We are Not Defeated by Principalities and Powers; Man simply Failed Himself

“Money” is its own gospel; those who love it need not be bothered with “strange” messages, for they have “heard it all.” The gospel which money brings is the message of “I can do all” of men who, through their dominion and forcefulness, have manifested many heights of principalities and powers. Therefore, before those whose hearts seek the truth, such slaves of Mammon have evolved into the full stature of man: spirits - dwelling, as it appears, in lofty places where they may never be touched. Principalities are of the spirit and every force of power is unseen. Man is a spirit and he wields principalities and powers and apportions to them which seats they must sit among men. He even has influence over the prophecies of time and, without his involvement, time ceases to count. Are you looking for principalities, do you search for powers which stir life and, most times, drag you, as against the goads and in opposition to the flow of your life waters, to where you would not? Look no further! Here is man for you – with all the powers to chart the course of his future and that of those he leads whose ignorance became the baits of their many sorrows. Within the heart of man lies the conscience: a field where the real battle of life is won and where man, this spirit, decides who and what wins.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places,” the Holy Bible rightly said. Where these battles are fought and won or lost are in the heart of this empowered spirit called man. But both the defeats and the spoils of these battles remain what man will have to deal with as long as he remains in the flesh. The spirit that is man stands exulted even above these “evil spirits of the unseen world” and every decision man takes in his true nature becomes the errands of these dark spirits whose sustenance and fulfillments emanate from the wishes of man. Everyday, the game of life is played in the hearts of man repeatedly on many issues; and at each turn, man must blow the final whistle. What he consciously decides and wishes for (if his spirit has not been willingly subdued by his ignorance which he willingly received from that serpent of old) rightly becomes the command of these principalities and said powers. And as societies gather to invoke superior “powers to represent” upon certain individuals, the battles for these societies are consequently shifted, not to the many fields of war which man has carved for himself, but to the very hearts of those thus saddled with responsibilities to lead; to the consciences of those thus elected or chosen as representatives or leaders. In the conscience of man lies the voice of God - speaking forth His word which saves; and that of the enemy of mankind - always giving man reasons to willfully fail and fall. It will be important to state here that the spirit which leads a people is the chosen leader, and his conscience, if alive, is the perfect law. What these spirits (men, leaders) decide becomes their strong wishes, and their wishes, the commands of these little beings that operate in all atmospheres – seeking for just one thing: to obey. But the danger of man is ignorance, and this has made him more of man (the flesh) than he truly is a spirit. Turning aside to enslave himself under his slaves, he listens to all kinds of persuasive voices and believes in every extended “helping hand” of trapped spirits. And as he does, he unknowingly signs a contract with his servants - a contract which transfers his eternal rights to rule and reign over all creatures in conscious responsibility to his messengers. Now, these little beings, like the fairies of mischief, love nothing more than assuming the place of puppeteer over what his master has reduced himself to: a mortal man.

Among these principalities and powers of darkness, the spirit called Mammon is perhaps the most persuasive of all. He places before his master (man who ought to be in his full stature as a conscious spirit) a picture of possibilities which, as he wrongly claims, can only be attained solely through his assistance. And just as the Adam of old did in forgetting his communion of safety with the creator of all, the man of today often chooses to be more Adam than the man to whom all creation has been willed. The God of true wisdom says: “With me, you can do anything, but without me, you can do nothing;” but Mammon, the spirit of the love of money says: No! It's without me that you are lost. And as in the days of Eden, man has to choose again even when the glory of truth still dazzles. What does man do? He believes in Mammon, enters into a state of indebtedness to his servant, and thereby surrenders his foundation to a vengeful spirit who never gets enough praise. He demands that man slaves for him and he obliges; then goes further and demands that he makes slaves for him – of his father, mother, siblings, children, neighbors and the society. Having given up his place to this spirit, man sees himself as having no choice but to oblige the one without whom he believes he is lost. Money answers all things, but only as a faithful servant. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything solely because of its service in trade. Yet wisdom in the hearts of those who lead is a greater defense than money presents. In any society where money becomes Mammon and its utmost defense, the foundation caves in. And when it does, enemies are willingly made and without excuses - even right within families and amongst bests of friends. The spirit of betrayal therefore sets hierarchies. Submission to this Mammon takes over a man born in the creeks – born with no clear path for life – and drags him from a place of seeming irrelevance to the position of a representative as he surrenders to every whim and caprice of this spirit because he knows that with greater favor comes greater submission. Some he picked from among homes of insanity and pulls them up to places of authority beyond their comprehensions and abilities. While worthy heirs are been groomed to properly lead, slaves follow this spirit, Mammon, all the way to be imposed as leaders. Suddenly, men without any conscience for true leadership become ward counselors, Local Government Chairmen, commissioners, governors, and ministers, members of parliaments, senators, chief judges, ambassadors, and even all the way to the presidency. What this does is: it makes Mammon the chief ruler of the society, and when it does, the battle for worship increases every moment so much so that evil becomes good and good, evil. With this submission to Mammon comes greater love for money, and as it grows, men find every reason to debase and dehumanize mankind. But what this man would not see is that every pact of love and commitment done with this vengeful spirit, Mammon, is a burden of slavery. So, today, you see spirits born to rule, walk like men bound with the shackles of an unforgiving spirit…even while they represent and rule. And so their great dreams for better societies are often bound under the burden of their slavery to this insatiable spirit. O How principalities and powers glory for a period! How man willingly surrenders to failures which he has made his!

