The Kingdom and Its Soldiers
Author: Bro Bukunmi Areelu
Date: 13th of April, 2025
The bible advertises that whenever there is a danger to the world, God sends warnings to His children. Before the famine in the days of the early church, strategic information came to the Prophets in Jerusalem, then administrators working together with kingdom financiers mobilized and sent relief items to their brethren in Judea. The same thing happened during the time of Joseph and Moses. But, you will notice that Covid came and seemingly caught the church unaware. A lot of churches even closed down during the pandemic, the same way secular business closed. It is a testimony that there are too many empty positions in the body of Christ.
There are some of us here who used to be strong intercessors, armed with the ability to see visions. The kingdom of darkness suffered great loss because, like Elisha, you could see Satan’s plans and destroy it before it came to pass. You were a faithful watchman, and all your brethren were safe. But you came down from your watch tower. You came to Canada and became busy, you forgot your consecrations and now you dream once a month, and you can’t remember when last you saw open visions. Now, all of satans plans are finding expression because the gates you were supposed to man have been left open. Soldier, retrieve your weapon and get back to your gate!
Some of us used to be strong minstrels, your worship was your weapon. You could summon the presence of God with your sound. No demon could stand when you raised your voice. But you became distracted and now your anointing is diluted. Your gift has been reduced to mere talent. You go to practices to improve how you sound, but you have forgotten where your sound came from. Soldier, retrieve your weapon!
Some of us used to be teachers of the Word. To you, it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom. The Bible lay naked before you. All its secrets were open to you and your hunger for it was unending. You could retrieve keys from it, and through those keys, many men entered liberty. but now, your bible is just a decorative piece on your nightstand. It’s been long since you did a proper bible-study. Soldier, retrieve your weapon!
For some of us, our weapon was prayer, that staying power was in abundance. You could move the hand of God. Generational curses came to an end at your hand.
Principalities and Powers had to relocate from your neighborhood because of the intensity of the fire on your altar. But your children have been your excuse for a weak prayer life for the past 10 years. Now, you are being chased in your dreams by things that were once afraid of you. Soldier, retrieve your weapon!
The King has expectations, and He must see those expectations met. Jesus expects that a possessed individual comes into the church and Bro Anderson discerns the spirit and casts it out and delivers that individual to an Evangelist who ministers salvation, and at the end of the service, the previously possessed person leaves here speaking in tongues. Then an intercessor goes on a 30-day fast and their only prayer point is “Father, preserve this soul, that he may not go back into the world”. That an individual comes into this fold and Mummy Odimayomi shakes the person and says “Welcome”. Tomorrow, the person returns to the hospital and the doctor says, “The tumor in your brain is gone”. A couple comes into this fold looking for the fruit of the womb and Pastor says, “Take them to Sis Lawunmi”. And Sis Lawunmi says “Thus saith the Lord, about this ,me next year” and next year the couple returns with a 3rd member of their family in a baby car seat. But these realities are only possible in a Church that has understood and maximized their different weapons and roles in the King’s army.
Many of us carry the grace to be Financiers, but everytime kingdom resources come into our hands, the first thought that comes is how to translate those resources into a bigger house or a newer car. So, the evangelists amongst us, who are to push the frontiers of the kingdom are still doing a 9 to 5 because the Financiers that God commissioned those resources to, have used it to purchase their 10th car. So, the body of Christ in our time is lame.
The fact that there are many empty spots in the body of Christ is why we have some “supermen” called Pastors, who everyone lines up to meet after service because we have largely failed to keep our altars alive. The pastor becomes the financier, the intercessor, prophet and counsellor who must wait 5 hours after church to attend to things before going home. But that burden wasn’t designed for 1 man to bear. The battle is not for an individual alone. The Bible says “We, not just Paul, wrestle against “principalities”, “powers”, “rulers”… It is not a battle for individuals. It is kingdom vs kingdom, army vs army. That is why even witches congregate into covens. It is only Christian’s that outsource their prayer requests and sacrifice requirements to another person. We are supposed to be interdependent, everyone working to the best of their abilities for the glory of the Kingdom.
Because Sis Lola understands her place and the interdependence that God designed, she sees her singing as a tool to create an atmosphere through which the Prophetic amongst us will gaze into heaven to see the things that are to be. In that atmosphere, Jesus will speak, the teachers will hear and begin to relay the mysteries that were hidden in the bible for the glory of the Church. Because she understands her place, she will never appear before us dry; she will labour to make sure the living waters flow through her. She would never minister on the strength of her talent but on the strength of her Altar because she will know that her failure affects me, it affects you, it affects the kingdom.
Pastor Akintunde reported, during his January bible study, that there are some bus stops downtown with very thick clouds of darkness around them. So, he has to generate prayer incense or walk in the cold to another farther busstop that his spirit may find ventilation.
What happened to us? When did we become survivors in this war? How is it that demons are so bold that they don’t run away in fear when we approach? It is because the Lions are asleep, so wild dogs have crowned themselves kings of the jungle.
We are in this city and the spirit of immorality and violence has taken over and maintained control of the territory, yet we proclaim we are more than conquerors in Christ. If we have truly conquered, then why are the demons of drug addic,on dancing downtown completely unopposed?
And we tell Jesus not to worry. “Onward Christian soldiers” is just a hymn to us, because we have deserted our posts and are living like civilians on the battlefield, meanwhile our enemy does not share our confusion. He grows in number and influence everyday.
So, when we say “Thy Kingdom Come!”, it is a call for an invasion! It is the cry of an army that hungers for war! But an army is only as strong as its individual soldiers. The question is, where is your position in this army? What is your weapon? And is it sharp? Because it would be unfortunate to discover in the day of battle that your sword is dull, or that your armour has holes. What is your position in this formation? The foolish virgins were locked out of the house the same way a thief would have been treated because the bridegroom came, and they weren’t where they should have been. Anyone out of alignment in that day will fall like an enemy. If you are not for us, then you are against us. So where did Heaven assign you? Because in the day that we appear before the King in Zion, they will check if you fulfilled what was written about you or if they have to send another person. Or if the gifts they gave you returned to them unopened.
And if all we have to show the King for the 80 -120 years of our existence is that we bought new cars and new houses. then… Alive by the Word.