CHAPTER THREE

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THE ENEMY

The worst mistake an army commander can ever make is to underestimate the strength of his
opponent. It is our view as authors that billions of Christians in the world underestimate the
strength and organizational capacity of their enemy. The devil is far more organized than any
human being can ever imagine. Satan is not a school boy.

We have been to some churches and heard people singing derogatory songs about Satan and seen
them dancing and pretending to be trampling on the devil. It remains pretence, nothing beyond.
There is need to understand him better.

Lucifer the Arch Angel of Praise and Worship

Angels are spiritual people who serve God. They live forever. God created three Arch Angels.
Arch Angels are chief angels These were Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer. Michael who is in charge
of wars. He is the commander of God’s army. Gabriel is in charge of communication. Obviously
under him there are several other angels. He is the angel whom we see visiting Zechariah the father
of John the Baptist (Luke 1 vs.11) and Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1 vs.26). The third angel
was Lucifer who is also called Satan. He was in charge of praise and worship to God in Heaven.
He could perfectly sing and had all instruments installed in him. The skills and qualities that God
put in him are still there till today and beyond.

Perfect in Beauty

The bible says of Satan,12"Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to
him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom
and perfect in beauty. 13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings
and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14
You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of
God; you walked among the fiery stones. (Ezekiel 28 vs.12)

Satan was said to be perfect in Beauty. He is not as ugly as other people may want us to believe.
There may not be and may never be a human being who matches his beauty.

He was anointed

This implies that God commissioned and equipped him for the job he was to do, Since he was
anointed, it implies that the job was to be done in perfection. In his book, He can sing any song in
any tune with unnatural instruments playing at the same time. The anointing was not taken away
when he rebelled against God. It is now being used for worldly purposes. At Twelve, Denis Shoko
2018, explains clearly the power of music in the spiritual realm and how most of the music sung
on earth is to particular deities. Is there any wonder now that the majority of the musicians today
are not Christians? The bulk of Rock music is in praise of Satan and his demons. Let us look at
Zimbabwe for instance. The majority of musicians are non-Christians and they hold their shows
in pubs. For that reason, some people refer to them as Praise and Worshipers of Satan.

In Christian churches, praise and worshippers who are talented are usually very proud of
themselves. It is because their god, Satan is also very proud. In some churches, members of the
praise and worship team are very sexually immoral. A good number of Christian praise and
worship teams take after their god , Satan.

Full of wisdom

Lucifer was full of wisdom. That means that he has more wisdom than any human being can ever
have. When the devil rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven, he did not leave behind
his wisdom. He was thrown down with that wisdom. Thus, if for example you employ a person
who has no driver’s licence. You train that person how to drive and the person is formally licenced
as a driver by the government. If that person is later dismissed from employment, he does not leave
behind his driving skills, he goes with them. This is exactly what happened to Lucifer. He came to
earth with all the wisdom. The only difference is that he is now using the wisdom against God’s
people.

Even a man described by God as having been the most intelligent and most knowledgeable ever
created by God on earth, Solomon could not match Lucifer in terms of wisdom. Before Solomon
even realised it, he was a worshiper of the devil through his wives. No human being can outwit the
devil without the help of the Holy spirit. Only the Holy Spirit is superior to the devil. That is why
Jesus decided to leave Him for us to be our aid here on earth.

This is the man who has literally brought down every man God has intended to use. He fooled
Adam into disobeying God. He fooled Noah into drunkenness which resulted in him cursing one
of his grandchildren. He fooled Abraham into marrying Hagar with disastrous consequences. He
made both Abraham and Isaac liars. He fooled the blessed Judah into prostitution even prostituting
with his own daughter-in law. He fooled David into adultery and murder with disastrous effects
on his household. He fooled Solomon into idol worship and the whole special nation of God was
turned to the worship of Satan.

