. We have to recharge. This evening prayer is to thank God for his mercy, provision, guidance and protection during the day. It is also a time to reflect on all that you did in the day and confessing your sins and forgiving others. You do not want to go to bed heavily burdened with wrongs. I would not like to wake up in the morning with sin-hangover. It is time to seek God’s face for further directions and guidance for the next day. In every day life, it is important to be proactive instead of reactive.

Jesus defied all odds, secretly praying to God. He was teaching His disciples the discipline of praying to God. His disciples watched Him closely and desired to pray like Him. They learnt to pray and prayed devotedly afterwards. They would not let petty matters distract their prayer life (Acts6: 4). The believers prayed about everything as though prayer is the life-wire of their faith. They continued in their master’s footsteps. They handed the doctrine to us and we must follow suit. We must not let anything stop us from carrying on the doctrine. Every other doctrine sustains and sprouts by the doctrine of prayer. Hallelujah! When I read the epistle of James, I realized that the whole letter was about prayer. He encouraged the believers to pray instead of defiling one another by what they think and say. He tells us how to pray and get answers, just as Jesus told His disciples at the Sermon on the Mount. I concluded that it runs in their family! They might have inherited it from Mary their mother. Only the woman who seeks the Lord could hear the Lord speak to her through an angel, and she believed the word. The word became flesh and she delivered Him unto us. My prayer is that all ministers, men and woman and every believer will pause to ask this question, ‘Who is my role model/mentor in my faith?’ In the past we have taken Paul for his turn-around and zeal, Peter for his promptness and recuperation, Luke for his articulation and education, these are all good. Many of us have made those who ministered to us as role models and over the years, such models had remodeled themselves and we continue to change with them or dump them and eventually dump our faith. I recommend that we make Jesus our role model in all things, because He is solid, faithful and His words give life. Follow Jesus’ prayer pattern and you will be singing Hallelujah.

The urgency of prayer in our world

Who will say he is not feeling the scourge of the end-time in the atmosphere? Everyone is feeling the ruffling of the end time season. Only those who do not understand or who do not believe in God can say everything is okay. I will say ‘there is fire on the mountain and it is a big, big fire.’ The best way we can run is to immerse ourselves into the blood of Jesus Christ, lifting up our eyes in prayer and worship to our maker. Effective prayer made in faith avails much James says. (James5: 16). There is a call for worldwide prayer movement. The saints are to pray as they have never prayed before. The prayer of the saints is like sweet smelling incense to God during the time preceding the end time (Rev 5: 8, 8: 3, 4). Prayer is required for the total conversion of the world. The heart of man will melt to repentance and salvation. There are so many Christian massacres going on in this our world. There is injustice, domination, control, money, authority, power, pseudo-democracy and the perversion of sex. They block many from rising and torture many. They imprison many unjustly around the world. Through trade and commerce, new technology, media explosions and new discovering the affluent nations invade and crumple the hope of the poor nations. It is even very surprising to see those who promoted Christianity all over the world receding into idolatry. The devil is gaining ground, more than we think, though not by his power, but by the permission of the Lord (Rev.13: 7). We need to pray instead of fighting physical wars. We cannot fight against the devil because he has the power to overcome the world, including the saints (Dan 7: 21, 25; 8:24, 25; Rev13: 7).

How can everyone be involved in this movement if many do not know how to pray? The majorities who pray do not pray the right way. This book will address these questions so that as we step out, like soldiers to fight we will be fully and well equipped for this indubitable battle. Many do not want to pray because they believe that they are not worthy enough to pray. Others believe that there are special people who have the gift to pray. These reasoning are nonsense. We are to pray, I mean everyone! The problem is we are too busy chasing after things that are supposed to chase after us when we seek God in prayer. Everyone is suffering from satanic distractions. Believers want to pray but they believe they do not have the right word to pray. They forget that God will give the right utterance. When we earnestly and honestly seek God, He will put the right word on our tongues. God is not looking for someone eloquent in prayer otherwise; He would not have chosen Moses to be a great leader and intercessor. He is looking for those who are willing so He will guide them. We have to stop worrying about how we perform and get into the business of praying to God. We start lifting up our world to God, for mercy, and conversion. The world had been marked for suffering from the viral-domination-disease. Nations want to control nations, religions want to dominate other religions, men want to control women and women want to be men. Ironically, today’s men want to be women. The systems of the whole world are sick.

Domination and compromise are playing politics in the heart and mind of the so-called ‘Christians.’ The Christian leaders suffer oppositions so much that they bury their faith to maintain their position, power and fame. It is sickening; they enact laws and support laws that mock their belief. Everyone suffers from one another’s mistake and the link is viral and pandemic. It cannot stop or control without standing still with God’s armor girded right. It is the way the devil is made to war against us. There is hope if we understand how to put on God’s armor as Paul prescribed to the Ephesian believers who lived in the environment that mimics our environment today. He says:

“Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Eph6: 10-12 (NKJV)

Paul who is the writer of this letter, paused and said; ‘finally,’ the sentence structure indicates that he was saying something in the previous sentences, which led him to say finally. Finally, at any point in a sentence or speech, indicates the end of the matter and emphasizes the importance of the matter. It sounds like he was encouraging, exhorting or commanding his audience not to be despaired by what they have been listening. They should not be dismayed on what they are experiencing rather they should stay encouraged. Paul had been admonishing them on the godly relationships between children and parents, masters and their servants. He spoke appealingly to the servants to be obedient to their masters, to serve their masters with singleness of mind without eye service, and to serve them as though they were serving Jesus Christ (Eph6: 5-8). The masters were too hard on their servants or slaves during that period. Christianity brought a sort of relieve to the poor servants. They started showing of their newly found freedom through Jesus Christ. Traditionally, masters had the right to do whatever they wanted with their slaves. They could sell them, kill them for sacrifices or do whatever with them. These masters became believers and their servants became believers. The gospel of love and salvation treats both as equal before God. It was very hard for the masters to lose their rights to do whatever they wanted to do with their slaves. The slaves tended to abhor their masters. The masters were buried between balancing power and pardon. Paul faced with balancing the faith. There was disorder in the government at home. Great persecution had begun. In order to make everyone to come to term, he told the masters to respect the feelings of their servants. They were not to threaten them for any reason because God treats both the servants and masters the same. He is not the respecter of persons (Eph6: 9). This was a very heavy load on them. It was even more devastating for servants whose masters were wicked and untrustworthy. How could they serve and respect them as they would for Jesus? Previously, he spoke to them about the unity of the spirit, loving and tolerating one another. He encouraged them to turn away from evil acts and evil relationships. He told them to flee from fornication and idleness. He was not happy with their idleness, gathering but not serving the Lord to redeem the time. No wonder he taught them that the only way to achieve a high level of humility is to trust God, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He did not hide it from them, that to achieve this great quality of godliness expected of them, and it is very difficult to do if they lean on their strength. In our hearts we would like and desire to do what is right, but our human nature, which is wired to incline to the worldly nature, would want us to do the contrary (Rom 7: 19). The reason is that the enemy controls and attacks activities constantly in the spiritual realm. The adversary does not want us to do things right. He makes us to exalt ourselves over everything, persons and God. This negativity released and infused into the spirit appeals to us. It makes us to play down on whatever is godly and acceptable to God. Repeatedly our spiritual counselors and preachers would tell us, “finally”:

“Finally brethren farewell; be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

2 Cor 13: 11 (KJV)

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you are not tedious but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, and beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,”

Phil 3: 1 -3 (NKJV)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Phil 4: 8 (KJV)

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

1Peter 3: 8-9 (NKJV)

You know that it is very difficult to achieve righteousness while still living in this world. We relate with those who do not even regard God. We are called to be the humble, the compassionate, peacemakers etc. It is not easy. Paul knew that the armor of God would enable us to triumph over the devil that is the accuser and the deceiver of the world. He constantly wages wars against the children of God. He wages war against us one by one. Paul gives us the right way to achieve such a godly life required of believers without much stress. He tells us to put on the armor of God.

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Eph6: 13-18 (NKJV)

 Gird your loins with truth (Jesus is the truth hence knowing him should help us to live a truthful life full of integrity.)

 Gird your heart with righteousness (breastplate, to live a transformed and renewed life.)

 Gird your feet with the readiness to spread peace (the gospel), (Hab.3: 19; Isaiah 52: 7)

 Shield you with faith. (Believe in Jesus and His teachings, trust in God, hope in Him.)

 Protect your head with the helmet of salvation (accepting Jesus without doubts and hope for the eternal reward.)

 Put the sword for battle in your spirit (knowing the right word to apply in every situation and understanding the word of God.)

 Protect all in continuous prayer (Communicating all things to God and having intimacy with him.)

To be able to use these armors effectively, you must learn how to use them so they do not become distractions or make you clumsy in the battlefield. Remember how Saul girded David with his own armor? David looked awkward, and walked sluggishly, and could not perform. It is the same thing with you, when you put on the wrong armor, an oversized or under sized armor, or the right armor which you do not use and know not how to use. You will not be able to perform.

Saul put his own armor on David according to the scripture:

“So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor, and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these for I have not tested them. So David took them off.”

1Sam 17: 38-39 (NKJV)

Saul’s intention, obviously, was to protect David from being hurt or killed during the battle. He wore a helmet of brass to protect the head. The head is the most delicate part of the body and the enemy would intentionally seek to hit that target. He wore a coat of chainmail (metal, breastplate) to protect his whole body. With a sword in his hand, he set out to war. David noticed that the armor he wore was a distraction. He might have said to Saul “I am sorry the king, the commander in chief, and army general of the house of Israel; I respect you, but no thanks. I cannot perform in these outward decorations of armor. I have a better armor. It is inside of me. It is all about trusting God and believing that He who saved me before will save me again. I trust his word and anointing on me. I am willing to lay down my life for Israel as God prompted me to do. I will go with this little equipment that I have in my hand (string and fine stone (1Sam17: 40)). I did not train to fight with your kind of weapons. For now, I fight by faith in God Most powerful. He will defeat the Philistine.” David took off all Saul’s armor and proceeded to fight against the giant and proven warrior of the Philistine. Before he reached the line of battle, he did something extraordinary. The Israeli soldiers gripped by fear and terror day after day as Goliath challenged them missed it. David did not miss it, he prayed.

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand; and I will strike you, and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, and the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”

1Sam 17:45-47 (NKJV)

David fought and won the battle for Israel in his simplicity and trust in God. How about you? Will you be able to fight in another person’s armor or in the armor God put on you the moment you accept Jesus Christ and observe his words accordingly? There is no battle you will face that you will not win when you put your trust in God. Through prayer, employing His help and favor about everything. Those who do not trust God, their faith would be like that of Goliath who trusted in his armor, height and physical strength. His amour is shown in these words of Samuel, the man of God:

“And a champion went out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield bearer went before him.”

1Sam 17:4-7 (NKJV)

His helmet of brass could not save him when the bullet from the hand of God went through David and hit his fore head. Let us wear the right armor, the armor of God. We should not wear other people’s armor as the heathens do. They trust and put their faith on the physical amour for protection, but the armor of the Lord is spiritual, invisible, empowering, and it helps us to overcome. Alleluia! Let us not put on the faith of other’s but our own faith with conviction by living the right life. We must study to know the word and the will of God for us as we give the testimonies of the peace that is in the Lord. Let us pray about all things. This is what Brother Paul is telling us when he says:

 Be strong in the Lord.

 Be strong in the power of his might.

I remember when I was so scared because someone sold wrong information about me to the law enforcement agents. The same person called me to let me know that someone was looking for me. Although I did not know what I did wrong, the thought of facing any charge deluded me. She did not tell me what she told those who were looking for me.

Since I did not want to go to jail, I decided to run. I called a brother and when I narrated my predicament, he told me to run and run very far. I abandoned every job, everyone and even my church and hid away. As the heat was on me, I cried out for God’s mercy. I asked for a hiding place because where I was, was not covering enough. The Lord did not make even a suggestion.

One morning I cried and refused to be comforted the whole day as I asked for God’s mercy. I became weak and dosed off on the coach where I was leaning. I started dreaming. I was driving my car. I did not know that my husband’s clothes which he collected from the cleaners were on the car. As I was driving, I noticed a car following me. I made an unusual turn and he turned with me. I drove very fast and he increased his speed. I became very scared. I decided to stop at my friend’s house, to divert my pursuer. All along I did not realize that the clothes that were on top of the car had fallen out, and this driver picked them up. It happened that he was not looking for me for anything other than the clothes. Since he could not catch up with me, he called the police and made a report. He gave them the description of the car, the number and my husband’s name, which was on the label from the cleaners. The police used these information to launch a serious search for me in the neighborhood my pursuer saw me last. As I was stepping out of the car in front of my friend’s house, I saw them. More than four police cars parked crisscrossing the small street. I heard them shouting after me ‘stop there, raise your hands up!’ I raised my hands up but insisted that I make a phone call. They allowed me to enter into my friend’s living room. I used her landline to make a call to my husband and when he answered I said, ‘Finally they caught me. Do not worry; God is taking care of it.’ I surrendered to them. They told me that they were looking for me to pick up the clothes that fell off my car.

