Christian Living
June 6, 1944. World War 2.
The day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim liberty in Europe.
Officially, the largest seaborne invasion at the time, involving over 156,000 troops crossing the English Channel from the United Kingdom to Normandy, it's a record of man's finest hour. The Allies, consisting of men of different races, ages, cultures and values, placing aside all differences to thwart one of the greatest threats to human liberty, Adolf Hitler consisted of troops from Canada, France, UK, USA, Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
For four long years, much of the continent had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations were falling, Jews were crying out in the camps, millions cried daily for liberation. Europe was yoked and the world prayed for its rescue.
On the beaches of Normandy, the rescue began. There, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny, in a giant undertaking unequalled in human history.
Young men risked everything on that beachhead. Why? What compelled them to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk their lives. What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? The answer is simple.Faith.
To quote someone : "The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. They were here to liberate, not to conquer".
Something else helped these men; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold there; that God was an ally in their great cause.
Why take this journey down memory lane? Well, you see, there is a battle going on. From the simplistic(and quite classical) playground scuffle between the school bully and the school geek to the impending epic battle of Armageddon, it's undeniable that there's an ever ensuing conflict which involves pitting the forces of Good against the forces of Evil. Light against Darkness. Right against Wrong. And we, Christians, are right-smack in the middle of it. The Devil enrolled man in his fight against God the day Adam and Eve decided that God's apple, rather than just hang on a tree, would be better as lunch. Apparently, God didn't agree. Afterward, every act of sin, whether committed in ignorance or not, turned into an advancement in the ranks of Satan towards the troops of heaven. In light of this, God sent His only Son to come take our punishment and reconcile us unto Himself. Apparently, the Romans were pretty elated because they delivered the punishment so well, you'd think they just got a volunteer in an experiment to see just how much torture a man could take before he runs either insane or dies. And so the quarrel between man and God was ended by Jesus Christ. Now, every time a wayward soul says the sinner's prayer, the champions of heaven get one up over the hordes of Hell.
Consequentially, a line has been drawn and everyone, as long as you can recall what was said on yesterday’s evening news (the age of accountability), is required to pick a side. And for the Spiderman wannabes, there's no fence to sit on. Everyone's permitted to switch sides as often as they want, although the captains of said sides(the Lord and Satan) would deal out punishments as befits traitors. According to Revelations, the battle will culminate at the Armageddon and the day draws nearer. . But what about now? What does the good book say about the present conflict? The one you and I encounter everyday at work, on the streets, in the supermarkets, everywhere. Well, I believe the words of Jesus were,"...upon this rock shall I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". But present day experience is rather contrary to this. It would seem that Evil is prevailing, or to be more accurate, is already dancing to the victory song.
How else would you explain the continual upsurge in the level of disregard for human decency, modesty or even humans generally? There's so much sorrow and heartache everywhere. The business world has become extremely cutthroat. Children don't need TV or Videogames to satify their lust for violence; they are treated to a live boxing session at home between Mom and Dad. And Political office ...let's not even go there. Things have gotten bad. That's Oh-God-we-need-help bad. And what are we doing about it? We're comfortably seated with folded arms, heads in the clouds, looking for answers from Heaven. Or to be blunt, we've taken the route of the Ostrich, hidden our heads in the sand and adopted the age-old mantra, “Leave the Devil be and he won't take away your farm."
"...in the last days, evil men will wax stronger".
- Jesus
Well, while we've been 'leaving the Devil be', the Devil has been driving a blade into our guts. For example, we are sensual creatures because we possess a soul : the harbor of our emotions, preferences and temperament(s). This simply means we are influenced by the things we perceive by sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. The Ancients say 'knowledge is power', and thus Evil has gone to town with this knowledge: everywhere we get sensual feedback has been permeated with inspirations of evil- TV, Radio, Magazines, the Internet, on the streets as well as at work. Even in society, Evil has become a permanent wrinkle. Being tagged 'born again' is now a social label with an offensive and derogative tone; quite like being called 'black' or 'nigga' in the 80s or 90s.
The irony of it is that there was a time when Christians (the ones mentioned earlier that had the Ostrich syndrome) could hide in the 'safety' of their homes but not anymore. Like an uncurbed virus, evil has found a way into their 'safe' havens. If you've got a TV, well you've got evil sharing your lease. Don't believe? Leave a kid in front of the TV for about a week and see just how 'innocent' he remains. He'll probably start dropping cuss words faster than Richard Prior and a very annoying assumption that every problem can be dealt with by a gun. And that's just local TV. In less than 7 days! It takes less when you've got Cable.
A virus is like a parasite that will unrelentingly seek out a host unless it is curbed.
Well, World War 2 captures a lesson the Christians, especially the young ones of this generation (that includes you and I), desperately need to learn. I believe this is captured explicitly by the popular words of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". As Human beings, we possess the inherent affinity to oppose injustice, oppression and the many other ways Evil expresses itself in our world. How else do you account for the intense displeasure you derive from being overcharged for a purchase? If this is the case, then how much more, as 'lights' located in a world permeated by darkness, should we Christians strive to influence our world?
Evil is not confused as concerning who their enemy is. The Bible declares that "Ye are the light of the world". We Christians pose the greatest threat possible to evil. Therefore, they strive tirelessly to get rid of us like a bad habit. If this is evil's stand as regards us, then why are we undecided about where we stand in this conflict.
You see, taking the route of the ostrich doesn't make you safe. It just secures you a spot on Evil's easy list. On every front, we the protagonists of Good are attacked in a bid to snuff out whatever bit of light is left in the world. They tried to deal with Jesus but He whipped them good. They'll try to deal with us too, so as long as we have breath we ought to keep fighting. Enough of this "As long as I'm not directly affected, I'm not concerned". No more of "I can't be bothered, I already have enough problems as it is". We ought to be saying things like,"Something ought to be done about this situation". Christians are now the only source of light to a world starved of sanity and it's a humongous responsibility. But how do you and I 'fight' back?
John 1:5- And the light shined forth in darkness, and darkness could not overcome it.
We overcome Evil by 'Shining our Light'. It's so basic a principle it's neglectable but it's the only strategy known to work. The Bible says, And God said "let there be light... and He seperated the light from the darkness". First, light had to shine before darkness could be put where it belonged. The same principle applies today. Jesus said "Let your light so shine before men that they may glorify your father which is in heaven".
You owe it to yourself; you owe it to the younger ones. But most importantly, as a Christian, you owe it to God to make a difference, no matter how little it could seem. Like the boy scouts would tell you, the campfire illuminates the whole camp but it's just a little spark, caused by two stones, that spawns it. Who knows? The little effort you put in could just be the spark to catapult us Christians into another Holy Ghost frenzy, just like in the days of the Bible Apostles. Don’t make a curt sidestep out of Evil's way until maybe things get personal. Take a stand today.
Sometimes, you’ll need to stand with someone. Other times, you’ll have to stand alone. The important thing is to make sure that you always stand.
Remember, there's an ongoing battle between Good and Evil. We, the young ones of this generation have the privilege of making a stand for Good but Evil has a head start on us. Thus, we face intimidating odds but just like David before us, we will overcome. If your decision is to side with Good then brace yourself, it's going to be a tough one.
Taiwo Ibukunoluwa
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Keep shining His light. Blessings.
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