Christians and the Hitman

I was shocked by the news that our city's former solon was gunned down at the restaurant where I and Gie exchanged our marriage vows (memorable, isn't it?). Politics in the Philippines has been a tug-of war of glory, gold and guns between the incumbent and the major loser. But the cardinal rule is, one must control the political apparatuses to ensure political mileage. In this case, the congressman was assasinated at gunpoint (right ear) and died 2 hours later. There were speculations that the killing was politically-motivated since Congressman Lanot has been pursuing the disqualification case against the incumbent Eusebio (who is reportedly abroad when the incident happened) who was accused of vote-buying and rent-seeking during the 2004 election campaign period. The Supreme Court was about to release its final decision on the case.

Again, the Spirit reminded me of some Biblical texts which describe the nature of our primary hitman--our adversary, satan. He can also easily gun down unsuspecting children of God in many ways. Apostle Peter likened him to a lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8-9); John identified him as the dragon and the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:4, 7); prophet Zechacariah and our Lord Jesus Christ tagged him as the false shepherd (Zecariah 14 , John 10); prophet Ezekiel branded him as the fallen anointed cherub (Ezekiel 32); the book of Job identifies him as the source of curses and sufferings, among others. One can read Isaiah 14 for the complete revelation about his fall from being an angel of glory to a son of perdition.I can't find a verse in the Bible which states otherwise or satan said to any person, God bless you.

Our adversary's character necessitates the serious re-examination of our Christian walk. His cunning attitude and ability to wear sheep's clothing can deceive many. He can make one comfortable with sinning, can mislead many to justify their wrongdoings and can destroy Christians' relationship with their Savior. These are the reasons why we should not be caught flat-footed when it comes to our spiritual warfare. satan does not rest for even a second because he kn0ws that his day in the Lord's court is fast approaching. Hence, as Christians, we should always be cognizant of the Scout's motto -- We should always be prepared.

Although war is not fun, the Good News is that the Christian War is ultimately won by Jesus Christ at the Cross of Calvary (Romans 8:37, I Corinthians 15:57). We must likewise realize that our weapons are not carnal but spiritual. We are not battling against flesh and blood but against principalities and spiritual strongholds (Eph. 6). These truths remain.