‘You are not arresting me?’ I asked. The police asked me whether I did something that could lead to my arrest. I said no, but I told them that lately someone has been following every step I make. They gave me the clothes and drove away.

I was shocked. Once I put the key in the ignition, I woke up sweating and panting. I became scared. I prayed to God right then and there for protection. As I was crying and praying, I felt very empty then I heard a voice from the back of my neck saying ‘Chinyere, why are you running about like someone who has no faith? The people you think you are hiding from know very well where you are hiding. If they want to get you, they will come and get you. Trust me and stop hiding and I will shield you from harm.” Right there I knew it was God talking to me. I stopped hiding, I stopped talking to anybody about my problems and I started a journey of recovery. I applied my faith and I am free again. My friends’ faith was mechanical and worldly, my renewed faith was spiritual and godly. God answers prayer if we call him with total abandonment. He also speaks audibly. Before we go to people for assistance, let us do the extraordinary thing, let us pray to God.

The truth is that the battle is not ours, but the Lords, and He had won the battle before now.

The wiles of the devil are the tricks he plays in our minds and the attractions he puts forward to entice us to do things in contrary to the will of God. It includes the wrong choices that we make which come back to haunt, hunt and hurt us. He does it in such a way that those who refuse to yield to him suffer greatly. Those who yield to his tricks also suffer since there is no goodness in him and he has no favorites. We can feel his tricks and sometimes we observe it physically inflicted by man. The truth is that, the spirits from the underworld occasion and control such evil to withstand man. These spirits include:

Principalities: (countries, domains, kingdoms, princedoms, lords, occult, etc.)

Powers: (controls, authorities, position, wealth, supremacies, commands, influences)

Rulers of the darkness of this world: (presidency, monarchy, world leaders)

Spiritual wickedness in high places: (psychic, sorceries, witches, necromancer, mermaid spirits, soothsaying and worldly spirits)

We cannot fight against these spirits because we cannot see them. We have Jesus the winner. ‘And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.’ Col 2: 15 (KJV)

“Through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Heb2: 14-15 (KJV)

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

1John 3: 8 (KJV)

The Bible says that in the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father. In His name principalities, powers and rulers of the dark world bow. He is the Lord over everything. Therefore, anyone who believes in Him has victory over these spiritual powers. The devil’s goals are to torment and distract you. His aim is to make you to reject God so that you will share his fate. When he realizes that you have Christ in you, he will then leave you alone.

He continues to torment and afflict you because you are not making use of all the armors of God at your disposal. Many a time, you forget that God is fighting on your behalf. You so much focus on the afflictions, pains, and sorrow that you start fighting physical battle. You may still have the appearance of a believer, but your actions mimic those of the devil. Such characters like resentment, hatred, isolation, rejection, addiction, quarrelsomeness, gluttony, hypocrisy, identity crisis, complaints, evil suspicions and unbelief including disobedience belong to the devil. If you use the right armor, your actions will be those of Jesus Christ, which include love, peace, total submission, long-suffering, hope, patience and perseverance, etc. The right hand of God must not fight evil with evil rather he repays evil with good (Matt 5: 44; Rom12: 21; 1Pet 2: 23, 3: 9) He prays and the heart of prayer must be devoid of revenge, evil insinuation, lying and bitterness.

When one of my brothers died at age 50 in 2002, and it broke my heart. He was a hard worker who suffered much hardship until God unveiled his portion of riches for him. Many people were taken aback when they found out that he actually was doing very well economically. His children were doing very well too. As all of us gathered together mourning the loss of my brother, and my half brother’s sister started telling everyone that he was killed by our elder brother (my brother). My father was a polygamist. The house divided, everyone to his mother and maternal linage. My brother said everything that needed to be said to free him from such an accusation. He swore all oaths that needed to be sworn so that people will know that he did not kill his brother. He cried like a baby when I questioned him. This woman could not prove her accusation and she did not withdraw it. Through her, the devil sowed the seed of hatred, disunity, evil competition, and adolatory in my father’s house. It hurt me at the time. I regarded her as devil and I did not reach out to her. Now as the Lord continues to open my spiritual eyes to the extent to which devil could take our territory and manipulate our entire life and relationship. I have quickly reached out to my sister and every son and daughter of my father telling them about truly giving their life to Jesus. I tell them what the Lord is doing in my life. I asked for their forgiveness after I have told them that I have forgiven them. The devil cannot use anyone again to stop the glory of God in my life.

How can we fight against the spirits we cannot see?

The battle the enemy wages against us every day and every moment of our sojourn here on this planet is spiritual. It is so true that as I am composing and typing these words there is an attack going on in the spiritual realm against me. The effort is either to stop me from completing this book, or to divert my attention to some other things, which may seem far more important than this book. Eventually he may succeed in making me slide a little. One thing I am sure of is, while he is firing his deadly weapons against me, the Lord stands between him and me, taking these bullets for me. The Lord whom I trust is fighting my battle and using himself as a shield to protect me because I hide in Him. I must play my part so that I will not stand on his way. All I need to do is to align my spirit, soul and body to his spiritual directions and teachings in every circumstance. You try to separate yourself from the truth by assuming or falsely believing that the devil cannot attack you. You know your reason, but the truth is: once you are a true Christian, you are under attack.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Rev 12:17 (KJV)

You may postulate this vision for only a future event but I tell you that it is already happening though the final fulfillment of it is on the way. It will be visible, all will then see the devil visibly, there would be real wars; the Lord, his angels and saints are already victorious (Rev 12:7).

As I was contemplating on the lies of the devil and the effect of these lies on human beings, I sought God for the major ways the devil troubles us. The Lord took me to my community church. I stood in front of the church looking at some youths soliciting for camp sponsorship. One of them said “Hi Cea.” As I reached out to pat him on the shoulder, a rectangular object fell from above us and into my open hand. When I looked at it, ‘attention’ was boldly written on it in black and white. I read it out. The young boy left me and proceeded to the youth boot. I saw him push out a small box labeled ‘remembrance’. I watched. He opened the box and blocks of words started coming out of the box. Among these words was the word RELATIONSHIP in capital letters. The other words, in small letters, were: sex, money, power, sickness, drug, alcohol and failure. As I stood there, wondering what the young boy was doing, I woke up. At the awakening, I understood the vision. The Lord showed me what things I should pay attention. These words are the things the devil uses to destabilize humanity. Relationship is the main problem. The devil hates relationships. He does not involve himself in long-term relationships.

