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EvangelistBee
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I wrote earlier about former President of Egypt – Hosni Mubarak and how he lived in Denial at http://www.evangelistbee.com/2011/02/whats-is-this-when-to-stop-living-in.html. I mentioned how he was not alert and sensitive to the fact that he had to move on because he lived in denial of the current realities around him. I to was motivated to learn from him and move forward. We need to face the truth and confront the reality around us and stop the denial.

Mubarak manifested another symptom of people living in the past – Invincibility. When you spend so much time on the same spot, you will soon stop seeing threats. You will begin to feel untouchable. Some years back, the scenario in Egypt could not have happened. The truth is that this is not years back, this is now! Mubarak had power- Raw power. He had emergency power for thirty years! Power to arrest, kill, maim without anyone been able to question him. I wonder. 

If an “emergency” law lasts for thirty years, for how long will the normal law last? There is a proverb where I come from that says – “ If a man uses twenty years to prepare for and rehearse madness, how many years will he use to manifest the madness itself” Only God is Invincible. Only God is untouchable. Business and ministries have died because they got carried away after a while  with fame and ignored the core values that made them. Marriages and relationships are dead but yet unannounced because the main actors had crossed a mental line  and fallen into the trap of invincibility.

Samson was a basket case of the invincibility syndrome. As I write this about Samson, I cringe. Samson story scares me. It makes me fear God more. Samson had a copyright to power. He was given power before he was created. Can you imagine God giving power to someone who was not formed yet.

“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son…  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Jdg 13:3-5 

He had power before he had life. He got a job before he knew how to walk or talk. He had an assignment before he had a heart beat. God wrote a script for him before His mother knew He was coming. Everything went well in fulfilling the script until He started to feel invincible. He believed he was untouchable. Once a man gets to this level, he begins to abuse power! That looks more like gospel according to Saint Abacha who believed Nigeria cannot progress unless he remained as president– we will get back to that another day. God always have a way of dealing with the untouchables.

I got more scared about Samson when a woman asked him how she could hurt him. It looks like madness – giving secrets to someone who has told you his intention – to harm you. Delilah meant it literarily!

“So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?” Jdg 16:6 (GNB)

When a man feels untouchable, he becomes desensitized to the environment. He lives in falsehood and gets out of touch with the reality.  Samson walked this path  until his hair that was the contact for his power was cut! He prayed a prayer that I don’t  pray you will ever need to pray.

“Then Samson prayed, “Sovereign LORD, please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes.” Jdg 16:28 

I remember a brother who was very zealous when I was in college. He was anointed – no doubt.  I can feel the fire in his bones twenty years after as I write. He was so confident of God’s grace in His life until He began to take it for granted. Anointing has a place, Caution has a place. Power has a place, Purpose must have a plan. He conducts deliverance for anybody, anywhere and anyhow! Even Jesus sometimes ran away from preaching and took rest! This lovely brother will go to remote prayer spots to conduct deliverance for females – alone ! In the dead of the night! We told him. We asked him to balance it. He refused. 

One day, after a long day of school work, preaching and praying, a lady who was “pressed” with the devil (like KJV version of the Bible will put it) asked him for “urgent” deliverance  at 2am. He went. He followed. As He was praying, He closed his eyes! Ha! He was “in the spirit” After a while he opened his eyes and the lady was stark… and… I am sure you guessed what happened next. No! Not what  you think. He ran with his back without a rear mirror. He was panting in fear and shock when he got back to the Hostel. He was humbled that God delivered him – the Invincible man of God who believed he could not be tempted. We need to exercise caution and Take Heed.

2Ti 2:22  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Abstain  – 1Th 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Wake up! You are not untouchable. Your business is not invincible. Where is Enron? Where is Bernard Madoff? Do you still have your eyes on the fundamentals? Accounts and accounting was designed for a purpose. Profit and loss has a meaning. The fact that you made millions (of whatever currency) this year does not mean you can’t lose billions next year. Ask BP America after the oil spill. Do you read the reports given by your subordinates? Your husband is not untouchable – protect him. Your wife is not invincible irrespective of her impeccable past. Stand by her. Only God is invincible.

