© Ayo Omolayo
I crawled out of the bed literally as the door bell kept sounding. I didn’t want to get up to answer the door. I was so exhausted. It was the first time I fasted till 3pm in the afternoon.
Man! It was like hell to me. Everyone was out of the house. The girls went to school. Dad and mum left for an occasion. Although Dad kept to his word of observing the fast with me. He told me not to break until we had prayed together. Only Mummy and Susan had breakfast in the house.
So I was left alone in the house, surrounded by temptation. My number one temptation was that if I ate and cleaned my mouth, no one will know. As long as I acted my script of a fasting teenage girl, no one will suspect.
But in a house like this? Haaaa! Holy Ghost will definitely expose me for sure. The dimensions of the Holy Ghost at work in this house is so high that there is no secret in this place. Not at all. So if I ate and lied to everyone that I was still fasting, I was in trouble. Serious trouble.
Another suggestion came to me. Why don’t I eat and apologize to them that I tried my best but I lost the battle against hunger pangs. I will cry to them so they would see the sincerity of my attempt to truly obey them but I failed. When they would see me crying, they would take pity on me and understand that I did all I could, but it was above my strength.
That was the second idea. It was really a struggle for me. I was walking around the place and almost crying. It was as if I should die.
I laid on the sofa in the sitting room and closed my eyes. Sleep was far away from me. I couldn’t sleep on an empty stomach. All the worms in my tummy kept telling me that there was nothing in my stomach. I kept telling them I’m aware and they should keep quiet, but they refused to remain silent.
I remained on the sofa not knowing what my next line of action would be. I was thinking maybe I should give up or continue.
“I am a soldier. I live in the barracks now. I cannot pity my flesh and allow him destroy me later. I cannot allow flesh to control me. I know this is painful but it is worth it. I cannot live like a civilian.
A soldier is not a coward. A soldier doesn’t fear pain.”
I stood up and raced up the stairs. I wanted to get my bible and study it. Fasting period is not a time to lie down and watch the wall clock to know whether it will soon be time to start eating. It is a period of spending time with God. So I quickly rushed to get my bible.
I picked it up and found a note under it. Who could have left me a note?
I took it up and read.
“Julie angel! I felt this information might be of help to you just as it was of help to me. Mummy taught us to usually practice this whenever we fast. She said one of the best ways to generate spiritual energy in your spirit while fasting is to pray when you’re so hungry. I mean pray when you’re madly hungry. When all the worms in your stomach are screaming so loud and the hunger is so intense.
Start praying immediately. You’ll get your spirit man so loaded with power if you pray at that particular time. I have practiced it several times, it is really working.
Since you’re going to be needing all the spiritual strength in the world, I believe this information would be of help. So when you have stayed till afternoon and you notice the loud screams coming out of your stomach, blast in tongues.
From Susan.”
I touched my stomach and got the confirmation I needed. The screams were so loud. How can I pray under such height of discomfort?
“THAT’S THE KEY! THAT’S WHAT THE TRAINING IS MEANT TO GIVE YOU. IT’S MEANT TO TEACH YOU HOW TO DIE TO FLESH IN ORDER TO BE ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT!” Cane the gentle whisper.
“Oh! So you mean when the flesh is very weak, that’s when the spirit becomes stronger?”
“OF COURSE! BUT THE MAIN LESSON HERE IS LEARNING TO IGNORE THE DEMANDS OF THE FLESH. LEARNING HOW TO WATCH YOUR FLESH SCREAM AND NOT BE MOVED BY IT. GO AHEAD AND KILL FLESH. LET THE PRAYERS BEGIN!”
I dropped my bible and began to pray aggressively. I wanted to slow down to save a little energy. If I exhausted myself now, how will I have strength to continue the rest of the prayers?
“GIVE ME YOUR BEST!” Came the controversial instruction.
I quickly switched into fervent praying mode.
“Lord I commit Mr Romeo into your hands, wherever he is right now, I command his spirit to receive strength right now in the name of Jesus. Lord I command his heart to come back to life. I command his will to take sides with your will.
He will not willingly hand over his life to the devil for destruction. He will not surrender to the enemies to become their prisoner in the dungeon of immorality.
Rather he will be more willing to fight. He will be more willing to engage the enemy in combat and fight with them. He will be more determined to win in the name of Jesus.
Whatever dungeon the enemy has locked up your soul right now! I command it to come out in the name of Jesus!”
As I was praying, I discovered at some point I would slow down and my mind would begin to wander around.
“How much will they pay you for this prayer you’re offering?” Came the whisper.
“This your boyfriend you are praying for na wa ooo! Face it Juliet, you’re falling in love with Romeo. I can’t remember the last time you prayed so seriously for a person. And come to think of it, you even added fasting to it!”
“No! I’m not falling in love!” I replied.
While this was going on, I didn’t realize I had stopped praying. My eyes were still shut.
A picture of Romeo and I about to kiss each other appeared in my imagination.
“Juliet can you imagine what it would feel like to get a kiss from him? I mean a thank you kiss?”
“That would be awesome!” I replied.
“Just admit Juliet! Don’t you love him?”
“Well…. I do, but it’s a Christian kind of love!” I replied.
“Come on! Even christian kind of love can become something deeper! The guy is handsome and friendly. He has this kind of smile that takes your breath away!”