He makes people suffer in relationships. Out of relationship come other words as they negatively affect us.

Let me open this box of remembrance so we may understand who is responsible for the problems we may be having right now. This will help us to know how to get help.

Relationship trauma: Relationship is one human function, which God our loving Father instituted as part of his attributes and no one can stop it. I love relationships, because they give me more insight about God the creator. Without the institution of relationship, there is no sense of life. God created man for this reason; He needed to have relationship/fellowship with the man, that is vertical relationship. God was happy after this and could have stopped after creating Adam for Himself. He was not a selfish God. He also thought about how lonely Adam would be in the nature He gave him. He made for him Eve who could respond to Adam in the ways Adam would respond. Together they did well without the serpent, marking the beginning of horizontal relationship. Relationship was pure and holy vertically and horizontally until Eve wandered away and became vulnerable to freedom and power.

Relationship is an association, connection, liaison, affiliation, rapport, correlation, link, bond, contract, and more. It is a network of association, connection, and interaction to buy, sell, socialize, learn, and communicate. All is to the glorify God. It was good until the devil brought the idea of his wisdom and pride, which has brought corruption into all aspects of relationships. Sometimes I sit down to ask why there is so much ra’ in man’s relationship with one another?

Ra’ is the Hebrew word for trouble. It is amazing how this two-letter word could carry or embody so many words denoting evil.

(According to Strong’s H7451, from the root word ra’a H 7489, it means bad. It naturally or morally to denote—adversity, affliction, displeasure, favoritism, harm, misery, hurt, wickedness, vex, etc.) These are a few of the ra’ we go through in our relationship with one another. Sometimes you wonder why relationship exists if it cannot make one happy or joyous. What God meant for our good the enemy utilizes to produce evil. The moment an individual knows the purpose of relationship, the individual starts tracing the right way towards the original relationship. The liar, the devil and his micro-agents plant the seed of discord in our individual minds. His trickery grooms the mind to be richly available for him to plant his demonic seeds. His grooming tactics includes:

Plowing the ground for selfishness, self-centeredness, self-gratification, self-glorification, self-exaltedness, self-indulgence, self-regard (self-image/identity crisis), pride, conceitedness, loftiness, complexes (superiority and inferiority). All these and more give room for the planting of the seeds.

Planting the seeds of greed, dishonesty, evil competitiveness, anger, hate, cheating, lying, rebellion, disobedience, factions, withdrawals and isolation. Then the third stage steps in and it is more visible because of its outward manifestations.

Germinating the seeds into fighting, outbursts, betrayal, sabotage, stealing, infidelity, abuse, truancy, bulling, suicide, irrational behaviors, addiction, homicide, murder, terrorism, control, domination and wars.

The fourth stage is confusion, which leads to backsliding, blasphemy, apostasy, separations, break-ups, abandonment, elopement, rejections, divorce, homelessness, destitution, refuge, and financial crisis, loss of employment, famine, inflation and economic recession. This is the stage we are in today.

The entire problem started in the mind of one person and went viral. The devil, which was one of the beautiful angels who were in attendance to the Lord of Lords, one day thought himself equal with his creator. He thought that he had it all and decided to rebel against God. He was not going to be something or to be noticeable without having someone by his side, so he charismatically spoke to and won some gullible angels to his side. That is how negative relationships and associations start, even in the spiritual realms. The Lord our God would not tolerate such deadly sin against Him. He commanded and cast down the devil and his cohorts into the earth (Rev12: 7). On the earth, the devil became more cunning and furious against God’s children and determined to destroy their relationship. Relationship is the only way God and man can communicate and the only way His children can work together in love, as he has instructed.

The question is, if this is true, why do we give the devil the chance to work on us and to destroy us? The answer is that we are inclined towards our natural self than to our spiritual self. We always want the easy way out and most of the time it puts us deeper into jeopardy. God would have removed the effect of Satan from us. It would result to forcing us against our will. He is not a God who would force anyone to do anything. He wants us to experience every ra’ presented to us to teach us. After which, we make good choices and appreciate God more. God did not leave us without ways out. He gave us His armors to put on so that as we pass through these ra’ we will not be destroyed.

He made it clear to us that those who believe in His Son would go through trials.

I found out that when you are not in a relationship, you are a free person, but once you are in a relationship, the trouble starts shooting at you like the hexagon weapons. Relationship problems really are on the increase. It is because there are many who are giving their lives to Jesus. Christianity has become a curse in the heart and mind of many individuals, religions and nations, just as the scripture forth told. Our Lord Jesus knew this would happen and He warns us in these words:

“And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.”

Matt 10: 21-22 (KJV)

“For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household”

Matt 10: 35-36 (KJV)

Surely, when we hear these kinds of stories happening in our world today, we should not be dismayed, we should have courage and hold on to our faith. All bear witness that God is real, the biblical prophesies are inspirations from God. Jesus Christ is real, true God and true Man. We will remember that we cannot do anything good without Grace. In other words, we cannot do anything right without Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. Whosoever comes to Him shall never die. As you read, the way to plug in and remained charged up is to be in continued relationship with God. This we achieve faithfully through praying rightly, intentionally and purposefully. In other to destroy relationship, the enemy uses money, sex, domination etc. to confuse others.

Financial problems: This is a universal problem. There is a global economic recession today and no country can claim to be better off than another country. The economic strategists, commercial and trade gurus are experiencing dumbest and their cool economic advisers only make dry responses. As the entire world experiences this economic drop, real nations experience the same drop, affecting their lifestyles and financial buoyancies.

Everyone is experiencing these problems. We cannot correctly point out whom to crucify for these problems. We can correctly call it an attack on the nations and their peoples. Some people may say that God is using these problems to punish the nations for their sins. And it sure does look like it. The difference is that God does not punish anyone, but people choose to go through the hard ways. If everyone would love God with all their mind body and soul, they will know how to love their neighbors as themselves. When you love God, yourself and your neighbor, you will not be selfish and self-centered as to covet or destroy what belongs to anyone else. In this case, nations drain other nations naturally and economically. People use other people to enrich themselves and stock other peoples’ wealth in their garages, warehouses and banks waiting for the right times to use them. Most of the time calamities eventually happen to take away all the hidden wealth. If only the people would know how to make riches and how to use these riches to solve the economic problems that exists. The most important thing to note is that the financial crisis is the design of the devil to destabilize the world. He does this by trying individuals one by one. He is persistent and patient in inflicting these hot arrows, especially on the believers. The aim is to stop them from paying attention to the things of the Lord to pursue monetary matters. He is winning ground when churches spend much time in fundraising than ever. and ministers spend all they have promoting their ministries, instead of doing the real work. Marriages break up because of financial issues. Children do odd jobs to get money. The attacker specializes in monitoring and scrutinizing the lives of believers hoping to find them in the weakened state. He poses and interposes. In the weakened state of mind, believers may condemn themselves because the devil ministers disgust and stink in the subconscious.

