Prominent politician and women rights activist Dr. Miria Matembe has urged Ugandans to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior noting that it is the only way one is empowered to fight evil.
“You have no capacity to fight the devil unless you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior,” she said, quoting 1 John 4:4.
“When you are born-again, you are reinstated to the original position where Adam and Eve were before their fall in the garden of Eden,” she added.
The outspoken former minister for Ethics and Integrity made these remarks during a live talk show organized at the Worship House in Nansana.
Matembe told the Christian audience that God is looking for people to become the “right” members of Uganda’s parliament. She continued: “God is looking for a David to lead this nation.”
It is said of King David in the book of Acts that he “served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13:36). It is also said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart.
“Christians, we need to do more than pray. Yes, we must engage spiritually, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but my friend, when the spiritual war is over, you must be able to win the physical one, for which you have to take action,” she said.
”Faith without action is dead faith. Christians often prefer to withdraw from the struggle, and go to church, read the bible and pray. I want to believe that God is looking for someone to stand in the gap, and he is seeing none… What are you doing?” She continued. “I served my generation. Since 1986 when the cage opened, I went full blast and did what I did up till now. I have not stopped, although I’m not doing it in the official capacity, I am still running with my vision.”
“It is the Christians who don’t register to vote, it is the christians who don’t vote, it is the Christians who pray pray pray without action,” she said.
Dr Miria told the congregation that since the early 1980’s, her mandate is found in Isaiah 49:2-3.
“He made my mouth like a sharp sword; He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me like a polished arrow; He hid me in His quiver. He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory,” the scripture reads.
Dr Matembe pointed today’s Christian leaders to biblical prophet Elijah who defended the worship of God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. She pointed pastors to Queen Esther who used her position to rescue the Jewish people from destruction. Dr Matembe also cited Joseph’s resistance to temptation in Potiphar’s house.
She urged Christian leaders not to bow down to any external pressure or be forced to believe that the Church has no say about the conduct of the State.
“Who do you serve? God gives us positions and possessions to serve His people. The problem is that Ugandans have made president Museveni their god. I feel so bad. They feel if they don’t follow him and serve his demands, they cannot live,” she said.
“I was thrown out of the government of Uganda when I was just 50 years. I was just beginning to do work for my country, but as you know, the moment you begin to oppose the government, then they render you useless. For all these years, there is no way I could serve my country in the most meaningful way of serving. As a Christian, I ask you not to succumb to worldly pressure.”
“With all honestly, I don’t thing right now I can manage the politics of Uganda. When I entered the political scene, President Museveni had redefined what politics means. Politics used to be a dirty game, but President Museveni defined it as a science of managing society. That way, I said, ‘yes I’m capable of managing society.’ By then, it was clean politics, we did not buy votes, no fighting or violence, we were doing work until things went downhill, and politics became dirty again,” she said.
Quoting John Maxwell, Dr Miria Matembe said a leader’s courage to pursue his vision, passion or goal does not depend on the position he is holding, but on the passion.
“For 13 years now, I hold no position at all. I live as an ordinary individual but, I have not stopped to run with my passion. When you are driven by your passion to follow your vision, you are unstoppable, because it means, even when you do not hold any office, you still have the vision. We are all born leaders… you must be driven by a vision, which is what you do for the benefit of others,” she said.
