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re we, as human beings, really powerless and
helpless before the grim reaper called premature death? Can death be checkmated, frustrated and
defeated? Can humanity ever develop the capacity to welcome death as a friend,
or repel it as an unwanted enemy? The searing, lacerating and despairing pain
that comes with the death of a loved one, can it ever be mitigated? Is there a
balm, drug or medicine to kill the dreadful pain?
Is death as capricious, wanton and callous as it is
painted to be, not minding the grief and pain it inflicts on its victims? Is
death a tool for good or evil, a transition or a hopeless dead-end? If scientists could reverse the aging process
in man, would death be kept at bay? Can
death happen to anybody by accident, unprepared? These are questions, of course, for which I
don’t think one blog post can presume to answer.
Death is akin to a state of paralysis, lack of
motion or progress, when a thing is comatose, inert, demobilized and
de-motivated, lifeless, irrelevant, out of contention; neither a spectator nor
participant; the anti-hero without accolade or applause; N.F.A. ( No Future
Ambition) ; a silent mockery of all that
is beautiful and glorious. Death. Is. Ugly. Treacherous. Unwanted.
Since the element of death was introduced in the
Garden of Eden as an Early Warning System to keep the man on track, its
implication stalks his mind, even if he pretends otherwise.
John Donne
(1572-1631) defiantly wrote:
Death,
be not proud, though some have called thee
Almighty
and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For
those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die
not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
In the Bible, Abraham was told by God that he would
be ‘buried in a good old age’ showing
that how or when he would die was not a frivolity that the Almighty could not
be bothered with. Isaac and Jacob gave up the ghost when they were very old,
adequately prepared against the time of their demise. Death certainly did not
pounce on them by stealth or surprise! Moses was one hundred and twenty years
old when he died without any weakness or affliction associated with old age; he
was also warned and prepared ahead of time against his eventual passing.
When God warned King Hezekiah through Prophet Isaiah
to put his house in order because the time of his departure was at hand,
Hezekiah certainly did not accept this news with equanimity. His unequivocal
rejection of the premature death parcelled with his name-tag was evidenced by
his incisive, robust prayer to God asking for an extension of time concerning
his further stay on earth. In his prayer, Hezekiah had famously proclaimed before God: For the grave cannot praise
thee, death cannot celebrate thee, they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (see book of
Isaiah chapter 38) He was not only heard, fifteen more years were added to his
days!
Even Jesus Christ, who died at the age of 33 years,
said he ‘ willingly laid down his life.’ His death did not come by
accident, but it was purposeful and deliberate. Even though Paul was
imprisoned, his death when it came was pre-meditated rather than by accident.
Paul gave permission to his death! Writing to Timothy, he said: For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Having kept the
faith, and finished his course, Paul said he was now ready to die!
Here are four ways to cheat, restrain and conquer
premature death!
(1)
Secure Identity as a Vessel of Mercy: Don’t be
ignorant or equivocal about your identity as a vessel of mercy. There are many people today on earth known as vessels of wrath because they reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Floating
on error, and powerless to do anything about it, it is fine for them to
surrender and adjust to the ‘inevitable capriciousness’ of death. You go to the
same schools, eat in the same restaurants, drive similar cars or live in similar
houses, but DESTINIES ARE NOT THE SAME! While there are many schools of
thoughts or philosophies, in various guises, that want you to adjust mentally
to the capriciousness of death, stealthy and treacherous, beyond your power to
control or restrain, let it be settled
in your mind, as a vessel of mercy, that death
has no power over you. Like John
Donne, you can also say: Death, be not proud, for you cannot kill me!
A vessel of mercy has no fellowship with premature death! You certainly can
control and restrain death. Yes, you can defang death, and uproot its stealth!
(2)
Block Fear of Death: The Bible tells us
that by destroying Satan, who had the power of death, Jesus Christ delivered once for all the vessels of
mercy who were subject all their lifetime to bondage through fear of death. You
must not hesitate to block fear of death from your mind. Resist every threat of
death howling in your ears! Because
Jesus tasted death for every man,
you are released to experience abundance of health and wealth! Be resolute about the fulfilment of your destiny! Your destiny has escaped paralysis and
retrogression! Your productivity shall remain relevant, having escaped decay
and shame! By the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things,
you have been mobilized with the ‘treasures
of darkness and secret riches of hidden places’ to upgrade your business in
every way. Never allow yourself to tolerate the thought that someone somewhere
can stop your progress! Make plan, make progress! Unleash your power to make
things happen without apology or equivocation. Truly, your destiny has been
rescued from the claws of death! Whatever disease or affliction you suffer from
now shall not terminate in death, but
healing!
(3)
Don’t Advertise Your Pain: The
challenges you are going through right now are meant to bring you to that place
where you can trust God without shame, instead of feeling frustrated and
helpless. To feel frustrated and
helpless when you are challenged by anything or situation is the kiss of death. As they journeyed through the
wilderness, the children of Israel were discouraged because of the way which
appeared to be harsh, tough and difficult. As they began to complain and murmur
with a familiar refrain: ‘Are there no graveyards in Egypt that we should be
brought to this place to die where there is no water to drink or fish to eat?’
God sent serpents to bite them, and many died. To advertise your pain by
complaining when you face a monumental challenge or difficulty is to invite the
sting of premature death against your life! The emotional make-up of vessels of
mercy is the anti-thesis of sorrow and grief. That’s why you must rehearse your praise by singing a new
song or forcing yourself to laugh when you come against a tough situation
instead of advertising your pain!
(4)
Pray Without Ceasing: When a person has
been earmarked or programmed to die, intensive prayer definitely can reverse
that evil programme for the person in question to escape. In the Bible, two
apostles, zealous for the gospel, came under the wrath of Herod. One, James,
was captured and executed. The other, Peter, escaped from prison where he was
held. What accounted for the difference? Realizing their complacency over the
untimely death of James, the Christians in Jerusalem were jolted to pray
without ceasing when news of Peter’s arrest came. As they were praying without
relenting, Peter was actually asleep when the angel came to rescue him from
prison!
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