Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

1 Kings 19:18 (The Living Bible)

For those that do not know where this verse popped out from, let me give you a quick glimpse at what was happening before this statement that was made by God. Elijah has been running away from Jezebel and many prophets of God has been slain. Elijah in his desperation, said to God, I am the only one left! After some instructions, God tells Elijah in what looks very much like an afterthought – “by the way I have 7000 more, quit your despair”

Like Elijah, we sometimes worry about where our world is headed. We are genuinely concerned about the state of the global church and rightfully so. We wonder if there are enough people who believe the right things and are willing to stand for truth in these times. While one can see what our fears are built on, let God use this is article to tell you quite succinctly – “by the way I have more people than your wildest imagination”

As I write this article, I am reminded of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha who was beyond terrified when a ton of soldiers on horseback came to lay siege on the house of his master. In his despair, Elisha – who has been calm all through – prays for his eyes to be open and then he realised they had a much bigger, more terrifying army laying siege on the so called “soldiers”. I hope this short reading has the same effect on your fears because the devil may try his hardest but there is definitely MORE on the Lord’s side than you can imagine.

Before you ever wonder if you are ever alone, I want to tell you that there are millions of fire brand, convicted and sold-out Christians in China despite the government’s efforts to shut them down. I want you to know that there are millions of crusades that do not make it to Television broadcasts and Online platforms. Just in case you need proof, you can go on the internet and you will find that the last National Day of Prayer hosted by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Pastor Benny Hinn boasts of over 3 billion people connected at one time. The Bible is still the best selling book of all time, no book comes close and Jesus is still the most said name on earth. Do not let the devil fuel your fears, open your eyes to the army of the Lord.

I have realised that the devil has a habit of drawing people out of the whole by making them think they are alone. Nature tells us that is how carnivores hunt. When you feel isolated, then he can introduce strange ideas but now you know better – The army of the Lord is growing. It is always growing and though we might argue over certain things, never make a mistake that we are the strongest army that exists on planet earth and that is because we are on the Lord’s side.

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:16-18 (King James Version)

Jesus in that verse, institutes the authority and power of the church. We are strong and we are built on the truth that Jesus is the Son of the living God. One more thing it tells us is that we are on the attack! Contrary to popular belief, it may seem that the church is on the defence against the wiles of the enemy but Jesus tells us that we are on the attack. We take the battle to the enemy and what is more, his defences cannot hold against us. His lies cannot stand the clarity of our truth. His darkness disappears at the coming of our light and his power is non-existent when we come in the name of Jesus. Make no mistake, we are more and we are powerful.

In the song, “Break every chain” the writer articulates very perfectly that there is an army rising. Our army is present and always growing and guess what we are all about – breaking chains! So be encouraged, you are not alone. You are not weak. You are part of the strongest army that ever existed if you believe in the Son of God, Jesus – the risen Christ.

Let me end by saying this: I have personally lamented about the state of the world and the church but everyday I meet more and more people that give me hope. From The Christ A Poet Team to every voice publicly declaring the Christ everywhere, I am reminded there is an army and I am so glad to be part of it.

If you don’t believe in Jesus, you have to know that you are on the losing side and while you still have your mind, a good decision you can make is to choose to believe in Jesus and trust him with your life. When you do, you enlist into this army and together we charge!

– Ezeonyeka Godswill
(c) 2020