OF PLAYERS AND FANATICAL SPECTATORS

It’s a common sight these days seeing young people engage in hot arguments, defending their favourite football teams.  The arguments are usually very personal and passionate.  Unfortunately, at times, things could go much further than just jaw jaw; and it’s not strange hearing about people dealing physical violence to their own family – just because the outcome of a football match was unfavourable.

What I’m trying to point attention to is the extreme personal involvement and passion of the average football fan today – without necessarily any personal rewards attached.

On the other hand, the soccer players get incredible, even outrageous pays; yet, they are far more somber and less fanatical.  A Chelsea player for instance, will more readily move over to Man U next week – if the pay is right, than a fan of Chelsea would.  In fact the fan might consider that absolutely unthinkable!

If this phenomenon were restricted just to the sporting world, then that would probably be fine.  It would all be part of the adaptation mechanism to take life easy and remain sane in an ever fast-moving world.  Alas, the happenings on the football field are only a reflection of how the world really runs.  In almost every issue of life, two groups stand out clear: the Players and the Spectators.  That is, the people who make things happen and the others who watch things happen.  [A third group is not worth discussing – those who don’t even know what is happening.  Like the average Nigerian watching a game of  cricket].

 Friends, extremely high-stakes engineering and manipulations are going on in the world, and many youths, rather than take their place on the field are glued to the TV, spilling adrenalin and gulping everything down - line, hook and sinker. Fans (i.e. fanatics!) of some wily,  crafty script writer!

            We should all be conscious of three main areas of manipulations going on in the world today, covering the three components of man: Health (body), Sexuality (soul) and Religion (spirit).  It has been abundantly demonstrated that most of the lifestyle being promoted in the world today are open rebellion against God’s design for the human body.  From popular  indulgence in junk foods to the gross abuse of microwave radiation (notably the cellphone), many are sentencing themselves to a future of degenerative diseases.  Thank God, cigarettes are no more in the fad, but even worse chemicals and drugs abound, set to trap the unwary – just think of the sad case of Cynthia!

On the level of the soul, the sex genie has been let loose.  It’s incredible that sane people can think they could pore over pornography (either soft or hard) and not themselves be moved somehow. What crass ignorance about the workings of the human soul!  But the frightening statistics reflect the hard reality.  In Nigeria, as quoted by Praise Fowowe (www.*****), one girl in four, and one boy in six, will be raped before the age of 18.  And the figure is much worse elsewhere – think of India, Pakistan, or South Africa!  In these days where the issue is on accommodating gays, fornication seems like mere child play.

But the manipulations going on in the spirit realm are the most insidious.  Here we have people who sincerely wished to do the right thing still finding themselves pushed onto the road leading to hell just on account of ignorance! (Hosea 4:6).  But how can ordinarily reasonable people claim they did not know that the devil’s agenda in every single transaction he is involved with is just to ”steal, kill and destroy”?  And nobody is more aware about the soon-coming of the Lord other than the devil, who is acutely aware that he has only a little time left before his rendezvous with the lake of fire (Rev 12:12, 20:10). The Apostle John wrote: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth”. Truth lovingly but firmly declared is absolutely necessary to avoid making a shipwreck of the faith; and ending up with unprofitable shell of mere religiousity.

Like salt, a few determined individuals who have understanding of the times, are enough to make the impact God has determined to bring in this generation.  I pray that you my dear reader, may be that Joseph, Esther or Daniel that would change your generation for the better.

But you’ve got to get your acts together and switch from being a spectator to being a player.  Get on the field under His wings – right now as you approach the Lord in prayers.