NO LONGER AT EASE IN ZION by Okey Onuzo

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Bode Ososami

Okey Onuzo

All over the world there is a war going on that a Christian cannot afford to ignore. The Bible warns us that we must fight this war in the realm of the spirit if we do not want to fight it in reality. The prophet Amos captured this dangerous state of complacency when he stated:

Amos 6:1-3Amos 6:1-3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 ¹ Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! are at...: or, are secure chief: or, firstfruits ² Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? ³ Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; seat: or, habitation

WP-Bible plugin (GW) ¹How horrible it will be for those who are at ease in Zion, for those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, and for the heads of the leading nations, to whom the nation of Israel comes. ²Go to Calneh and look. Go from there to the great city of Hamath. Then go to Gath, the city of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? ³How horrible it will be for those who think that a day of disaster is far away. They bring the reign of violence closer.

There is nothing as tragic as dead religion because it leaves desensitized about spiritual realities that control life on earth. Here is a way to recognize dead religion: Amos 3:6-8Amos 3:6-8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? be afraid: or, run together? the LORD...: or, shall not the LORD do somewhat? ⁷ Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. ⁸ The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ⁶Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? ⁷“For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. ⁸The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

The lesson is in verses 6&7: Only what the LORD permits is allowed to happen on earth (Lam. 3:37Lam. 3:37
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

WP-Bible plugin). In verse 7, we are told that if you and I are in the area, we should pick-up the spiritual signals from heaven. This is similar to Genesis 18:17Genesis 18:17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ¹⁷The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

The LORD God Almighty is calling us all to a heightened state of spiritual vigilance that will nip many demonically engineered troubles in the bud. We are called to engage in strategic praying that will define and determine the course of His story in our lives and in our world. History is actually His story – the unveiling of all the divine permissions that came through in our world in our time. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ revealed this when He said to Simon Peter:Luke 22:31-32Luke 22:31-32
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

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³¹“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, ³²but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Where did satan make this demand? Here are Scriptures to help us: Zechariah 3:1Zechariah 3:1
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3 ¹ And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Satan: that is, an adversary to...: Heb. to be his adversary

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ¹Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. This man of God went before the LORD of all the earth for empowerment and instruction necessary for effective and successful pilgrimage here on earth. But satan was there to resist him on the basis of his failings.

Revelation 12:10Revelation 12:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

When we step out of the glory of His righteous covering over our lives to meddle with sin and the world, we empower satan to accuse us before the God of all the earth. When we pursue self-will rather than God’s will, we open our lives to attacks. This is because our covering is assured on the path of God’s will for our lives. When we pursue God’s will in God’s ways in our lives we reduce the avenues of attack on our lives to the barest minimum. Our God is a God of justice. He deploys His justice to protect His love from abuse. His longsuffering and mercy offered us grace so we the guilty can be covered and so be protected from His righteous judgments on sinners.

Psalm 85:6-8Psalm 85:6-8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? ⁷ Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. ⁸ I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ⁶Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? ⁷Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. ⁸Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

God’s mercy has given us rest in His salvation and has empowered us to live in His peace in our time. But this is on the condition that we do not go back to folly. If we stay with God, He will reveal to us the plans of hell and the things that we do which empower them to seek permission to hurt us.

This is why we can no longer afford to be at ease in Zion in the year 2012. Abraham’s intercession revealed that we avoid disaster when we have enough righteous men and women in a place. Genesis 18:23-26Genesis 18:23-26
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵ That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ²⁶ And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ²³Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?²⁴Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

What we must never do at anytime is to rely on another to carry the anointing that will keep the powers of hell away from where we are. We must take on the challenge of walking closely with God everyday of our lives so that heaven can endorse our spiritual authority here on earth for when we bind on earth, the LORD must bind in heaven for us for our authority to be effective. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ warned the people of His day of presumption: Luke 13:1-5Luke 13:1-5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 ¹ There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? sinners: or, debtors ⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

WP-Bible plugin (ESV) ¹There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

So much is happening around us here in Nigeria that we need every Christian soldier at his/her post exercising spiritual authority to kill off evil in the heavenly places. Lamenting about incessant tragedies now and again is like closing the door after the animals have all escaped. The Book of Job revealed to us that the day in heaven must precede the day on earth ( Job 1:6Job 1:6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. Satan: Heb. the adversary among: Heb. in the midst of

WP-Bible plugin & 13). We must join our battles long before the devils get a chance to accuse us before God. It is our lapses that empower the hordes of hell to seek permission against us for our God is righteous, true and just and so cannot permit without cause.

Take your authority and bind all vagabond spirits masquerading under the guise of religion all over this land. Release the twin angels of judgment and mercy to ravage the land – mercy to those who repent of their evils but judgment on those who persist in order to bring them to repentance, that the land may know peace again to the glory of God, Amen.

Dr. Onuzo is an acknowledged conference and seminar speaker in different parts of the world. He continues to be available for the work of the ministry despite his busy clinical work. He is also the Associate Pastor of the National Headquarter’s Church of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria. He is married to Mariam, a medical doctor and they have four children: Dilichi, Chinaza, Dinachi and Chibundu

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Much Ado about Evangelicals Partnering with Mormons – Wars of Faith.

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Bode Ososami

How do you respond to issues related to partnering either in ministry, marriage, business, politics and cooperation for good causes? Especially in business and social causes, alliances are almost inevitable and the modus and value of additional spiritual due diligence remains questionable till you consider some thoughts.

“A handful of prominent evangelical activists are defending their decision to attend television host Glenn Beck’s conservative rally in Washington this weekend after some Christians complained that evangelicals shouldn’t be partnering with Beck because of his Mormon faith …” CNN Blog

We are in a vicious spiritual battle – no prisoners are to be taken. Instructions are to kill, steal and destroy at sight. However tactics are more refined to wait patiently for unguarded moments and strike to wreak utmost damage at the time of greatest weakness.