The church of Christ must know this truth: the power to decide resides with fully awakened man and the verdict of the conscience is decided by the man who has found himself. There are principalities, and powers also exist; but the man who has gained mastery of the truth rules his conscience and stands as the head of these forces – dictating outcomes. The only answer to why the church seems to be ineffective is because most people in the church, especially from among the bishops and elders, have equally been beguiled by this persuasive serpent. The men and women appointed and elected to lead and represent must be men whose consciences and spirits are alive to the truth. Without this, as they sell themselves, those whom they lead are equally sold. The children of Israel cried for a king out of an undefined conscience, and God gave them their answer in Saul. Then evil increased, because when men consciously go against divine dictates, evil is always born. David fought his conscientious battles, neither in the palace nor in the fields of men, but in humility and conscious wakefulness while he leads humble sheep. Because God was their election chief and anointing priest, He went straight and picked him from the bush – from amongst the wild beast to “save His people and to lead them aright.” Moses fought against evil and stood for the truth – even against a raging storm of oppositions. He was called a quick-tempered man, yet God called him the meekest of men. He chose him to deliver His people because he has fought and won in his conscience over and against the spirit of Mammon and that old beguiling serpent. Joseph accepted imprisonment just to establish a true foundation in his conscience. He became, not what the spirit called Mammon threatened he would be, but a deliverer of his people. But today, the voice that dwells in the consciences of most men to decide is this same spirit called Mammon. In Nigeria, those who worship it are many, even among those who complain of his burdensome shackles of slavery on them. Nigeria has become the cobweb of Mammon, yet a single illumination from truth breaks his chains from man. Those who lead are bound by this and, therefore, are incapable of deciding for victories in their hearts nor can they blow whistles which will be final, except for that which further exults this wicked spirit and makes these enslaved leaders more in love with money. They are devoid of the will and conviction to stand for what is right because, as their bondage tells them, life is worthless without his help.

These leaders were elected and chosen by the people, and only by the people will they be judged and removed or elevated. We are indeed not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against all wickedness in high places. These forces of the dark world have no base of operation and no contract rights except in the heart of a willing man. And if this man is the leader of all, then all are bound in seeming drunkenness towards enslavement, except, of course, they rise up from their slumber and decide the victory in their consciences. Yet this victory over all wickedness in high places comes from a higher place, and from that spirit (man) who is truly conscious of his place of authority – able to decide the times and how they affect men bound by a breakable agreement. Nigeria was founded by the old serpent of hell and run by Mammon. Those bound by this name have only in them the ability to become free. The power to be free is the grace to know the truth and to stand up for it. It is the power of the tongue which gains its convincing victory from the conscience. For man to regain his place and for this slave called Mammon to know and function in his right place, man must decide the verdict in the field of his conscience between the truth over falsehood and victory over defeat. And when he has fully come, he must rise up and speak words which carry their corresponding actions; words which carry the power for creation. In doing this, therefore, take with you the amour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand ready therefore, and put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Sooner than expected, the walls of Jericho will fall (even now they are falling) and Mammon, the slave, will be forever bound in his place of duty. This is the duty of man - that spirit who finally discovers and occupies his place in creation and realizes that principalities and powers are but messengers for him. Let Nigeria free Nigerians and let Mammon be cast down to hell! Amen!

Written by Ikechukwu Enyiagu, [email protected]