e are at war! Yes, we are at war indeed! But the war we are talking about is not physical combat. When our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ said He had come to bring a sword to the earth, perfunctory understanding of those words were opposite the earthly life of Man-God Who left His Divine Glory in heaven and came here to sojourn with us for 33 years in order to save sinful humanity. How could the Teacher Who taught us to turn the left cheek when slapped on the right cheek talked about sword? How could the One Who told that gun-ho chap who cut off the ear of the servant Marcus at Gethsemane to sheath his sword preached wielding the sword and proceeded to fix the cut ear? How could the One Who didn't utter a word at His Trial and went sheepishly to Golgotha to pay it all advocated branding knife, cutlass, and sword? My Lord didn't mean the sword of the human race, artillery bombardment, gun, and technological nuclear arsenals. Here is the sword the King meant: "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17).

The sword that Christian believers use in fighting the perennial battles of everyday life is the Word of God. Brother Paul exegesis built more on what our Lord Jesus Christ told us His Disciples of then and now; consequently, Paul dialectically thus: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6: 12). Many Christians have read and will continue to read those disclosure of our enemies exposed above but are still insouciance of this reality and the rules of warfare. As I have disclosed legionary times here, the greatest artifice of Satan and the fallen angels against the children of Adam and Eve since the Fall is ignorance. How can you be fighting a war you deny its reality? That is ignorance, a big one indeed! How can you be fighting formidable foes, armed, and acting in phalanx 24/7 against your life and you feign their existence? Great and complex ignorance! And how can you fight and slug it out against foes and hateful enemies you are clueless of the rules of warfare and combat engagement? Mega-ignorance pity!

The war for your soul and mine has been raging on for millennia. Satan and his fallen angels have vowed that no human being who ever passes this earthly realm from the Maker Above will make it to the finished line back to the Maker of Life. In the Journey of Life beginning from pre-natal, cradle and childhood, adolescence, youth to the grave, obstacles, interruptions, slanders, mudslinging and frontal attacks against the human spirit, soul, and body litter our ways. This is Life. It is full of potholes, mud, and struggles all the way, because the archenemy of God and your eternal foe; Satan and his finks have vowed to make the earth hellish for Adam's offspring. Read it here: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down-he who accuses them day and night before our God. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time." (Revelation 12:10-12) Clearly adumbrated, those four verses present two contrasting groups of winners and losers. First, those of us clothed with the full armor of our Lord Jesus Christ as commanded by Apostle Paul, the first Commanding General in the Spiritual Army of our Lord Jesus Christ, Hallelujah! Paul blew the bugle thus: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:11). As a well-trained Spiritual General, Paul now identified the enemies and proceeded to instruct all Christian Soldiers how to kit themselves with these eight spiritual arsenals thus: "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:14-17).

These eight heads of our swords must work in unison: Standing Firm ("So, the one who thinks he or she is standing firm should be careful not to fall"-1 Corinthians 10:12); Truth ("Sanctify them O Lord by Your Word, Your Word is Truth" John 17:17), Righteousness (" I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things I consider them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith"-Philippian 3:8-9); Evangelism ("Preach the gospel-the word, be prepared in season and out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction"-2 Timothy 4:2); )Faith ("And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him"-Hebrews 11:06); Salvation ("For salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved-but Jesus Christ-Acts 4:12, See also John 3:4;16); Word ("For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirt, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart"-Hebrews 4:12); and finally, Prayers ("Pray always without ceasing, continually, all the time"-I Thessalonians 5:17).

The eight all combined are the total ammunition for spiritual victory. They are deadlier than all atomic bomb and nuclear arsenals ever assembled by the temporary superpowers of the world. In the Hands of our Lord of lords and King of kings, they are a sword, Hallelujah! If you possessed these Armor, you belong to the Winner's and Victorious Group who are and will rejoice over Satan and his fiendish forces. If you are outside this fold, you belong to the Loser's and Defeated Group whose lot is woe to on the earth because Satan and his rebels will rule, harangue and mess with you ceaselessly before they will finally have you for supper in the Nether Gloom. In any spiritual combat, there are two antagonistic opposing camps, and it is extremely necessary for the various combatants and warriors to psyche and understand the strategies of the warring parties. If you say you're not involved in this spiritual warfare, you are self-deluding trust me. Like the Cold War between the West and erstwhile Eastern Bloc, there is no spiritual non-aligned parties. You are either fight or perish, no middle road. Satan and his demons have also devised their own weapons of attack in this unceasing spiritual war for human souls. This week, we want to examine three of such Satanic weaponized guiles:

Death is the end: Death is coming and inevitably is coming; coming for you and I, indeed for all sons and daughters of our First Parents aftermath of their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Our individual appointment with the Grim Reaper is not a function of individual belief; rather, a distinct experiential reality. We witness it daily and as we queue for our turn in the Journey of Life, its inevitability exasperatedly makes it painful and tragic. The Word of Life nailed it harder: "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment�" (Hebrews 9:27). Satan and his demons trick gullible human souls by wiggling those two realms: Death and Judgment. Since death is a reality and humans see it daily, it will be herculean to state otherwise. But what follows thereafter has been a veritable fodder to lure billions of souls to Gloom and Darkness. "If only we can convincingly beguile these human fools that Death ends it all, we will have harvest of souls," Satan instructed his demons. And old boy, the trick is working.

If you think Death is the period of life, you are the most pitied. If you fall for Satan's potent artifice, you are thoroughly finished! Death is the beginning of life, and not the end. Eternity starts immediately you take your last breath, and it has no end and that is why it is called eternity. Satan, the demons, you, and I; indeed, all creations of the True Lord God Almighty with His Divine Breath live forever, period! Consequently, it is not death that should scare or tiss you; rather, which side of the Eternal Divide you are going to: Heaven or Hell? The choices begin with same big letter "H" but are starkly contrasting. The choice is ultimately yours and it begins right now wherever you may be reading this on earth.

Purgatory: Rest areas dot virtually major intestate highways across this beautiful land called the United States. Thanks to President Dwight D. Eisenhower who singed into law the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 which led to the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways which was the largest American public works program in the United States as at that time. President Biden is tapping into that in his Build Back Better-BBB-Program. President Eisenhower knew that intermittent rest is needed by motorists to reinvigorate, refresh, and then continue their journeys on virtually all highways in the nation and today the nation is better for it. But the True Lord God Almighty doesn't run His World like earthly kingdoms so in His Infinite Wisdom, there are no spiritual rest areas for His soldiers in spiritual combat. If you are a Christian, I mean serious and committed soldier of Him in the Journey of Life, you must have concretized by now that this world is not where to rest, not a place for jollification, eating and entertainment. C'mon my friend, how can wielders of sword ever think of rest in the midst of spiritual warfare? Satan and his demons do not rest in their fight of harvesting human souls and you want to rest? You must be kidding! Hear what General Paul commanded: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (I Timothy 6:12).

In the late 1980s way back in Nigeria, I sparred with a business partner, and we parted ways on sour and acrimonious notes. When you insist on certain principles and when lines are crossed, you become cross and draw a line for reconciliation, but unfortunately this person was rebarbative. Much later, the True Lord God Almighty instructed me to make up, forgive and make amends. I needed to see him badly to give my testimony of changed life through my Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ. It is virtually impossible for the truly redeemed to hold onto the Good News without sharing it with others, even to our implacable human enemies. Consequently, I headed to his house in Lagos and met one of his wives who told me he had gone to Akure, Ondo State. She was taken aback by my unusual visit, but I told her to hold her peace while I witnessed of my changed life. She was happy and I told her I had come up to make peace with her husband. I gifted her and the kids and promised I would return the following weekend when her husband was back from his trip. The following weekend, I kept my promise. "My husband was livid when I told him of your visit," she informed me. "He said I should tell you to get lost and must never set foot on his house forever." I smiled. I told her I knew why he was still seething with angst but the bitterness between us should not be passed onto our kids, because no one knew tomorrow. I told her I did this on the unction of the Holy Spirit with a promise to visit the following week for the third time until I saw her husband face-to-face and witnessed about my changed life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, I presented some gifts and left. On the following midweek Wednesday of my last visit as I was watching the television, I was stupefied to see the obituary of that my former business associate I was trying to reach for reconciliation. He was involved in a ghastly motor accident along Lagos-Benin Expressway and died on the spot. His Volvo Car was a write-off and in the head on collision with another vehicle, he was the only person who died at the Odogbolu Junction at the ever-busy Nigerian highway. The man's name was Mr. Olubunmi Ajibowu Fayemi, former Internal Auditor at Agege Local Government Area, Lagos State Nigeria in the early 1990s. That was how the poor man entered eternity without hearing about the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Folks! I don't know where you are reading this in your corner of the world, but know this: nothing is guaranteed tomorrow, including your very life. Tomorrow will come to some and may not exist and elude many. Hear the Word of Life: "Behold�now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 2:6). If Mr. Fayemi knew that weekend I paid my last visit was the last week of his existence on earth; perhaps, he would have been tolerant of what I wanted to tell me. Satan is luring precious souls to hell by this trickery that there is time on their side to make-up with their Maker. The demons have also devised that satanic lie known as purgatory. It is a lie, a lie, and a lie indeed! No human has a second chance, life has no re-do; once you leave this human body and flesh, you cant wear it back again, it is over and eternity beckons. Don't be sucked in by the Luciferous teaching of a post-death waiting room known as purgatory. Don't take my words for it, but the Truth of Life: "And as it is appointed unto men (and women too) once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). If you believe in the Satanic desultory teaching of a preparatory place before eternity called purgatory that is being taught by some denominations, you are doomed! Retrace your steps, imbibe sound doctrine, and prepare for eternity by giving your life truly, genuinely, and transparently to my Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ.

