God is not mocked. Insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God’s servant is an expression of weakness and carnality. These were the words of servant of God and senior pastor at the Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), Apostle Johnson Suleman, in one of his recent past evangelistic sermons.
The enemy is seeking to destroy the Church and in his fantasy, he is attacking what he perceives to be the greatest opportunity for destruction: the pastor’s personality. According to the ‘Restoration Apostle’ in the message extracted from four of his recorded old teachings, “while the enemy devises a scheme to destroy the Church, he would find ways to attack the prophet, and as he finds ways to attack the prophet, he would see his person as the area of greatest vulnerability.”
However, Apostle Suleman affirms that while challenges with the Church have been around since the beginning, church leaders with strong faith and the committed flock would continue to remain essential to the Church. The famous Minister of God underscores some facts which he believes are characteristics of a prophet with leadership potentials: he loves God and shows love to people around him because, he says, love is the foundation for a healthy ministry; he has a clear vision and is strategic, he exhibits servant leadership and is dedicated to serving others.
The enemy has different tactics aimed to hinder the word of God. But God is not mocked, declares Apostle Suleman, adding that, “but we are prepared for the attacks and we are prepared for the defeat of the attacks.” “We must put on the armour of God, which is primarily a righteous life. But along with that, we must be aware of the enemy’s tactics because the enemy wants to immobilize us and keep us from progressing in our spiritual lives, and therefore, he will come with many different attacks. He wants to keep us from building and completing the work that God has called us to. Because our enemy is both wise and relentless, we must be aware of his tricks and schemes.”
A prophet of God must stand strong in the face of criticism, Apostle Suleman counsels. “Of course, criticism usually stings and criticism on a public forum stings even more. It discourages the church and hurts the testimony of Christians and the church. But we must stick to preaching the truth at all times and pray to ensure whatever attention of true believers that the devil had taken or captured is recovered.”
Apostle Suleman then warns that he is not a regular preacher because he is aware there are enemies and their antics, positing that any Minister of God who has no enemies has not really touched the kingdom of darkness.