| If you wake up in the morning and hear your dog barking or your rooster crowing, you don’t get excited and impressed. You don’t run to your neighbour and say – ‘Oh neighbour! Can you imagine this, my dog was barking this morning’. You know that would sound so strange. This is because your dog was wired to bark naturally and anything short of that is abnormal.
Likewise, when we live holy, healthy and victorious lives, God is not excited because he doesn’t expect anything less from us. The Christian life is a life of an all-round victory and success. Every step we take should exude the grace of God. Our actions should tell stories of the excellences of God. Anything short of this is not the Christian life.
Some of us used to behave very badly before we became born again. At those times, we had this constant feeling that God was fuming because of our terrible attitudes. So as soon as we entered into God’s kingdom and we were told that angels were rejoicing in heaven because we are saved, we got fired up. However, we are not really living the Christian life any longer; we are up today and down tomorrow. We slip into the excellent attributes of God and slip out the next minute. And surprisingly, whenever we manifest God’s nature, we think God is jubilating again.
How can He jubilate because you don’t care about the perishing souls around you in general, but today you decided to preach to someone? How can healing the sick and living in good health fire Him up? How can helping the needy make him bask in excitement? How can living a holy life one day in one month make angels to celebrate? How can donating to God’s work last year cause a roar in heaven? Are these not the things we have been wired to do naturally … and constantly? Are they not expressions of the purpose we are to fulfill on earth?
The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 – “But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. This is one major purpose why you are here on earth. God is pleased with the believer because of Christ’s work on the cross and we now have to make it our sole purpose to be pleasing to him. You are here to display your identity in Christ. You are here to live the Christian life that will naturally attract others to Christ. Don’t slip in and out of it and think God is excited for the moments when you get it right; you don’t expect your dog to slip in and out of ‘barking’. Also, don’t get too agitated saying “I do not know my purpose”. Obey the known purposes of God for your life and the things specific to you will be unraveled as time goes on.
– tope aladenusi
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Ephesians 6:11-18
I may have underestimated his experience in the game. In fury of the damage he had done to my life in the past, I challenged him. My “loins girt about with truth”, I launched my first attack. He dodged, immediately retaliating with a well-aimed punch. My rib-cage crackled.
Grabbing the “breastplate of righteousness”, I rushed forward again. He stretched forth his right foot, setting a trap. I tripped over and fell flat on the floor.
I had hardly stood up, my “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” when the enemy struck again, this time around with an arrow. Too late, the arrow pierced the left side of my tummy. I staggered back, blood trickling down. I tried to draw it out of my flesh, but the pain was unbearable. In agony, I considered giving up.
Not yet! Quickly recovering, I made a beeline for “the shield of faith.” The enemy changed tactics. Taking advantage of my unprotected head, he smashed. My vision got blurred. All I could see were bright stars falling off the dark sky. How did I forget to put on “the helmet of salvation?”
Having recuperated, my helmet now on, I felt safe and confident, hoping to win. Eyes locked, we faced one another, waiting for who would strike first. He charged at me. I charged back, but with bare hands. I needed a sword badly. In a swift turn to pick the sword, the last thing I heard was a descending blow. My world went pitch-dark. Half unconscious, I lay on the floor moaning in excruciating pain.
I didn’t want to give up. All I needed was the strength to continue. Then, I remembered my captain – the one who brought me out of the miry clay. My cry of helplessness turned into “prayer and supplication in the spirit.” All of a sudden, a bright light enveloped me. And I saw One like unto the Son of man. Then I cried: “save me Oh Lord or I die!”
The Captain of my soul smiled at me: “I’m here to help thee.” His warm smile instantly healed my body and strengthened my spirit.
Heart burning with hatred, I slashed the enemy with the “sword of the Spirit.” He fell flat. Closing on, I aimed for the last blow that would finish the evil one, once and for all. Before I could deal this deadly blow, the enemy was gone. In a jiffy he had jumped up and ran for his life.
Oh! I wasted time! Why didn’t I strike immediately? When is he coming back? From now on, I will stick on to my Saviour, the Captain of my soul, who is ever near, to supply the winning grace that I need everyday of my life.
okenna obi-igbokwe