© Ayo Omolayo
“Knock knock! Can I come in? My mentor asked, knocking on my bedroom door.
I was surprised. Normally, Evelyn would come to announce to me that I had a visitor. Then I would go downstairs to meet the person. But here she was at my bedroom door which was widely open.
She smiled and entered.
“Actually, I told Evelyn not to bother informing you I was around”, she said and sat down on the bed.
“Mummy! I’m so happy to see you!” I said smiling as I stood up and knelt down to greet her.
“Yeah me too”, she said and spread her arms for a hug.
I left my study table and went into her arms.
We rocked back and forth for a while and never wanted to let go.
“Mummy! Thank you so much for being there for me. Thank you for fighting on your knees for me!” I said still clinging tight to her.
“Cris! That’s what mothers do. When the devil touches their children, they fight back. How would I stand by and watch Satan destroy the fruit of my labour? You had barely started to fulfill your purpose, then one Satan come and tries to destroy you. He’ll have to pass through me ooo! The mistake he made was to leave the shepherd and attack the sheep.
That’s why the bible says, strike the shepherd and the sheep would be scattered. That’s why it’s a good thing to always pray for your spiritual parents. Imagine if I had fallen when Satan was attacking you. There would be no mother to arise and defend you in the realm of the spirit.
That’s why you must always pray for your spiritual parents. They’re a covering over you. A defense in the spiritual realm. Lot’s spiritual father which was Abraham, was the reason why his family was spared. Abraham stood in the gap to interceed for Lot.
So always remember me in your prayers”, she said and we loosed ourselves from the mother and daughter hug.
“I remembered that period when you called me a crazy woman on the phone. I got angry and began to nurse bitterness towards you. When God started telling me to pray for you, I struggled to obey. He used my husband to teach me the mystery behind bitterness and hatred. My eyes were opened.I knew I needed to stand in the gap for you.
What the devil tried to do was to strike the shepherd. He tried to strike me with bitterness and seal my mouth from pray for you. He pushed you to insult me so that I would get angry with you, when I should be angry with him for what he did to you. When I understood you were not the enemy, but Satan. I decided to spend 30 minutes everyday, praying for you. There were times I added fasting to it. There were time I prayed from twelve midnight, till dawn.
It was a battle and I was so glad I understood spiritual warfare. The first thing about spiritual warfare is, don’t fight in the physical. Allow God fight that one for you. All you have to do is fight in the spirit realm through prayers. Avoid anything physical combat.
That’s what Satan tried to do. He tried to bring me down, so that he can deal with you and I’ll not be there to defend you. But God helped me to stand and overcome the spirit of bitterness. That’s how your relationship with Chris got destroyed completely.
Now he came for you again. And like I said earlier, strike the shepherd and the sheep would be scattered. As long as he couldn’t bring me down. He couldn’t touch my sheep. And it so easy for the mentor to stretch her hand and pull up a fallen child. The children are still growing. They don’t have the strength to carry their mum when she falls down.
So one of the best prayers you can ever pray is that God should preserve your spiritual parents. Keep them standing. When someone at the top falls, it’s easy to hit those climbing up behind him. So one person falls from the top and knocks down those who are trying to get to the top”.
I smiled and gave her a hug.
“Thank you so much for being there for me!” I said and gave a sad smile.
“So did you pray for me this morning?” She asked as I pulled back from the embrace.
“Ahhh! Mummy! I’m about to….. I was supposed to…..to….to..”
“You’re about to? You’re supposed to. Just admit you prayed for only yourself and forgot your mummy”.
“No ooo! How will I forget my sweet mother!” I said and made to kiss her cheeks.
“Aunty Rhema calm down! Did you pray for me? Yes or no!” She said, blocking me with her hands.
“Mummy, how will I forget?” I said.
“So that means you did, right?”
“Emmmm! Mummy, mummy!” I said forcing my way to her cheeks.
“Just admit it! You didn’t pray for me”, she said and stood up.
“Mummy! Where are you going?” I asked.
“You broke my heart!” She said and made playful sobs.
I chuckled and quickly stopped when she shot me a stern look.
“I’m sorry ma”, I apologized.
“You think this is a joke?” She asked.
“No ma”.
“Use the next 15 minutes to pray for me. Don’t pray for anything else, except me. Oya go down on your knees and start”, she said with a tone of finality.
“Mummy”.
“Don’t mummy me. Start”, she said authoritatively and pushed me out of the bed to my feet.
I knew she was not joking. I quickly went on my knees and began to pray.
“Daddy! I commit my sweet Mother into your hands. Let her Robertic Roberto kill her with love in Jesus name!”
