THE

UNBENDABLE BELIEVER
The Secrets of Survival and Keys for
Leading the Internet Generation.

Christian C. Eze
 Copyright © 2022 | Christian Eze

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for
example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written
permission of the author.
Contact the Author:

Facebook: @Eze Christian Chinedu

Email: [email protected]

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 Dedication

To my beloved family and all believers in this

digital age, who desire to run this race to the
finishing line without giving up their faith.

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 Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Note to the Reader
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: The War Against Compromise
Chapter 2: Understanding Your Generation
Chapter 3: This is Your Time
Chapter 4: Where Many Believers Miss It Most
Chapter 5: Leading the Internet Generation
Chapter 6: We Must All Fight Ignorance
Chapter 7: The Treasure of Bended Knees
Chapter 8: Straightening the Bended Beloved
Chapter 9: The Gospel in a World Where Nonsense is Selling and
Trending
Chapter 10: Be Crown-Conscious!
About the Author

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 Note to the Reader
This cherished work in your hand is a product of God's leading and my
leadership exposures in the Body of Christ. It was born out of a keen
interest to see us maximize our advantages as believers in the
Internet generation. The Holy Spirit remains the author of all God-
breathed inspirations. The credit of this book goes to Him.

The book in your hand is not another book on philosophy or theology.

The knowledge shared in this book is based on my practical
experiences, direct observations, biblical expositions, and the
experiences of experts in many fields of life. Unless otherwise
indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the King James
Version of the Holy Bible (both the Old and the New Versions).
Quotations labeled KJV are taken from the King James Version while
those labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version.

I strongly believe that this book will help you to understand your
generation and how you too can lead and make an impact in your time.
It also helps you to know how to stand for God or retrace your steps
back to Him if you have already backslidden. You will also find in it
what you need to live a fulfilled life in this digital age. I admonish you to
read with an open heart, and that you pray if you are led to do so as you
read along.

I also submit to you that this book is not a perfect book as it was not
written by a perfect man. This is why I am not giving a hundred percent
assurance that it is free from any grammatical or academic mistake.
All I can vouch for is that it will go a long way to help all who read with
an open heart on its issue of discourse. You can always reach out to
me through the information supplied at the ending part of this book.
May the Lord who led me in the writing also lead you in the reading!

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 INTRODUCTION
We are acquainted with the saying that life will not be all roses. However,
most times, we are not really prepared for the crosses and thorns of life. This
is revealed in the lives of many people whose actions are determined by the
situations and circumstances around them at every point in time. This
implies that such people can do anything that the situation around them
demands, whether right or wrong. This is in tandem with the dictum that
says “if you go to Rome, act like the Romans.” The sad truth is that one
whose life is strictly determined by the situations around his life will not
cease from acting like a chameleon that always changes colour in order to fit
into the immediate environment.

If there are no men to stand for the truth, then lies will always thrive. If there
were no men to bring to light the essence of religion, then everything about
spirituality would be collapsed into mere going to Church or engaging in
ceremonial activities. This has led to the need for a wake-up call for us to
know that we should be prepared for life not just when it is gainful but also
when it becomes painful.

An African proverb says, “if you think that you are actually too small to make
a difference, then, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.” The wake-
up call is not particularistic to any sect of people. We are all agents of
change, and every one of us strikes a chord in reality. You must not see
yourself as a cog in the wheel of the world's systems where your action does
not matter. We all owe our world some kind of illumination. You must see the
necessity to stand both for what is right and for your God. Your obedience to
God can provoke obedience in your generation.

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Abraham obeyed God and became the Father of faith for all
generations. Today, we all are privileged to be called the descendants
of Abraham. Have we ever imagined what would have happened if he
had outrightly disobeyed God? Walking with God in our time has been
a great challenge, especially with the advancements in technology
which have led to the emergence of many machines that demand new
ideologies and new orientations for us to be able to cope with them.
While such innovations may not necessarily be evil, some of them
create more problems than they tend to solve.

Many men have been terribly victimized in the digital age. The
privacies of many saints have been irksomely invaded! Many
believers that tried to fit in have ended up sinking in. Many youths
have really lost in the battle over their time. We are gradually
forgetting that we have bodies. The virtual world is becoming more
real than the real world. These and many others are the atrocities
ongoing in the digital age. Is it not obvious that we need a real stand
with God to be able to withstand the trending evils that come with
Internet exposure in our time? You will agree with me that the issue
has suggested a total flight for many people. Many people who had
made this observation had backed off entirely from active
engagement with the online network, and also went to the length of
warning or restricting their children from its usage.

Shall we fold our hands too? Shall we observe the lukewarmness that
has taken over our youth and not cry for a revival? How can we
discover that many men are giving up their faith in God for cheap
gains or to live longer and fold our hands? Only if we are not truly
concerned! It is then out of concern that this book is in your hand. We
need people who will save the situation; people whose yes will be yes
as they ascend to leadership positions, people who will not betray
their God in the political corridors, and those who will stand for God

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even in the face of death like the early saints. These are simply the
“Unbendable Believers” that our generation is waiting for, and,
interestingly, you can be one of them. It is with a burden that this
knowledge is shared to you. My prayer is that you catch this burden
yourself and share it to others as well. Remember, a candle loses
nothing by enlightening another; rather, it multiplies the light.

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 CHAPTER 1

THE WAR AGAINST COMPROMISE

“Just one Compromise here, another one there, and soon
enough, the so-called Christian and the man in the world look
the same.”
–Aiden Wilson Tozer.

The kingdom of our God has indeed suffered violence. For this
reason, many believers, especially the nonviolent ones, have been
taken already. Many of the violent ones too have been heavily
wounded as the violence intensifies. Those who are still standing in
the battleground are those who have vehemently refused to
compromise. They have been fierce like the biblical Joseph, Daniel
and his friends, Susanna, and many others whose lives proved that
God must be obeyed! They are ready to live or to die while standing
with God. The bothering question then is the fate of the majority who
have been taken already in this warfare.

Compromise, as used here, is seen as a dishonest act that makes

one live against one's beliefs or to weaken one's principles or
standards to get the desired result. A compromising Christian lives a
deceptive life that contradicts what he professes or confesses before
men. It is an issue that has eaten so deep into the fabric of the Church
in the digital age. The fight became more severe as the wall that
separates the Church from the world is badly dealt with if not totally
broken down in our time. The heart of the saints is more in danger.
The new believer can move from joy to confusion when he gets closer
and discovers that those who won him for Christ are not living by the
same principles they preached to him before his conversion. This is
sad as many who were made part of the fold, with the heavy sacrifice

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of compassing land and seas, have as well been made twice a child
of hell.

Many who claim to be for God are really bowing down to strange
gods either knowingly or unknowingly. One who is observant will
know that false gods have increased in the digital age, to the extent
that even computers and phones are becoming gods to many
people. As gods keep multiplying, the heart is more divided, and
infidelity is becoming a norm.

It is actually very easy to go to Egypt and start living like the

Egyptians. There are many people who could be found in both ways:
they worship God during the day but pay homage to the devil at the
night; they give offerings to God but offer themselves to demons.
Many teach the truth but live in lies. Many are like Angels in the
Church but serpents in their families or neighbourhood, saints offline
but fraudsters and hackers online, preachers on the pulpit but sexual
perverts behind the scene. There are many who are hailed on earth
but they are candidates of hell; they never really worshiped God but
they receive worship from other people, they are praised by men
while the Angels frown at them. In fact, the generation of the
Pharisees has multiplied on earth from the time of John the Baptist!

However, there is a necessity to seek out the remnants if they are still
in existence. Can we really find them? Are you sure we can still find
people who have not surrendered to the god of Babylon in order to
escape the fury of the earthly princes? Are there still people who will
not hold their lives in high regard if losing their lives will give them
admission into eternity? Can we still find people who can pay the
price of sincerity? Can we still find leaders who are after God's heart
in governmental positions? Can we still find undefiled priests and
pastors in our religious sects? Can we still find students who would

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not engage in malpractices? Can we indeed find merchants,
lecturers, public servants, etc, who would say no to corruption and
theft? If we can, I also want to know where we can find them. Are you
one of them? Then, let's begin with you.

There are things that cause people to err in the world and these keep
on increasing as we draw nearer to the second coming of Christ. The
major challenge of the believer has always been to stand firm on the
side of His Master and to please Him in all things. A major sign of the
Great Falling Away of men is not that people will no longer be going to
church or even be consistent with Church activities, but rather, that
many will live in compromise and deception. This is the greatest injury
that the Body of Christ has been suffering from the time of her
emergence: she is being presented to the world in a very deformed
manner because many people whom the world looks unto as her
(Church) members are living as though spiritual activities are done
just to fulfill all righteousness. Have you not noticed in our time that
both our altars and pulpits need Jesus even more than the pews?
Well, this is one of the things I am showing you if you have not seen it.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in

moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at
times of challenge and controversy.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

If men cease to think outside the normal status quo, then, everyone
will simply be doing what everyone else is doing. The demonstration
of unflinching faith by the three Hebrew young men in the Book of
Daniel is a sign that the price to stand with God can be very costly at
some points. This is why only a few can afford it. Their words were, “If it
be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not,
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor

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worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17-18
KJV). Those words always sound so thunderous whenever one truly
meditates on them. It is a voice that is free from fear or any appeal for
sympathy. Shedrach, Meshach, and Abadnego stood their ground
notwithstanding the king's threat. They were ready to lose their lives
for their faith. The instruction was for them to bow to another god. As
we consider their love and commitment to God which brought about
His intervention, there is also a need to ask a question about what
happened to the other Jews in that assembly. They too came with
these three young men to Babylon as captives. They must have
forgotten about God's law and faithfulness. They may have broken
their own personal devotions to God. These people may have been
surprised too to see that some people have the impetus to defy the
instruction of the king while beholding the burning furnace.

One more interesting thing about the Book of Daniel is that it shows
how some few persons were able to stand with God in a foreign land
that has full authority to enslave their nation. The three young men
saw the fire heated seven times more and they still remained
unmoved. Their hearts have grown so unshakable just like Mount
Zion (See Psalm 125:1). No wonder even fire knew that no matter its
burning intensity, it is not worthy to consume these men! Their faith
burns more than any fire, and even God in heaven has to honour this
with a mind-blowing miracle.

The main question here is whether these Hebrew young men never
reasoned that “God will understand,” as many people do in our
generation. What conviction did these men have that gave them no
reason for compromise? Why didn't they justify the act of
worshipping the golden statue? They too can make God understand
that if they had been in their land in Israel, they would not have
disobeyed Him, but since He (God) did allow them to be conquered

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and taken into captivity in a foreign land, He should not be surprised to
see them behave otherwise. It is most times very difficult to walk in
obedience when you see God as the one punishing you or releasing
judgment on you instead of showing mercy. This was their state in
Babylon. But they chose a different pathway that is contrary to that of
many people who engage in all kinds of evil or even hand themselves
over to demons with some reasons to justify their ungodly behaviours.