I smiled.
“JULIET!” Came the gentle whisper.
“Jesus is Lord!” I screamed.
“What am I thinking? God I’m so sorry!” I said as I realized I had stopped praying.
I began to pray fervently. I walked from one end of the room to the other speaking in tongues.
The same picture of me about to kiss Romeo appeared in my imagination. And honestly, being kissed in the imaginary world looked so real. I could feel it on my lips.
“No! I said and the thought vanished.
“Daddy what is happening? Why is my mind wandering away from the prayers.
“I’LL SHOW YOU! BUT DO ONE THING FOR ME!”
“What is that? Please tell me?”
“CAST DOWN EVERY IMAGINATION AND EVERY HIGH THING THAT EXALTETH ITSELF ABOVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD!”
“Okay sir!”
Immediately, the image came up again. I waved it off and even snapped my fingers.
It wasn’t up to 15 seconds, the image appeared in my head again.
“No! I cast down every evil imagination in the name of Jesus!” I decreed and snapped my fingers.
Few seconds later, the thought came again.
“Ha! Daddy I don’t understand! I’m resisting the thought but it’s not leaving my mind. It’s still coming back! I thought you said in your word that I should resist the devil and he will flee from me? I am resisting the devil, why is he not fleeing?”
“THAT’S THE MISTAKE MANY BELIEVERS MAKE TODAY. WHO TOLD YOU YOU HAVE RESISTED THE DEVIL?”
I opened my mouth, unable to utter a word.
“Daddy I’m sorry!”
“NOW LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I PROMISED TO SHOW YOU.”
Instantly my eyes were opened.
I saw myself standing and looking at a white board in front of me. Then a demon appeared and drew a picture of me and Romeo kissing. This artist was so fast in drawing that the picture was ready in 2 seconds.
I looked at it and wiped it away. The demon moved back. But I discovered something. It was checking to see if the board was still empty.
I also discovered there was a marker in my hand. But I wiped the board and stood looking at the blank board. When the spirit saw I wasn’t drawing anything, it came again and drew the same picture again.
I shouted and told him I cast away every evil imagination in the name of Jesus and it moved back as I wiped the board. But I wasn’t drawing anything.
So it came back again to draw on the board.
“Daddy! What does this mean?”
“THAT BOARD REPRESENTS YOUR MIND AND IMAGINATION. WHAT YOU’RE IMAGINING IS WHAT THE DEMON IS DRAWING FOR YOU. BUT THERE’S SOMETHING YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT YOU’RE NOT DOING?”
2 Corinthians 10:4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Verse 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
That was the scripture that popped up in my head.
“DO YOU NOTICE SOMETHING ABOUT THE SECOND VERSE? IM REFERRING TO THE ENDING PART OF THE SECOND VERSE?”
“Yes!”
“WHAT DOES IT SAY?”
“Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
“CAN YOU SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY THE DEMON KEEPS GIVING YOU EVIL IMAGINATIONS?”
“Yes! Wow! Now I understand! Now I understand why it stays around. It is expecting me to take over the board but I refuse to capture every thought to the obedience of Christ.
So I’m supposed to draw on the board, but I refused. I chased the devil away and I must bring God on the scene. Failure to do so leads me back to the demons I chased away. Because there is no vacuum in the realm of the spirit.”
“EXACTLY!”
“But what am I supposed to be drawing in my mind when I’m praying?”
“GOOD QUESTION! IF YOU’RE ASKING GOD FOR A BABY AS A MARRIED WOMAN. WHILE PRAYING, PAINT A PICTURE OF YOU PREGNANT AND GOING FOR YOUR ANTE NATAL APPOINTMENT.
IF YOU’RE PRAYING FOR GOD TO MAKE SOMEONE BORN AGAIN. PAINT A PICTURE OF YOURSELF PREACHING TO HIM AND SEEING HIM CRYING AS YOU PREACH, BEGGING YOU TO LEAD HIM TO JESUS.
YOU PAINT A PICTURE OF WHAT YOU’RE PRAYING ABOUT IN YOUR MIND’S EYES AS YOU PRAY. THAT’S WHAT THE BIBLE CALLS THE EYES OF FAITH.”
“Wow!”
“SO CAN WE DO THE PRACTICAL?”
“Yes sir!’ I replied grinning.
I began to speak in tongues but this time, I was painting in my mind what the answer to my prayers would look like.
I painted a picture of Romeo running out of his house down to my place and knocking on my door.
I open it and he kneels down begging me that he’s sorry that he’s ready to fast and overcome the spirit of immorality.
I smiled.
That was how I ended up praying for more than an hour and went to lie down on the sofa in the sitting room. Incase anyone comes home and I sleep off, I’ll be able to answer the door.
That was how I was hearing the sound of the door bell repeatedly. I struggled to drag myself out of the bed and opened the door.
I was shocked by who I saw at the door.
Who could that be? Maybe you can all guess!
To be continued………..
I have been receiving questions on several people talking about distraction in the place of prayers.
I decided to use this episode to answer the question.
One more thing I need to add is this. Remember what Jesus did after the three temptation. He dismissed the devil by commanding him to leave.
Don’t just say no to the devil. After saying no to him, ensure you don’t have him hanging around your vicinity. Tell him to excuse you and the angels.
Get behind me Satan and he will flee!