It is him who defiantly told the Israelites that he would follow and catchup with them. 9"The enemy
boasted, 'I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I
will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.' (Exodus 15vs.9)

He corrupted God’s people to the extent that the Lord gave up on them In the end, nearly two
million five hundred people perished in the desert. Remember these were not just ordinary
Amorites, they were God’s elect whom the devil destroyed with impunity, in line with Exodus 15
vs.9.

It is him who ensured that even in the temple of God, the Holy Temple of God was defiled. When
it was still a tent of meeting, Hophni and Phinehas, sons of Eli, the priest of Shiloh slept with
woman in then temple of God.
22
Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how
they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (1 Samuel 2 vs.22).

These were the people who were supposed to be role models of society as they were Levites hence
were the next generation of priests. Yet they profaned the Tent of Meeting. Then years later, when
the Temple of God had been built and dedicated to the Lord, the Israelites built evil shrines within
the temple of God (Ezekiel 8 vs. 5-18).

After the death of Christ, he made an idol of a miserable looking man who he called Jesus and told
Christians to bow down to the piece of wood. He fooled the biggest church ever on earth – the
Roman Catholic into idol worship through wooden or stone cast idols of Jesus and Mary. Almost
all Catholics were fooled into believing that they needed Mary to intercede between them and God.
He fooled millions of even professors in the world into believing that dead people do come back
in the form of ancestral spirits. He has fooled our youth into believing that sex outside marriage is
the norm. He has fooled the world into believing that beer is a beverage and is necessary to relieve
challenges in life. He has destroyed the destinies of billions of people over the years. Your destiny
and mine is are at risk of being interfered with.

As times changed and fewer and fewer people were consulting witchdoctors. The devil had to
come up with a new plan. He brought up the white garment church community in countries like
Zimbabwe. These offered prophecy and made people believe that they could see into the spiritual
world. A lot of people flocked to the white garment community for spiritual consultations. As the
pressure to be precise with issues of the spirit, more and more people from the white garment
church community went a gear up and got involved in occult for spiritual powers.

Unfortunately, the white garment community could not capture certain classes of the educated
community who prefer to worship in buildings where there are proper ablution facilities as opposed
to open space worship.. The Pentecostal community was his next target. When he realised the
insatiable hunger for prophecy in people, he brought up the prophetic movement which has gripped
Sub Saharan Africa today. Pastors are now consulting fetish priests for spiritual powers. The
powers are such that they can prophecy to a high degree of accurateness. The prophets usually
have a small towel, presumably to wipe out sweat during preaching but the key purpose is that
when it is waved, a lot of people become unstable and some start falling and that is viewed as a
sign of genuine spiritual powers. The spiritual powers are indeed powerful because part of the
package includes large followings of people within a short space of time even with zero crusade
having been conducted. The evil spiritual powers assemble people for a pastor. Any such person
brought into a church of a prophet using occultic powers cannot easily be drawn away. A single
fetish Ghananian priest called Nana Kwaku Bonsam claims to have amongst his prominent
customers, 1 700 pastors.

He has cause bloodshed in the world through wars of different kinds. As of 2022, one man, Vladmir
Putin of Russia has single handedly caused the death of thousands od people through his invasion
of Ukraine. Many families are distraught because loved ones have been lost in a senseless war. In
the land of the Bible, there has been extreme bloodletting. Wars have been raging on in the Middle
East since 2001, beginning with Irag, spilling into Yemen and Syria.
Without the Holy Spirit, we are no match for the devil. Only Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our
refuge. Outside that, we are finished.

He has unlimited access to God

Satan does what no human being has ever been able to do nor will any human being ever be able
to do, getting to the presence of God. Evil as we all know him to be, he has unlimited access to
God and His angels. 6One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan
also came with them.

(Job 1 vs. 6)

This verse gives us another insight into the nature of our God. He interacts with his enemies and
even gives him permission to harm his own within given limits. Very few human beings would
tolerate a witch trying to befriend them, knowing fully well that the witch is an arch enemy. God
tolerates Satan. So, evil as he is, he has other privileges which even the elect of God do not have
here on earth.