Mubarak could either not understand that it was time to move on or simply could not figure how to move on. This is the Lot’s wife syndrome. I believe it was more of figuring how to move on. Sometimes, we have been so much into the status quo that you don’t know how another life will look like. You are so sure your current status cannot be touched. This happens not only to those who have been in power for so long but also those who knew they will leave a post someday but trapped in the title and status of the office itself. That’s sound like another Gospel according to St. Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, St. Mugabe in Zimbabwe and St. Ghadaffi on Libya – that’s not for today. The same God that freed Egypt will free Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe and Libya.

The other day I read about some youths of a church in South West Nigeria who protested and shut down a church because their Pastor was posted to another church. They literarily closed the church down on Sunday. Let’s stop fighting change. In life, nothing is static. Things change! People move and people must move. If people don’t move, there will be no dynamism. If there is no dynamism, there will be death. 

When something is static, it begins to die. Thirty years is a long time in the life of anything or anyone. Anyone who remains in power for that long will become a relic. A marriage of thirty years that remains evergreen is because the couples treated each year like the year they got married. Wao! Where did that come from? God help me to do just that. Each year like the year we got married will obviously give us a new lease of life. God help me. God help you.

The only way to handle the moving on is to always prepare for it and knowing that you are not INVINCIBLE. Have a plan. The fact that you are the best in your office now does not mean you will not be treated like a villain in another  2 years- it may even happen in 2 weeks. If you spoke the truth one day and it offends a higher power, you may be out in the cold. If you are not ready to move or have a plan to move, you may never recover.

I met a man who I adopted as an Uncle who lost a job as a senior executive twenty something years ago. He was good. He was the best but he became a threat and they pushed him out – life can be very unfair. He was not ready. May be it will be unfair to say He felt he was invincible. He was been promoted at record a pace. He could not handle the setback well. He should be in His late sixties now but he never really moved on. He never did! I always feel for him anytime I see him. It affected his health. He slowed down. His cognitive and productive metabolism too slowed down. He was bitter for too long. He casted his lots on a court case that dragged on for years which I think he lost. By that time, it was late – may be not over but it was really late. They say its better late than never. Every time he sees me, he warns me to stay with my business and steer clear of politics and corporate employment etc. He got that hurt because he had no backup plan. Invincibility!

Life and positions are transients. Husband, no matter how healthy they are, can die. Wives no matter how sweet they are can have cancer and die days to their forty years birthday. Believe God for the best and prepare for the “seemingly” bad. You are not invincible. You need God. You need Grace. You need help to handle whatever life throws at you.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28 

Sometimes despite the plans, it could really be overwhelming to move on after a dent on our cover of invincibility. That’s where the process and power of praying comes in. Prayer still works! It worked for the father’s of old. Still works for men of the internet age. I have a good friend.  I pray he reads this. He has been my hero the way he has trudged along despite what life has thrown at him. He had a business shipping stuffs from Europe to Nigeria until a regime change made a law that affected his business – very badly. At the end of the day, he lost the business, lost his marriage, lost his confidence, had an accident while trying to get an alternative means of income that I believe was below his standards… However, I have seen the power of prayer and faith bringing him back and I know He will get back fully. I have no doubt! Prayer works! Prayer works! 

Let’s pray –

Father in the name of Jesus
We ask you for strength to move on
To move beyond our weaknesses
To move beyond the pain
Grant us the insight to see that we will not be here forever
Give us the grace to plan
The faith to hold on when our plans fail
The power to believe when we face
Unplanned exits and Unexpected event
We believe
Lord we believe your report
That with you
Nothing shall be impossible
We ask that it will never be too late to
Redeem our souls and
Walk with you 
For the rest of our days
For we have prayed in Jesus Name. Amen
EVANGELIST BEE.
No. 121 – 1st March 2010