State President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has called upon Malawians – home and abroad- to always respect the God-given laws that guide human society in line with various -if not all- religious beliefs.
He made the remarks on Friday night when he launched a marathon of night of prayers for Malawi organized by Living Waters International Church at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. Addressing thousands of Christians at the event – whose theme was ‘Fear of God, Foundation of a Prosperous Malawi’ –
President Mutharika highlighted the need for the citizens to hold on to religious values in all endeavors.
“While we trust in God, let us remember our sense of duty and responsibility. This is the foundation of national building. Freedom without responsibility is nothing but anarchy. And there is no freedom without fear of limits; no freedom without accountability; because there is no freedom without responsibility. Let us be a responsible nation,” said the President.
He went further to discredit all demonic machinations against the institutions of the state and the population in general.
“Sometimes, we are tempted to fear evil because we are engaged in a war between good and evil. We cannot fear those fallen angels whose agenda is nothing but to destroy everything we build. Many of us fear terror that is slaughtering innocent children, mothers and fathers all over the world. Many of us fear climate change and fear for our survival. When our crop fails, we fear for our lives, and fear for our future. But every challenge only demands our sense of duty for us to prevail,” said he.
President Mutharika added: “Our trust in God must assure us that we shall always prosper when we define our goals and pursue them. With God, we will prevail. I know that sometimes we fear things we shouldn’t fear.”
As a God-fearing leader, President Mutharika testified how faith in God has seen him through tough times both as a person and leader of a country.
“For me, and I know so for many of you, faith is the cure against fear. Very often, it takes faith to step out of demanding situations. Faith gives us courage. It takes wisdom to choose the right decisions; courage to do what is right; and faith to keep the right decisions we make.
“As for me, my life has a good story to tell. A story that increases my trust in God! I have suffered personal tragedies in my life. I have suffered political persecution and public humiliation. But being a leader means rising above our personal needs to focus on the goals and needs of those we serve. Love for others conquers fear,” he said.
The petitions at the prayers centred on critical issues like the spiritual values of Malawians, economy, love for humanity and nature among other areas.