“Haba! Cris! Dem no dey use love kill person na”, she complained.
“And when did you name my Apostle Paul, Robertic Roberto? You better go and marry your husband and stop pet naming other people’s husbands”.
I burst into uncontrollable laughter. She was also laughing, but was doing her best to hide it.
“And by the way. Thanks for the pet name though. I’ve got a new pet name to look for his trouble this evening”, she said smiling.
I watched her smiling and knew to her, marriage was a bed of roses. I was wondering how she and her husband met. Did she meet him as a well known man of God on fire for the Lord. Was he as rich as he is today back then? What did she see in him that made her fall in love with him? Is it possible for God to pick someone you don’t love and hand they person over to you as your life partner?
“Cris! I said pray! You have wasted two minutes. Two extra minutes have been added. Waste more time and you’ll remain on your knees throughout today”.
“Ha! Mummy! I’m sorry ma! I will not do it again”, I pleaded and made those puppy eyes for her.
“Close your eyes and pray!” She said and turned the other way.
“Daddy! I commit my sweet Mother’s Apostle Paul!”
“Cris! Pray fervently, but silently. I want to see your actions that you’re actually praying and at the same time not hear your voice. Pray under your breath”.
I close my eyes and began to pray. Just as she instructed me, I prayed silently and fervently. If you were asleep in the room, my prayers would not disturb you. That was something my mentor had taught me. To pray without anyone being disturbed by my prayers and yet pray fervently.
“Time up”, my mentor said when fifteen minutes were completed.
To be honest, I was begging in my heart for her to round up the prayers. I was already feeling exhausted. I could pray for hours before. I don’t know why prayers was becoming a struggle for me these days. It wasn’t like this before. I had been asking God to strengthen me to pray. But I don’t know what was taking him so long to do so.
“Cris, I can see you were struggling”, my mentor said smiling.
I stood up and staggered a little. She quickly caught me and carried me in her back.
“Jesus! Mummy! Stop! Please stop! I shouted admist laughter.
“Would you keep quiet and allow me carry you to the bathroom to go and bath you”.
“Mummy please stop!” I pleaded.
“Keep quiet jare! Allow me carry my baby girl”, she said and carried me to the bed, before dropping me.
I jumped off her back and sat on the bed.
“Mummy! Why would you do that?” I asked.
“Aren’t you my baby girl?”
“No! I’m a 33 year old lady. I’m a full grown adult. Why use so much energy on someone like me?”
“That’s a good question. But you know the answer already. It’s just word. I love you”.
She said and sat down. I quickly sat beside her and wove my fingers into hers. She looked at me and smiled.
“Mummy!”
“Yes dear!”
“Something has been on my mind lately. I noticed that I have not been praying like I used to pray before. I mean before I fell that day of the proposal. Mummy what could be the cause?”
“The fall of course!”
“How?”
“Cris”, my mentor called and stood in my bed. She can be dramatic sometimes.
“If I fall from this bed, would I get up?
“Yes”, I answered.
“Good, what if I fell from the roof of my house? Would I get up?”
“You would but, you would be injured”, I answered.
“What if a fell from a satellite?”
“Ha! You’ll find yourself in the grave.
“Cris! Spiritual life is a height. Your spirit man has a body. It’s not the fall that’s really the issue, it’s your spiritual height that is the problem. Where are you falling from?
Some Christians sometimes willingly fall into sin. They tell themselves, after they have committed the sin they would repent. When you fall from the roof of this house you’ll definitely get up right?”
“Yes ma!”
“But would your body or should I say your spiritual body function the way it was functioning before you fell?”
“No!”
“That’s it! Cris your legs would take time to heal. Your bones would need to heal in time. That’s exactly how it is spiritually. And when your legs aret functioning as they used to before you fell, can you run a race like you used to before the fall?”
“No ma”, I answered.
“Now in order to recover, what do you do?”
“Take medication”, I answered.
“Exactly, the bible says in Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Verse 2. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Verse 3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
And in verse 8. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
This is the word of God. Keep reading the Bible. Your spirit man would start recovering faster.
Proverbs 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Verse 21. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Verse 22. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
To be continued…….
Hope you are all praying for me. Please I may not be a mentor to everyone, but as a labourer in the Lord’s vineyard.
Your prayers are so much appreciated.
In your quiet time, in your comments, in your personal fasting and prayer, remember me.
Tell Cris to go and marry her gateman and stop pet naming other people’s husbands.
I Sha like the name. Robertic Roberto. The name carry power!
Next Episode, we would be looking at this particular question
Is it possible for God to pick someone you don’t love and hand the person over to you as your life partner?
