I know by mentioning
the word resistance in the title of this post has already made you the reader
to conclude and put a tag on me that identifies me as NASA. I would however
request you to open your mind a little bit and read to the end, giving this word
RESISTANCE a chance to develop A CHRISTIAN paradigm shift in our attitudes as
Kenyans.
This micro treatise of
the word Resistance is borne out of 1 Peter 5:8-9 which encourages you and I
thus:
Be alert and of sober
mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know
that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind
of sufferings.
BEING ALERT AND OF SOBER MIND
Peter encourages us to
be alert and of sober mind. When I was a fervent student of the bible in the
early 80s and went through the pages of Bible, I was led to understand that the
spirit of man dwells in man and controls the person's mental, emotional and
physical faculties that make a whole of who and what we are. Christian
literature from the medieval period is generously percolated with these three -
MIND, SOUL & BODY. Mind soul and body do also appear in the Shema- as
recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and forms the foundation of the Christian
spirituality as far as I understand it. 4"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our
God, the LORD is one! 5"You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6"These words, which
I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.…
The Israelites were
commanded to teach their children about this fundamental truth, they were to
write it on their door posts and repeat them to their children at all times
because the essence of this prayer is what distinguishes a Christian from a
none believer. The practice of acknowledging Jehovah God anywhere from deep
down our hearts is what makes the difference on whatever thing we touch,
whatever group we belong to, whatever job we do and wherever we live. A Christian
is EXPECTED to be a light and salt in the world. If indeed you and I are
Christians, we ought to saturate our entire being with the knowledge of God-
that is to Love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our
might.
Being Alert!
Being alert is a prerequisite
in leading a life of resisting evil. Unlike the political Resistance Movements
used in demanding for certain rights, Christian Resistance requires one to be
alert 24 hours 7 days a week. To be alert for such a long time and since the
brain works even when a person is asleep, an individual Christian needs to
build stamina for Alertness that occurs in the mind when the nerve cells (neurons),
carry sound, correct and accurate theological "messages" through the electrochemical
process in the brain whether we are awake or asleep. This cannot be accomplished
by taking coffee or any food supplements like the fish oil and omega and others,
but by taking spiritual exercises that build up the functionality of the brain
according to how it was formatted by the creator. The only user manual
available for us to use is the Bible.
To be alert therefore
and be able to resist all evil in the true sense of the word, one has to develop
the muscles in the brain so as to acquire the stamina to resist the Devil.
Resisting the devil as Jesus taught us is by the word of God. Psalm 119: 10 says;
With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your
commandments. 11Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin
against You. 12Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes… It goes without
saying that seeking God with one’s heart demands deep study of the Bible daily
and meditating on it day and night. That is why God instructed the Israelites
to teach the Shema to their children.
Being Sober
Being sober refers to
not being drunk or intoxicated or affected by alcohol, drugs, or other
intoxicating substance or behavioral habits. Being clearheaded is a deliberate
decision not to allow oneself be influenced by anything that targets the Mind. EPHESIANS
5:18 captures and gives the following instruction: And do not get drunk on
wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, I have
personally come to learn that mentally, a man becomes what he reads, what he
hears, and what he sees summed up in MAN BECOMES WHAT HE THINKS. When we spend
time with anything we become like that which we are interacting with. We become
drunk or intoxicated with power, tribalism, greed, lust and all evils that make
us enemies of good. Those who go to
casinos, become gamblers. Those who watch pornography, become addicted to
illicit sex and sexual orgies.
Therefore, writing the
Shema 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,
the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. 6 These commandments that I give you
today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on
your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie
them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. If we follow the above
instruction, we can lead a life of resisting evil and it is what is called “letting
ourselves be filled by the Holy Spirit”. You cannot be sober if you are not
perpetually alert and that is why Peter in our verse above puts alertness
preceding being sober. Being watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency an
alert guard or watchman has to stay alert to possible problems, be quick to
perceive and act mentally, be active, brisk and awake. A drunk watchman sleeps,
a drunk driver never makes right decisions and therefore, to lead a life of
resisting the devil, we need to be alert and sober The next part of this short
treatise shall look at 1 Peter 5:8-9 part titled: Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
