The Invasion: ARE YOU READY?

Br. Chigozie Alamezie, BSS

08068397124


There is this sweltering war going on now. A serious war between light and darkness is raging on and the body of Christ is the target. Anyone who has received the Sacrament of baptism should know that he/she is involved here, as we all constitute the body of Christ. So by implication it means that we are the target hence the question—“are you ready? Or are you still getting ready?” Well, may I remind us that true soldiers don’t get ready; rather they stay ready knowing pretty well that they are always the target of their foe.
However, for fear that you may have fallen prey to the spirit of coldness, thus exhibiting indifference to things that matter; my pleasure will be to bring to your notice that the era of relaxation and merry-making is long past as no single genuine Christian is free from attack in this raging warfare. Those of Ceaser’s quarters may not actually bother themselves as their fate is already sealed. But for you still hopeful of the beatific vision in heaven, it is good you know that the battle line is drawn and the clock is ticking; it’s actually some minutes before the set time. There isn’t need guessing anymore. It’s simple: the War is on!
Perhaps you are unaware of what the situation at hand looks like. If that be the case with you, then a little explanation may help here, as it could help to get you strengthened up and maybe that way get you pulled from the sidelines and put you back on the track.
Hitherto it used to be that the sheep would go astray and the shepherds go in search of it. Isn’t it? But what we have now in church is that both sheep and shepherds are running off into the desert, and each seeking not to draw back the attention of the other, but to explore the length and breadth of the desert of sin. This is serious, isn’t it? A situation whereby nobody cares anymore; both sheep and shepherds have gone berserk full time and are even enjoying their pitiable and ridiculous state of bananas with every sense of seriousness. The condition is becoming increasingly disconcerting as it is devastating, considering again the very fact that our crop of today’s shepherds are but deeply divided men with conflicting minds, unsure of their vocation and its implication, whose troubled mindsets are steadied for them by paltry pathetic external enforcers as ephemeral vanities. This same could also be seen even among the wannabe shepherds.
May I say this to you, brethren: it’s either you chose now to make Christ Jesus your model, put on your whole armor and face squarely this daring challenge, fight to the very last this fierce battle and receive the awaiting crown of glory; or you continue pursuing madly the vanities of this life and in consequence stand the risk of losing everything you’ve ever worked for, even your very life.
As earlier said, no genuine child of God is off Satan’s target, yet we know that prime on his list are those saddled with the responsibility of taking care of souls (our supposed shepherds), the more reason they need prayers both by themselves and from others: “strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will scatter abroad” Matt 26 vs. 31.
The point is that I cannot tell whether these so-called men of God we have around today know that they are actually the prime target in Satan’s list. I am saying this because the rate of coldness, mad pursuit of ephemeral glories, and lackadaisity abounding among our darling pastors and priests now can only be best described as bizarre! Thus, this brings me to these questions troubling my mind for awhile now: do our today’s ministers know at all of this serious battle going on and the impending doom? Can someone convince me beyond reasonable doubt that our supposed watchmen know the hour in which we are now living? Or has the devil taken from them their spiritual wristwatches and substituted those with shining Egyptian bracelets?
It’s somewhat a shameful thing that a lot of us called to work in the Vineyard, having replaced our Bibles and other spiritual writings with newspapers, and needful spiritual exercises with internet activities following our grave involvement in frivolities, are presently living abreast of every latest technological and scientific breakthroughs, although possessing not even the minutest knowledge of happenings in the spiritual realm; of which the latter in actual ought to have been their very focus of priority. Believe it or not, this is a clear indication that many of us have been captured already and in consequence are now working for the devil even without knowing it, although some are aware of it, anyways. And, some who’ve been, spiritually, badly wounded and displaced, given to their careless living, are now trying to nurse their wounds with what cannot do--heavy indulgence in ephemeral acquisition. This indeed is still a chasing of the wind! The fruits they bear, visible in their manner of living, give credence to the assertion just made. Regrettably, even at this many are still living unwary of the reality at hand--living in constant merry-making like the people of Noah’s era. Seriously, I pity those of us saddled with the responsibility of saving souls who have instead taken to life of revelry, and inconsequential celebrations of different kinds.
