15/10/00 "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work ; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way" . 2Thess 2 v.7

It takes God's help to see evil for what it is. Just like we may appreciate the earth's vastness while standing on it but it takes rising above it by the help of a plane or the sort to really see how vast it is. So too sin. A man may know he is a sinner but it takes encountering God for him to really begin to see sin as sin. The more we draw closer to God the more we will be more replused by sin because we will increasingly see it as it is – "that sin might be recognised as sin….so that …sin might become utterly sinful" (Rom 7:13). That is why a person's intimacy with God can be judged by his attitude to sin.

We need God to open our eyes to the sinfulness of sin. And the way it is at work in the world even now. This determined work of lawlessness that is decaying societies, families, and men. Destroying all that is good so that they may not be able to worship God. We see in verse 4 the twin attack that the devil is using – opposing godliness and exalting sin. These days in the name of modernism and liberty the devil is making subjects like holiness, consecration, purity etc, unattractive . And at the same time he is making sin very attractive. The Church has increasingly become much like the world. Many of us have today lowered our standards from what they used to be.

All these is so subtle that if we are not careful we will be overpowered by it and reap decay even in our own lives. We must beware! The most important thing in life is not to accomplish great things for God but rather to live holy lives unspotted by the world so that we may please God. Watch out and no matter what happens don’t let this decay eat up your life , nor your relationship with others. I challenge you to examine your life and to come against every manifestation of this secret power of lawlessness.

The only thing that that can restrain this work of lawlessness is the Holy Spirit . How we need to walk and work with him not only to save ourselves but also to become salts of the world around us so as to save others from this decay. It is time to straighten out our lives. Straighten out our walk with God and our relationships with others. May God help us.

That all the nations may praise Him,

Chimezie Onyebilanma,
cross-cultural missionary with CAPRO in Togo, West Africa.