No Hell: I heard the sarcasm of some youngsters bantering about unending parties, dancing and living it up in hell and shook my head. Hell is a place. It exists and its distinct reality manifests few hours after you die if you didn't know the Lord Jesus Christ while on this side of the eternal divide. I hardly hear many pastors and teachers of the Word hammer this hell truth nowadays. If you congregate in any so-called church assembly where this hell truth is not preached and shouted hoarsely, leave immediately. It is a set up by the god of this world. Why do preachers talk more about prosperity, miracles, and quick fixes to myriad issues of life but downplay or hardly mention the abode of the disobedient, law breakers and Christ-rejecters? The Almighty God didn't create hell fire for huma beings, but for Satan and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:31).

You don't have to be a theologian to know the Almighty God must punish evil doers. You don't have to be a historian or hagiographer to know that Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, Papa Doc Duvalier, Jean Bedel-Bokassa, Mobutu Desire Sesezeko, Idi Amin Dada, Sani Abacha, and the misbegotten sons of perdition of the earth must face eternal justice to be "rewarded" for the horrendous atrocities they committed against fellow human beings. That place they and their ilk will be herded and shut out forever from the Face of the Almighty God is hell. It is not a pretty place. The evidence of heaven is the proof of the reality of hell. If you are sucked in by the delusion that death ends it all, you are on your way to hell. Come to your senses and save your soul now! Time is running out. Give your life to Jesus Christ now!

WAR IS TERRIBLE! THINK AGAIN. BETTER TO TALK THAN WAR-WAR

The heart-wrenching stories and pictures that dot the global mediascape coming out of the South-Asian nation of Afghanistan are assaults on our collective consciousness as human beings. The precipitous withdrawal of the United States after two decades of occupation are eyesores to the rest of the world that, when the chips are down, no foreign power, outsiders and organizations or otherness will come to develop your nation. Between September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush invaded that nation and last week when President Joseph R. Biden withdrew our troops, the United States spent $2 trillion on the war against the Taliban. That staggering amount translates to $300million per day. If you divide that amount by head for the poor people of Afghanistan, that translates to $50,000. In the war, 2,300 US soldiers perished, 75,000 Afghan soldiers were massacred while 71,334 civilians died with many unaccounted for. As a matter of fact, the true costs of the war may never be known.

Many people became millionaires, toads of war who cashed in bigly like the runaway Ashraf Ghani who helped himself to unknown amount of the Green Backs. The military industrial complex also helped themselves handsomely while the poor, the women, young girls, the marginalized and the vulnerable are on their own. That is war! For those who are beating the drumbeats of war elsewhere, they should look no further of what awaits them. War is terrible. It is not a dinner party. Why can't people of the world understand and get it? Satan and his demons love and crave blood of human beings and are behind all the major wars in human history. If you want to learn more, please visit this website http://www.monnac.club/?fbclid=IwAR0XT7442CqJafaHlovoXnuUTX-wkZqx0u3NGB6sujTUoZnKuGEe0OOMDYU

Dr Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo is the Spiritual Head & Founder, The Jesus Christ Solution Center, based in Cameron, TX USA. Call him at this number: 254-605-4035. You can send him email at [email protected]. You can also visit our websites at: - https://tocu.education/ and https://tocu.online/