Life and Warfare (2)

If you have not read Part 1, please do so here

Friends, without a shadow of doubt, our warfare are not carnal but spiritual. We need to understand that every one of us has a God given purpose in life and the enemy will seek out ways at destroying our destiny. But these are some four things I have practiced and for which I am confident to let you know worked so well for me at overcoming life’s warfare. I am happy to share these with you and you may apply them as well;
 
1.      Do Not Be Afraid: When life troubles come your way do not be afraid or disoriented. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” KJV. Remember that Jesus already took your pain and shame away on the cross of Calvary and so all you need to do is stay strong and focused on His promises (the word of God). Satan prides himself in making you feel sad, dejected and low. If only you could remind yourself that you are precious to God in every way and so the enemy has no audacity to touch you. Zechariah 2:8 says “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye” KJV. So stay strong always. Ephesians 6:13 exhorts “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” KJV.
 
2.      Pray to God: Ephesians 6: 8 reminds us that what we wrestle against is not physical to the naked eyes. There are powers of darkness constantly surrounding us and though we are often oblivious to this, it is a constant fact that will remain till Jesus returns. We however have an effective weapon as children of God. It is called PRAYER. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing” KJV. James 5:16b also reminds us that “….The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” KJV. You will notice I underlined the word fervent; this is because you cannot overcome without a consistent prayer life. Prayer is a spiritual weapon and when done with reverence to God, the devil will flee. Jesus never promised us trying moments would not come, but he promised to be with us through it all.  Psalm 91: 15 confirms this “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”KJV.

Google Images

 
The topic on prayer is a very extensive one and will not be dealt with in this text. I will however advise that prayer should not be done based on pressure from any persons as it can sometimes be of little or no meaning to the person in the picture when coercion is applied. I have been to places where certain modes of prayer are challenged and seen as weak, non-aggressive and baseless purely because you would not shout out. Well, based on Gods’ word in Matthew 6:6, you are permitted to pray quietly and behind closed doors; some term this “the simple and earnest prayer”. The bible makes reference to inward silent groaning which can be a form of prayer. This does not undermine other forms of prayer but none should be regarded as more effective than the other so far it is done in sincerity of heart and with pure undiluted reverence to God.
 


 
3.      Praise God: I love the song that says “overcoming every trial begins with a thankful heart”. I learnt this song when I was in my secondary school but it only made more meaning to me in very recent times. The bible tells us in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” KJV.  Rejoicing always will mean always. In the good times and the bad times. He is God of all times and would take control where His praises are rung. You are more inclined to helping a child who is always thankful for everything you do for him or her, than for a child who stays mute every time you go out of your way to do something special for him or her. So is our relationship with God. He knows when things are not right in our lives but still appreciates it when we value His awesomeness in every situation. Horatio Spafford the writer of the song, “It is well with my soul”  (You can check Aloted's post on this by clicking the link) had only just lost his only son, four daughters and entire estate and empire to the great Chicago fire. Despite all of these traumas, he still found strength within to sing his heart out to God. With God, it is not about doom and gloom. He works wonders when we praise him. Take time to worship God and sing his praises. Remember, when the children of Israel praised God, the walls of Jericho fell. It still can if you believe.
 
4.      Relax, The Battle is the Lord's: Every time the enemy comes to make waste of everything you hold so dearly, think of it this way….he is trespassing unto Gods property. You are God's own and all that are yours are God's. God will fight anything and anyone who comes to make a ridicule of his very own. Malachi 3: 11 reminds us “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.” KJV. I have applied this passage in the scriptures not only to my finances and my career, but to every single aspect of my life; my marriage, my wife and daughter, my health, my family and friends and my church. He holds all these things in my life so dearly to him. Exodus 14:14 admonishes us “The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” KJV. So I entirely leave the battle to God to fight and I relax in His unfailing love and presence for evermore.
 
Can I implore you that if you have not given your life to Jesus, you still can. He loves you just the way you are. Regardless of where you have been, what you have done and who you are…Jesus simply loves you unconditionally. The only way to fight the enemy and have more meaning to life is by knowing what Gods’ purpose for your life is and what he expects from you when its spiritual warfare time. It’s a relationship. He so much longs for you and He can’t wait for you to turn a hundred percent to Him. Honestly, if you ask me, there are no short cuts anywhere. I have tried so many and yet failed to find an effective one. Jesus is the Way, The Truth and The Life and no one comes to the Father (of Life) except through him. 

All you need say is this ;
“Lord Jesus, I know that despite all you have done for me, I have turned my back on you every time. I have not lived the kind of life you want me to live for you and I am deeply sorry. I recognise that you are my Saviour, the Lover of my soul and the Lord of my life. Forgive me of my sins and come into my heart today. Give me a brand new life and the joy of  your salvation. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.”

Source

 Perfect, this is first grand step you have taken into a purpose driven life. I admonish you to find a good bible believing based church where you can be part of a living Christian family and grow to be the man or woman God intended you to be. On my part I want to say, welcome to the fold and I love you.
 
I know this has been another lengthy write up from me but I appreciate your reading and I don’t take it for granted. More importantly, I hope you have been blessed just as I have.
 
