TWO EXTREMES IN WARFARE Pt.1

UNDERRATING THE ENEMY

When I was a little boy of 6 years, I lived in my village with my dad,siblings and cousins. We relocated from Lagos to be with dad because he was pastoring in our home town at that time. As a 'Lagos boy', I felt different in that environment and I carried myself that way. One of my cousins who lived with us was fondly called 'Lagos boy'. On a certain day after we returned from school, we stayed with our neighbour temporarily waiting to gain entrance into our house. A young stunted looking boy who hawked fufu ( a local solid food made from cassava) came around to sell. He was dark and unassuming. My cousins told me I can beat him. Mind you, he didn't look for my trouble but they just wanted me to prove myself because I was boastful. I told them I'll finish him. I relied on my knowledge of wrestling and I underrated the boy because he looked like someone who will pass out after one blow.

The young lad understood that they were setting us up for a fight. He put his fufu tray down and he decided to fight. He gave me three powerful head butt, that was all he did, I found myself lying on the floor crying. It was a total knockout. Immediately, I demanded for cassava flakes (garri) because the defeat triggered serious hunger, It was as if my head hit a rock. I drank garri in tears. Everyone there laughed at the 'Lagos boy' who boasted he could beat the village boy. Till I left the village, I didn't pick a fight with anyone, I avoided the type of humiliation I suffered at all cost. I learnt a big lesson from that incident: "In warfare, do not underrate the enemy".

Some have an underrated view of the enemy we are dealing with while some also overrate him. These are two extremes in warfare we must avoid. Some persons just have this "unhealthy" view that satan cannot do anything anymore. Their misguided belief is that salvation is an exclusion from the attacks of the enemy. Such folks loose guard spiritually and often suffer serious defeat. In some cases, people in this category may become philosophical with their challenges by assuming it is natural instead of rebuking the devil and standing against him vehemently. If truly Satan can no longer launch an attack, the injunction in 1Pet5:8 and Eph6:10-18 would not be necessary. You need to be sensitive at all times to know when the devil is at work. In your life, family and ministry, you need to draw the boundary line for him and tell him never to cross it. He'll always try to cross but you must take your stand in the victory of the cross. The life of faith is not an assumption that the devil has gone on holiday, no it is not. Rather, it is a life that requires being on guard at all times by standing in faith on the victory of the cross. 1 John5:4 says: "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith", NLT.