Hurled Down.....

 

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:  "Now have come the salvation and power and the kingdom  of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night , has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of thier testimony; they did not love thier lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil  has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his TIME IS SHORT" - Revelations 12:10-12

My goodness this past week that just went by, what in the woot woot was that?! [I mean the year has been cray cray all over the world, but this one hit home] - If you managed to stay sane, you have a lot to be thankful for. As a Nigerian, a lot of the things I was reading and hearing from back home and in the diaspora about my beloved country, humbled me to the core and broke my heart a million times. I was filled with so much emotion, rage and anger, that I had to take a step back to deal with all the things I was feeling in prayer. If in all of my humanity, weaknesses, short sightedness & frailty: I was dealing with so much in my heart: how much more God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who sees all things and knows all things - I can bank on it that the pain hits Him differently. Sigh

I was so grateful to read one of the devotionals last week, alongside my quiet times - "righteous anger" - it really helped my heart, and reminded me about how human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires- "James 1:20 [hello?!]. Here are a few things I noted as I read the article and went on to do a heart study:

• Christian anger does not indulge in sin to make it's point and get what it wants
• The Devil loves hanging out with angry people
• A fool gives full vent to his Spirit
• Wise anger is calmly deliberate

The second point, is the one that ministered to my soul deeply. The Devil is an opportunist and just as our opening scripture tell us - "Satan is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short". He indeed loves hanging out with angry people. The times we are in may not be in full beast mode yet: regarding what scriptures tells us about the end times, but it is definitely birth pains of what is to come. Let no man think that God is no longer on His throne or that he has lost his ability to act, simply because He may not necessarily pander to the things or ways we expect things to play out. How can all of these things be happening if there is a God? Well, there is still very much a God. If  only people cared enough to know who HE is and what He requires. The below quote put's it more aptly:

                      "The slow movement of the Tiger, is not a sign of cowardice"

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance" - 2 Peter 3:9

Thing is, the enemy might be raging like a violent maniac, but God hasn't been dethroned. He is patient, full of compassion & very long-suffering towards us all. He desires that no one at all perishes. A lot of people in these times, may spend thier time pointing fingers at others and looking outward, but let us also look inwards, so that we don't fall under the category of the "sons of disobedience", whom the scripture says in Colossians 3:6 -the wrath of God is coming for. - phew

May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, in these uncertain times. May you not be a tool for the enemy, but an Instrument of God for his wonderful plans and purposes. Most importantly, may you & I know the TRUTH and may the truth indeed set us free. Amen

A friend quoted thus - "We are ONLY strong before men, when we are weak before God!"

Please let that sink in :)

"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" - Matthew 5:3

              ....Blessed are those who understand  & recognize thier need for God........

Love,

SR