In the words of Josemaria Escrivà, “Compromise is a word found in

the vocabulary of those who have no will to fight”. This is to tell you that
many people compromise because they lack this ferocious attitude to
stand with God in moments of difficulty. They quickly give up; after all,
“something must kill a man.”

There are many who won't go to church because they do not have
money or new clothes. Some go into prostitution to survive! Some
deny Jesus in order to save their lives. Some visit occultic doctors in
order to have children. There are some who bathe in the river just to
get a husband. Many others still engage in ritual killings and all kinds
of thefts. What is most irking in all these is that many of these people
are still people who go to Church regularly and even call on the name
of God. Some of them have remained obstinate in their sins to the
extent that they are armed with facts to justify their actions.

An Aged-long Battle
One thing very clear is that the war did not begin today. The war
against compromise is an aged-long battle that can be traced down to
Adam. The battle is common but victory is rare. This is to say that
many people have sacrificed their relationship with God for earthly
and mundane things. The scripture is replete with men and women
who sacrificed their relationship with God or their destinies for cheap

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momentary gain. Men like Adam, Esau, Sampson, King Saul,
Gehazi, Judas, etc fall within this group. Through their choices and
actions, they sold out their glories so cheaply. They fall victim to this
through compromise and they all ended up in great regret.

A man of compromise is also a man who is quick to break his

promises. He can promise peace in order to capture your heart and
then he will unleash violence. He will carry the Bible and greet you
with “praise the Lord!” but he is after your life or your pocket. Just like
the lie of the serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden. The major thing to
know too is that compromise is the nature of our eternal foe. In fact,
the first sin ever committed was committed in heaven, not on earth.
This was committed by Lucifer, one of the Angels of God. He
committed an act of treason through his pride and self-glories and
was cast down. It was sin that made him a fallen angel (See Isaiah
14:12-16 KJV). He sang God's praises in heaven with a passion that
motivated his fellow Angels and the whole beings in heaven to
worship God. The aura from his sound in heaven moved even the
elders to fell on their faces before God. He was indeed a worshipper
that knew how to exalt God. But in spite of this, he still dares to
conceive iniquity in his heart. How can he lead others to worship the
One he is trying to overthrow? But thank God heaven is not like earth;
it was found out even before he carried it out. So he fell! Compromise
will make everyone take the side of this fallen being.

All the fallen Angels that fell with Lucifer were all victims of
compromise against God. In fact, hellfire was prepared for them on
account of this. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus made known to us what the
King that will seat in judgment on the day of Judgment will say: “Then
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 'Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
You now see that hellfire was a place prepared for the devil as a

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punishment for his eternal sin. People that will go to hellfire are all
those who took Satan's side in life. Hence, it is where your master
belongs that you will end up: either with Jesus in heaven or with the
devil in hellfire. The reason why this is necessary to note is that it will
make us realize the weight of compromise. We are in a generation
where many things are distracting our attention that we often lose
sight of what matters.

The Pursuit of Pleasure

The hedonists see man as fundamentally a pleasure-seeking and
pain-avoiding animal. To them, an action that is right is that which is
usually pleasurable. The adherents of this theory shout against
anything that can cause us pain. To them, pleasure must be the goal
of life and man must give himself to anything that will give him
pleasure. This perspective has been dominant in the lives of many
people.

There are many people who only live for the satisfaction of their
appetites. Many things go in our world simply because of this
hedonistic approach to life; anything that can make us stress
ourselves or even cry is usually avoided. This is how many men, like
Esau, have sold their birthrights just to satisfy their stomachs. (See
Genesis 25:29-34). Hardly do we forget that God's way of dealing with
His people is most times not pleasurable to the flesh. Even Jesus
admonished us in Matthew 7:13-14 saying “enter by the narrow gate;
for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and
there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and
difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it”(NKJV).

This is telling you that being a Christian is not living with a

“brisket-bone mentality!”

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The road is not a pleasurable one. Although it is joyful when the will of
a believer fully aligns with the will of His God, we need the grace to
walk it because it is not really an easy road. Even apart from the road
to eternity with God, the path of success or greatness in the world is
not really a pleasurable road either. It requires a lot of resilience and
diligence to get there. There is a lot of pain on the road that leads to
greatness that not many can afford it. Good things usually do not
come so easily. This is to tell us that we must learn how to forgo a
momentary pleasure especially when it is placed before us at the
expense of our future or purpose.

For this, we need to be on the watch. You can keep watch over your
front door without knowing that the back door is left ajar. Our hearts
still remain the center of focus here. Many things have indeed crept
in subtly and gripped our hearts. It is true that if the right voices are
not heard, people will keep on doing the wrong thing. Interestingly,
we hail the advancement in the scientific spheres and we have as
well been blessed by technological inventions but these have as well
multiplied the pains of the modern man. This has a lot of spiritual
implications as well.

The economists revealed that human wants are insatiable. There

are limited resources and unlimited human wants. As we keep
having advancements in technology, our needs and insatiability
keep on multiplying. It is very hard to talk about contentment in the
modern world. There are many people who cannot sleep because
they need to buy the latest phone, the latest car, a private jet, etc.
Some want to have the best education by going to the best school;
others want to live in the best cities and the best house, and so on. As
these are unknowingly becoming our necessities, we keep on
seeing that our finances or labour may not carry us to the place of our
dream. This is another reason why many try to fetch this money
through any possible means. Insatiability and lack of contentment

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have indeed made many to compromise on their values and principles
in order to fill their pockets.
This reveals to us the intensity of the battle on those who want to
stand. The structures are already restructured to favour many
perverts. It takes many pains and risks to stand for the truth. The
severity of the battle has made many to give up. Some believe that it is
not possible to stand unbendable in the heat of this fiery battle.
However, what you will discover as you continue is that there are still
remnants that may be hidden but not taken, and you too can be on the
list.

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 CHAPTER 2

UNDERSTANDING YOUR GENERATION

“It is very obvious that we belong to the C Generation - the
Connecting Generation in the digital age.” —Pearl Zhu

It is your understanding that will give you good standing. You need to
really understand your generation in order to stand out. A lot of things
have really changed. You cannot solve a problem you do not know.
You cannot solve a problem in your generation when you do not
understand your generation. As the problems we tend to solve get
more complex, we must also be progressive in our duty of proffering
solutions to them. This equally demands positive modifications in our
minds.

Understanding your generation, as used here, means to be aware of

the changes that have occurred in our generation that specifically
differentiate our generation from previous centuries. It also means to
understand the reasons why many people act the way they do and the
implications of these changes we have in our time on our lives,
especially as believers. Both the social and technological changes in
our world impact our Christian lives both positively and negatively.

It is very obvious that many people, including believers, are ignorant

of the time and season we are in. Some Christians only read their
Bible to know what men ought to do or how men ought to behave but
they never observed their generation to know what men are really
doing. This is an imbalanced knowledge. Men truly pay for anything
they do not understand. It is very possible to live without knowing the

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purpose of life. Meanwhile, it is often said that when the purpose of a
thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. The same is applicable to any
sphere of our lives. The phone that you have in your hand, for
instance, has a lot of advantages and is meant to help and improve
your life as you use it according to its purpose. However, the same
phone in your hand has been a great tool in the hands of kidnappers,
Internet fraudsters, hackers, etc. These are the things one must
understand clearly. The Internet generation is very much different
from the previous generation. I was working some time ago in my
house when the Holy Spirit made me understand this very clearly.

The Advent of Artificial Intelligence and Robots

The emergence of artificial intelligence and robots is something that
is still very strange and far from reality to many people in developing
countries. What many fail to know is that there are great
improvements that are ongoing daily in the scientific sphere. The sad
truth is that this will soon make humans to becomes slaves of their
own inventions. With the emergence of many machines, the Internet,
and computers, we are gradually losing grip of reality. Machines are
already trying to make us have hands and legs we will never use,
minds and brains we barely use, etc. They are indeed trying to do all
our jobs for us. While many hail the ongoing improvements, they fail
to note that these come with a lot of implications.

In his book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari
posited that “Artificial Intelligence (AI) not only stands poised to hack
humans and outperform them in what were hitherto uniquely human
skills. It also enjoys uniquely non-human abilities, which make the
difference between an AI and a human worker one of a kind rather
than merely of degree. Two particularly important non-human abilities
that AI possesses are connectivity and updateability.” He argued that
AI can outperform human beings in human activities, as well as the

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ability to engage in other non-human activities that no man can ever
do. While this still remains an argument, the only thing we need to
know is that a lot is ongoing in the scientific field that is geared
towards separating us from our work, and, by extension, this could
also separate us from our God!

There is fear that humans will lose their jobs to robots and artificial
intelligence in the nearest future. We can say indeed that human
creativity has solved many problems of man. However, it has also
created more problems in our world. The trending ethical issues in our
world came as a result of the innovations the world witnesses daily.
The issue of the generation gap is also tied to the emergence of many
technological facilities that our parents are not acquainted with their
usage.

Love has Grown Cold

The love of many has grown cold in our days. The love that exists
between husband and wife has grown very cold. This is very
observable in the rate of divorce cases being recorded daily in
developed countries. So many married men see their wives as
second wives– their first wives being their phones and computers.
The communication gap between couples has increased. A clear
observation will reveal that our unrestrained desires to conquer the
earth and to gain freedom have put man in a bigger cage; we are
gradually being separated from our families as the world is becoming
a global village. It is saddening that one can have friends and solid
communication with someone they have never seen in another nation
but may have never exchanged a heartfelt greeting with their
neighbours or even members of their households.

Some couples used to see each other once or twice a week while

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living in the same room –one either lives early in the morning before
the other wakes up or comes late in the night after the other has slept
off. In fact, some people even pride themselves on the number of
divorces they have had. This is why our children are very vulnerable!
They may learn about family or marriage from the wrong people or
even see what is displayed before them by their parents as the ideal
family life. The implication is still that they may also hear about God
from atheists. They may see God as either a non-existent or as an
unlovable God. No child, with this perspective about life, can live as an
unbendable believer.

This is where the responsibility of parents towards the child cannot be

overemphasized. If the child feels unwanted or unloved at home, that
child will definitely feel unloved in life. Also, such a child may find it
difficult to love God because his understanding of love is already
distorted.