Our God is not after your sin; He is after your love. Could you love Him more attentively and wear Him like a garment of war? If you can do this, He will fight your financial war for you. Inflation, economic recession, unemployment, drought, famine and starvation are the weapon of the enemy to disposition man. You must fight against him by putting on God’s armors in repentance, forgiveness and the mercy of God.

Sex is another weapon of destruction. There is sexual perversity everywhere, including the church. Women in quest for money and relationships cheapen themselves in lewdness, porn and prostitution. Unfortunately, men are doing the same. Marriages are broken up because of pornography, impotency and adultery. The Devil is using this to destroy even the church.

Failure: Have you ever experienced failure? I have. Apart from minor failures during school days when one would expect to have an A but ended up having a B or a C. I’ve had one major failure. I have not yet recovered from it, even as I am writing.

It was my inability to use a sewing machine.

My sister did everything to teach me how to use the machine to sew. Each time, I sewed backwards instead of forward. I was very disappointed in myself, and I was very angry with my sister, as if she was not teaching me well. After three months of apprenticeship, I gave it up. It is still a mystery to me. I thought something was wrong with my legs and hands. The devil started telling me that I was nothing after all. My academic achievement was nothing. I could not do the least thing that the non-educated people could do with their eyes closed. I started avoiding my sister’s fashion shop. I did not want them to recognize me as the woman who could not do what they could do easily. My sister encouraged me not to worry and beat up myself over it. I realize now that the devil wanted to belittle me by that simple failure. That is how he starts working on our self-image and ability. He works on our negative zones and flashes it at us to ridicule us. Failure can make the foolish do crazy things, but those who know his tricks do not give him the chance to ridicule. They forge ahead until they succeed, and their success puts the devil at rage. Failures are in business, academic pursuit, spiritual growth, and almost everything else. You may not know that the devil is at work against you. Search for who is behind the door before you walk through it. Satan is the man hiding behind the door. You may not realize you are under attack by the devil because he is a masquerade. You do not see his face; he uses other faces. The trick he plays sometimes is to make you feel that someone you know is responsible for your misfortune (this is common in the African belief system, superstition, taboos norms etc.). Sometimes he makes you feel that God is punishing you because of your sins. You may start developing negative attitude towards man and God. You may start quarreling, fighting and hating those you normally would relate to. Sometimes you are very sure something is wrong with the way things are but you cannot put your finger on it. The devil is playing his trick and our predecessor Paul gives us this advice up front. He fought many battles and knew how to fight against Satan. This is because he wants us to know how to fight against such tricks. We have God’s armors.

God’s Armor

God, your father, will fight for you. He wants you to be wise and responsible. He wants to protect you like a soldier in the battle. This is why He has opened His armory for you. In the armory, we have a selection of weapons of protection freely given to all to wear. This is to protect us from hurt when the war is going on. The war is indubitable. It is an unavoidable war; every believer must partake, although the Lord fights for us. We must prepare with arms for the battle. We must wear the armor of God the right way. The armories addressed by Paul as the armor of God are (Eph6: 11, 13)

Truth, an armor of God

The truth is when you put on oversized pants without a belt to hold it tight in place; you will not be able to walk around with confidence. You will be so conscious of the fact that your pants can fall off your waist and expose your nakedness. Your frame of mind will not allow you to perform effectively.

Confidence returns when you wear your belt. Your daily production will be visible and commendable. The big question is WHAT IS TRUTH. The truth is,

 God is the Truth (Deut32: 4; Isaiah65: 16; John18: 37).

 God loves us (John3: 16; 18: 37).

 Jesus is the truth (John14: 6).

 The word of God is the truth (John1: 1, 14,).

 The Holy Spirit is the truth. (John16: 13, 14)

The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are the truth.

Convince yourself that God is the truth and you will become a truthful child of God.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you must live a truthful life like Jesus Christ. You must yield yourself to the Holy Spirit (John18: 38). The Holy Spirit would lead you to live a truthful life. You will speak the truth and will not lie. You will be straight and not hide. You must be a person of high integrity, a person of your word, not a deceit or a double-minded fellow. You must be diligent in everything that you do. You are able to do this because you know the truth and it shall set you free (John8: 32). The truth is you believe in Jesus Christ (Truth) without doubt or hypocrisy (John3: 16; 2Thess2: 12, 13) and you are not afraid of anyone or anything. If you are truthful,

 You will do the truth in the light (John 3:21)

 You will seek God and worship him in truth (John 4: 24)

 You will walk in his presence in truth (1kgs 2: 4, 20: 3).

 You will serve him in truth and with whatever you have (Joshua 24: 14; 1Samuel 12: 24)

 You will rejoice in truth (1Cor13: 6)

 You will speak truth to one another in all cases (Zech. 8: 16; 2Cor 12: 6; Gal 4: 16; Eph 4: 25)

 You will think about truth all the days of your life (Eph 4: 8; 2John1: 2)

 Truth will be seen in everything that you do, and everywhere that you go (2Cor 4: 2; Eph 5: 9)

 You will obey the truth (Rom2: 8; Gal 3: 1)

 You will love the truth (2Thess 2: 10).

 You will not rejoice or participate in anything that is not truthful.

Therefore, if you put all these truth before you and in you, it will be like a belt around your waist giving you the confidence to fight a good fight. Christ has won the battle. When you wear truth around your loin, you are ready for the battle.

Something devastating happened to me when I was editing this book in 2011/2012. I told fragment of this story when I was talking about using your faith and wearing the right armor. It is true that we must say the truth and live by it. Sometimes things happen in a way that you become afraid to say the truth, either because you want to save your life or the life of someone else. It may even happen that you want to save your job or mission. In that case, you remember how Abraham talked about Sarah being his sister instead of his wife. You use it to rationalize or justify lies. In such cases, either you may go undetected, or you worsen the situation, as what you are protecting became a snare before you.

I must say, at this point, that fear is the mother of lies and truth. If you fear and respect the law, you will always do the right thing including the truth. If you fear God, you will always speak the truth, even with guns pointed at your head. This is the right fear. The wrong fear is the fear of losing your life, job, money, power and earthly rewards. It will make you tell lies to protect yourself. Such unhealthy fear makes you vulnerable to destruction.

