© Ayo Omolayo
It was a refreshing period in God’s presence. We finally got to realize we had spent 4 hours praying that night. We all arrived at our rooms sweating. 12am to 4am. Wow! I felt on top of the world.
I wanted to lay on the bed, when spanked me so hard.
“Ahhhhh! What was that for?”
“Don’t you know you should go and bathe before climbing that bed? You want to rub your sweat on the bed sheet abi?”
“Haaaa! Was that why you beat me like a small girl?” I asked and made a playfully crying face.
“Oya sorry!” She said and drew me close.
“Let me pamper my baby before she will cry for me!” She said rubbing my back.
I enjoyed the drama for a while when I remembered there was something I had planned asking her.
“Susan love!”
“Yes dear.”
“While I was praying I saw something that really got my attention. I was seeing things at random. I shut my eyes praying oooo. I will see my Dad on his knees praying. Soon, I will see mummy praying and next, I saw Ope praying. Was that my imagination or was that God showing me something?”
“Of course!”
“Really? What does that mean?”
“It means those people were praying at that particular moment you were praying. And whenever that happens, it means you were all praying for the same thing in tongues, unknowing to all of you.”
“Wow! So it’s possible to ask for the same thing in the place of prayer with someone else in South Africa without the two of you knowing?”
“Yes! The Holy Ghost is the giver of all utterance.”
“That’s wonderful!” I said smiling.
I quickly jumped up as I realized it was now 4:30am.
“What happened?”
“I need to go and bathe ooo. It’s almost day break. I have not slept throughout the night and I am going to school.
The door opened and Ella walked in.
“Hi girls!”
“Hello Ella!” I replied.
“How are you?” Susan responded.
“I’m good!” She replied nodding her head.
“Is there something you want to tell us?” I asked, giving her that look of inquisition.
“Yes! I was kinda thinking if it was possible to go out for evangelism today. It’s been a while since we went out to preach the gospel in this neighbourhood.”
“That was exactly what was on my mind sef! The spirit is one!” Susan said with so much excitement.
A pinch of fear gripped me as both ladies gave me their inquisitive eyes, expecting me say something.
“Ha! I don’t know what to say? You know I’m not good at evangelism.”
“Juliet don’t even go there. I was thinking if you could invite your friends to join us. So we would have opportunity to cover a larger portion of the neighborhood.” Ella suggested.
“What are you trying to say? That I should bring Romeo and Ope along?”
“Yes! I just have this peace of mind about it. I have a feeling they need this experience too.
“Wait girls! You guys are missing something.”
“And what could that be?” Susan asked.
“I am yet to give my approval to joining you guys for evangelism. And here you both are, concluding I am definitely going with you!”
“Of course you are. We don’t need to ask if you will go with us because you are going.” Ella replied.
“Haaa! But I dey fear ooo! Remember what happened to me the last time I went out for evangelism. I no want that thing to happen to me again ooo!”
“We have drank burning wine. Any idiot that wants to try nonsense will receive fire!”
“Amen!” Susan and I chorused.
“So that’s settled!”
“No ooo! What about my phobia? I am a shy person when it comes to evangelism. I don’t think I can handle something like that.”
“Juliet in the name of Jesus, receive the grace to preach in Jesus name!”
“Amen!” Susan and I chorused.
“So that’s settled. Let’s go to the next thing on my agenda.”
“But I have…..”
“Susan, flog that girl for me!” Ella requested.
Immediately Susan looked at me, I jumped out of the bed.
“Juliet, whether you like it or not, you are going with us. And you’re going to bring Ope and Romeo along with you. Is that understood?”
“Haaaa! What about my feelings?” I said and made a grumpy face.
“What is it again?”
“Don’t answer her jare. I know her very well. She will do it ooo. But she likes stressing everybody before doing it. That’s the same thing with her relationship with God. She will obey God ooo. But she will stress God very well before obeying him. That’s why God is now using iron hands on her!” Susan said.
“Mischief!” Ella said.
I was so shocked by what they both said. Was that true about my relationship with God? Was it true that I love seeing God angry before obeying him?
“So don’t worry about her! God will touch her heart before that time,” Susan added.
I was no longer myself as the discussion went on. What they said about me was appearing to be true. The more I tried to think about it, the more real it was becoming. I put all the facts together and it was completely glaring. I have always gotten God angry, before doing his bidding.
When I entered the bathroom to take my bath, I wept silently. How come I never realized this? I was mischievous not to my fellow human being, but to God.
For those of you who do not know what it means to be mischievous. It means deliberately or habitually looking for trouble or getting people annoyed often.
So I always got God annoyed before obeying him? Haaaa! I wept.
“God I can’t believe I am this terrible, yet you still want to use me for your glory. Yet you still forgave me and restored me. Lord! I’m so sorry for all the pains I have caused you. I am deeply sorry!
You want me to do anything for you, all you have to do is ask. I will be your errand girl.”
