Yves Gashugi 
The NYC skyline with the World Trade Center seen from NJ
At 7:59 AM, on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 (call sign AAL11) took off from Boston, destined for Los Angeles, but tragically crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
At 8:14 AM, United Airlines Flight 175 (call sign UAL175) also departed from Boston heading to Los Angeles. It was hijacked and struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
At 8:20 AM, American Airlines Flight 77 (AAL77) left Washington D.C. en route to Los Angeles but was redirected and crashed into the Pentagon, home of the U.S. Department of Defense.
At 8:42 AM, United Airlines Flight 93 (UAL93) departed from Newark, aiming for Pennsylvania, but never reached its destination. Passengers fought back, and the plane went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing further catastrophe.
All these events did not unfold today, but on September 11, 2001—what Americans refer to as 9/11. In Rwanda, this date translates to the 11th of September, 2001.
Today, I want to share two key insights from these events and draw a spiritual lesson for us all.
First Insight: Hidden Messages and Demonic Planning
When U.S. intelligence analyzed the secret communications between the terrorists, they uncovered a chilling coded conversation. Mohammed Atta, one of the attackers, had told Ramzi Binalshibh that their plan was “set on a cake shaped like a circle with a stick pointing down, followed by two sticks.”
Cryptographers interpreted this strange description. The “cake with a downward stick” symbolized the number 9, while the two sticks stood for 11. Together, this hidden language revealed that their target date was 9/11.
Second Insight: A Tale of Sacrifice and Urgent Rescue
The 9/11 attacks claimed 2,753 lives. Among them were 343 firefighters and 71 police officers. As civilians fled the collapsing towers, firefighters and police officers ran toward the danger. One survivor recalled that these heroes kept shouting: “Run! Run! Save your lives! Don’t look back!”
A Spiritual Reflection and Lesson:
Just as the attackers used cryptic, hard-to-detect methods to plan destruction, so does Satan operate—employing subtle, spiritual schemes that often go unnoticed by believers until it’s too late.
King Solomon once wrote, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” (Song of Songs 2:15)
That these foxes are little does not make them harmless. In the same way, Satan uses seemingly small, insignificant habits or compromises to corrupt spiritual lives. Some believers ignore the signs, labeling them as trivial or harmless—until they wake up to find their souls weakened and dry.
What bad habits had you once resisted but have now allowed back into your life? Did you know that letting them in is part of Satan’s subtle deception?
Like those brave firefighters and police officers who ran into the collapsing towers to guide others to safety, every believer is called to live that kind of sacrificial urgency. We are not only guardians of the spiritual treasures God has given us (see 2 Timothy 1:14), but also fighters for the salvation of others through the message of the gospel (see 1 Corinthians 9:23; Philippians 1:16).
So, rise and proclaim these words from the north: “Return, faithless Israel,” declares the LORD. “I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful,” declares the LORD. “I will not be angry forever.” (Jeremiah 3:12)