He has immense power to harm

God has endowed the devil with immense powers to do harm to people on earth. He can cause
miracles to be performed as long as that will deceive people into worshiping him.
13
One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's
house,
14
a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing
nearby,
15
and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the
only one who has escaped to tell you!"
16
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire ofGod fell from the sky
and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
17
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three
raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the
sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters
were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
19
when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house.
It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" Job
1 vs.13-19)

The devil is able to cause any sickness or illness on people. 7So Satan went out from the presence
of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
(Job 2 vs.7)
Paul says of the enemy, 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6 vs.12)

Daniel gives us an insight into who the rulers and principalities mentioned by Paul are. 12Then he
continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come
in response to them. 13But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of
Persia. (Daniel 10 vs.12-13)

God had told the Israelites that at the end of seventy years, he would visit them and take them out
of Babylon. The seventy years had passed and Daniel, as a foreigner, was now interceding for the
people of Israel’s return to Israel. God gave him a response but the angel of the Lord who carried
the response was captured by the devil and was held for twenty-one days. That also shows you the
amount of power these demons have. If they could interfere with the program of God to the extent
of holding an angel of God prisoner, then they are extremely powerful. It took the intervention,
not of any other junior angel but of the commander of God’s army, Arch Angel Michael for him
to be released.

Structure of the Kingdom of Satan

Every continent is headed by a high-ranking demon. So, there are five continental demons which
report to Lucifer himself. Under the continental demons, there are country specific demons. Below
them are provincial demons, then district demons, then area demons, family demons, and finally
demons assigned to individuals. Then there specialist demons which are also discussed below.
Thus there demons of murder, sexual immorality, armed robberies, drug abuses, drunkenness,
smoking etc. So we are under the weight of powerful spiritual forces.

Continental demons

Of the world’s five continents, there are certain spiritual activities which are common in some
continents which are not common in others? Let us look at the spiritual activities of some
continents.

North African countries of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia Morocco and parts of Sudan are largely
Muslim. Although Muslims are God believing, they neither believe in Jesus Christ nor in the
Christian Bible. The opinion is the reader’s as to whether Christ is in charge in those regions or
another deity is. Sub Saharan Africa largely believes in ancestral worship or local gods. Why
would half the continent find themselves worshiping similar spirits? It is because there is a spirit
enforcing the worship of Satan.

Large parts of Asia are very religious. Despite Christianity having originated in Asia, it is least
practiced on that continent. Asians are largely spiritual but they do not believe in Jesus Christ. The
Muslim religion dominates spiritual activity in the Middle East. As one drifts into the Far East,
especially India, one encounters extreme idol worship. There, one ecnounters various types of gods
which are worshiped. Christianity is least practiced there.

North America , especially America is fairly religious . Christianity has taken root there. However,
it is in America where one finds gays and lesbians being appointed to senior government positions.
It is there where gay marriages are officially recognized . It is in America where the murder of
unborn babies through abortion is at its highest. It is there where the first Church of Satan was first
established.

South America is notorious for drug pedaling. It is in South America where drug cartels have their
leaders who are billionaires, It is there where a lot of people are killed due to drug wars.

Europe is also famous for recognition of gays and lesbians. It is in Europe where one fines sex
clubs, strip clubs and legalized prostitution and legalised brothels.

Country specific demons

Then within continents there are certain countries which are famous for certain behaviourial
tendencies. As an example, drug trafficking is prevalent in Mexico. India is famous for idol
worship, Malawi is famous for witchcraft, Botswana is famous for sexual immorality and South
Africans are known to be very violent and there are a lot of violent crimes there. There is extreme
blood-letting in certain parts of Africa. Peace is very elusive there. The regions are fighting one
war after another. These are countries like Central African Republic, Burundi, Eastern Democratic
of Congo, Chad, Northern Nigeria with their Boko Haram etc.

Then within countries, there are certain provinces or districts which are famous for certain
behaviourial challenges. For example, in America, Las Vegas. There is known as a Sin City. There
is an avalanche of Casinos in Las Vegas hence it is a gambling city. There are levels of sexual
immorality in the city as gays , lesbians, prostitutes are available in large quantities. There are also
strip clubs where people can strip to their birth day suits and dance.

