Ashes

admin Jun 5, 2019 3046 0

The first time he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit
It was a very clear instruction
But it wasn't the type of instruction he wouldnt question
It had to do with money
He said "Support that ministry with some money"
He looked at the ministery profile
He smiled at himself
He was quite aware that some ministries use hypnotic
materials to print their content
He told himself it wasn't going to work on him
He was too experienced in the faith to fall for such
When he got home, he mentioned it to his wife
His wife smiled and said "The Holy Spirit told me
the same thing"
When? How? Where?
"I don't know" she said
It just dropped in my spirit that such a commission
would need some financial support and I wondered
how the handlers of the ministry would be coping
with the task ahead of them without distraction!
He hated it when his wife gets into reasoning mode!
She would always tilt towards spirituality
She couldn't see past her religious nose
The next day he went to the office
He was handed a letter of promotion
The promotion was very much unexpected
It was one of the best days of his life
His wife was extremely happy
he had been made the General manager of the company he
laboured with for over twelve years
Money rolled in!
He suddenly found himself in the company of another
caliber of people
He started attending meetings of a certain type
He found himself interacting with people he had hitherto
seen in newspapers and magazines on first name
basis
It was a roller coaster ride
In the evenings he would relax with some friends
They sit at a very popular but exclusive club
They talk business and relax over drinks
He used to drink as an undergraduate
But he became Born Again and his life changed
In the Big boy's league, he needed to feel among
He had a driver and so would have no issue
with drunk driving
He started drinking moderately
After a while, he started smoking moderately too
The days of poverty were far behind them
He has entered into his rest
Some of the perks of his position were crazy
Massages, mud baths, steam baths, sponsored vacations
and so much more
He was introduced to massage with a happy ending
He dived into the pleasure headlong!
His life was good!
His wife was surging in her career too
His children were doing very well
God remained ever faithful!
He was promoted again after three years
He was given an appointment by the federal government
to the capital to head a government parastatal!
It was a dream rise in his career
His wife and children rose with him
He had crossed the Rubicon of poverty and lack
He had successfully carried his family along with him
He could even argue that his next generations
have already been provided for
Then he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit the
second time
This time he was in a bar
He was drinking with his friends
The nations cup, a football tournament among African
nations was beaming LIVE on the television in the bar
The bar was a little crowded but with classy people
There was no noise, the television set was muted
A lady came to sit right beside him
She looked at him and smile
He felt irritated by her forwardness
It wasn't as if he does not cheat on his wife covertly
But to be so irresponsible and brazen about it
was beneath his standard in life
He turned away from the lady and focused on the
television screen
Such high-class call girls are all over the city
They dress decently and sell their wares corporately
They also try not to constitute a nuisance
He focused on the Television, hoping she would get
the message and leave
Just then a hand tapped him on the shoulder
He turned wildly aiming to snap at the hooker
for touching him
To his astonishment, the person seated beside
him was a man
The moment they set eyes on each other
The room faded
He found himself standing alone with the man
on top of a mountain
The man said: I invited you to dine with me
You refused!
You chose to surf the wave of temporary relevance
Your wife took your spot
For her sake, you will be spared
Perhaps you will look back one day and remember
I gave you a seat on this council and you rejected it"
The vision lifted
He practically sprinted out of the bar
When he got to his hotel room he called his wife
He told her everything!
He knew what he did wrong
Somehow the thought stayed with him, in his
subconscious like a stubborn bone in the throat
He took out his cheque book, wrote a fat cheque
out to the ministry
Promised himself he would send the cheque first thing
in the morning of the following day
That night, around midnight
His hotel room was broken into by heavily armed military men
There had been a coup and power brokers of the
previous regime was being arrested
He found himself in chains within the hour
He had been accused of corruption and embezzlement
It was true he was working with the office of
budget and planning but he was not a minister,
neither was he a politician!
He didn't even know why his name was anywhere
on a political vendetta list!
He was a nobody politically!
His Family protested, his wife ran everywhere
He was beaten, tortured and all his assets were seized
Just like that, his life took a strange turn!
In all, he spent three years in detention
He was 50 by the time he saw his wife and children again
He had lost everything!
He also incurred some injuries to his
spinal cord and hips
He was retired afterwards
His wife took over the reins of the family
She supplied the necessities for the completion of
the education of the children
She seemed to have a Midas touch
He returned to God
God involved in missionary and church planting activities
Told his story to anybody who cares to hear it
The ministry he didn't support at the beginning
employed him as a Church Growth Officer/missionary
He served God with them into his sixties!

PS: This elderly man came to m office today
He came to encourage me
He told me the Holy Spirit sent him to me
To encourage me and strengthen me
He said "Gbenga, my son, I read your stories
I know God is in this!
My spirit told me everytime I read your story
that there is a purpose ahead
Don't be discouraged, don't be turned off
Things may be tough now but you have the Holy Spirit
I wish I had towed this path earlier
My life would have been worth something
Now I labour in my old age, that I might meet
the Lord with something tangible
Keep at it!

SAYONARA TO A DARLING SISTER

I lost a dear friend today, A woman of God
She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer given six weeks
to live on February 6, 2017
When she told me, I said NO!
We prayed and she got healed!
She relapsed in 2018, this time diagnosed of
Heart disease
We started the process again, praying and declaring
the word
She got healed again, moved to her husband's room
(She had been staying in the guest room before
because she couldn't climb the stairs
She resumed back at her office
Then I got a call today, she was unconscious
Within an hour, it was over!
And yet, she lives!
I have never ever lost a battle to death
Jesus died so that believers can sleep
Live on Dr. Caroline Iyalla, my sister-in-Christ
Your contributions to the gospel will forever be
remembered!
I envy you but I still have a ton of work to do!
See you soon and don't forget our prayer meeting
everynight!