Yet the pitiable of all men are the so-called Christians who are merely playing ‘churchianity’ in the body of Christ, especially in this perilous time, and are claiming such to be true Christianity. Many have forgotten so soon the words of our lord to the Samaritan lady ‘’ the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth’’ John 4 vs. 23. By implication what our Lord really means here is that this is the time when mere church-going, lip service and sheer ritual observance, as are evident among many churchy Christians today, will no longer hold tolerance before God. It is either one chooses to worship in spirit and in truth (truth here means reality) or he/she forgets it all. This is one of those statements that one, like the heady Jews of the Lord’s ear, wouldn’t hesitate to call “a hard saying” yet it is better spoken than not being told at all. Soon those of us playing the Ludo kind of Christianity will know what it means to be neither hot nor cold. Because many who now spurn the grace of God by refusing to adopt metanoia, in a very short while will be stripped of their armors and bundled out of the battle ground into utter darkness and pain; and this could take them by surprise.
Shepherds (whether they are Pentecostal or orthodox) who have made merriment, frivolities, materialism, and lewdness their priority thus, have sacrificed their vocations upon the altar of mundanity will soon raise their voices like Dives in regret. Also the sheep are not spared here, for those of us who are hell-bent on running off into the forest of sin will actually have the roaring lion on their trail. And believe me when I tell you that many may not survive the chase. Listen and listen very good, many who now are enjoying their Egyptian cucumber and watermelon, and are frolicking with Pharaoh’s vanities and ladies will in no distant time, if they do not turn a new leaf, have the claws of this ferocious lion stuck right deep in their soul and pulled in the direction of the eternal flames. How terrible it will be! This is not to frighten anyone, no! We are just saying what is inevitable, period!
See, the devil is set and equipped like never before. He has let loose every weapon available in his arsenal and has declared total war on the church. Only blind ministers whose anointing has dried up and spiritual sensors badly severed, would tell you that everything is okay. A closer look at the level of Satan’s preparedness, the sophisticated weapons and tactical plans with which he has planned to unleash mayhem on the body of Christ will seriously make your jaws drop, while you climb back to your abode of prayer and get your knees fasten to the ground. Please, I repeat, this is not to scare anybody but to alert us on the reality at hand, even I am convinced that many who are still up there in their watchtower (alive spiritually) cannot claim ignorance of this fact.
The spate of worldliness in the Christendom today is really becoming mind-boggling, pathetic and indeed problematic. And this is a sure sign of Satan’s invasion in the church. The worship of Mammon has taken over the worship of God, and gradually the desolating sacrilege is crawling up to the holy place!
Presently a massive army is being recruited and equipped, and this time not from outside the church, but from within the church. These are men and women who will leave no stone unturned in doing the bidding of the devil. Their meat is to exceedingly help in carrying out his-Satan’s- wicked purposes against the true people of God. Their targets are the uncontaminated Christians, the serious-minded Christians, to contaminate them and pull them over to their squad. This they plan to achieve through many unsuspecting ways. I just pray that God will enlighten the inner eyes of every true believer to see and understand what callous strategy the devil has put up for this operation. You will know them by their fruits. Holiness of life without which no eye shall see God, to them is not worth a criterion for true Christian living (kingdom life) nor a topic worth discussion among believers. To people like this everything goes in so far they have a cut to make in it. The only message they appreciate is the message of ephemeral prosperity and money-making, gold is their god; and anything of righteousness stings like the sting of a scorpion to their itching ears. Their motto is “it doesn’t matter how you behave or acquire material wealth; if you can’t beat them you join them, God understands.” And truly God understands that they are the children of wrath whose abode is the deepest and hottest part of hell, if they fail to repent! Be on the look-out and guard against people like this. And do not forget that they could even be the ones handling the microphone in your church; and it doesn’t matter what kind of clothing they appear in. As I am talking to you now, the pulpit has become their major base of operation and I repeat it doesn’t make any difference the title they may bear, or the kind of garment they put on. After all Judas was not just an apostle, but a super-apostle so to say yet his heart was never right before God.
This calls for a serious alert on the side of every believer now. I believe that every true believer should climb back into their watchtower; the spiritual gift of discernment should be greatly desired now (if you don’t have it), and put to use like never before. I urge you reader to open wide your spiritual eyes, awaken all your slumbering spiritual senses and pull up your spiritual antenna to receive Divine signals and thus stay ready. As things are now no Christian is advised to get ready, no. we rather are supposed to stay ready and not otherwise. God bless you!