In Paris, there are also certain districts where there are live sexual shows where people pay to
attend. In Harare, Zimbabwe, it is known that the Avenues area, the area between Josiah Tongogara
road and Hebert Chitepo Road is full of prostitutes every night.

Implications of continental, country, provincial and district demons on

Christianity

When one lives in a particular continent, country, province and district or area, it is important that
one identifies the dominant spirit on the continent, country, province, district or area. For example
a missionary who is sent to Botswana to set up churches may end up in divorce because many
beautiful well-built women will make themselves available to him with no strings attached. He
may be invited quite often to attend to church members in their homes and the large majority of
the women may be sex starved single women. We leave the reader to imagine the fate of such a
Pastor.
A missionary who goes into Malawi must be ready to confront which craft related issues. It is
important to identify key alters on which such spirits are worshipped. One may then have to get
them to be destroyed. A preacher in South America must be careful not to take on drug cartels
because he will certainly face death by the murderous cartels. Such spiritus would have to be
destroyed before one can be effective. Thus every Christian must identify operational spirits in an
area. Effectiveness is not easy until those spirits are destroyed. As Daniel states, such spirits can
interfere with our communication with Jesus and ultimately with God

Likewise, before one can effectively pray for a person, one should first have an appreciation of the
operating spirits in an area, and family. Such spirits and their altars have to be destroyed first,
Failure to do so results in a cat and mouse game.

How the devil destroys people

In his book, Two World Order, Pastor Denis Shoko 2018, made an interesting observation. He
argues that the world is divided into two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.
He provides the diagram below

Kingdom of God Kingdom of Satan

He argues that people in the kingdom of God are beyond the reach of Satan. ?The devil has no
power what so ever over people who are in the kingdom of God. There is a protective wall, a wall
of heavily armed angels of God between the two kingdoms such that people cannot freely move
between the two kingdoms. This is confirmed by none other than Satan himself in relation to Job,
9
"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10"Have you not put a hedge around him and his
household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and
herds are spread throughout the land.” (Job 1 vs.9-10)

So, if the devil is to attack a Christian, he lures him/her out of the kingdom of God. Only when a
person is in the kingdom of Satan is Satan able to attack him/her. He must first make the person
sinful as sin is the only currency with which the devil is able to purchase Christians. Without sin,
the devil has no chance of attacking a Christian.

The devil acts like a fisherman who stands at the edge of a dam and throws a fishing line into a
dam, with a hook covered by a bait. It is the greedy fish which wants to eat from the hook which
is pulled out of the water into the unfamiliar territory and that fish is destined for the pot. Likewise,
the devil stands outside the kingdom of God and throws his fishing line into the kingdom of God.
The greedy ‘fish” is what is caught.
The devil normally exploits weaknesses in a person. The weaknesses in a person create a crack
which the devil then utilises. Normally people are not able to identify their weaknesses. The easiest
way is to look at that which a person likes most, that which a person has challenges giving up. For
example, a person may be having a sexual relationship with his/her partner. The person may be so
madly interested in sex such that it becomes difficult to give up the sex. If the person decides to
stay away from sex for a week, the devil will just get the partner to insist on sex and they will
sleep.

Some of the sins are very difficult to identify. A lot of people sin without noticing that they are
sinning. They are hurt by people and they struggle to forgive those who wrong them. Some are
bitter that they have been ill-treated by people they have helped.

Renunciation of the kingdom of Satan

There is no spiritual dual citizenship - one can only be a citizen of one of the two countries and
not both. So when someone receives Christ in his/her life, he/she will have crossed into another
country, ruled by God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God has its own rules.
Ideally, our words of renunciation must match our actions. As we explained in chapter two, one
reason why the Israelites perished in the desert was that they did not take Egyptian way of life and
religious beliefs from their lives. Even though physically they had left Egypt, they still practiced
things they practiced in Egypt. So, when one renounces his/her citizenship of the kingdom of Satan,
he/she must renounce all practices that are found in that kingdom. Thus one should renounce,
hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, sexual immorality, selfishness, jealous etc. He/she should
embrace love, sharing, forgiveness etc.,

You are on the devil’s ‘Wanted List’.