“With all the improvements the digital age has brought to the
world, it has also dramatically changed our social structure,
and often further isolating us from each other.” —Dean Ornish

People are also beginning to believe in our days that self-driving cars
are very much better than human drivers. Many have a strong belief
that there will be a drastic reduction in the rate of road accidents if we
all have self-driving cars. This is because there will be no such act as
driving crazy or drinking while driving, which usually causes
accidents.

People now eat food without noticing their tastes since they are
usually engrossed in their phones. People no longer feel the raw
hands of nature. People have lost communication with their families or
spouses while sacrificing their time for a remote person that is

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connected to them through the Internet. It is indeed so sad that we are
gradually forgetting that we have bodies. People are taking a step
further from reality daily with many aiding facilities and machines
around us.

Many people also make their journey these days using Google Maps.
This is what tells them to turn left or right at crossroads. People no
longer believe that their inclinations can lead them aright. A case was
reported of someone who landed in the Atlantic Ocean just by trusting
in his gadget. Also, some other people got stuck in the middle of
nowhere because their phones lost connectivity. The major thing to
note here is that there is curiosity in us to explore and conquer the
world that science is heavily attending to without knowing that they
are taking us far from ourselves.

“There are no boundaries or borders in the digital age.” —

Karim Rashid

Ours is a time where the issue of privacies and secrets has been
greatly dealt with. As the world is already seen as a global village,
everything about you can be known with just a click on the Internet.
Many people have been amazed when the details about their lives
and secrets are presented against them in the court of law. It is
possible to monitor your movements and your daily activities in the
Internet age. You can be in the comfort of your room and know what
happened or is happening in another country. You no longer need to
travel to see your son, daughter, brother, sister, friends, etc in a
foreign country before you can hear them and feel their presence.

That nothing is hidden under the sun is more explicit in our time. We
have known the secrets of many great men. We have access to
leaked secrets of our topping politicians. We know the secrets of
many of our General Overseers, priests, pastors, evangelists, and

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Church leaders. This is where whistleblowers have a chief place.
Since the corrupt practices of government or organizations can be
known, they can as well be brought to the attention of the general
public with an online microphone!

However, there is still this ugly veil of safety that the Internet seems to
provide us with. Many have confidently hidden under a hand-picked
mask in order to live out their pretense. Many have turned into
something else because of what they have done with their
smartphones. Many of these people go about with innocent faces
offline but they are actually wolves in sheep's clothing.
Since there is no demand for accountability in the virtual space unlike
in the “real world” (offline), it becomes easy for people to normalize
bad behaviours so long as they are in tune with the Internet
framework. How often have we really neglected our social, ethical,
and legal obligations to moderate content online! It is highly appalling
to talk about what the eyes see every day on the Internet. And the
serious thing with the eyes is that what you see very often will
definitely determine what you will like to be seeing either sooner or
later. Also, what you like to see often determines what you will be
seeing most times whether offline or online.

Many innocent souls have been victimized online. Many have been
duped. The worst to hear is that many of the perpetrators of this evil
can be the pastors, priests, preachers, prophets, teachers, lawyers,
businessmen, etc, that you see around you every day. This is why
people who are still standing need this knowledge so as to position
themselves against any kind of snare and also to know how to fit in
and impact their generation for God.

You must have noticed that the days are gone when many people
pray and fast for a great harvest from their farms. People believe

18
more now in fertilizers and pesticides than just praying. Who still has
time to pray for sick animals rather than taking them to an expert for
proper examination and medication? In the earlier days when these
facilities were not in place, all these help were sought from God!

People hardly pray against accidents in developed countries as they

concentrate more on having good roads. Some even believe that one
of the reasons we still pray more with burdens against accidents in
developing countries is because of the condition of our roads. This is
strengthened by the evidence that we have more percentage of
accidental occurrences where roads are bad than in more developed
places where the roads are in good shape.

However, even as this may hold as true to some extents, our

relationship with God is not really based on what we want or need.
That we can now solve some of our problems is not a license for us to
be independent of God. One whose love for God wanes because
things are getting better has not really gotten what the worship of God
Means. We were created by God to know Him, to love Him and to
worship Him in all conditions. If any thing, good life should give us
more reasons to worship God. Prayer is a way of relationship with
God, and not what is reserved for those in need of favours from God.

Also, in spite of this changes in our world, there are still some things
that do not change such as our essence and the roles of the parts of
our body like the mouth, leg, ear, etc. Hence, even though the world is
getting more liberal and pragmatic with the advancements in science
and technology, we must not see this as intrinsically evil; rather, we
need to use this at our advantages and position ourselves to make an
impact and also maintain our stand for God in our time.

19
The world is getting more liberal and pragmatic with the
advancements in science and technology. We must not see this as
intrinsically evil, but we need to position ourselves in order to make an
impact and also maintain our stand for God in our time.

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 CHAPTER 3

THIS IS YOUR TIME!

Why do we think many can no longer say NO to evil in our time? Why
have many hearts been taken? Many need to be awakened to
consciousness. The tickling light is about to go off, and that could be
more catastrophic!

It is time to take the banner. You may still be holding your life as a
precious gift more important than your love for God. It is time to look
for something heavier from above. There is a dimension of God you
were designed to carry. You must have dwelt so long in the belly of
lukewarmness but I pray it vomits you today!

You better vomit the ugly and sinful pills you have swallowed before
your Lord vomits you out of His mouth. There will still be remnants
and you must take your own position. The earlier saints treasured
their relationship with God above their lives.

God cannot do any serious thing with those who cannot truly stand for
Him. It is sad that many, like Peter, have gone fishing when they
should be going about touching lives in the name of the Lord (John
21:3). The sad thing about Peter's decision was that it affected all
other persons (other Apostles) who could have stood firm. Do you not
know that your actions affect others? What you say could be the
reason why many people are cold. How can you simply number
yourself among the jesters in our time that we already have in great
numbers? When did the prophet become a mere comedian on the

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stage? This is why the glory is far away! It is your time to be numbered
in the list of the unbendables.

There is a story of people's experiences in one of the

Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible that kept me thinking if we can
find such people in our time. At that time, it was a perilous moment for
the Jews under the dangerous hands of King Antiochus Epiphanes.
One of the stories that burns in my heart every time I visit that
particular part of the Bible is the story of the man called Eleazar, who
was an elderly and highly respected teacher of the Law. His mouth
was forced open to make him eat pork, but he preferred to die
honourably than live a life of disgrace. Such meat was forbidden by
the law of Moses and anyone that ate it was considered unclean or
defiled. Eleazar spat out the meat, and those in charge of the
sacrifice, who had been his friends for a long time, told him privately
to bring meat that was lawful for him to eat in the presence of
everyone. They asked him to only pretend to eat the pork, and in this
way, he would not be put to death. However, to their shock, this grey-
haired man, who had a great fear of God said:
“Kill me, here and now. Such deception is not worthy of a man of my
years. Many young people would think that I had denied my faith after
I was ninety years old. If I pretended to eat this meat, just to live a little
while longer, it would bring shame and disgrace on me and lead many
young people astray. For the present I might be able to escape what
you could do to me, but whether I live or die, I cannot escape Almighty
God. If I die bravely now, it will show that I deserved my long life. It will
also show a good example of the way young people should be willing
and glad to die for our sacred and respected laws.” (2 Maccabees 6:
23-28).

Those were his words and of course, you could predict the outcome
of such a statement before his enemies who presented themselves

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as his friends. The Bible added that:
“As soon as he said these things, he went off to be tortured, and the
very people who had treated him kindly a few minutes before, now
turned against him, because they thought he had spoken like a
madman. When they had beaten him almost to the point of death, he
groaned and said, “The Lord possesses all holy knowledge. He
knows I could have escaped these terrible sufferings and death, yet
he also knows that I gladly suffer these things, because I fear him.”
So Eleazar died. But his courageous death was remembered as a
glorious example, not only by young people but by the entire nation
as well.” (Verses 28-31)

It was obvious from the above that this man had what is beyond mere
theoretical knowledge of God. The friends and people around him
expected him to bow to the threat and the situation but he remained
unbendable. This is a disposition that endears one to the heart of
God.
The main message you must take clearly from here is that you have
no right to live amiss because of your family or friends. You must
spend your life for the truth even if it will cost you your life. You can
make it too. However, you first need to pray for a strong conviction of
your conversion.

The boldness to stand for God is never bought or sold in the market.
You don't get it too by prayer alone or just reading the Bible. You must
learn it through suffering and sincere obedience. This is most times
what imprints upon our lives the experiential knowledge of God.
Everyone must contend for this kind of knowledge of God.

The waves of life keep tossing many around in our world. You must
be equipped to cope with this generation. We must walk more
carefully and circumspectly as we draw nearer to the second coming
of Christ. What you must know is that no matter the economy of the

23
jungle, the lion is not supposed to eat grasses. It is not in his DNA to eat
grasses so hunger will not teach him otherwise. In the same vein, you
have been numbered among the sanctified. Sin and compromise are
no longer your nature. You can obey God. You can stand for God. You
can really represent Jesus in your world. Arise and shine for this is
your time.

Shun that Fear!

“For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I
dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25).

Fear has been the arch enemy of faith. It was not only Job, as stated in
the verse above, that suffered from fear. Most of the people God used
mightily in the Scripture suffered some kind of fear or another;
however, they stood out and accomplished purpose because they
were able to overcome their fears. The story of the disciples of Jesus
after His death revealed this fact very clearly. They were so afraid of
those who killed their Master that they hid together in fear behind
closed doors. It was a dreadful moment for them, and even Jesus
knew that their proclamation of the Gospel at that time was in danger if
they were to be left in such a state. Thank God for His resurrection and
appearances to them prior to His Ascension into heaven. This really
reassured their faith.

Once fear sets in, the heart begins to doubt what it has believed
before. Fear has also made many people to lose their stand in the face
of the furnace of life. No man can celebrate real victory in life that has
not conquered fear. If you get a victory out of fear, you will also lose it
through fear!

