The first two weeks of this year will remain very memorable to many Nigerians. On the 1st of January, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced the removal of subsidy on petrol, and the price of petrol jumped by over 100% in few hours. This announcement led to a week-long nationwide strike by the labour union and gave rise to different types of protests around the country in the course of which many people lost their lives. Beyond all the sad events that occurred, the incident brought to my notice once again something I have observed before –many believers don’t live intentionally; their actions are not usually based on a decision to follow The Word or a direction from the Holy Spirit, but on pressures from their environment.
During this period, I heard people make unprintable statements and some occupied the streets vowing not to return home until the government’s decision was completely reversed. But it is quite surprising that many who occupied the streets then are currently occupying the bed of another man’s wife, beer parlours, cinemas, employers’ gardens, church politics, night clubs, etc. and I’m wondering why all the passion I saw then was able to readily dissipate into thin air. Also, people who suddenly became social commentators during the heated period are now sports commentators, security commentators, church commentators, death commentators etc. It could be the same problem manifesting in different ways; when God is not in control of a life, the devil uses the environment to control that life. Unfortunately, believers are sometimes beguiled to act like them. Such people are swift to grumble about anything. Someone puts it right by saying “some people would grumble at the accommodations in Heaven if they ever got there.” Beloved, do you know that Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 (CEV) “I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken”?
There is nothing wrong in occupying the streets or voicing our grievances, but was that action a reaction to a nudging from within or a pressure from without? I Corinthians 6:19 (GW) says “Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves.” The believer cannot just decide where his body goes and what he does with his body. You cannot just say you want to occupy the street today and say tomorrow you want to occupy the sea. The body belongs to God and you should be conscious that you are subject to instructions from Him on the use of your body. In Christianity, the standards are high; “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” Romans 14:23.
One thing we should always be conscious of is that the devil wants us to act like a chameleon, always reflecting the colour, pattern and pressure of the world. But God also wants us to act like a different chameleon attuned to Him, always reflecting the pattern, purity and power of the Word. 2Corinthians 3:18 says “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Will you allow the Spirit of God to guide your actions no matter the pressures from without?
Finally, I noticed that I did not see any ambassador from other countries join the street protests or make any statement (not to talk of a vulgar one) about the situation. Do you know why? They are on a mission to Nigeria and were sent here temporarily by their home country. They dare not take any action without the approval of their President. How come many believers who are God’s ambassadors to this world didn’t even bother to take instruction from heaven about the course of action to take during the strike? Could those vulgar words (some of us uttered) have originated from heaven? Let’s face it; many of us are missing it and are living like mere men who are puppets of the devil. The message I want to pass across is simple: we must all learn to live intentionally, following the guidance of the Spirit of God within us no matter what pressures we experience from without.
Tope Aladenusi