Who amongst the human folk would lose a car to thieves and stop looking for it? This is exactly
how it is in the kingdom of Satan. As a Christian, you are a prison escapee hence you are on the
devil’s wanted list. When you then start to preach the word as an evangelist or Pastor, you move
high up the ladder of high value dangerous spiritual criminals in the kingdom of Satan. Meetings
are held at probably provincial, district and area and even at family levels about how to bring you
back into the kingdom of Satan. The meetings are a mirror of the one described below.
19
Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his throne
with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20And the Lord said,
'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested
this, and another that.
21
Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.'
22
" 'By what means?' the Lord asked. " 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his
prophets,' he said. " 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the Lord . 'Go and do it.'
23
"So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has
decreed disaster for you." (1 Kings 22 vs.19-23)
To destroy Ahab, the Lord used his key weakness of wanting to be told positives by prophets and
being hostile to true prophecy from the Lord.

Just like God holds meetings with the hosts of heaven, the devil holds meetings with the hosts of
“the dark world.” Remember, demons are basically human beings without a physical structure.
They are able to communicate with their network of demons.

When the devil wants to harvest souls, he brings down an influential leader of a church. For
example, when prominent senior member of the clergy, Reverend Andrew Wutawunashe was
accused of adultery and eventually divorced, the church split. It was a huge victory for the devil.
This was also the case in the case of Jimmy Swaggart,, a popular televangelist on his illicit affair
with a prostitute in New Orland.

The joy that Herod had when he saw Jesus is probably the same joy the devil will have when a
prominent member of the clergy is brought down (Luke 23 vs.8).

Devil’s tool kit

These are basically strategies the devil has used since time immemorial to bring down Christians.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10 vs.13)

Sophisticated as the devil is, the tools he has used to bring down humanity have been basic and
largely the same from time immemorial.

Close associates

A person’s closest associates are the source of major spiritual challenges. Close associate
constitute a key opinion group. What close associates say and do influences what a person does.
For that reason, Paul wrote, 33Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1
Corinthians 15 vs.33)

For that reason, God was particular about who the Israelites married, 15"Be careful not to make a
treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and
sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16And when you choose some
of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,
they will lead your sons to do the same. (Exodus 34 vs. 15-16)

It was Eve who caused the fall of man by influencing Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. It was Sarah
who influenced Abraham to take Hagar for a wife. Today, Hagar’s children (Muslims) do not
want to leave side by side with the descendants of Sarah (Christians) in their countries because
God said,12He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's
hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Genesis 16 vs.12)
It was Rebekah who caused Isaac to bless Jacob ahead of Esau. It was Reuben who slept with
Bilhah, his father’s wife. It was Miriam and Aaron who rebelled against Moses (Numbers 212
vs.1-3). It was Eli’s children who caused his death. It was people around Saul who caused him to
disobey God. It was Amnon who rapped Tamar his sister. It was Absalom who killed Amnon his
brother. It Was Absalom who rebelled against his father, David. It was Absalom who rapped ten
of his father’s wives in the sight of all Israel. It was Solomon who killed his brother Adonijah. It
was Solomon’s battalion of wives who led him to worship foreign gods. It was Rehoboam’s friends
who advised him against being a good leader. It was Jezebel, the daughter of a Sidonian king who
led Ahab into Baal worship. It was Judas, Jesus’ chosen Treasurer who led to the arrest of Jesus.
It was the Israelites who rejected their God given messiah and nailed him on to the cross.

In our time, it is millions of men and women who violently attack their spouses- people who have
given them children! It is millions of men who were once very loved who took advantage of the
love and trust of their wives and partners and went on to dump their families for other women.