The fear of death, for instance, has made many to categorically deny
their Master before men. There was a case of some believers who

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were kidnapped by the Boko Haram members in the Northern part of
Nigeria. They were mercilessly beaten and forced to renounce their
faith. Their captors even went to the extent of telling them that they
have an option to choose between life and death, and asked them
questions one after another. The question the captives were asked
was “do you believe in Jesus and do you believe that He is the Son of
God?” Of course, you can tell the kind of frustration and fear in such
an atmosphere. After the captors went to them one after the other, it
was discovered that only three out of the fifteen Christians answered
in the affirmative. Other people who were afraid of death denied
Jesus before their captors and they were even forced to proclaim that
Jesus is not the Son of God and that they hate Him both now and
forever.
Eventually and miraculously, the captain to the captors said that they
will not touch the three persons who stood their ground for Jesus. He
went further to say that those who denied Jesus before them would
equally deny Muhammed if they were converted to Islam. The final
order was to release the three persons that stood their ground. That
was how they survived to tell the story. Only God knows the fate of
those who denied Jesus out of fear of death in such a scenario. No
one heard from them again, you can imagine the rest of the story.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who
lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” –Mark Twain

We have been made to understand that those who want to save their
lives will lose them (Luke 17:33). Yes, some persons have indeed
escaped death by denying Jesus. There were cases where those that
stood for the Lord were those that were killed and those who outrightly
denounced Him were set free. However, you have to judge which is
better; escaping death by losing Jesus or vice versa? Of course, one
who escaped death now will still die later. The early saints knew very

25
well that it is better to die believing in the Lord than to deny Him in
order to live. One who denies one's God can live as a pretender
before men and lose eternity with God at last. I know that such cases
as presented above are very dicey but we must make every effort to
conquer fear before it comes. You know Jesus already said, “Whoever
confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father
who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also
deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). In the
last chapter of this book, I will address the issue of being crown-
conscious as that is a secret to standing firm in the face of death. Only
those who are conscious of the fact that life does not end in death can
stand bold for their faith even in the face of death.

Fear of death or being defeated has also made many professing

Christian to find themselves in the houses of witch doctors in order to
get charms or get momentary solutions to their predicaments. This is
a major reason why many people worship idols. They are sometimes
afraid of not worshipping the gods their ancestors worshipped
because of the fear that the deity might attack them or their family. In
some cases, such persons give up their walk with God when they can
trace any sickness or challenge as resulting from their refusal to
worship such gods.

Some pastors and preachers have surrounded themselves with

charms in order not to lose their members. There is fear of missing out
and fear of not belonging that also wreaks great havoc in the lives of
our youths. The fear of being looked down upon has made many to
soil their hands and engage in all kinds of detestable lifestyles.
The fear of hunger has propelled many to engage in corruption and
bribery. The fear of being rejected has made many young ladies to
engage in pre-marital sex and promiscuous living. Most of those who
engaged in this kind of life ended up with guilt, abortion, demonic
afflictions, and all other kinds of ugly consequences. Many even

26
ended up not getting married to the person they went to bed with as a
guarantee. They move from one heartbreak to another.

Wherever there is fear there is also impatience of all kinds. This was
the major undoing of the Israelites in the wildernesses. Their fear of
death only triggered disobedience and later attracted severe
punishment from the Lord. They ended up suffering all they wanted to
avert through disobedience and fear. They died in the wilderness and
their corpses were scattered to the birds of the air. This presented a
lesson that we must all learn.
"The really brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but
he who conquers that fear." —Nelson Mandela.

The story of Caleb and Joshua will always remain fresh in our
memories as we recount men who demonstrated great faith in God at
a time when others have fear as their only option. They saw what
others saw but they believed a different thing. They saw that there is
no reason to be afraid when God is with them. Their words to the
Israelites after spying out the land of Canaan were “Only do not rebel
against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our
bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with
us. Do not fear them” (Numbers 15:9). Their sure confession and
conviction was that “the Lord is with us!” Is the Lord with you dear
reader? That is what makes the whole difference. If the Lord is with
you, what is death before you? If the Lord is with you, why will you fear
even the devil? You can as well reassure yourself: “God is with me,
even Now!”

This is why you must meditate constantly on the greatness of God.

The bigger the picture of God you have, the more your fears fade
away. You must carry the consciousness of His presence, power, and
glory wherever you go. The night or darkness will not swallow you

27
since you are a light.

You must also take note of encounters you have had with God as this
is also set to register His presence and reality upon your experience.
These are sure guides to living above fear. God is to be trusted for He
is not a man that He should lie. Have faith from today. Believe and
doubt not. Be strong and courageous! Shun that fear for the just shall
live only by faith.

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 CHAPTER 4

WHERE MANY BELIEVERS MISS IT MOST

"This life is governed by principles. You can never be
principal in life if you do not master the principles of life." -T.
Harv Eker

It is only those who know where they are getting it wrong that can
effect a correction. Many Christians only apply spiritual principles to
everything they do but neglect many other physical principles of life.
This is not to say that spiritual principles are not superior but to make
us understand that it is not enough to carry us successfully in all our
endeavours if we neglect other principles of life. We must note that life
is spiritual as well as physical too. Prayer alone is not enough to make
you sell your products. Prayer may not solve the problem that needs
wisdom or some actions.

I will talk about prayer in the seventh Chapter as a necessity in the

lives of the unbendables. However, I want you to know that you can
get wisdom or instruction in the place of prayer but prayer will not
carry out the instruction. You must take responsibility. You must learn
never to abuse spiritual things so that you do not end up blaming God
when it is actually your fault.

Many only carry their Bibles but neglect their academic books or even
any other spiritual books. The only thing that matters to them is “only
the scripture” (sola scriptura). They see people who study with
diligence as people who do not have faith or people who are carnal.
Many still think that your spiritual maturity is measured by how many

29
hours of prayer you can pray in a day. The early saints taught on how
we can even make our work prayer but now, many are making prayer
their only work! Am I telling you not to pray very well or for long? God
forbid! I am not telling you to refrain from praying, but I am telling you
that it can be abused too. It must not take the place of other areas of
personal development and skill acquisition. It is said that we all love
competence and excellence but very few can pay the price it requires.
Be principle-conscious in everything you are doing. Money obeys
principles- both physical and spiritual. Business, success,
relationship, etc, all obey principles- both physical and spiritual. If you
begin to pay attention to these principles you will see results that will
amaze you. I am telling you that even you can be great!

Attention to Distraction
There are many people who are believers but they misrepresent God
through the way they live. They give attention to many things that take
them away from their calling. They live as people without a purpose.
Their days are determined by whatever comes or happens. They
have no real plan for their future. They have no real goal they are
working towards. Once they can feed for the day, they never care
about the future.

This is the reason they give their maximum attention to all kinds of
distractions.They never believed that greatness is meant for them
too. They never knew that they too can be useful in the hand of their
Master. This is why they never make any real impact in their
generation. They spend their days in pleasure and all kinds of games.
They can be indoors with their phones and internet connection for
days doing nothing but hopping from one website to another. Most of
them spend hours watching films and programs that have no positive
effect on their lives. They are victims of all kinds of ideologies because
they are open to all kinds of ungodly orientation.

30
These people cannot spend 1 hour with God in personal prayer but
they can keep a vigil with their television or phones. They are very
weak in spiritual matters but they are very agile and alert on things
that give them pleasure. They depend on many men or women of God
in all their challenges but they have no strong relationship with the
God of men. No wonder they fall victims to all manner of temptations.
They can be chatting online unnecessarily with a friend in the same
room for hours. They never understood the value of time. This is why
they are never productive.

Sunday Adelaja, in his work, How to Become Great through Time

Conversion, posited that “the digital age has got enough games and
Apps to distract the interested population.” Anyone who knows that
he has a purpose must really know the value of time. He must not
sacrifice purpose for the pleasure of the moment. Set goals and work
towards them. Get people that can keep you accountable for your set
goals. Surround yourself with people that can help you rise. Fight
distractions with passion. Then you will be able to stand out in your
world.

The Error of Devil-consciousness

Many believers are actually more conscious of the devil than they are
conscious of God's presence. In fact, they see demons in everything.
They are moved to serve God not because of the love they have for
God but because of the fear of what the devil might do to them if they
do not serve God. They simply want to escape the “wahala” and the
attacks of the devil by all means.

To this kind of people, the devil is the only reason why people do not
do well in business; if anyone fails an exam, the devil is responsible.

31
They are not interested in the principles that regulate businesses or
academic excellence. They never believed that they could be the
cause of their own problems. They only look for the cause of their
problems outside themselves.

Giving great attention to the devil or always seeing his ungly hands in
all your experiences could amount to attributing to him the power he
never had. You can make him responsible for things he is not even
capable of causing. You can unknowingly make your enemy even
more powerful than your God. Victory is far from anyone who lives
with this kind of orientation.

This kind of attitude is also found in the lives of those who only see
ancestral spirits as the cause of their being unmarried or failing in life.
They really want to know what has happened in the past but they are
not concerned about what they should do themselves. This is also
why many fail to take responsibility. They only want to fight the devil.
The prayer that interests them is only the prayer of warfare against
the devil. They love to shout fire! seven or twenty one times, and to
command all the demons to die but they never give real attention to
the worship of God in their prayers. They only see the devil in their
dream and wake up to engage him in battle. They are unconscious of
their guardian Angel. They are not aware of the Holy Spirit within
them. They are not aware of the presence of God. They claim not to
be ignorant of the devil but they are ignorant of what they have in God.
While it is good not to be ignorant of the devil's devices, it is also highly
disastrous to be ignorant of God or His Word in your life. You must
learn to take responsibility for your life. Believe that no spirit can stop
you. Give more attention to God in your prayers. Learn also to
research on the principles that regulate the things you are doing. Be
God-conscious and principle-conscious too. This is the secret to
standing firm and making an impact in your generation. The devil can

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only stop you if you think he can!

When the Model becomes the modelled

Do you not have regard for truth at all? I believe you want to see a
world where honesty thrives rather than lies. You too may desire to live
free from corruption. If this is true then, you must hearken to this wake-
up call. Many people misbehave because of the systems and
situations around them. As this is not an attempt to justify any
misdemeanor, it is still necessary to tell you that this can be curtailed if
we keep our eyes on the system and situation rather than on the ills
we can observe. If nothing positive affects the systems of our world,
then there is no way our world will be better even if it has the best
preachers!

Corruption is said to be worst when it is perpetrated by the leaders or

the best. This is why those at the helm of affairs in every system or
position determine to a great extent the experiences of the people
under it.
When people that can speak the truth keep quiet, falsehood will reign.
It is disheartening that we have few voices in the contemporary world
that can shout down on the peril of darkness. The clear thing here is
that it is either you are a model or you are being modelled. While being
modelled may not be totally bad, there is a need to define who your
model is. Never allow yourself to be modelled in the wrong path else
you will miss it in the long-run.

Those We Have are not Those We Need

You may be the one we have been waiting for. We already have many
people that we do not need as our leaders in many spheres of life. On
the contrary, they are the ones that move us more to look for those we
need. Have you not discovered that we need people who are purged

33
of lust in our music and movie industry? We need people who are free
from the love of money in our business world. We need honest and
transparent people in our political sector. We need people who are
committed to their duty in the educational sector. We need you to
shine forth in any of these. How about the virtual space? This is even
where we need more light in our world.
Talking about online business, I can tell you that the reason why many
young people engage in Yahoo business and apply so many ungodly
principles in their businesses is because people who can direct them
aright are either farfetched or not in the scene. The truth is that there is
money online or in online businesses but many are using many
ungodly strategies to get it very quickly.
What is important to note again here is that it is an error to be in the
back seat and unleash blame on what is going wrong when you can
come to the front to correct it. In the next chapter, I will explain to you
how you can get ahead as a leader of your generation in order to lead
and impact them.
People are liable to live amiss when there is no one to lead them
aright. Also, the people that must lead others aright must first get it
right themselves. The word says “Nemo dat quod non habet” (No one
can give what he does not have). So the main issue here is that we
must first aim at both the right knowledge and virtues that can make
us live from potentiality to actuality in creating a positive impact in our
world.