Immediately I said that, I felt relieved in my spirit. When I got out of the bathroom, Susan had already fallen asleep on the bed. I smiled mischievously.
I tiptoed towards her and spanked her heavily on the tigh.
“Haaaaa!” She yelled and woke up.
“Go and bathe!” I said laughing.
“Do you want to kill me? You almost used one hour to bathe. Why won’t I fall asleep! This nack you nack me, me I will nack my own back ooo!”
I continued laughing. As she stood up, she made to grab me, but I was prepared. I ran out of the room as quickly as I could and shut the door behind me.
She didn’t come after me.
I followed the stairs down and met Ella on the phone. She was talking to someone and immediately I heard her say, ‘Yes ma’. I knew it was Mummy.
“Can I speak to her?”
“Of course!” She whispered.
“Mummy! Julie angel would love to speak to you!” She said on the phone.
“Okay ma!” She handed me the phone.
“Hello ma!”
“Hello Julie baby! How are you?”
“I am fine ma! Mummy I missed you ooo!”
“I missed you too my dear! Don’t worry, I’ll be back in two days time. I can see you girls have been making a lot of trouble recently.
“How?”
“I have been receiving updates on how you guys are doing na. You should know better. I saw what you did oooo. Weldone Iya (Mother) no mercy!”
I burst into laughter.
“But mummy wait oo. How come you have the revelations I have? That other day when I was about to be molested in the dream, you saw it also. How do you realize this?”
“Juliet, you will grow into it. You see most of all these gifts of the spirit are embedded inside of you. But spiritual lukewarmness will make it look as if you don’t have anything. As you begin to press into God, you begin to unlock your God given potentials.
For instance, the gift of healing can be in you, but because you are always on TikTok watching videos, you will not know you carry that kind of power. But as you begin to grow in grace. One day Holy Ghost will just come and be disturbing you to go out for evangelism.
Before, you don’t have anything to do with evangelism. But now that you have started growing, God begins to push you out. You will find yourself in the place where you are preaching praying for a sick person and instantly the person is healed.
That gift has been there all along. But because of spiritual laziness, you did not press into God to discover the hidden riches in Christ.
It’s like a man digging the ground for hidden treasure. Is digging the ground an easy job?”
“No!”
“But the more he digs, the more he discovers treasures that has been buried and unused. Am I correct?”
“Yes ma!”
“So come up hither! That’s a statement of spiritual height.”
“Mummy how can I step up to greater heights in God? How can I become more and get into more heights spiritually?”
“Well that is a whole big class on its own. I cannot lecture you on that subject on the phone!”
“Mummy please! Please mummy! It’s been a long time since you taught me anything!” I pleaded with my feminine tiny voice.
“Okay! There are so many things responsible for making you get into greater heights spiritually. But let me give you the main reason why you will climb into a spiritual height. Prayer can take you to heights, fasting can take you to heights. Sowing of seeds, like money or giving gifts to a man of God can also get to spiritual heights, but this is the main reason why you will climb up in the spirit.
If you get 100 percent in all the others and fail this one, you have failed all of them. Should I tell you?”
“Yes ma!”
“It’s overcoming temptation and trials.”
“Wow!”
“Even when you have prayed into certain heights. Whenever God is about to promote a man spiritually, the next thing that happens is that he tests the man. He puts him through certain challenges to see if he will bend under pressure, or give in under pleasure.
James 1:12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
It’s like in schools. When the child is about to be promoted from Jss one to Jss two, he is given exams. Am I correct?”
“Yes ma.”
“If the child fails the exam, what happens?”
“He remains in the same spiritual position.”
“That’s the reason why many Christians are not progressing in their walk with God.
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were tested by God to see whether they will be able to stand for him. And when they stood for Jesus what was the next thing that happened?”
“I……”
“Get your Bible and open to Daniel 3:28”
Thank God I had my phone in my hand. I quickly opened the bible app on my phone and read.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Verse 29. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Verse 30. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”
“Read verse 30 again.”
“Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”
“That’s what happens when you take a stand for Jesus. That’s the key to spiritual promotion and heights. So if you want to grow fast, read your Bible. Study it very well and pray, so you can pass your spiritual exams very well.”
“Wow!”
To be continued…….
Many of us need to understand something that happened in the life of Job.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Verse 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
Verse 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Let’s do a little mathematics.
Children: 7 boys and 3 girls
Sheep: 7 thousand
Camels: 3 thousand
Oxen: 5 hundred
She asses: 5 hundred.
After the test this was what the bible had to say about him.
Job 42:12. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
Verse 13. He had also seven sons and three daughters.
Let’s do the mathematics
Children: 7 boys and 3 girls.
Sheep: 14 thousand.
Camels: 6 thousand.
Oxen: 1 thousand.
She asses: 1 thousand.
Every was given back to him double double.
This is what happens spiritually. Stand firm for Jesus. He’s taking you to a higher level.
This message is for someone.
