Ephphata

Ephphata

The last four months of 2014 were disastrous
for her
Her boyfriend of four years with whom
she also led a branch of the campus fellowship
dumped her
He did it callously and without a shred of
remorse
They were both believers and he was 
anointed
That much was pretty evident but he was
the type that wanted to have sex before
marriage
He was a virgin in the body but she had
seen him watching pornography once
or twice and he had also told her he 
masturbates and needed her "help" to stop!
She felt he was too carnal and lacking
in the area of self-discipline but she
didn't leave him because she was convinced
he would mature over time
She had her obvious flaws too and she 
knew she had no right to judge others 
based on their inadequacies
Apart from the subtle sexual pressure
he was a good man
He listens to her counsel and allowed
her to lead the fellowship with him as
an equal
He always defended her interest and
really helped her build her self esteem
The fellowship they led grew quickly
Many ladies came to the fellowship
because of his unique teaching and
treatment of all as equals
It was his unique selling point;
That heart that has shunned patriarchy
It was also a problem in a way
He had an inordinate sense of responsibility
and would do the right thing if he felt
he was in the wrong
The lady she was dumped for was in 
100 level when they were in their 
final year
The lady willingly gave him her body
and her heart and he took it 
Then he told her in the most polite way
that the relationship was over
He told her he slept with someone and 
his conscience had convicted him to
do the right thing by marrying the person
It was the silliest thing she had ever heard
But she knew he was that kind of guy
His principles are very self-defeating
and self-condemning
He would redeem himself even if his life
would be ruined as a result
He had been scammed by a Jezebel
She knew this to be true but he was
too naive to see it
She thought it was a storm and he would
come to his senses somehow
He didn't
He married the lady two years later
The lady was still in school while he had
just secured a job in his father's filling station
when he married her
The marriage was held on the first weekend
of August 2014
She cried throughout that day
A week later, she got a job at a PR firm
It was supposed to be a dream come true
She had studied Mass Communication and
she had a strong drive towards Advertising
and Public relations
It was her dream job
It was the reality of a dream she had shared
with him for many years
It didn't feel so good to get it without
him with her to share the joy
 The day she resumed was a baggage of
mixed feelings
There she was among strangers, starting
her first job and there was nobody to
share her feelings with
She cried herself to sleep that night
but somehow she dragged herself to
work the following day
Over time the work took over her energy
and she started coping
She even started praying and looking
forward to meeting another suitor
Then her father fell ill in the first week of
September
He was in Benin and she was his favourite
But she couldn't take time off work because
she just got her job
Within a week her father was dead
Just like that
It was a devastating blow
Her father had invested so much in her
and he didn't even wait to spend a penny
out of her salary!
 It was a tough blow
It broke her
Her boss gave her a week off to attend
to her family issue
She traveled to Benin
For a week to be a part of the burial
During the burial, she discovered that
her father had another marriage somewhere
with three children
His family knew about it
Her mother also knew about it
but somehow none of her mother's
children were aware
Her mother said her father's family
never accepted her and married
the other woman for their son
The wife and children came for their 
share of her Father's inheritance
The burial she went home for hoping
to make peace with her father and
lay him to rest with gladness turned
into a mad market!
She eventually returned to Lagos
in a confused state
it was as if her reality was being 
unwoven one thread at a time
Suddenly strange names of her
father's other children were part
of her daily conversations with her
mother
Her elder brother and younger sister
too had so many things to say
Her phone was always ringing
The dead had been buried but his
deeds lingered and stank badly
She battled with this until second
week of October when her Mother
died in her sleep
It was the most unexpected thing!
While they were all thrown into
disarray by her father's death, her
mother had been suffering the loss
of her husband alone and in silence
She simply threw the will to live in
a thrash can and crossed over to
join her husband 
it was terrible
Her mother was buried almost 
immediately because the family
couldn't afford anything elaborate!
She was sent a video and some 
pictures
The noise from his father's other
family also died down
They didn't want to be labeled as
her mother's killers
By this time she was out of sorts
emotionally
She was just going through the
motions of living 
November came and went in a 
daze
She had hoped December would
be eventless like November
Alas, it was not so at all
The MD/CEO of her office
died in a strange boat accident 
while holidaying abroad
The office was shut down a month
later 
It was a one-man show and the 