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 CHAPTER 5

LEADING THE INTERNET GENERATION

“Leaders are people who think and talk about the solutions.
Followers are those who think and talk about the problems.” –
Brian Tracy

We need the unbendable believers not just as good followers but also
as leaders of their generation. Only the unbendable ones can truly
lead in a way that is consistent with the rules of leadership. We need
people who will take over the systems of the world for their Master.
This world moves systemically. It is more difficult to change a system
you are not part of. It is time to sensitize ourselves that we need to
take responsibility. The darkness that we can see in our political arena
is waiting for men of integrity to arise. Until the Daniels and Josephs of
this generation are at the helm of affairs, the economic condition of
people will always grow from bad to worse. It is bad to be complaining
when you can help the situation. This is a conscientization for us to
know that the world cannot shine on its own. It is only darkness and
more of it that it can give us until it is illuminated by the light from those
who are ready to influence it. In order to truly influence the world or
lead the Internet generation, there is what you need to do and these
form our discussion in this Chapter.

Get Ahead and They Will Follow

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows
the way.” –John C. Maxwell
You must know that you have to go ahead of your generation in many

35
ways if you ever want to impact them or lead them in the right direction
you are going. You cannot lead those that are leading you. If you
observe the sheep very carefully, you will discover that their leader is
not usually the oldest. Also, the leader-sheep is usually in front of other
sheep. This is how you should see yourself– ahead of others. The
Bible says that gentiles will come to your light (See Isaiah 60:3). This is
only possible if your light is shining. And they can only see your light if it
is shining in their front and not at their back. If they have what you
have, they will not be drawn to you. If they have darkness and you
have the light, then they will be drawn to your light when they come
close to you.

Update Yourself
“Things are really moving quicker and quicker. The Internet
age has also made everything so immediate that what you are
doing can start to feel outdated.” –Peter Dundas

You must note that not being updated in life is also to be outdated. You
need to know what is happening around you. You must not have an
archaic mindset because you are a believer. The Bible is not against
civilization. It only warns us against ungodly exposures that could
make us entertain ideologies that contradict the revealed will of God.
Do not paint life as though everything is wrong with the advancement
in technology. We must appreciate their impacts while acknowledging
their limitations.

There are still people who live in many of our villages who think that
being a genuine Christian or preacher is going around with big Bibles
while dressed in rags. You will see it boldly written on their faces that
this world is not their place. They do not want to have anything to do
with the systems of this world. They do not want to have anything to do
with technology or the modern way of dressing. To them, since the
Church of God has no fashion, it does not matter how one dresses or

36
what one is putting on as long as this does not appear 'demonic' or
immodest. Now, I am not against such an attitude or lifestyle if it is
one's peculiar consecration to God, or if God requires it from a soul as
in the case of John the Baptist. I only fault this ideology when we see it
as the ideal Christian life.

As noted earlier, a lot of people will lose their jobs as society moves
forward. Of course, you noticed that gone are the days when we used
to meet in a long queue in the bank's ATM (Automated Teller Machine)
stands. The POS (Point of Sales) machines we can see almost
everywhere now have taken the place of long queues in ATM stands.
This is how many shops that fail to adapt to the current flow will be
outdated or deserted.

You Need to Grow Up mentally

You must know that what you know affects how you think. And your life
is essentially determined by your thought pattern. The Bible says “For
as a man thinks in his heart, so he is” (Proverb 23:7). Every believer
should know how to develop himself mentally if he will cope with this
generation. The Bible talks about the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21. This
shows that one can be very rich and still very foolish. In this line too,
one can be a Christian and still be a fool! One can be a Christian
without understanding even the basics of Christianity. The sad thing is
that such one may have a burning zeal but still be a misrepresentation
of God's reality. This attitude or lifestyle brings a great mockery to our
faith. It makes it look as though we were called to be cursed. There is
nothing that makes unbelievers see the glory of God in such a life.
Some categories of believers do not cherish mental knowledge or
intellectualism. To them, going to school could make one not know
God or believe the Bible! They think intellectualism is the same as
atheism.

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I want you to know that anyone who entertains this mindset cannot
lead this generation or make an impact on the systems of the world. If
your experience does not show men that serving God is a blessing
and not a curse, who will follow you to worship your God? Many
students do not know that they need to shine out in their schools as
light to the gentiles. Their academic performance should make
unbelievers ask after their secrets. By the grace of God, this has been
my commitment as a student. I cannot count many times God has
helped me stand out and I see people I preached Jesus to also
coming for help academically. I have organized tutorials many times
for my course mates who are in the same class as me. I am not telling
you how intelligent I am but I am telling you that I see good
performance as a way of evangelizing Christ to those students who do
not have Him.

In a situation where a believer is carrying all the carryovers in the

class, how would you see such one? What will you preach to your
course mates about, especially if they are aware that you are the only
one that keeps failing and failing in every course? If they are aware
you can hardly spell your name correctly or if you speak very bad
English!

“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which

the king examined them, he found them ten times better than
all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.”
(Daniel 1:20)

You can see from the above that Daniel and his three friends
proclaimed their God without looking for any pulpit. It was mysterious
but true. He emerged as the best. None was his equal in knowledge.
Remember too that this is not just surpassing in the knowledge of God
or the Bible but such subjects as philosophy, literature, astrology, etc
(See also verse 17). You can be the Daniel in your class especially if

38
others do not believe or worship your own God. Those people Daniel
outshined ten times better must have come later to ask for his secret.
Then, he would make known to them the need for consecration and
secret purity, the need for consistent prayer and personal devotion to
God, the need to worship the living God of Israel, etc. If you were to be
the one, you would boldly tell them about Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit, your Helper. The thing I am telling you here is the need to
update your mental faculty.

You equally need to be a good reader to be able to stand firm in your

generation. It is not by refusing to engage in malpractice alone but
also by taking the task of diligent study. A corrupt lecturer can be afraid
to fail you if you studied hard and wrote well even if you refused to
engage in malpractice or anything like paying him before you pass the
exam. If you write well and he fails you, you can order for a remark.
But if you refuse to compromise and at the same time do not study,
then do not think God gave you the cross of failure when it happens.
The emphasis here is on you doing your own part well. God is set to fill
what is beyond you.

Readers are called leaders. You must explore many fields of life.
Read the Bible and also give attention to other books like motivational
books, novels, your course textbooks, etc. Also, try watching videos
related to your field or subject of study. Study the biographies of great
people. Learn from their examples and failures. Update yourself!
Shun every sense of limitation. Knowledge is something that gives
you an edge over others in your generation. I will also talk more about
the need to shun ignorance in the next Chapter. God can overlook the
time of your ignorance but He will never cherish to see you walk in it.
Be spiritual and be also enlightened, then you can truly be
unbendable.

39
 CHAPTER 6

WE MUST ALL FIGHT IGNORANCE

“Nothing in this world is more dangerous than being
sincerely ignorant and conscientiously stupid.” –Martin
Luther King Jr

The issue of knowledge has been one of the major problems of man
from the very beginning. You cannot believe who you do not know.
You cannot love a person you do not know. Most times, our fears and
worries are shaped by what we know or believe. It is often said that to
be “uninformed is to be deformed.” This presents a necessity for
proper information in every area of our lives. We need to know the
best way to live as parents, students, youths, children, workers,
teachers, marketers, etc. Right information gives us genuine access
to the principles of life. As noted earlier, we are in a world that is
chiefly governed by principles both spiritually and physically, and it's
often said that you cannot break these principles without yourself
getting broken. Knowledge is also said to be power. The reason for
this emphasis is because we are in an era when your muscles or
physical strength is no longer what matters most. What matters most
in our time is what you know or what you have in your head, and what
you do with it.

Living as a student taught me a lot in this regard. There were

countless days I was simply saved from failures and many regrets
simply because I had access to information very timely. I usually
emphasize this most times when I hold tutorials or address other
students. I used to talk about the need to ask questions and to always
be acquainted with the latest update on the lectures' activities. Many
students have missed tests, exams, and many great opportunities

40
for success, simply because they are not informed of it at the time
these things are held. Only a few of these victimized students were
able to resolve the issue with their plea or tears. Many others either
failed woefully or fell into the hands of dubious lecturers or staff. This
problem which could be highly detrimental by extension could have
been aborted if the student had access to prompt information.
As I succinctly observed the information circulation modes in our
generation, I really wondered how people were effectively reached
out to in the past generations prior to the emergence of phones or
computers.

The central thing here is that even though we are in an information

age where all kinds of information are flying around; there is still this
heavy problem of knowledge in the world of man. Ignorance as we
present it here is not necessarily an absence of knowledge but rather
it involves not knowing what we ought to know about a thing. So one
who can be termed ignorant in this line may know a lot about an issue
but such treasured knowledge is all wrong or faulty. This is like the
distinction between a head-knowledge and an experiential
knowledge of God. One can know a lot about God without truly
knowing God. There is this instance of a young man I met that related
to me the issues in his life that God had “refused” to do something
about. As I discussed further with him, I later discovered the height of
his acrimony against God when he told me that he knew God from his
childhood, but with the issues around his life then, he could say that
God is merely an illusion. To him, God may actually be non-existent
since all he expected from God ended in utter disappointments. His
statement is just like the logical mistake of saying “I know God but He
does not exist.” This is an error because, if God truly does not exist,
then, how can He be known?

The young man in question later chatted with me after our prolonged

41
engagements. He told me "now I know that God exists.” This was after
an experience that followed after our meetings and my prayer for him.
Before then, he thought he knew God and also believed that He is an
illusory non-existent! This kind of reasoning is highly fallacious.

On the issue of great ignorance or the circulation of distorted

information in our world, there are many instances where we can lay
blames on the media, but there are still many other cases where it is
the uncivilized nature of the people. These people can be sincere in
their perspective but sincerely wrong in reality, simply because they
are not informed.

The Bible says, “My people perish because of lack of

knowledge.”(Hosea 4:6) This is an eternal truth that does not
emphasize who you are but what you know. Also, safety and
advantage in this world as Christians are not necessarily dependent
on who we are (God's people) but rather on what we know as God's
people. This is why we must not be quick at rendering judgments but
aim at understanding first. An ignorant or uninformed believer can
defend and die for something that even God Himself forbids. Knowing
the right thing is really a door that leads to living the right way.

