WHILE IN THE VILLAGE

While you're in the village, don't forget that there is a difference between culture and idolatry. Culture is the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. Idolatry on the other hand is the worship of idols. Anything that goes beyond social behaviour is idolatry.

It is good to attend town, village and kindred meetings, but if anybody says that there is a particular
*shrine* the villagers are going to appease or get information from, kindly tell everybody that you're not interested. From my experience, you may be the only person who will refuse to join them. Even if your Christian friends are among those who made the plan, kindly stand your ground. They may call you names, but don't even listen to them.

I always encourage every Christian to take their Christianity to the village. Don't be a *demon-bulldozer* in the *city* and a *compromiser* in the *village*. Let everyone know your stand from this Christmas celebration. If you fail to reveal your true identity to your people, you will definitely compromise. Few years ago, I saw a brother whom everybody considers to be a prayer machine (in the city) playing a flute for a masquerade in the village! He failed to reveal his true identity and compromised his faith.

There is also another kind of idolatry you must be wary of. It is the extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Don't join others to worship cars, houses and other toys that does not have *eternal value*. It's good to celebrate with others when they accomplish something, but don't join others to worship people's achievements. Don't forget who you are.

Don't join those who are traveling to the village for a show of material acquisitions because that is their god. They can kill, lie and even pray and prophecy to drug peddlers and fraudsters to lay their hands on the filthy lucre! Don't be carried away by the euphoria of one day celebration. Don't lose your virginity, open your nakedness for a man/woman who is not your legally wedded husband/wife just for 10K, 20K, 50K or 100K which will make you die/be used for money-rituals/marriage-blackmail/untimely death or contract incurable diseases because of one day celebration. Don't join those who will become pregnant in the next one month outside of wed-luck or for another man who is not your legally wedded husband. Young man, don't join secret cult because your friend came home with ten brand new cars or plan to travel abroad for drug-trafficking/peddling or sale of your kidney for *immediate cash*. Young girl do not join marine-cults/runs-girl/prostitution {private/public} by travelling to cities/towns/rural areas/Lagos/Italy just to make quick cash and return to your village next Christmas 2018 with flashy cars just to become like those who just came back with such flashy life this 2017 Christmas. Avoid ostentatious and peacockish lifestyles!

Do not poison yourself through over-eating and over-drinking, it is better you ask the Holy Spirit to activate the grace of fasting and prayers inside you within this period to avoid self-poisoning (via over-eating & over-drinking), untimely death/driving-accidents, pains associated with such unhealthy lifestyle and unplanned medical/hospital expenses!

Always remember this: "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:35-40.