"Be clothed in the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places." Eph.6:10-20
"On the same day, some of the Pharisees approached, saying to him: 'Depart, and go away from here. For Herod wishes to kill you.' And he said to them: 'Go and tell that fox: "Behold, I cast out demons and accomplish healings, today and tomorrow. And on the third day I reach the end."" - Luke 13: 31-35
Reflection
There are those who approach the challenges of this world from purely human angle. Because of their denial of the existence of God, they believe that all human problems can be solved by humans themselves. Mind you, when we say those who denied the existence of God, we do not simply refer to world acclaimed atheists. We include all those who claim to acknowledge the existence of God, but in actual fact they live life that deny the existence of God. These are called practical atheists! By their lifestyle, utterances, deeds and misdeeds, they show clearly they are doing the biddings of Satan! Practical athestism is a dangerous malaise afflicting, even the children of God in modern times. Bible calls all of these "fools," because they say to themselves, either by their academic theories, or by their hatred of God and his people, "There is no God!" Other translations have the words, "God is not for me." (Psalms 14:1, 53:1). The truth we must acknowledge today and every day of our life is that God is real, and He does exist! He is Father of creation, infinite in love and mercy. He is holy, just as He calls us to be holy also. He is Goodness and Truth.
In the same vein, we must also acknowledge today and every day of our life that Satan, too, is real! He is not a fiction, or imagination of some religionists. He is alive and active. And he does not joke with his self imposed duty of roaming about like a lion, looking for souls to devour! He has devoured many a soul, and still hold many captives! These captive souls need liberation, and must be liberated by all means possible!
That informs the mission of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. It is a mission he also entrusted to you and me to continue to carry out on his behalf. Are there challenges to confront? Did Jesus Christ himself meet with challenges in carrying out his own mission? O! most assuredly, you will never be in short supply of daunting obstacles, stiff opposition, even death! One of such oppositions against Jesus Christ was the one narrated in the Gospel text of our today's reflection, written by St. Luke. It says, some Pharisees approached to Jesus Christ and said to him: “Depart, and go away from here. For Herod wishes to kill you.” Herod was the king of Judea when Jesus Christ was born. He reigned from the year 37 to 4 BC. Herod was a serial killer! He is what we might call the "first patron and grandfather of all killers in the New Testament times," be they terrorists, bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers, rapists, ritualists, etc.
All his obsession was to kill Jesus Christ, and truncate his mission. Out of satanic rage, envy and jealousy, Herod ordered the mass murder of "all the boys in Bethlehem and in neigbourhood who were two years old and younger" (Mat.2:16). Herod featured prominently in the mock trial and execution of Jesus Christ! (Luke 23:6-12) Herod persecuted the Church, so much so that the disciples of Jesus Christ were put on the run! He laid hands on James, the brother of John, and "killed him by the sword." He saw that this was pleasing to sadistic Jews, as we have some of them in Nigeria today, then Herod went for Peter, the head of Apostles! He had almost succeeded when Power-pass-power intervened and rescued Peter (Acts 12:1-19).
How did Herod ended? Like every other dictator, he never ended well. Here is how the Bible tells the story of his disastrous end: "Then, on the appointed day, Herod was clothed in kingly apparel, and he sat in the judgment seat, and he gave a speech to them. Then the people were crying out, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” And immediately, an Angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had not given honor to God. And having been consumed by worms, he expired. But the word of the Lord was increasing and multiplying" (Acts 12: 21-24).
The Word of God will surely outlast every "principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places" in Jesus Mighty name!
We have seen that even in our time, there are many who assiduously work to truncate every national goal, especially those things that will benefit the people. What they cannot get, they seek to destroy. They are thieves and liars! They steal from the people. They kill the people! These are clear manifestations of Satanic character; "He comes only to steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10). Jesus did not fear him, or hide from him. He did not fail to rebuke him and calling him out by his true character. “Go and tell that fox: ‘Behold, I cast out demons and accomplish healings, today and tomorrow. And on the third day I reach the end.’ Yes, that is who Herod was, a fox, showing the embedded character of Satan in him! The character of a person who is compared to fox is that of wicked mischief. He is cunning. Many rulers today are worse than fox! Some are hyenas, lions and tigers! We must be courageous to tell them what they are doing that is not right!
True Children of God, who have received the threefold offices of Christ; king, priest and prophet, must not fear Satan and all his killer agents. Rather, they should listen to the instruction of St. Paul to the Ephesians, text of our reflection. "Be clothed in the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places" (Eph.6:11-12). Some of these "armour" St. Paul listed as faith, holiness, courage and proclamation of the Word of God, accepting the same Word of God for yourself, not only proclaiming it, prayers of all kinds, vigilance, amongst others. Kindly take up your Bible and read the entire Ephesians 6, and reflect.
Pray also for God's revelation, especially at this time in our national history and the world at large. What is God saying concerning our situation? Whatever inspiration you receive, Child of God, do not hesitate to share with us here, if it is the will of God.
Remain blessed.
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