It's high time we saw that the Internet is not just there to mar us as
Christians. It is still part of the spheres we have been commissioned to
conquer. Although a lot of things are there that endanger the lives of
many young and innocent lives, I believe the solution is to educate
them on how to make effective use of the network and not to warn them
against its usage. This high restriction is one of the major reasons why
many children and young people break free from parental coverings
over their lives, and tend to live by their fantasies and passions.

The sad truth is that any measure geared towards preventing the
younger generation from having access to the virtual space as a way

42
of saving their lives from the ills of the network will always prove
unproductive. It is high time all parents took up the responsibility of
directing their children aright rather than restricting them from online
engagements.

Many parents are already afraid of the sudden independence of their

children since the phone had been laid in their hands. Google
answers most of the child's questions that should be directed to the
parents. The use of parental control settings to monitor or regulate the
child's usage of the Internet may have some benefits but the child will
feel cheated if he discovers that his gadget does not have what is in
his colleague's gadget. Hence, while we may have a responsibility to
restrict some of the things that should form the child's privacies, it still
remains our duty to let them know the truth early enough.

The Net is Not Necessarily a Minus

“The Internet has huge advantages but its downside is the easy
access to resources.” –Horace Panter
It will be an outright short-sightedness to present the virtual space as
though everything in it is evil. Logically speaking, if everyone there is
filthy, then this book is not exempted as well since it is also bought and
sold online. So it is necessary to note that whoever is kept from getting
exposed to the Internet space has also been prevented from
accessing the benefits therein.

I want to reiterate that the shying away of many godly and reasonable
people from the network has really made the virtual space to become
more polluted.
Have you not noticed that the easy access we have to information is a
plus to our existence and not really a minus? Many things that seem to
be difficult can be solved just with a click on the Internet. Students'

43
research work has been made easier with access to many online
libraries. I used my phone, for instance, to do most part of my project
work. I visited physical libraries just a very few times. I downloaded
many e-books with my phone and read them to gain more knowledge
on my project topic. I did this sometimes even in the comfort of my
room.

There are also schools or courses one can undertake online from the
comfort of one's house. There are also many online skills and
legitimate businesses that have empowered many of our youths
financially. To a great extent, many YouTube videos are of great help
in any subject or problem one needs to work on or solve for instance.
As a student, I usually watch YouTube videos on my course or subject
of study. Most times I even learn the subject more than any lecturer
can teach in the class. I will have the ability to compare and contrast
one lecturer with the other on the same topic, and in this way, my
horizon and knowledge of this topic are widened.

Most of the things we do these days such as payment for rent or NEPA
bills, payment of school fees, writing exams, information circulation,
etc, are all done online. The online space is not intrinsically bad. It has
just given men an avenue to amplify their stupidity in many ways. But
still, it has a lot of advantages, and withdrawing from it comes with
many implications in our time. I only advise that one forsake it only on
a clear ground of God's instruction. I still believe there are people, like
John the Baptist, whose calling would demand that they banish
themselves from civilization for spiritual purposes. These are the
cases of some monks and missionaries. Such instances are
understandable as it is also geared toward producing the
unbendables for God.

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 CHAPTER 7

THE TREASURE OF BENDED KNEES

“Whoever kneels the most, stands the best.” –D.L. Moody

The centrality of prayer in the life of a Christian can never be

overemphasized. Prayer is a major way to maintain intimacy with
God. Jesus not only taught prayer but also demonstrated it through
His life. I used to say that he who cannot pray will definitely become
prey. Prayerlessness disconnects you from God and makes a
believer live like a fish out of water. You can only soar in life to the
degree that you are connected to your source. Prayer is that
connectivity agent that helps you draw help from God again and
again. It helps you to always be in God's miraculous channel.

Prayer is a good way to redeem time. Any time spent in prayer is very
valuably spent. You cannot face the challenges of life and remain
unbendable if you do not have bended knees. Note that having
bended knees here means living a prayerful life. Many people talk
about prayer but very few really pray. It is possible to talk about prayer
or even teach accurately about it and still live a prayerless life.

It is better to be prayerful and not teach on it than to be a good teacher

in the subject of prayer and not live a prayerful life. Prayer is one of the
major secrets of the early saints. It is a treasure that those in the world
will never find or understand until they first find Christ. Believers ought
not to joke with it if they desire to live victorious lives on earth.

“The more you pray, the less you will panic in life. The more
you worship, the less you worry. You will feel more patient and
less pressured.”
–Rick Warren

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Your panic or worry will vanish if you gain access to the voice of God.
This is like Elijah's experience in the wilderness. He thought he had
come to the point of death out of frustration but not until he heard the
voice of God on Mount Horeb (See 1 Kings 19). Prayer unlocks the
door to the voice of God and encounters. One who neglects prayer
will miss his season. You will not be given access to the calendar of
your destiny if you are not connected to God.

The Pharaohs of your destiny will remain unbendable until your

bended knees bring you to a place of encounter with God. Nothing
will bow to a Christian who has not learned the secret of bowing
before God. It is your bowing to the God of gods that will make other
gods bow before you. There is no respect for you in the spirit because
of your face or title. Your beauty or your grammar does not strike any
chord in the realm of the spirit. Heavy vocabularies cannot cast out
demons. You will be respected in the spirit only if you take sides with
God and truly revere Him. If you have the fear of God, your enemies
will be afraid of you.

You must learn the act of emptying yourself before God. This is what
you can only do in prayer. God fills only empty vessels. If you are full
of yourself, God cannot fill you. This is why there is a great element of
pride in prayerlessness. Prayerlessness is like saying you can do it
yourself. It is like saying you do not need any divine strength! Watch it
when you cannot pray. It is a very dangerous state to be in, especially
if you want to stand firm with God in your generation.

Dwellers versus Visitors in the Secret Place

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1)

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You can see clearly from the above that the person that shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty must be the one who “dwells” in the
secret place of the Most High. The word “dwell,” as used here is the
same word for “living in” or “making a home in.” This is to tell you that
this scripture is talking about making a home or living in the secret
place of the Most High.

This brings us to the distinction between those Christians who visit

the Secret Place and those who dwell there. You can see with me that
it is the will of God for us to make His presence our habitation in order
to abide in His protection. The visitors here are those who have not
built a consciousness of God's presence so that they can commune
with Him anywhere at any time. They go to God in prayer and they
forget everything about God in the next minute! They will see
themselves as Christians at some point and also see themselves as
unbelievers at other times. They are indeed visitors, and the things of
God, together with His voice, are very strange to them!

There are really some believers who see their relationship with God
as something that begins and ends in the place of prayer. God has no
chief place in their lives. The Word of God does not even apply to
them. They could finish their prayer offline and the next click on their
phone as they go online will be on a pornographic website. And this is
not really an act of weakness, but a lifestyle! These are all visitors
who may have never lived (really dwelt) in the secret place of the
Most High. This is why their lives are vulnerable and they are victims
of all kinds of ungodly ideologies.

It is very disheartening to have the identity of a believer and still have

the major experiences of unbelievers. We must all get into the habit
of constant fellowship with God. As the saying goes, “only those who
tarry in His presence can carry His presence.” Believe in prayer from
today and always fight to remain in the presence of God. Never

47
underestimate what communion with God can do to your life. Depend
on it with your whole life. Andrew Murray once said that “we must
begin to believe strongly that God, in the mystery of prayer, has
entrusted us with a force that can move the heavenly world, and also
bring its power down to this earth." You must know that we shake the
heavenly world by the force of prayer. It is one of the greatest
arsenals in the hand of a child of God. It is a secret to every
unbendable believer.

Daniel's secret was later revealed to us in Chapter six of the Book of

Daniel. He was put into trouble because of his prayer life. The threat
was to stop him from praying. He prayed three times as his custom
had been, not minding the obstacles, and this gave birth to a miracle.
Thanks to God he knew that prayer is more powerful than any
problem that prayer can bring. No wonder the wonderful experience
happened when he was thrown into the den. He had earlier had a
good fellowship with the Father, and he carried His presence to the
lions (See Daniel 6:11-21). The “lions” will always honour that man
who honours God in prayer!

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 CHAPTER 8

STRAIGHTENING THE BENDED BELOVED

Life may have presented itself to you in a very unique but
unfavourable way. You may have read up till this chapter and
discovered that you seem not to be up to the standard portrayed in
the preceding chapters. You may have been guilty of compromise
countless times or have even remained bent up till now.

Your case may have been like that of the woman that was bent-over
by a force beyond her in Luke Chapter 13 verse 11. Your case may
have been that your will is very weak. You may have tried the much
you could but still ended up messing yourself up. You may have cried
and still come back to it later. You may have lived like a dog that later
went back to what it had earlier vomited. Your experience may have
given you reasons to conceive impossibilities in your particular state.
You may have been a victim of corruption. You may have fallen into
the arms of lust and pre-marital affairs. You may have cheated in
business and lived the lie instead of the truth. You may have diverted
public funds to your private purse. It may have been that serious or
even worse.

It is possible you may have used your position to take advantage of

the weak or the poor. You may have ensnared the feet of the innocent
with your beauty or money. You may have engaged in a most
deceptive act or even worked with or for the devil. Your soul may be in
danger of perdition even as you are reading this. You may have been
in the Church yet full of emptiness. Your parents may have
abandoned you or even failed to make you imbibe godly and holy
living as a young person. It may be discouraging indeed to you.

49
It may have been pathetic too that people around you may have been
seeing you as a saint. You may have people you are teaching the way
of God. You may have mentees you are leading to Jesus. No one may
seem to believe that you can even err. You may have won their trust
that they could even follow you to sin if you decide it. They may have
never discerned your emptiness. None of your praying friends may
have even noticed that you need to be prayed for. People may have
seen you as a solution to their problems when you too are trapped
with chains of lust, filth, guilt, pride, and demonic oppressions. None
has known your secret. This may have perfectly doubled your double-
living!

Your life exposures may have also made it worse: the videos you
have watched; the music you love to play, the dance steps you have
learned, the company of friends around you, people you have met in
your life, the books you have read and the places or schools you
have gone to, etc. These may have made you think that you can never
be on the list of the unbendables since you started falling and failing
so early. However, it is because I sense this in your heart that I write
this to you.

The main thing I want you to note as you read this is that I am not here
to emphasize on where you have been before now or how you may
have lived or thought from the last minute to all your past lives. I am
writing this on my knees because I know you need help even as you
read along. The main thing you need to know now is the need to see
yourself. Not really where you ought to be now but first where you are
now. So where are you? This was the first question that God asked
Adam after he sinned: “Adam where are you?” ( Genesis 3:9). It is not
where you have been but where you are. I am on my knees praying
that you see this yourself in that eternal mirror. You cannot be better
until you understand how bad you are or how filthy you have been.

