An Open Letter to Church Leadership in Nigeria: When Satan Supplies Ammunition to Both Sides

When Satan Supplies Ammunition to Both Sides

Text: James 3:16 — “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
To the Leadership of the Church in Nigeria—particularly the Christian Association of Nigeria and Rev. Isaac Omolehin:
Grace and peace to you.
This letter is written with a sense of spiritual urgency, pastoral responsibility, and deep respect for the offices you occupy. It is not an attempt to rehearse grievances or take sides in ongoing tensions. Rather, it is a call to discern the pattern behind the moment—and to respond in a manner worthy of the Body of Christ.

Introduction: Beyond What Is Seen
There is a proverb from our land that speaks with piercing clarity:
“Ìròmi tó ńjó lójú omi, onílù rẹ̀ wà nìsàlẹ̀ odò.”
The water bug dancing on the surface of the stream has its drummer beneath the water.
What appears spontaneous is often orchestrated. What looks like a righteous struggle may, in fact, be subtly engineered.
Scripture affirms this need for deeper discernment. Our Lord warns that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matthew 12:25), and the apostle cautions us to “give no place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27).
Not every battle is what it appears to be.
There are moments when opposing sides sincerely believe they are contending for truth—yet, beneath the surface, a hidden dynamic fuels escalation on both sides. In such moments, the Church must pause and ask: What exactly is being amplified—and by whom?

1.     The Strategy of the Enemy: Divide and Weaponize

Scripture presents the adversary not only as a destroyer, but as a strategist.
When the Church cannot be subdued from the outside, pressure is applied from within:
• offense is whispered,
• misunderstandings are magnified,
• influence, ego, and insecurity are quietly weaponized.
Gradually, brethren become opponents. Leaders become camps.
And truth—though still invoked—ceases to be the goal; victory replaces veracity.
James 3:16 provides the diagnostic:
Where envy and self-seeking are present, confusion is inevitable—and not only confusion, but the proliferation of disorder.
Once such seeds are sown, the resulting harvest rarely remains contained.

2.     When Both Sides Are Right—and Both Sides Are Wrong
It is entirely possible for:
• one side to be right in message but wrong in spirit,
• and another to be right in concern but flawed in method.
Escalation, however, often signals that something deeper has entered the equation.
The adversary does not require one side to be wholly wrong—
he requires only that both sides become sufficiently provoked.
At that point:
• words become weapons,
• platforms become battlegrounds,
• and the Body of Christ becomes a public spectacle.
Meanwhile, observers—both neutral and adversarial—draw conclusions and adjust their posture accordingly.

3.     The Danger of Invisible Sponsors.
This must be approached with sobriety and precision.
History and experience teach us that religious tensions are not always purely organic. At times, they are:
• amplified,
• incentivized,
• or strategically sustained.
There are actors—political, ideological, and even institutional—who benefit from a fragmented Church. Not every voice in a conflict is neutral, and not every escalation is accidental.
Sometimes:
• narratives are selectively amplified,
• divisions are quietly encouraged,
• and influence is subtly applied—
all to ensure that the Church contends with itself rather than standing with clarity and unity.
Here the proverb speaks again:
the unseen drummer beneath the water.
If leadership responds only to surface agitation, it risks becoming reactive participants in a script it did not author.

4.      The Spiritual Cost of Public Conflict
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared:
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
When public engagement among believers reflects:
• rivalry instead of love,
• competition instead of collaboration,
• suspicion instead of trust,
then the witness of the Church is weakened.
We must ask, with sobriety:
Who benefits when the Church is fragmented?
Rarely is it the Kingdom of God.
The consequences are not abstract:
• moral authority is diminished,
• the faithful become confused,
• and adversarial forces are emboldened.
Even when disputes subside, the residue often remains—quietly shaping perception and weakening cohesion.

5.      A Call to Discernment, Humility, and Restraint.
This is not a call to suppress truth.
It is a call to steward truth with maturity.
Before speaking or responding, leadership must ask:
• Who benefits from this escalation?
• Is this a measured correction—or an emotional reaction?
• Am I acting from conviction, or responding to provocation?
Not every disagreement requires a public platform.
Not every provocation deserves amplification.
And critically:
not every influencing voice behind a conflict is visible.
Discernment, in times such as this, is not optional—it is essential.

6.     A Word to All Sides
To all leaders and voices engaged in this moment:
• Guard your hearts against offense.
• Resist the temptation to “win” at the expense of unity.
• Refuse to be used—knowingly or unknowingly—by forces that thrive on division.
There is a sobering test:
If the outcome of our engagement is confusion, bitterness, and fragmentation, then regardless of our intentions, something foreign has entered the process.

7.     Conclusion: Refusing the Ammunition
The greatest victory of the adversary is not the external defeat of the Church— but the internal fragmentation of its witness.
Therefore, let us refuse:
• the ammunition of offense,
• the fuel of pride,
• and the subtle scripts of unseen orchestration.
Let us return, deliberately and urgently, to:
• humility,
• discernment,
• and unity of purpose.
For when the Church stands together in truth and love,
no hidden hand can successfully control the outcome.

8.     Closing Charge
Be watchful.
Be discerning.
Be restrained.
Be united.
And remember:
What appears to dance on the surface may be driven from beneath—
but those who walk in the Spirit are not easily manipulated,
nor quickly provoked,
nor easily divided.
Respectfully submitted in the interest of the unity, witness, and integrity of the Church in Nigeria.

Jesus is Lord.

Kunle Adebambo
A voice sent to confront deception, expose false alignment, and call nations back to righteousness and truth.
April 21, 2026