David regrets an act of stupid carelessness that costs the life of 85 priests. I Samuel 22[22] David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all your father’s house. (Amp)

David felt responsible for ignoring the presence of Doeg the Edomite at a time of weakness and sensitive exposure. The Edomite tribe are the descendants of Esau the brother of Jacob. Holy Scriptures describe this tribe as hated by God from the womb even before they fulfil a destiny of resisting and tormenting the children of Israel.

Recall the final meeting of Jacob with Esau. Examine this meeting a little closer if you will.

Genesis 33[12] Then [Esau] said, Let us get started on our journey, and I will go before you. [13] But Jacob replied, You know, my lord, that the children are tender and delicate and need gentle care, and the flocks and herds with young are of concern to me; for if the men should overdrive them for a single day, the whole of the flocks would die. [14] Let my lord, I pray you, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on slowly, governed by [consideration for] the livestock that set the pace before me and the endurance of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir. [15] Then Esau said, Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me. But [Jacob] said, What need is there for it? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord. (Amp)

Esau offered to unite with Jacob in direction and Jacob, as tactfully as he could, responded negatively with very polite and acceptable excuses not seeking to create offence. Even when generous manpower was offered – Jacob declined in very kind language. Jacob knew that cooperation or any alignment or gift from Esau – the enemy of God will pollute his covenant and ultimately lead to his destruction.

Many generations later we see Edom unveiling their true colours in examples of future recorded incidents of hatred against Israel…The first – the Edomites resist the passage of the children of Israel in the wilderness. Second, Edom cheered happily as Israel was carried into Babylonian captivity and brutally massacred. Third, Doeg the Edomite engineered the massacre of scores of priests as Saul hunted for David.

Numbers 20[14] And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, Thus says your kinsman Israel: You know all the adversity and birth pangs that have come upon us [as a nation]: [15] How our fathers went down to Egypt; we dwelt there a long time, and the Egyptians dealt evilly with us and our fathers. [16] But when we cried to the Lord, He heard us and sent an angel and brought us forth out of Egypt. Now behold, we are in Kadesh, a city on your country’s edge. [17] Let us pass, I pray you, through your country. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink of the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed your borders. [18] But Edom said to him, You shall not go through, lest I come out against you with the sword. … .[21] Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. (Amp)

Psalm 137[7] Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites, that they said in the day of Jerusalem’s fall, Down, down to the ground with her! (Amp)

In another scenario, Samuel violently disagrees with Saul (genteel but fearful, stupid and disobedient) in his decision to preserve Agag – the Amalekite King against the instructions of God to wipe out the entire ruling dynasty. Samuel executes instant correction – but too late. Haman the Agagite (a descendant) emerges generations later with the agenda to completely exterminate the Jews in the days of Esther. God dwells in eternity and gives battle instructions not just meant for our immediate context (I Samuel 15; Esther 8:3Esther 8:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. and besought...: Heb. and she wept, and besought him

WP-Bible plugin).

In the New Testament the Church was warned 2 Cor. 6 [14] Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?KJV

The Bible perspective on warfare suggests some uncomfortable painful realities…

The enemy of God can emerge even from the same womb that delivers a friend of God. Close family (not people from far lands) can provide the best terrain to unleash resistance against divine purpose in our lives (Jacob and Esau were twins).
If you make friends or forge any alliance with the enemy of God ( in marriage, business, politics)– his ultimate plan will be to destroy you and terminate your destiny – perhaps not immediately but a patient agenda of destruction is strategically executed.
Patience is a weapon that the enemy has well mastered in a world programmed to seek instant gratification...the devil can wait for decades before he strikes – understanding well that the carnal believer has been nurtured to want everything now. Biblical battles sometimes run through centuries and war strategies and tactics can span generations.

Back to Evangelicals, Mormons and Catholics, Rabbis, Moslems etc. Perhaps another blog will dare to draw the spiritual battle lines…and I admit lack of boldness and astuteness to tackle this only in a few paragraphs …but the Bible is bold to declare in James 4[4] Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. The enemy of God is the friend of the world

Acts 13[8] But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. [9] Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, [10] And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? The enemy of God perverts the right ways of the Lord

But we are to love our enemies … Indeed, this does not mean to act in stupidity. In the same way we love animals but do not sleep with pythons…nor permit a mad dog to run loose on our children’s play field. Is it still difficult to see that every alliance, agreement and accommodation with the enemy of God can have damaging future consequence ?

I Peter 5[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Surrender fully to Christ – All that are truly His and believe He is the only way to the Father are on His side of the battle. The enemy of God in this battle of faith is not necessarily always the person who disagrees with our favourite social, cultural, and church positions or counters our progressive thoughts and values … and may well be. Also consider the polite language and civility of Jacob in managing the separation from Esau . We do well to always avoid strife.

Phil 2 [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Also, we see the paradox that there was fear to join the early Church even as multitudes came.

Acts 5 [13] And none of those who were not of their number dared to join and associate with them, but the people held them in high regard and praised and made much of them. [14] More and more there were being added to the Lord those who believed [those who acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him joined and gathered with them], crowds both of men and of women, (amp)

May God give us the wisdom to be set apart for Him yet shine in a dark world … always acting without strife and in love…and that many come to know Jesus.

Lord as you guided the wise men not to return to Herod…show us the enemy we must simply avoid … Let your word also teach us how to love in a dangerous war. May our carelessness not hurt our destinies or the destiny of others.

Amen

(Originally posted in The Christian post)

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