Love you. 
Zing

Life & Warfare

With the recent unfortunate event in Lagos, Nigeria- dana plane crash, I have not really been myself. A former colleague of mine died in the plane crash and I know many people that know or worked with others who lost their lives. I pray the Sovereign Lord heals and comforts the families and friends of the departed. I am speechless indeed...

I don't want to rant about the incident or how "corrupt Nigeria" is or anything political. A number of bloggers are already doing that. I just want to use this time to reflect on my life. Will I be ready when my Savior comes or death comes....

A very good friend of mine, Zing, sent me a note he wrote and with his permission I am sharing with you guys. I was going to post it up last week but it is even more apt than ever with this recent plane crash. It is a bit long so I will break it into two parts. I pray you are blessed as you read.
************************************************************************

My Dear Friends,
 
I often remember the sad and painful moment of my life in July 1995 when I lost my dad whom I dearly loved to a car accident in the Nigerian capital, Abuja . Two of my hostel mates at the university had come to give their condolences to my family and I. Very sadly, on their way back to the university that Sunday; they had an accident and were confirmed dead by the time the paramedic reached the spot of the accident. I was just in my first year, and though quite young, been an adult so quickly was not in my plan as I was only learning to shed my juvenile ways by learning more of God. It was the worst moment ever I can readily remember and an experience of my life which was difficult to push aside. I felt like fading away into thin air, sometimes acting suicidal. Every word of solace and kindness just seemed to go in through one ear and then exit the other. My dad was my best friend and one of the boys that had died was a namesake and close confidant as well. Life did not just make any sense at all and I felt my faith in God had betrayed me. Some friends and family, I always had faith in were suddenly no where to be found. “…is this life?” I’d often ask myself. Yes, indeed it was life. It was my Life and Warfare!
 
Have you ever wondered like I sometimes do, asking the question “why is life sometimes so hard, that it makes it almost impossible to find a way around its challenges even when the will power to do so has been completely exhausted from inside you”. Many times situations arise in the life of an individual, some for which he or she may never have seen coming or neither comprehended its severity. Indeed, some of us may be experiencing long dragging health issues, some a difficulty in sorting out finances and neck ridden debts, for some it’s the loss of a darling close relative or friend at a very prime age for which others would loathe about cruelly, for some it is prevailing unpleasant circumstances at work, while for others it may be relationship or violent marital situation they just cant figure out. The list is unending and only you as an individual can tell what end of the spectrum your unpalatable challenge lies.
 

What makes this experience even more challenging for a number of us is the fact that we may have given our lives over to Christ with the expectation of having a more meaningful life in exchange; a life filled with limitless blessings and peace of mind that the world can never comprehend from a distance. Hmm…I know that feeling and you are not alone! Time and time again, the harshness of life is a burden we all have had to bare and at such crucial moments, the test of our faith in God's love can never be underestimated. Weird sad pictures roam our minds, and mind probing questions flood our thoughts as we begin to question the value of what it really is being Christians in the first place.
 
The words of solace and exhortation from Christian brethren may sometimes not suffice in the bid of getting us encouraged; rather there are situations where it may have even done more damage to the state of the mind, however innocently it may have been done. I recall that when I returned back to my room at the hostel off-campus, a number of fellowship and church members came visiting me in a bid of encouraging me. Shortly after they left, I heard several conversations going on behind my door, one of which I particularly found distasteful and unpleasant. One of the brothers who popped in to say hello way saying to another that he was very thankful that he had not embarked on a journey to visit my family when I lost my father, otherwise he would have also died. At that moment, every message of kindness and words of encouragement passed to me seemed like water in a basket. It weakened my love for God and the fellowship. Little did I know, this was Satan and he was waging a war and he meant to finish it and finish me at all cost.
 
With no pretense and staying factual, moments as this can be very overwhelming; sometimes finding yourself loose taste of keeping the faith and keeping track of who you truly are in God. After all, we are still human.
 
But years later, there was a twist to these events in my life when I took to reading what Gods’ word concerning my situation and the unbearable and emotional wreckage I had become. From the bible’s perspective, I had come to a better understanding of the fact that though I am human and a physical being, I may not have been vigilant in the spirit.1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” KJV.  Satan was out to destroy me and would pursue it to any level and anywhere, no matter what it cost and no matter whom he had to take away from me to achieve this. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says - “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” KJV. The battle in my life was now a notch higher than the physical as I could comprehend from bible. This was a spiritual warfare and there was no way I could let the enemy take all that meant so much to me in Jesus Christ away.
 
Satan would do anything to make a mockery of your relationship with God. He did it with Job despite his consistent perseverance in the God’s presence. He said in Job 3: 25 “For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me and that which I was afraid of has come unto me.” Praying for his family and himself would not deter the devil from levelling accusations against him and attempting to wreck every good thing in his life, even his health. Remember, he was a noble man and the bible did not record any wrong doing of Job prior to his horrible travail. I know what you are thinking….”yes I have been here before, just like Job was”, and that can be very true.
 
Friends, without a shadow of doubt, our warfare are not carnal but spiritual. We need to understand that every one of us has a God given purpose in life and the enemy will seek out ways at destroying our destiny. But these are four things I have practiced and for which I am confident to let you know worked so well for me at overcoming life’s’ warfare. I am happy to share these with you and you may apply them as well;


To be continued.......

image from google images