Such was the fear I had. My husband, during a routine work security clearance checked ‘No’ where the investigator expected him to check ‘Yes’. The investigator was convinced that he was telling a lie. He called my husband and questioned him on it. My husband maintained he was telling the truth. This spurred up an intense investigation on him, which included an investigation on me. Since I was not around when he did the security check and did not know the content of it, I become scared when people told me that someone had my picture and asking questions about me where I lived. I decided to hide from everyone. When my husband finally told me what was happening and gave me a number to call the investigator I calmed down. I called the investigator, but he did not take my calls and did not return my calls. The impact of this issue on us increased and the result, my husband lost his job. Losing the job was why he maintained that he told the truth and he lost the job afterwards. He also told me that he was protecting me too, but my life became a nightmare. Everything became very complicated, but one thing that was not complicated, and that was my prayer and relationship with God. I prayed and cried to God for mercy. One day, as I was praying God told me that my husband should correct his lie. He wanted my husband to tell his lawyer the whole truth and after he will get his job back with promotion. Well, it was difficult to convince him to do that, but he did after all. His lawyer was crossed but it also afforded him the clarity to make a good argument. He went for an arbitration hearing. When he came home, he told me that it was tough but he was happy for telling the truth. He felt renewed and confident as he stood to present his case and take questions. One year after staying home, they called him back to work with a step. He made a conscious decision never to tell lies again no matter what. He committed himself to ask questions on anything he did not understand before making a decision. It was fear that made him lie, but truth cleared the way and gave him back his job and our lives back.

Righteousness, an armor of God

Righteousness is synonymous to uprightness, morality, honesty, decency, virtue, blameless, perfect in action and love. The dictionary defines righteousness as the act of doing something right, morally justifiable and excellence. The bible defines the concept of righteousness based on the atoning work of Jesus bestowed upon every believer (Rom3: 19-26). Our God is Holy, Perfect, Just and Righteous and nothing unholy can come before our God. Hence, the sinner, the wicked and the unrighteous cannot see God. God disapproves their sacrifices and worship (Psalm 50:16, 17; Isaiah1: 10-15). The only way for one to be in the presence of God is to obey the Law of God completely without omission. It is also true that no man can attain righteousness without God. Why is Paul telling us that righteousness is an armor of God? If we do not wear righteousness, we will not get protection in the battle within. The bible recorded that Abraham was a friend of God and a righteous man. When I went through the bible to study the story of Abraham, I discovered, to my surprise, that Abraham was not righteous at all. He was a liar when he left his wife Sarai to king Abimelech (Gen20: 2). He was unjust when he used Haggai and dumped her. He abandoned his son Ishmael (Gen16: 1-15; 21: 9-21). He played docile when he allowed his wife Sarai to control him on a matter that he could control (Gen16). He was not humanly righteous.

When I read (Gen 15: 6, Romans4: 3) I discovered that Abram was righteous not because of his good works. He was righteous because he believed what God promised him would come true. This is how the scripture puts it:

“And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”

It is not because Abraham did everything right; it was because he believed in God. He believed in the word of God. God accepted him as righteous. Abraham loved God and obeyed every word of God, even when it meant sorrow and loss. He never withheld anything from God. We should do the same. God wants us to believe in Him, love and obey Him.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3: 16 (KJV)

God’s son is the greatest armor of God, and the only way we can put Him on is to believe in Him. If we believe in Him and his atoning work, wow! The devil cannot destroy us. We will live forever. We are just to believe in Jesus and we become righteous straight away. How you might ask? Brother Paul talked extensively about this in the book of Romans 4. He also answered the question, “How?” in these words:

“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.”

Romans 4: 23-25 (KJV)

The most important act of faith is belief. Believe in Jesus and His atoning work of grace. The organs protected by the righteousness (soldier’s breastplate) are very sensitive and vital to the body. The major organ is the heart. The rest of the body cannot function without the heart. They would be dead. Righteousness is a thing of the heart. If the heart is protected, the rest of the body will work well. It protects us from the tricks the devil plays in the mind. Sin has no hold on anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. To be righteous is to be free from sin and guilt. While you rejoice in your justification and righteousness, bear the fruit of righteousness. You do not live according to how you used to live. You do not think the way you used to think. Align your frame of mind with the Spirit of the living God. You show faith by the way you live your life. Observe the laws of the Lord (Deut. 6: 25). Bear fruit in due season (Ps.1: 3). Be of pure heart and have clean hands (Ps. 24: 3-5). Avoid, forsake and repent of sins. Forgive others and seek forgiveness. Let us live like children of grace.

It is not humanly easy to wear righteousness as a breastplate. Yet it is very important to wear it. We endanger our lives without righteousness. Since our physical attainment of righteousness is not possible, we must embrace Jesus Christ in everything we do. The totality of righteousness is standing right with God. Jesus stands in the gap for us. With Him, we stand right with God. He will protect us.

Gospel of peace, an armor of God

Jesus started His ministry during the time the Israelites needed salvation the most. It was the time the Jews were under the leadership of a foreign government. They worked and paid taxes to Rome. The Jews prayed and expected their promised Messiah. They needed someone who would rescue them from oppression and hardship. They expected a war leader who would lead them to war against the Roman government to rescue them. No wonder they did not listen to Jesus when he came for their rescue. He knew that the best way to save His people is through the path of peace. They despised Him, because they thought He was not God. Many of us who have witnessed wars know that to go to war is to die. If you have not witnessed war, you have heard stories of wars. War never brings peace. War is destructive to the soldiers, the civilians, the economy, the countries at war and the cumulative effect encompasses the world. God loves us so much that He never plans to restore peace with chaos. It is never possible to bring any good by applying evil, but this had been the worldview of bringing peace. Jesus applies goodness to situations and brings peace. He said to His disciple, “Peace I leave with you, and my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14: 27). World leaders cannot give peace though they claim they can give peace. They can phantom a fragment of peace, but they get destabilized and confused when chaos issue out. This is evidence in the pursuit of world democracy (demonstration of craze). Do they care about the thousands they kill to get the kind of world they want? They may care and grieve but they cannot do anything better.

Jesus conquered many and disarmed many with His love, words, patience, works and selfless government. How many leaders today would want to live poor to achieve peace? How many would want to be overthrown, beaten and banned for speaking the truth of liberation? How many would want to die for what they believe? Thank God for Nelson Mandela, who dared to fight selfless war against apartheid and won peacefully. He won even though he did not carry guns.

