“Living With An Eternal Perspective!”

“Living With An Eternal Perspective!”(I Thes.5:5-11).
Thank you, LORD. I know this day is good for it is in your hands!
I chanced upon a recent skit by Nigerian comedian Deacon Famous. Impersonating a Rev Fr, he is standing at the patio of the church to welcome members to Mass. As he shakes hands with each member, he asks, “Where is your Bible?” The member’s response is to draw out a weapon and show to the Rev Fr. Seeing the weapon, he tells the member, “You can go in for the Mass.” He tells one member who showed Odeshi power that “the battle is physical and not spiritual.” When he welcomes all members, he pulls out his own weapons, two pistols, fires some shots in the air, saying, it is time for the Mass.
This skit is against the backdrop of the recent abductions and killings of Christians in some churches in Nigeria. Deacon’s message is in the inversion of the Pauline words that the battle is not spiritual but physical; instead of the battle is not physical but spiritual! This is to say faith and trust in God have not yielded any fruits. The Christians should face the reality of the world by using the weapons of the world to fight against the world.
“The battle is the Lord’s, ” and vengeance is of the Lord ” seems to be worn out clichés. Or to agree with Nietzsche that “God is dead!” Whoever thinks that God is dead should prove it by showing the place where he was buried.
Metaphorically, we are children of light and of the day and do not belong to the night or to darkness. Unlike children of the night and darkness, “Let us be awake and sober.” It is at night that evil and sin are perpetrated. “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet…”
My friend, the battle for us remains spiritual. When we trade our weapons for those of the world, we are accepting to fight the enemy on his terms. That’s giving in to the enemy already! The Pauline breastplate – today’s bulletproof vest – is a spiritual defence piece protecting our hearts and minds from sin and spiritual attacks through faith and obedience to the commandments of God. This underscores the importance of faith and love in the exercise of calling and communion. In the same way, the helmet of salvation is a spiritual protection and hope that comes from our relationship with God. It seals our minds from evil thoughts and discouragement. The helmet of salvation is about our resolve to hold on to the assurance of salvation that gives us confidence, providing us an eternal perspective, emboldening us to stand firm against attacks and the resilience to weather the storms of this life.
Salvation by grace does not mean we fold our hands and wait for godot in the midst of life’s vicissitudes. The battle against this worldliness is real. We must put on the whole armour of God, praying for discernment on their proper uses. Thus equipped, it is then that “no weapon fashioned against us will succeed.”
“God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Prayer: Holy Spirit, help us not to fight the enemy on his terms but to discern the proper use of our immutable spiritual weapons. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
27/11/2025.