It is close associates today who lead millions of people into sexual immorality, drug abuse,
drunkenness and, smoking etc. It is close associates today who gang up to rob people. Whenever
you are around close associates, know for certain that the devil is not very far hence you must be
alert.

Food

A lot of the chronic diseases that people struggle with today are food related. Stomach ulcers, high
blood pressure, sugar diabetes etc are all food related diseases. When people eat their food as if
they have a covenant with food or rathenr as tablets, they risk later in life taking their tablets more
as food than as medication.

Then we have people who argue that alcohol is a beverage. However our challenge is that it is one
beverage whose destiny is the brain and not the stomach. All other beverages including liquid
beverages go into a stomach and not the brain. It is one beverages which the father is not keen to
share with the wife and children. Our argument has always been that if beer is a beverage, why
can the father of the house not allow all family members to consume it as well.

Power and fame

People in politics will do all they can to gain and retain power. Anyone who is a threat to power is
killed. In the early years of Zimbabwe’s independence, it is alleged that over twenty thousand
people were killed by government soldiers in the western Matebeleland provinces because they
were accused of supporting a dissident movement. Between 2000 and 2008, hundreds of people
also died in Zimbabwe at the hands of political violence as political parties either sought to gain
or retain power.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, millions have been displaced and thousands have died due
to perennial wars over who should rule the land. On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine as
the country sought to regain territories which were formally part of the Soviet Union. Billions are
spent each year by governments as they develop weapons for killing other people who try and take
away their territories. NATOA countries have a target defence budget of 5% of GDP per country.
The spending on defence is probably more than what is spent on education or heath. The money
is used to develop weapons for killing people. Nuclear weapons were developed to mass-kill
people.

Money

Money enables us to access things that we do not have. Paul tells Timothy, 10For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs.(1 Timothy 6 vs.10).

All robberies taking place are in search of money. All thieving that takes place in society is in
search of money. The prostitution that takes place in society is in search of money. People are
being murdered daily in search of money. Relatives have ceased to talk to each other over money.

Our society today is full of false prophets all because of money. A Ghanaian fetish priest called
Nana Kwaku Bonsam claims that over one thousand seven hundred African prophets are his
customers , all because of money. People are killing their close relatives or surrendering them to
evil spirits as wives because they want to make more money from their businesses people have
become lovers of money to an extent that they do not wish to help their relatives.

Fear

We have always joked that the word fear stands for false evidence appearing real. All fear is in the
mind. The devil uses fear to cower people into serving him. People fear witches so they flock to
witchdoctors. People fear that if they do not participate in ancestral worship, they will be attacked
by the evil spirits. Sadly fear of spiritual attacks is not restricted to the unlearned. Highly schooled
people worship the devil today out of fear.

Unfortunately, fear drives out faith. It was fear that made Abraham lie to the Egyptians that Sarah
was his sister (Genesis 12 vs.12-13) and to Abimelech as well (Genesis 20 vs.1-3). It was fear that
made Isaac lie to Abimelech that Rebekah was his sister (Genesis 26 vs. 7) . It was fear that caused
the people of Israel to rebel and choose to go back to Egypt.(Numbers 13 vs.26-33; Numbers 14
vs.1-4), .It was fear that made Saul to offer burnt offerings which only a priest could (1 Samuel
13 vs.7-10). It was fear that made Israeli men flee from Goliath yet it was faith that made David
kill Goliath (1 Samuel 17 vs.23-24; 1 Samuel 17 vs.32-49). It was fear that made Saul want to
kill David (1 Samuel 18-28). It was fear that made David flee from his enemy son, giving his back
to his enemy for the first time (2 Kings 15 vs.13-14). It was fear that caused Solomon to kill
Adonijah ( 1 Kings 2 vs.22-25). It was fear of the cruelty of the king of Judah that tore Israel into
the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom (1 Kings 12 vs.1-20). It was fear that led Jeroboam
to establish high places at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12 vs.25-33). It was fear that led to Elijah
walking 450km (280 miles ) from Mount Camel to Mount Horeb as he fled from Jezebel. Elijah
had killed 450 prophets of Baal. He was supposed to be basking in the glory of his spiritual success
but that was all spoiled by fear of Jezebel. It is ironic that he feared death at the hands of Jezebel
but even as he fled from death , he asked for death,
3
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant
there, 4while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down
under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord ," he said. "Take my life; I am no
better than my ancestors." (1 Kings 19 vs.3-40