This is the gospel of peace. How many would want to fight this kind of war, the youths, the politicians or the pulpit men? Jesus calls us to enroll in His army of liberty through peace. He encouraged us to preach the word and do what He did. He knew how unfashionable the gospel of peace is and how the world would oppose it when He encouraged His disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled neither let it be afraid” (John 14: 27). To bring peace to the world is to know Christ, love Him and obey Him. The Gospel of peace is an armor of enablement to me. The devil does not want true peace hence he fights against it. The gospel is peace to those who receive it because it changes lives completely, leading away from chaos into peaceful resolutions. The devil triumphs in power tussles, control, domination, competitions and riches. These he plants in the hearts of those who despise the gospel of peace. I wish they would listen and digest the word of peace.

A closer look will reveal the ways the devil is edging out the word of God from the right places, using civil connotations like ‘the right of the people’, ‘the duty of the state’, ‘it is legal, legalize’, ‘It is illegal’ ‘to overturn the law’. I do not know how it was before now but there is no real law in our time. Does anyone feel like fighting against this injustice? It is legitimate for us to fight against it but like Paul encourages us. He knew that this fight is not physical; it is a spiritual warfare. It is staged underworld and when we fight it physically, we hurt many people and destroy many things. It is the desire of the wager, and we will not give him the chance to take everything from us. We must fight the good fight. We must prepare ourselves by studying the word and doing what it commands us to do. The joy of salvation propels us to put on the shoes/boats/sandals with the preparation to spread the gospel of peace. We study the word, to understand the basis of our belief. This is what we believe; Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Messiah. He died that we might live. He did not remain dead, He resurrected from death. This is the gospel of great reconciliation and peace. When we are equipped with this understanding, the anti-Christ or the principalities, powers and rulers of the underworld will not confuse us (1Cor9: 26). After understanding the faith and accepting it, we move forward to let others know and enjoy with us.

Faith, an armor of God

To take faith as a shield shows the importance of faith in our relationship with God and with one another. A shield is an armor or weapon, which a soldier carries during combat. The function of the shield is to take the bullet for the soldier. It protects the soldier from direct hit by the weapon of the enemy. It takes a skilled soldier to use the shield effectively. It requires the carrier to move it swiftly towards the oncoming weapon so that the weapon of the enemy may hit the shield instead of the person. In the combat between David and Goliath, his armor bearer carried his shield because it was huge. Some shields are very large, as big as a door while others are small. However big it is, it is to protect the warrior’s life from the bullets, arrows and spears from his enemies. David did not use the visible shield. He could not use Saul’s physical shield either. He used the one he knew how to use as he told Goliath in (1Sam 17:45):

“You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Sam 17:45 (NKJV)

David’s shield in this context is his faith. He had good relationship with God, and knew that God would give him victory. David was able to defeat Goliath because God fought the battle for him. God manifested His power through David. Judging by physical strength, training and age, David would not attempt to fight with Goliath, or even dream of winning the battle without the help of God. This is the faith Paul is telling us to carry. God knows that we are constantly under attack by the devil. He gave us faith as armor. Faith overrides our physical strength, power, training, skills, strategies and intelligence. We are only to trust Him. It is a miracle when you let every worry, struggle, and work to slide. It works when you surrender everything to the Lord and in His name. This is faith, knowing that everything will be okay. Faith is:

 To trust God or to put all trust in Him (1Pt 3: 5; 2Cor 1: 10)

 To stand still and let God do His work (Ex14: 13; 2chr20: 17)

 To fearless and be courageous (Deut1: 21, 3: 2, 3: 22)

 To have confidence towards God (1John3: 21)

 To believe in God (1Pt1: 21; Mark1: 15)

 The end of faith is salvation (1Pt1: 9) faith is the weapon that overcomes the world (John5: 4)

 Faith is to be strong and courageous (Josh 1: 5-9, 10: 25; 2chr20: 15)

 Faith is to have no doubt that what you asked for, you will receive (Mark11: 22-24)

 Faith is that in every circumstance you are not distressed and you are not perplexed (2Cor4:8)“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”2 Cor. 4: 16-18 (KJV)

We cannot survive much without faith. The world will weigh us down and cause insanity without faith. Thank God we can lay everything at the foot of the cross (Matt6: 24-34) faithfully. A man of faith is always a hero, a righteous man, and a victorious man. Paul knows how to use his faith because he met the hero, righteous and victorious status. He teaches that we do the same. Be cool and still, and let the Lord handle all! This is what I did when I had no job. I did not lack food, clothes and shelter. It was tough, but God was, is and will always be there for me.

Salvation, an armor of God

We wear salvation like a helmet. The motorcycle rider wears a helmet. It is mandatory for the cyclist to wear helmet. The construction workers wear helmets, too. It is not very comfortable to wear this iron or steel hat in the heat of the sun, yet they must wear it for one reason: to protect their heads. Head injury is a very serious injury and it takes the grace of God for one to recover from it. The head is the seat of wisdom or the site for the brain. The brain is where all the coordination of the heart and mind takes place hence it must not be treated carelessly.

Our salvation is very import. We may live our life knowing the truth. We may live very righteously by obeying the laws. We may have the knowledge of the gospel of peace and preach it like Apollus. We may have the faith on our works and knowledge but if we do not have salvation, our efforts would be in vain. We must know that our salvation is by the grace of God as in this verse:

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”

2 Tim 1: 9 (KJV).

We must have the hope that after this life struggles and travails, we will have eternal rest. It is in our heart and mind that we are safe by grace and we hope for our eternal reward. When we do this, we will be able to withstand the devil’s tricks.

Faith and salvation is interwoven and you cannot have one without the other. The shield can protect both the head and the entire body depending on the usage. Salvation is not by power, it is a gift to us by grace once we receive Jesus Christ. Receiving Jesus is empowered by believing in Him and His word without doubt. This is faith.

Sword of the spirit, an armor of God

According to Paul, the sword of the spirit is the word of God. The devil uses words to battle against us. He knows the word of God too. He quotes the word and interprets it to suit his purpose. It is his trick. He has used it to ruin the lives of many especially those who do not know the word of God. We can see that the word of God is the only visible weapon of attack. This is the only offensive weapon Christians are given. If you have a sword and take it to the battle and you do not know how to use it, it becomes useless. In the same way, if you have a bible and carry it about, even put it under your pillow for protection; it will be useless if you do not know what is in it and how to apply it to your daily life.