50
Your conscience needs to come alive! Then you can come to your
senses like the prodigal son:
“But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my
father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I
perish with hunger!”
(Luke 15:17)

You see, the prodigal son came first to himself. He first saw himself
before any other thing. It was presented as though his real state had
been hidden from his consciousness in all his years of prodigality
and sins. Earlier on, nothing about his life and destiny came to his
consciousness even as he squandered all he had in the strange
land. He still continued to live beggarly even though he was meant to
rule. He thought he could cope better, and he convinced himself that
he could survive with no one's help. He is no longer a kid after all. He
could hustle to make a living and would not need help or even mind
the pity of anyone. His vehemence to continue in his ugly state made
him overlook the shame of feeding swine. His state conditioned him
to think he was even one with swine! No wonder he desired their
(swine's) food. Thank God for him that day for the miracle that
happened– the miracle of coming to his senses. It occurred to him as
though he has been sleeping or dreaming all this while. But he finally
came to his senses and saw his state clearly. It was this recognition
that made him to rise and go back to his father. This is a recognition I
pray that you get as well.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know
my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And
lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

You need to pray this David's prayer for you too to see yourself. It is
as the Lord searches your heart that you are truly brought face to

51
face with light.

It is after seeing your current state that you need to see where you
ought to be. You are really supposed to be among the unbendables.
You are to be the next person God can count on in this generation.
You are to be the agent of change in that place you find yourself. You
are supposed to bring illumination and the fire of God's love to the
system you are in. You are supposed to tell the story of your past and
show the world your scars and how you were shown mercy. You are
supposed not to fail God. You are supposed to forever disappoint the
devil. You are supposed to make demons cry and be terrified at your
presence.

You are not yet that which you ought to be. You are here on earth to
correct what is wrong and not to increase it! People around you may
have not noticed it but it does not matter. They will see it when you
have fully risen like the noonday sun. They will marvel at you.
There is a question that men are asking in your generation and only
you have the answer to give. There is a problem that you are here on
earth to proffer a solution to. This generation is not complete and
cannot be complete without you. It may have been unknown to you
but we have been waiting for your light. The weight of darkness you
see around should make you know the velocity of light that you came
to give. Your generation will not miss your manifestation.

Stop Covering or Dwelling on it, Just Confess it!

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever
confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs
28:13)

As a sign that you have seen where you are and you are not happy
with it, begin now to confess your life before God. Yes, do it NOW!

52
You can drop this book now and pray to God. Cry to the Son of David
to show you mercy. You can later come back to this book to continue.
Make your sincere confession before God!

In the First Letter of John (1 John 1:9), we were meant to understand

that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you are sincere
Jesus will come. You may not know but He will. Ask for His help as
well. Your will and resolution will not carry you. Do not make a hasty
decision yet. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Remember that He
needs you more than whatever you can do for Him. It is your intimacy
with Him that purifies your actions and makes them acceptable
before Him. So you need to increase your time of being with Him in
prayer and His Word. Jesus chose His first Apostles to be with me
(Mark 3:14). The primary thing has always been to be with Him. This
is where you receive His instruction.

The difference between what you chose to do and what your Lord
wants you to do is that, in the former, you focus on your efforts and
works while in the latter (by acting according to instructions) you
focus more on obedience. You may need a retreat for your spiritual
revival! It is yours to decide to go into His presence since what you
are reading already is His invitation note. If you get it, then, you need
to go on a retreat or a place you can be alone with Him. Let Him work
on your heart, mind, and conscience afresh. As He made you, He
can remake you. Seek the help of your mentors and spiritual
directors where necessary. You will equally need an accountability
partner along the line. Henceforth, do whatever He tells you. Keep
growing until you fully attain your full stature in Christ then you too
can say a radical NO to ungodliness. That is when you will prefer to
die rather than to dine with a strange god! It will surprise you but I see
you there. Welcome to the world and the class of the unbendables

53
 CHAPTER 9

THE GOSPEL IN A WORLD WHERE

NONSENSE IS SELLING AND TRENDING
Science has conceived man merely as a higher animal. Some
theories even posited that man originates from apes. Charles
Darwin's theory of evolution, for instance, has presented the stages
and processes that mankind had undergone before becoming
human beings. The main question to ask is, now that we are at the
human stage, what is the next stage that man is evolving towards, or
has the evolutionary process gone into extinction? The obvious fact
that faults this theory without even opening a page of the scripture is
that mankind is even moving gradually from normality to
abnormality. As the world keeps advancing man is even becoming
more animalistic rather than even going to a higher stage of living.
Did we really evolve from animals or are we gradually regressing into
animals? This remains a question for the theory of Darwin to answer.
Can we not observe that wildliving is becoming the order of the day in
the world of man?

We are in a generation where many things are trending. A lot of

young people are rushing after many unrealistic fantasies. Just as
we cry over the quick-money syndrome among our youth, there is
also a silent lament over the rush for things that add no positive value
to our lives.

Many people (especially merchants), who have studied these

erroneous prevalent psychological exhibitions in our world, have
worsened the situation by making available all kinds of abnormalities

54
and abominable things to meet these ungodly desires.

Abnormal people do not value normal things unless they first

become normal people.

Our world keeps making great ways for liberalism to thrive. People
are celebrating and dancing to the tune of the freedom gained from
the culture, religion, and authorities that have kept men “bound” but
what is unavoidable is the ugly fetters that this supposed freedom is
presenting daily.

The evil trend in our days is observable almost everywhere– online,

offline, in our markets, schools, workplaces, and even churches. In
online platforms for instance, have you not noticed that many have
turned their birthdays into days of nudity displays? Before I began
writing this book, I researched some books that have the highest
downloads and many best-selling books in online markets. I actually
want to have a similar title to the ones I saw as trending but then I
discovered that many people, in an attempt to make their books
catchier, have succeeded also in making those books dirtier!

Some people wrote books that encourage immorality, infidelity,

lesbianism, homosexuality, pornography, nudity, etc. There are
many other trending books that discourage chastity, virginity,
decency, prayer, and so on. The sad thing about this is not just that
the ideas shared in those books are nauseating but that such books
are what interest many readers in our time. Swallowing the
information shared in such books is like multiplying nonsense by
nonsense.

In our world today, most times it is hard to distinguish a book written

by believers from books written by unbelievers. Many people are
ready to give our generation what our generation wants rather than

55
what it needs. Hence, nonsense is selling because many are going
out of their senses. It is a world that is structured for the suffering and
the training of the unbendable ones indeed.

Those who will survive this generation must engage every arsenal in
their artillery. Talking about what is going on in the movie industry
these days is very pathetic. The moral lessons that tend to be the
earlier goals of movies have been bypassed and the attention is now
heavily shifted to a display of lust-filled content. Many young lives
are being endangered daily because of what they are being
presented with on television.

Indeed, a world where money becomes the driving force for living is
a world where anything goes. A lot of realities have been distorted.
Many people are going about with ungodly orientations. The wave of
darkness is heavy even in our churches. Our children are in danger
of being disoriented as the days go by. A lot of responsibilities rest on
the parents of this age since the child is now the parent's teacher in
many things that have to do with technology or the Internet. This is
why many of these children are out of parental control since the
parents are not exposed to the child's peculiar exposures in our
contemporary time.

An Unhealthy Attitude towards Popularity

It is very true that we should not make a show of our prayers or
almsgiving with the sole intention of attracting attention. The first 18
verses of Matthew chapter 6 made this very clear. Jesus' teaching
made it very clear that we should not do our religious duties with the
sole aim of attracting attention or being praised. We must note that
while this is a command and an eternal truth, He also mandated us to
proclaim His message to the ends of the earth (See Matthew 28:18-
19). This is to tell you that we have a duty of making secret what is

56
meant to be secret and to make public or popular what is meant to be
publicized.
This is why the flesh needs to die so that we will not be the ones that
will be seen on the scene. The problem of the Pharisees has always
been the problem of doing the right thing with the wrong motive or
making public what is meant to be secret. Note that if your spirituality
is only geared towards making you a spectacle before the people,
then you have received your reward as the people clap for you.

What you did for God no matter how big or good does not matter to
God more than the reason behind those activities. For instance, the
reason why you preach the gospel is more important than the
preaching itself. It is not every labour of evangelism that is to the
glory of God! One can even take the glory for the souls won for God
and make heaven to be silent about it.

The issue we are addressing here is that we must not live to make a
big show of ourselves but we are obliged to make a big show of our
God. The ends of the earth must learn about your God as a living,
loving, and most powerful God. This is a matter we must carry in our
hearts and on our heads too.

The mandate to witness is not the mandate to hold onto the outward
form of our religion. It is a mandate to let every soul hear about the
soon-coming King and live for Him. The reason why we give alms
must be to extend the love of God to our neighbours and not for any
applause from onlookers. The reason why we fast must not be for
competition but as a way of seeing Jesus glorified more in our lives
and in the lives of others. Hence, we must learn how to make secret
what ought to be secret and to make known what ought to be known.
This is where we address the issue of popularity, for us to know that
we see it as wrong if it is about the preacher, and not about Jesus,

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being projected to the world.

Being Right Versus Being Known

Many are indeed clamouring for gain and popularity in an Internet
generation. And this desire to reign has made many people to ruin
their relationship with God. For instance, many people, in a bid to be
seen on the scene have done what they ought not to do. They
engage in all kinds of ungodly techniques just to attract more
viewers, make more sales, attract more likes and followers, etc.
Their desires for belongingness have made them compromise
indeed! They have placed an emphasis on being known rather than
on being right.

The unbendable ones should persist more on being right rather than
on merely being known. This is because one can stand his ground
on what is wrong and even give his life for it. Such one only wasted
his life because even God cannot encourage or reward what He
forbids. Popularity is never accuracy. One may be popular before
men but not accurate before God. There are many popular mentors
who are online teaching deceptive and detestable principles and the
world is hailing them. Many even engage those principles and testify
that they work like magic. Workability is also different from accuracy.
That a principle gives the desired result does not necessarily justify
the principle as right. One may not be able to argue against results
but the processes that led to the results can be tested, proven, or
faulted. This equally means that not all principles that attract more
viewers, more sales, more likes, more customers, etc, are
necessarily the right principles.

On the other hand, being right is not necessarily being approved,

especially before men. Being disapproved could lead to being
disliked or unfollowed. It can equally attract many criticisms, but it is

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the best stand to take. We must, hence, persist that the right thing is
not out of reach. This is because when what is right becomes hidden,
what is wrong becomes the norm.

