© Ayo Omolayo
It’s been 7 months after our first meeting. I have to say, those were the most interesting months of my life. I never imagined God had such big plans for me.
The girls were doing great. My little group of spiritual hungry girls. In the past 7 months, we met twice in each months. I have to admit, the hall was becoming too small for us. We were having overflow. We had to stop using my mentor’s church and rent a more bigger hall.
Harmony and Cynthia were growing to become mighty instruments in the Lord’s hands. Each time I looked at them, I was amazed by how God transformed them into what they are right now.
At my company. More souls were won for Jesus. More ladies and men, were eager to hear God’s word. So I set a day aside, where all the staffs could meet and fellowship together. I made sure to invite Maggie. She was one of my collegues in the university and a staff in my company. She was one of my target. I was always praying to see the day she would step out for an altar call and surrender to Jesus.
But it seemed that day was taking so long to approach. Anyway, I was not going to give up, untill all my old friends become Christians.
Recently, I discovered invitations were coming. Invitations to minister at different places. Was I turning into a woman of God already?
This morning, I had finished my quiet time and came downstairs for devotion with Evelyn and my gateman. I have good news for you all. My gateman was now a saved man. Yes I invited him and we started talking. God was present in that little discussion to grant conviction. He surrendered his heart to Jesus during that meeting.
I was so happy today was Saturday. I had so much sleeping and resting to do. We started our devotion with worship songs and soon, we listened to the word. After I was done talking. Evelyn put up her hand to ask a question.
“Please go ahead!”
“Ma!”
“Cris!” I corrected.
“I can’t call you that way. You’re a woman of God. Allow me to give honour to this vessel of honour”, she replied.
“I insist you call me Cris!”
“Okay ma!”
“Cris!”
“Okay Cris!”
“Good! Now continue”.
“Yes! A friend of mine chatted me on Whatsapp yesterday and asked me a question. It’s about her quiet time. She told me she was struggling to stay awake during her quiet time. She said anytime she woke up to observe it, she always fell asleep. Whether she’s reading the Bible or praying. She always fall asleep. Please ma! What’s the way forward?”
I exhaled and gave a nod.
“Have she prayed about it?”
“Many times, but it looks as if God is not hearing her prayers. Everytime she wants to pray, sleep over powers her and God allows it that way. She said she had prayed and prayed, yet nothing happened”.
I was confused. I had never seen a situation like this before. At least, God is supposed to answer her prayers. What kind of answer do I give her?
“Daddy! I don’t know what to say ooo! If not prayers, what else can deliver this lady from that demonic sleep?”
“CRIS! WHENEVER A MAN PRAYS AND THERE’S NO RESULT, THE FIRST THING TO DO IS TO CHECK YOURSELF. WHERE AM I MISSING IT?”
“Hmmm! So is that the answer?”
“THE ANSWER TO WHAT?”
“The question!”
“OF COURSE! BUT I WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING”.
“Yes sweet Daddy!”
“CALL THE LADY RIGHT NOW!”
“Evelyn, do you have her phone number?” I asked.
“Yes I do!”
“Please go upstairs, get my phone and yours as well”, I said.
She stood up immediately and left to do as instructed.
In few a seconds, she arrived with our phones.
She unlocked her phone and searched for her friend’s phone number. She handed the phone to me and sat beside me.
I typed out the number and called. It was as though she was expecting the call. Immediately it rang, she answered it.
“Hello!” She said.
I handed the phone to Evelyn and told her in a whisper to tell her friend I would love to speak with her.
“Dora!” It’s me Evelyn…. No this is not my number…. No it’s not a strange number, it’s Aunty Rhema’s number…. Exactly make sure you save it ooooo! You don get Aunty Rhema’s number be that!” She chuckled.
I looked at her with a funny face. She smiled and punched me lightly on the arm.
“Na anointed woman of God phone number you carry so! Anyway, she wants to talk to you. I’m handing over the phone to her”, she said and stretched it towards me.
I collected it and pinched her on the waist. She giggled in response.
“Hello Dora!” I said.
“Aunty Rhema! It’s a privilege to have the CEO of the Kolapo production company, talking to me. I’m so….”
I had to cut in immediately.
“Dora! That’s alright. The reason for this call is more important than my personality. So can we please put that aside?”
“Okay ma!”
“Call me Cris!”
“Yes ma!”
“I said call me Cris!”
“Okay madam Cris!”
“Dora!”
“I’m sorry ma!”
I sighed in frustration and decided to wave it off.
“Okay, Evelyn said you asked a question about your quiet time and the challenges you’re having keeping it. Can I hear from you what the challenge was?”
“Okay ma!”
“Cris!”
“What?”
“I said call me Cris!”
“Okay ma!”
“Just say Cris!”
“Okay ma!”
“Say Cris!”
“Yes ma!”
“CRIS! FOCUS! THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT!” My Dad came to the rescue.
“Please go on”, I said and exhaled.
“I struggle with tiredness everytime I try to pray and study my bible. I can be chatting on Facebook for two hours and even twelve midnight, my eyes are wide awake. Not a single doze, but the moment I open my eyes to look at the bible, the demons of slumber start fanning me.
