“Fear Not; The Angels Will Attend To You!”

“Fear Not; The Angels Will Attend To You!”
Our people hold that it is God who drives away the flies that settle on the sores of a tailess cow. After Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, and as he “was coming out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'”
The question has been raised why Jesus had to be baptised if John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance? Jesus himself told John that it was important to fulfil all righteousness.
There are somethings which have to be done and done by everyone. Yesterday I watched a video clip of President John Magufuli of Tanzania publicly playing the drum in an orchestra. Well to someone like him playing the drum in public is not an isolated case. He joins others to do communal work. He rejects the presidential jet and flies economy class in a public plane. He has reduced his salary and cut down the coterie of unproductive delegations on foreign mission. Since 2017 in Nairobi we coined the word “Magulification” to describe a high personality who acts like Magufuli. While he is doing all these, his counterparts in the continent are seeing him as “someone who does not matter!” They rather prefer affluence, influence and opulence in the midst of abject impoverishment! Men of God are not exempted. They prefer jet planes and classiness while telling their followers that their reward is in heaven.
Jesus’ temptation is linked directly to his baptism. It is ironical that the same “Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels attended him”(Mk. 1:9-13).
There is a contradiction in what we do after baptism these days. There’s no doubt that by baptism we become one in union with Christ. That is a thing of joy worth celebrating that we were once lost in sin, but now we have been washed clean through the water of baptism.
The superfluity which one finds in some of the parties celebrating baptism often leaves little to be desired. Of course that may be the moment of temptation which comes after baptism as it was the case of Jesus.
Chistian conversion is a process which begins most times at baptism, but it is a long winding road before full conversion takes place. Since christian conversion is turning towards Christ, there are always many things in our lives which have to be turned towards Christ to complete the circle.
Although Mark does not spell in clear terms what the temptations were, it still boils down to basic human needs: food, shelter and clothing. To be in the desert for forty days is already a deprivation of all those basic human needs. He was exposed to the dangers of starvation, thirst, scorching heat and wild animals. But he did not lack these things!
Mark does not also tell us that he spent these forty days without food. He had everything he needed because “angels attended to him.”
My friend, temptations concerning basic human needs are bound to happen in your life, even as the Spirit himself leads! You are bound to be exposed to wild animals, even in human form! They will seek occultic power to destroy you, fear not for the angels of the Lord will attend to you!
You may be in the midst of Satan, the desert and wild animals, but fear not; God’s angels are attending to you!
May the Lord surround you with guardian angels to make you an overcomer in Jesus’ name! Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!