Christians all over the world have been advised not to become terrified no matter the situation of things.

The advice was given in a talk that climaxed the second of a series of the 2012 “Safeguard Your Heart!” District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses held at Ota, Ogun State, South-West Nigeria.

Speaking yesterday on the theme “Never Let Your Heart Become Terrified,” Taylor Lowell Ivor of the Nigeria Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Edo State in the country’s South-South, told the audience of 5,512 to expect unusual developments because “we are now in the last days of the last day.”

Ivor, who spoke through an interpreter at the convention held in Yoruba, a major indigenous Nigerian language, identified poor health conditions, economic hardship, lack of a marriage mate and peer pressure as some developments which could pressurise a Christian to compromise Bible principles.

“These threats are meant to cause panic in our hearts just like the roar of a lion,” he said in the talk taken from 2 Chronicles 20:15,17 and 1 Peter 5:8.9. “We need courage to make it through this system of things into God’s new system of things. Satan is roaring like a lion but a little lion can be resisted,” he added.

The missionary cited ancient servants of God such as David, who killed a lion, and Daniel, who was not harmed even though thrown into the lion’s den by enemies. Coming down to our times, he gave the example of a woman in Botswana who suddenly came face-to-face with a lion but was unhurt because she displayed exemplary courage.

“She remembered what she read not to turn away when faced with a lion, and it saved her life. She stood and looked it in the eye. After two minutes, the lion retreated,” Ivor stated. “We take a stand against Satan. We must stand as if a little lion is in front of us,” he further said, making spiritual application after reading 1 Peter 5:8, which described Satan as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour.

The third in the series of the convention at Ota holds this weekend and will also be conducted in Yoruba. News Express reports that a convention is to be held almost every weekend at the Ota Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses until to December 7, 2012. Throughout Nigeria there will be 250 conventions in 32 cities – many of them in indigenous Nigerian languages.

The convention series described as a “heart examination” begins at 9:20 a.m. all three days. “Admission,” says a statement by the Convention News Department, “is free as conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses are supported entirely by voluntary donations.”

*Photo: Part of the audience . . . at Ota.