one man was gone!
That was how she ended the year
On January 1st, 2015 she went to
church and prayed fervently
She needed things to change 
She needed a supernatural pull out
of the miry clay
While she was praying, an image 
flashed through her mind
Her relationship with the Holy Spirit
had become pathetic over the months
but she was convinced the person
she saw was a message from Him
The image was clear but she couldn't
put a name to the face
She locked herself in her room all day
praying in tongues and racking her
brain
She needed to remember the person's
name and where they met
After hours of prayer, it came to her
He came to their office sometime
in the first week of November to
interview for a job
She was one of those who attended
to him
When she shook his hand something
happened to her spirit
Her spirit started racing within her
and she busted into tongues a few
minutes later
He was a man of God even though
he came seeking a job in their firm
He didn't get the job because of the
disaster that befell them later in the
year
She called someone from the Human
resources department
She asked some questions
An email was forwarded to her
she was able to extract his full name and
phone number from the mail
She waited till the following day before
reaching out to him
She didn't know what she was supposed
to say but her spirit was insistent and 
she had to call him
So she did
He picked her call and she told him
she wanted to see him
He gave her his address
He didn't ask her why or any odd 
question
She took that to be a good thing
He was working with a church
She got to the office of the Brother in
Jeans and T-shirt by 11 AM the next day
She was ushered in immediately
She had many things on her mind
They prayed and he told her to
tell him what was going on
She spoke for a long time
Almost two hours
She cried too
She cried a lot
When she was done it was almost
2 pm
He asked her if she had eaten that
day
She said NO!
She had anticipated that he might
ask her to fast and she didn't want
to seem unserious, so she started
fasting ahead
He laughed and told her to come
with him
He took her to a restaurant
He sat down and told her to order
her meal
He said "Buy everything your heart
desires, do not spare expense and
do not be modest! Just buy!"
Wow
She bought a plateful, her heart was
singing joyfully throughout
A Pastor that buys someone free food!
Yay!!!!!!!
When she got her food to the table
He said "The Holy Spirit said to me early
this morning, buy her a meal, let her eat
to her heart's desire and take whatever
is left of her meal home!
Tell her it is her season of Ephphata
Tell her it is her season of Opening!
Tell her I said "I will fill her empty 
field with a bountiful harvest, I will
cause her dryland to spring up, 
I will cause her mockers to come
begging and at her word they shall
spring forth peace and love! I will
make the dry wells full of good water
and I will sustain her by my love!"
As he spoke to her, she wept
Not for sorrow, but for joy
She could actually see what her life
will look like in the next few years
in her spirit!
She ate the meal and packed the
rest of the food home
She was full of joy and thanksgiving
On January 17, 2015 she got an offer
of employment from another Advertising
Agency and Public Relations Firm
It was a big job with a huge pay
She resumed on the 22nd of January
for her training
While at the training, she met her
husband
He was one of the consultants that was
brought in to train the new recruits
Immediately their eyes met, they both
knew it was going to be "Ï do"
He was a minister of the gospel and a
teen's pastor in the church where he
worshipped
They were married in August 2015
In July 2016, just eight weeks after she
delivered her first son
Her former boyfriend and his wife came
to see her and her husband in church
They were yet to conceive and after
praying were convicted by the Holy
Spirit to seek her out for her blessings
It was exactly as the Word given to her
said:
...."I will cause her mockers to come
begging and at her word they shall
spring forth peace and love"
She blessed them with all her heart
and that same month, God visited
them
She was made the head of her unit
in May, 2017
The position gave her the opportunity
to travel around the world and doors
of numerous opportunities opened unto
her from there
She delivered her second child in 
December 2018 in the USA
She was able to help her younger sister
 achieve her short term goal of studying
abroad while she supported her brother
in setting up his wine distributorship 
outfits in three different states of the 
country
Her life has turned out as the Holy Spirit
revealed
Glory be to God!

PS: Isaiah 43: Isaiah 43 : 1 
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who 
created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
5“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from 
east and west.
6I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
7Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”

GSW's notes: There are some that the
Holy Spirit will just give you a message
for
Just as it happened in 1 Samuel 9
All you have to do is deliver
The Holy Spirit will do the rest
We have Solemn Assembly from

29 -31 May 2020
On zoom mobile app and telegram
If you can be a part, please join us
His word is with His servants and
there shall be a lot of Opening!