The unbendable believers in an Internet generation should position

themselves to defend the values they hold whether online or offline.
One must not be mute in matters of right and wrong. Our lights,
values, and ideology will only permeate the dark side of this world if
all Christians become consistent in holding onto the truth we have
and making it a priority to extend such to the lives of others through
any available channels. We must make a deliberate effort at making
known the truth.

Advantageously, the online setting has multiplied our microphones.

It is wrong to be thinking of a physical pulpit as the only avenue to
serve the Lord. Your Twitter handle, Facebook pages, and
WhatsApp status can as well be your pulpit. Eventually, very few
understand this. Many have turned these platforms into gossiping
centers. So they only go there to reveal unverified secrets. The sad
thing is that these are not unbelievers but mostly people who still call
themselves Christians and also go to church on a regular basis.

I am talking to people that really want to impact their generation for

their God. The online platform is not a place dedicated to only
birthday celebrations. It is not a channel that helps you to tell the
world how your day went, or to let people know what you are taking
for breakfast or dinner. It is not even a place you go to engage in
unnecessary chats and time wastage. It is wrong too to dedicate it
solely to your business. You need to know that while other necessary
things may not be excluded or neglected, your phone can still be sold
out to God!

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Every Christian must know that we have a culture that is not an
earthly one. The agents of darkness are actually shrewder in this
matter! Has it not occurred to you that many evil and ungodly
contents you see online are being sponsored by individuals or
organizations that are working as satanic agents? Many
governmental and non-governmental organizations allegedly
sponsor many pornographic contents you see online. This is one of
the reasons why evil thrives in our world. Some men and women
made a sacrifice of their time, money, talent, and strength to make
sure this is pushed to the world through the Internet. This has made
what is wrong to be well known.

The point that still needs to be buttressed here is that it is our duty to
amplify the message of Christ. We must pay the price that is
necessary to carry it to the unreached or unsaved. Spreading the
message of Christ must be our responsibility and commitment.
Being a Christian is not putting on a particular cloth that you can put
off at any time you wish. You cannot agree with an unbeliever in his
ideologies online and still claim to be for God offline. Life is actually
bigger than winning an argument. The fear of losing an argument
should not move you to avoid making your point too.

As it concerns the Gospel, we are not to choose between being right

and being known but rather to insist that the truth (which is right) is
also popularized (made known) to all the world as the Master
commissioned us. It is not bad to have private TV Channels for the
Gospel. It is very good to run a radio program or station centered on
the Word of God. It is necessary to upload messages to online
websites for people to download them from remote places. We must
be mindful of the great commission and engage in it with all the
gadgets within our reach.

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 CHAPTER 10

BE CROWN-CONSCIOUS!
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he
has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the
Lord has promised to those who love Him.” ( James 1:12)

The crown-unconscious believer is a cross-avoiding believer.

Blessed is any man who endures any suffering for the sake of God.
The One who commanded you to stand firm is preparing something
greater than whatever you can lose by standing for him. Whatever a
man will lose for the Gospel is truly worth it. God has a promise and a
package for all those who love Him. Be ready not to miss yours.
Eventually, God is not the one that determines whether you will
receive it or not. It is actually your choices and dispositions in this
present life that will qualify you for or disqualify you from your eternal
crown.

It is a high point of deception to live as though the grave is the end

point of life. Incidentally, all men who stood for God in their
generation were mindful of eternal life. Their eyes were fixed on the
Author and Finisher of their faith. They looked beyond what is seen
and by faith saw the invincible. Stephen, the first Christian Martyr, at
a time before his death, saw heaven opened and Jesus Christ
standing at the right-hand side of the Father (See Acts 7:55-56). This
was his only concern at that time. What he has seen is more than
anything death can take from him. He really understood our Lord's
admonition that we should never be afraid of him who can kill the
body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28). Death should not be a

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reason for compromise. You must not sacrifice your relationship with
God for any gold. Your love for Jesus must be bigger than the earth!

It is highly risky to think that standing firm for God does not pay. It is
indeed pitiable to think of giving up your life for your faith if you do not
hope to gain something more glorious. He who has made the
promise is faithful, and we need to believe Him. No duty shall go
unrewarded. We are meant to reap what we sow. It is a law on the
face of the earth that also has spiritual applicability.

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be

overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” (Luke
21:34)

This was a warning from our Divine Lord to make us live with a
consciousness that He is coming again. He is coming again not as a
savior but as a judge. It is in judgment that our rewards shall be made
clear. The Lord is warning us against occupying ourselves with
eating, feasting and drinking, and the cares of life. If we get occupied
with these things they will distract us from the consciousness of life
after death. It does not all end here. Let no man deceive you. Try your
best to focus on what matters.

There is nothing on earth that is worth dying for. Also, the world is too
corrupt for you to live by its standards. As we are drawing nearer to
the second coming of Christ, a lot is ongoing in the spirit that is aimed
at distracting believers from focusing on what matters.
The scripture made it very clear that if our hope is only in this life,
then, we are of all men most miserable (See 1 Corinthians 15: 19).
We must not lose sight of the eternal reward that awaits us. It is on
that day of reward that we shall know that all men are not the same.

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Some will smile while others will cry.
Never trivialize the greatest privilege of getting a handshake from
your Master on the last day. Never lose sight of the privilege of being
clapped for by the Angels of God. You must look forward to that day
you will sit with the saints. You must look forward to that day when
you will be in His presence well clothed with glory. You must see
yourself with Him in His kingdom.

Let not even the devil take your attention. This is the reason we
emphasize on making worship a cardinal point of your life. The
situations of life can make one think that God is not kind to him. The
circumstances around you can present themselves as though God
shows partiality. But I tell you that our eyes can truly deceive us. Look
with the eyes of faith and possibility. This will reveal to you how much
God loves you at a time like this.

In the presence of God, there is no reasonable reason for

compromise. If your crown presents you with a cross, be ready to
carry it with joy. Ask for His strength where necessary. Learn to
depend on Him in that your state. Look within and discover His
mighty Hand upon you. Your tears are recorded. The hairs on your
head have been numbered. The light has been commanded to shine
upon you. You cannot afford to sacrifice the glory awaiting you for
any momentary gain or pleasure.

You Need Endurance

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthews
24:13)

We must note that it is not so much about how you started this
journey. It is mostly about how you ended it. One can start very well
but not end well. It is better not to start it well but end well than to

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begin very fine but not reach the finishing line. Every race runner
would be acquainted with such an experience where many people
started the race with vigor and energy, only to get weary and give up
before completion. This is like the heavenly race we are in.
You really need perseverance in life. If you happen to miss it in life,
you should not keep your back on the ground. There is a future you
cannot afford to miss. You must stand your ground again and fire on.
Life does not end in the valley. You can make it to the mountaintop.
Learn this from your Lord:
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God.”
(Hebrews 12:2)

The joy and the glory that Jesus saw as was set before Him made
Him to endure the shame and the worst agony of the Cross. He was
rest assured that His suffering was not in vain. He was not suffering
as a criminal or a fornicator. He was not suffering because He
disobeyed God. His suffering did not come because He took what
belonged to another. His suffering was for sinners and for their
salvation. His death was for you to be saved. He knew that this
suffering could never pass the sight of the Father unnoticed. He
knew that He (the Father) had never and would never be unfair. Yes,
man would be saved by that suffering but, much more, He Himself
would receive a greater glory from the Father. His glorification would
be the completion of our salvation. It was when He received this
Glory that the Holy Spirit descended upon the face of the earth (See
John 7:39). Jesus knew that God had prepared something more
glorious than the cross and so He endured it for a while. Our affliction
on earth is only for a while. It comes before the glory that will be
revealed in us who believe.

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We were told in the Letter to the Hebrews:
“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have
done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
(Hebrews 10:36)

The rendering in the Amplified Version puts it this way “ For you
have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you
may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus
receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is
promised.”

You must understand that endurance has a cardinal place in the life
of anyone who has or who will ever make heaven. Do not be too
much in a rush with God because you will soon count Him as
unfaithful. Some things really take time when you are walking with
God but they are all for your good and training. You need to pray for
the eyes to see His goodness and His presence with you in every
storm.

God is too faithful to fail you. Try and build your life on His promises.
Life is not manipulative. Be focused on capturing that prize for which
you were “captured” by Jesus. The vision of life after death will
usually make one unbendable before the circumstances of life. It will
help you to know that we are actually pilgrims here on earth.
This matter must form your meditation. It must direct your lives and
actions. This will make you to stand fearless even in the face of
death. You must never see where God is taking you from as better
than where He is taking you to. This was the fatal mistake the
Israelites made in the wilderness; they forgot about the beauty of the
Promised Land and even desired to go back to Egypt (See Numbers
14:4). They forgot about all their cries for deliverance while in Egypt

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and the cruelty of their task-masters. In their unbelief, they even
thought God was setting them up for destruction. No wonder they
perished in the wilderness!
You must learn a life lesson from this. God must be trusted if you ever
desire to enjoy life. There will always be circumstances around you
that will demand what is beyond you to handle. Why will you give up
when God is there to help you in that case which is above or beyond
your capacity? Focus on Him for life and for survival. He alone knows
the plans He has for you. May you never miss your crown in eternity!
May the Angels and the saints give you a handshake of
congratulations when your life on earth expires. May your Lord grant
you grace. Amen.

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christian Chinedu Eze is a lover of
God and a minister of the Gospel of
Christ. He is a born Catholic and
currently a final year student of
University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN),
where he is studying Philosophy. He
has taken up many leadership
positions by the grace of God, both
academic and religious.
He is currently the Coordinator of the
Students Forum in Jesus Reigns
Catholic Charismatic Renewal,
St.Peter's Chaplaincy, UNN, which
he has led for the past three years.
Christian Eze is also the current
Departmental Fellowship President
of National Association of Philosophy
Students, UNN. In the Academic
sphere, he has been the Financial
Secretary to the Faculty of Social
Science Students Association
(FOSSSA).

He is a born teacher, leader, and an evangelizer to the youths. He has

ministered in many Church and Charismatic programs such as Seminars,
Retreats, Crusades, Vigils, Revivals, Fellowships, etc.

In the area of skill acquisition, Christian is a writer, a poet and an online tutor.
He is a certified Copywriter. He is also a certified Ebook Master Creator, a
Digital Marketer and Graphic designer. He has held many online training
sessions, both free and paid classes.
The Unbendable Believer is his first published work that came by the leading
of the Holy Spirit. He believes that this book is timely as it is aimed at equipping
all believers throughout the world with both the proper understanding of their
generation and how to lead or make an impact in our contemporary time.
For enquiries contact: +2348167032750; or email:
[email protected].