There is no electricity in my sister’s village. The only source of light during the night in the village is from the moon or local lanterns. My sister has been living in the city for a long time and has gotten used to electricity. She had built a house in the village and every year she would go home to the village with her husband. One of the major problems she encountered is the problem of light. As she wanted to travel last year, she complained to her son who lived in a city close to the village. Her son bought a generator and mounted it in their compound. My sister was very happy and excited to go home, when the news of the light came. Before you know it, she and her husband went home. Everything was normal when she reached home in day light. She danced round the generator as she inspected it praying and blessing her son; little did she know that the story would be different during the night. However, her son educated her on phone how to turn on the generator, but she did not get the instruction right. She and her husband tried everything to start the generator but failed. They called some men in the village to help but no one was able to help. She realized that they were in total darkness. She borrowed a neighbor’s lantern to find hers. When she finally found it, there was no kerosene. If she had known, she would not be able to start the generator she would have bought some kerosene during the day. She said that it was the longest night she ever had in the village waiting for the day to break. Thank God, her son came home the following day to teach them how to start the generator.

This story is like what we do with the Bible. We love the Bible, get excited with it and carry it to church but we hardly open it to read. Sometimes we open it when we are in the church because the pastor asks us to do so, then we close it until we come back to the next meeting. When we happen to encounter someone who questions what we believe, we will not biblically tell the person what we believe. Some will refer the person to the pastor or even starts argument. Carrying the Bible about, dusting and keeping it holy is okay, but it’s more important to read, study and understand what it contains. Then we make diligent and effective use of it.

We are to be wittier than the devil so that we would beat him ‘hands down’. If you worship and trust the Bible as though it were God, it is not right. It is a means not an end. What is in the Bible is God’s word and God’s word is God. The Bible as a book is not as important as what it contains. The Bible becomes a sword in our hands when we know what it contains and how to apply it to our everyday life’s situation. You should know the right word for a particular situation. Paul is urging us to study the word and to use it as a weapon to counter the devils attacks against us. The devil is not a respecter of anyone. He even quoted the scripture to Jesus trying to compel Him to sin against God our Father. Jesus knows the scripture and with it, He defeated the devil (Matt4: 1-4). We must study the scripture to show ourselves approved not only to defend ourselves but in obedience to the scriptures which compels us to study the word to keep it in our hearts, to do what it says and to teach our children and our children’s children (Deut. 6:6-9).

Madam Caroline was a churchgoer in my village. She believed in the power of the word of God, which is physically the bible. She understood how to use the Bible as a weapon against the enemy. She trusted that the Bible can wade away evil spirits from coming close to her and her family. Caroline also believed in the use of holy water to destroy the wicked spirit and man. She made sure she stored gallons of holy water in her house. Whenever the water is half-empty, she would travel to Elele to father Ede’s Ministry to get fresh blessed water. On the trip, she would write the names of those who troubled her on paper tell God what she suspected about each one of them.

She would wrap it with cellophane paper then place it carefully in the cover of the gallon, which she used to cover the holy water. The idea is to remember those wicked one whenever she opens the bottle. It happened that Caroline fell very sick and as the year passed her sickness progressed. When she went to the hospital, she was diagnosed stage three cervical cancer. Her children took her to the hospital for treatment. When she came back home, she started telling everybody that her sickness was caused by her uncle Mr. Ikegwu. The gossip was everywhere in the village. People started avoiding Mr. Ikegwu. Mr. Ikegwu did not know nor understand what was going on. One day after having his breakfast in his house, he went to see Ms. Caroline. Before he approached her front yard, he started calling out greetings to her so that she would know that he was coming. When Caroline heard his voice, she was determined to kill the man. She grabbed her Bible in her hand and said, ‘I will hit him with this Bible so that he dies or turn crazy.’ She called out to him “Dede, I am here come in.” As soon as he put one leg to step into her living moon, she hit him with the Bible, with all her strength. Mr. Ikegwu fell unconsciously on his back and lay full length on the ground. He recovered himself quickly, and before he could cry out, Ms. Caroline threw a bowl full of holy water on him. He was speechless and stared at her in confusion. She put her two hands on her waist and beamed at him with, “Yes die you wicked man. I want you to die before I die. You think I will let you kill me and go scot free?” At this time, people had gathered. One of the men helped Mr. Ikegwu to get up on his feet. He looked at her, shook his head and walked away. Everybody turned to Caroline demanded to know the rationale behind her action. At this point, Caroline got very scared and her heart started racing very fast. In the watchful eyes of the villagers, she collapsed. They rushed her to the nearby hospital where she stayed for a very long time before she came back.

This woman did not understand the word of God. Although she went to church regularly, and she was even one of the choristers, but she did not understand the word of God. She did not understand the Christian sound doctrine. I believe that she was a nominal Christian but a pagan/idol worshipper by practice. Many of them in that village were Christo pagans at that time. I believe that many have received Christ at present. She missed it because she was fighting a spiritual battle physically. she might have been fighting an innocent man. She did not know God as a loving God, full of mercy and compassion and a God that forgives sins and heals the sick. She trusted the holy water meant to heal, to kill. I do not want to talk much on this. The main purpose of this story is to encourage us to read the word of God. The Holy Spirit will readily teach us and enable us to do what the Bible says. We do not worship the Bible or think it to be the averter of evil. If we do this, it amounts to idolatry.

Praying and watching, armors of God

Prayer helps the believers to stay in shape. It helps to direct our relationship with God and with one another. Prayer is a way of shifting the weight of the world from man to God. It does not weigh Him down because He asks us to pray to Him about everything. Prayer enables us to keep our faith and stay in righteous standing with God and with one another. Prayer helps us to reach God for grace, strength, defenses, breakthroughs etc. It is an armor, which buttresses and fuels other armors. Prayer is the string that ties sticks into a bundle. Held together a bundle can do better, when scattered, each of the sticks is malfunctioned. If we have faith, we will pray. If we pray, our faith increases. If we read the scripture, we will see prayers. If we pray, we will understand the scripture. If we pray and confess Jesus Christ, we receive salvation. If we have salvation, we will know peace. If we pray for others, they receive salvation. If everyone is safe, we will all be truthful and righteous before our God and with one another. We all overcome!

Let us put on the armor of God. We are currently living in the battlefield, more than ever before. The world is turning upside down and sin has overtaken the entire world. Prayer is the real armor that saints need now. Prayer covers and protects the rest of the armors. This is the armor of petition and surrender to God. It is the armor of worship and praise to the Lord of Hosts. It is a protective armor for those who know how to wear it and use it. Let us start now. Let us pick up our Bibles, open it and pray the word. May the Lord empower our prayer life through Jesus Christ! Amen!