It was fear that drove faith from Peter and he nearly sank when he was just less than two metres
from where Jesus was (Mathew 14 vs.22 -32). It was fear of the cross that made Jesus to say, "My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be that drove faith from taken from me. Yet not as I will, but
as you will." (Mathew 26 vs.39)

Fear and faith are sworn enemies. Fear and faith cannot co-exist in a person. Fear drives out faith
and leaves a person very vulnerable to an attack by Satan. Faith drives out fear.

Pride

Pride refers to having a very high or an elevated opinion of oneself. Pride makes a person hear his
voice only and act according to his own “advice” to himself or herself. It was pride that led to
Satan being expelled from heaven. 12How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the
dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13You said in your
heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned
on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14I will ascend above the
tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14 vs. 12-14)

It was pride that made Hagar to be disobedience to her mistress, Sarai. 4He slept with Hagar, and
she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. (Genesis 16
vs.4-)

It was probably partly pride that made Saul to offer burnt offerings to the Lord when he was not a
priest. (1 Samuel13 vs.7-9)

It was pride that cost Queen Vashti her marriage. 10On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in
high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him-Mehuman, Biztha,
Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas- 11to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her
royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.
12
But when the attendants delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the
king became furious and burned with anger. (Esther1 vs.11-12)

On Tuesday, 18 October 2022, Manchester United played against Tottenham Hotspurs. Christiano
Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward was not in the first eleven team. He was very offended for being
left out of the first team. To wards the end of the game when Manchester was leading by two goals
to nil, Christiano Ronaldo was asked to get onto the game as a substitute. He declined and instead
walked out of the stadium in anger. That marked the beginning of the end of his career at the club
as he was never again included as a starting member of the team. Pride can destroy careers.
Desire for sex

Arguably the most utilised tool by the devil is sexual desire. Human beings need and enjoy sex.
God, not Satan created sex as procreation activity. God made sexual enjoyment a bonus to couples
as they mate in a creative activity. God allows sex to take place in the confines of marriage. He
does not allow sex outside marriage for any reason. For that reason, a woman is born sealed for
the father of her children. Yet people are sleeping with each other wily-nilly. The devil has made
sex a package of every relationship between a male person and a female person. He has made
people believe that it is not possible to live without sex as if one needs sex in order to live.

Worse still men are not content to sleep with just one woman even if the man is married. Men have
gone a step further to sleep with even prostitutes for a fee. They now have to pay for what God
made available for free and in abundance.

No man wants to share his woman with another man. Yet every woman on earth was created for a
specific man. In principle, she remains someone else’s wife. When a man sleeps with a woman
who is supposed to be someone else’s wife. he is technically committing adultery. Likewise, a
woman who sleeps with a man who is not her husband is a thief of a husband. If cheated later in
marriage, neither the man nor the woman should complain because the woman or man does not
belong any of them. Besides, any sexual activity outside marriage is worship to the devil. It is
supreme worship as both the man and the woman surrender their blood to the devil. Later in our
discussions we shall look at the covenant nature of sex.

Conclusion

Prophet Hosea aptly summed it up when he said, ”My people perish from lack of knowledge.” Our
duty as the pastoral community is to make information available, our duty is to educate and every
person has an obligation to then make a decision. I am always encouraged by the parable of the
sower (Luke 8 vs.9-18). Out of every four people we preach to or who read our books, just one
repents and that encourages us.

For that reason, even Joshua, faced with a sinful people said, 14"Now fear the Lord and serve him
with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in
Egypt, and serve the Lord . 15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the
River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,
we will serve the Lord ." (Joshua 24 vs.14-15)