I would be so weak and tired. I would struggle to keep my eyes open. Sometimes I even wash my face so I can be awake to read my Bible, no way. The sleep takes me unaware. Before I realized myself, my Bible is already my pillow and a torn page from my Bible is my blanket.
Is it prayers I have not prayed? Is it fasting I have not fast? I have asked God several times to help me, but this challenge continued. Please help me cast out the spirit of spiritual slumber. Maybe someone with a higher anointing will be able to chase that demon away from me”.
“Daddy! What do I tell her?” I asked within me.
“YOU KNOW THE PASSWORD. OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND I WILL FILL IT!”
I smiled and spoke out. My gateman and Evelyn were both staring at me. The call was on loud speaker.
“Dora, we have five praying posture or should I say, praying position. We have the laying down position, the kneeling position, the sitting position, the standing position and the walking around position. These are the 5 position of prayer. Now can I ask you a question?”
“Yes ma”.
“What position do you usually take when praying in the night?”
“Actually ma! Most of the time, I lie down to pray. Sometimes, when I’m not feeling weak, I sit down to pray”.
Oh my goodness! No wonder! This one no be demon at all. Na you do yourself! Can you imagine?
“Wait! Do you lie down on the floor to worship God or how do you lie down?” I asked.
“No! I lie down on my bed”.
“Okay! And you put a pillow under your head, right?”
“Yes ma!”
“And also cover yourself with a soft blanket, right?”
“Yes ma”.
“Then you turn on the ceiling fan and put it on jar five, right?
“I don’t have ceiling fan! I mean, my ceiling fan is bad”.
“Madam! I feel like laying you on the floor and flogging you 39 strokes of the cane on your bum bum! Only you use your hand tell sleep I’m available and you’re complaining he’s disturbing you.
You’re like a girl on bum shorts, parading yourself before men. They start touching you anyhow and calling you all sort of dirty names. Then you start complaining they should all leave you alone. You’re the one to leave them alone. You’re seducing them.
But in this case, you’re the one seducing the spirit of slumber. You assume a position of slumber and lie to yourself that you want to pray. You deceive yourself. If you really want to pray in the night especially for starters. For people who are starting their quiet time, don’t sit down to pray. Don’t lie down to pray and certainly, don’t kneel down to pray. Use the walking around and standing position to pray. That’s the best position for those trying to build their prayer life.
They used to say that you can only shape the mud when it is soft. The moment it’s hard and strong, there’s nothing you can do about it. Your spiritual life is still very tender. You just started observing quiet time. If Satan wants to stop you, now is the best time to start. He can’t stop you when prayer has mastered you. It would be too late by then. So you’re a bigger prey now than in the future.
Have you ever heard the word catch them young?”
“Yes ma”, She answered.
“That’s exactly what the devil is trying to achieve”.
“Ma! I try to get up from my bed, but I don’t know why it’s so hard. I just feel so tired to get up. I know I want to get up and pray, but they way my body will be doing me Ehn!”
“Madam! If you had a job interview by 3am. A job where you would be paid 1.5 million naira per month. Come for interview by 3am. When your alarm rings, would your body be doing you anyhow?”
“No ma”, she answered.
“Very good! You have answered correctly. Your problem is your priorities. If your destiny and relationship with God is the number one important thing in your life, you would throw that bed away. If the destinies that are looking up to you and the God in heaven who is counting on you. If they are so important to you, then we won’t have this discussion in the first place.
Dora! People give their money, time, energy and tears to what is very important to them. So if chatting with friends late at night is more important than your spiritual life, I wish you good luck.
Sister, there was a time in my life I had to pray standing. I mean sitting down, I would sleep. Kneeling down I would sleep. I decided I cannot sleep while standing, so I told myself that standing, would be my praying position. There was a time I had to stand reading the Bible. I would carry my Bible in my hands and do bible study on my feet, to avoid sleep.
You must discipline yourself. God will not do that for you. If your spiritual life is truly important to you, then you would give it everything you’ve got. You won’t accept the drama the flesh is presenting to you.
Dora, go back and discipline that body of yours. Your flesh is too comfortable. You’re over pampering your flesh. Discipline it by denying yourself”.
After the call ended, I prayed and dismissed everyone.
I stood up and told Evelyn to prepare something for breakfast.
“MY PRETTY EBONY! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU’RE PUTTING SMILES ON MY FACE!”
“Daddy! Please stop that. I’m nothing but an unprofitable servant”, I replied.
I could hear him laughing.
“SO AS A SERVANT, YOU HAVE NO WILL, RIGHT?”
“Yes! The servant can do nothing except what the master wants!” I replied smiling.
“SO CAN YOU DO ANYTHING FOR ME?”
“Sure! Why not?”
“ARE YOU SURE? CAN I TRUST YOU AND BOAST ABOUT YOU IN THE PRESENCE OF LUCIFER LIKE I DID ABOUT JOB?”
I waited for a while. Why all these questions. Honestly, I never knew God was warning me about the biggest challenge of my life.
Something was about to happen that would change my life forever. Something I never planned for.
To be continued…….
Brethren, give your all to building your relationship with God. Stop allowing the flesh trample on you.
Rise up and discipline yourself.
Discipline is the key to Spirituality. Nobody is going to do it for you.
I’m scared for Cris oooo
What’s going to happen to her?
Find out in the next episode
