I Don't Believe In "Spiritual WarFare" - I Stopped!

By the time you're reading this, I'd be in my house, or even better, an eatery or a filmhouse....celebrating myself!

It's my Birthday TODAY!!!!!

So sitting here this Friday afternoon, I thought of how best to share this special day with my friends online.

And then that train of thought, which is basically as a result of my Christian upbringing puts a fear of sorts in me....

 More like,

 "you want to announce your birthday to the world.....if someone that hates you now go and do juju nko?"

And I'm like,

"....ohhhh not again."

What is it with this fear of the unknown, what!?

We don't get married early enough (according to our respective timing) - village people are at work.

We don't land that dream job we've always wanted - somebody must have put juju on your chair in your former place of work.

Children aren't coming forth in our marriages - someone must have tied juju to one or more of our wedding presents.

Razor cut us while trimming our toe nails - village remote control at work!!!!

What of that headache that just hit us from no where? - somebody must have called your name from the water!!!!!

Haba!

My Nigerian people, I hail thee!

That fearful thought caused me to pick my memo again and continue where I left off on this writeup.

You see, there are ideologies, mindsets, thoughts and habits which rule us from within......we've allowed them to form the very hinge of our being and existence.

But today, just like Paul said to the people of old.....I say to us....

"We have to tear down those strongholds.....those thoughts, those ideas and false notions (presenting themselves as true) in our lives.....those things that exalt themselves above the knowledge of what the spirit of our creator has done for us.

We cast down those imaginations....and we stay in constant awareness of what He Did for and in ALL of Mankind!

For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world.

I don't care your religion, your sexual orientation, or your view of me right now....If you are a living being, then you are born of God, and if so, YOU are an over-comer.

You rule.....You are one with him.

The power that the enemy has over mankind today is that which we have freely bequeathed to him/it.

Which brings me to the main topic.

Spiritual Warfare, My Take.

Permit me to share with you briefly, part of my story.

I was raised in a fundamental Catholic/Christian home.....I was taught to be more aware of the presence of winches and wizards and demons than I was ever taught to be aware of God, the one in me, whose power supersedes them all.

So I went about my life, believing that at every turn, there were winches waiting to devour me or see me fall.

Matter of fact, I held their powers in high esteem, I kinda revered it...I tried not to do anything that would get me in any perceived bad person's bad books.....I underplayed, not just that, I was totally oblivious of the greatness that laid un-awakened within me.

Some twenty something years later, as my creator would have it.....I learned that he is LOVE. That there is no fear in love.....and there's no love in fear.

Simply put, knowing that I am of life, of light and of love......the moment I begin to feel shades of darkness, or fear.....the simple logic is that I have unwittingly strayed from my rightful place.....it means that I have let a foreign element encroach that beautiful territory of love and light within me.

What do I need to do?

Simply expunge it!

Speak to it to leave me be.....

Focus my mind on the love of God; that love without bound, breadth or length......an infinity I may never understand in this life. Almost in that instance, I find peace, the strength and courage to live fully again.

For perfect love casts out fear.

These days I find it almost impossible to pray fall down and die by fire, or to carry out most Christian rituals and dogmas..... perhaps, I'm losing my stand and favor with God, perhaps I'm losing my way, perhaps....... or, perhaps not!

I say this with a measure of confidence,  my life has improved a whole lot more now.....compared to when I was the prayer warrior girl......am I advising folks to stop praying? NO.

But we sure need to work on our motives and perspectives in the place of prayer.

What is Prayer? (Prayer is simply talking to God-Within, no need to over complicate these things).

I came to an awareness, a deeply ingrained awareness that because my creator lives, I CAN FACE TOMORROW.

Am I denying the plausibility and possibility of extra terrestrial powers? Mbanu!!!

But more than ever, I have become aware of this light that shines in me that darkness always fails to comprehend. I see myself as one who is far seated above them principalities and powers. We're not on the same level biko.

These things are all about perspective.

Your perspective on how you perceive and deal with contrary forces matters a lot.

Does an atheist fight spiritual warfare?

Why do they seemingly have more peaceful lives than most theists?

Does that mean the spiritual no longer exists simply because they say it doesn't?

Does that make the person who lambastes prayers every night any less?

How about the person who looks at these things based on the finished work of Christ and troubles his head less?

Is he being misled?

Is he being spiritually lazy? (My Christian Friends Can Relate).

These are questions I might not be able to tackle whollistically.

But here's what I'm going to tell you.....

The next time you decide to go on whatever brand of spiritual warfare you practice; 

I say this because, some of us believe in loooong hours of prayer before a headway can be made.

Others believe in shorter times.

Some don't even pray in known languages.

Others just speak a few words and they are filled with peace.....

Some don't even speak at all, what they do is connect with the life giving power within and then fight the battle in their minds first.....everything else that happens afterwards is just an offshoot, they realize that the mind is the battlefield.

PLEASE NOTE THESE

1. The fight of faith (Spiritual Warfare) is the fight that you are already a winner, not because you are very righteous or apt at praying.....but because of your creator's finished work. Walking in the awareness that the one who lives in you is waaay stronger and more than able to guide you through life's many unknowns and uncontrollable(s) will actually cause you to pray/fight less and actually live more in a posture and feeling of thanksgiving/thankfulness.
2. Don't fight FOR Victory, Fight from victory.
3. Don't fight FOR Faith,  Fight from faith. 
4. Your hope is not a hopeless one.

There will be those times when you feel weary and helpless....when you just don't know what to do. Stop for a moment and listen to what you feel within you.....perhaps you get the feeling that everything will be fine, that you will triumph, that while it may be so apparent some spiritual forces are against you, as a matter of fact.....the spiritual forces that are for you are much more --- Don't Ignore that feeling, run with it. 

Place your focus on them and be filled with peace........the kind that surpasses understanding.

I wish You all, Long Life and All Round Prosperity.

Happy Birthday To Me.