Whoever will deny father, mother, brother, sister and even himself shall be my disciple (Matthew 19:29) Trials are to test your patience…. (James 1:3)
I want to thank God for my family. There was a Sunday last year where a prophetic word had been given about this congregation of how two demons were discussing of ways to distracts us since money had been tried and it did to seem to work. They had decided on distracting us using family members. I was indifferent about it.
The very next day being Monday, I had just returned from Believers’ class in the evening when my dad called and the first thing he asked was where I worshipped the day before. He had never done that before. He usually asks how service was. This was different.
When I mentioned God’s Light House, He started raging. I have never heard him raging like that before. I and my dad were very close that one who did not know us would have thought that we were in a romantic relationship. But the way he started talking to me that day was so different in the negative. He said I was stepping on toes and rock that would swallow me. He even said that I was this small rat that claimed I have come to know God and because of that decided to leave the family church that he has been in. In fact, I had to put the phone away from my ears so that I would not go deafbecause of the way he was shouting.
He went ahead too tell me the number of years he has been born again and that the family church is the only one in the world that has true doctrine. He even threatened to stop sending money too me if I did not stop coming here because he made all his money in the family church.
I thought to myself that if I could hustle my fees now since I have just one more year to go, what would happen to my Law school fees which is quite on the high side?
I just had to go through a period of this persecution at home. My siblings could not just understand my ‘stupidity’. They kept asking me why I had to tell the truth. We used to agree on what to tell my parents or not. It was surprising to them that I told the truth. The all called to tell me that when next I was asked where I worshipped, I could just lie that I went back to the family church but would go wherever I wanted to since none of my family members are even in Uyo to know that I would be lying. When I said no, they just took me as a stupid person and washed their hands off me.
The most shocking was my mom. Before now, my mom and dad never agreed on a matter. They always had opposite views. I am the one who always try to make them agree on things. It was very surprising when they were in perfect unity concerning this matter. My mom did not give ear to my pleas.
I related to Pastor what was happening. I realized that I had been disobedient in one aspect. Pastor had told us to go and share our testimonies about our past life in sin with our parents with details of how we once were and how we are now that Christ has saved us. I had not done it. Pastor just told me I should go do the talk. It was the consequence of my disobedience.
From October to December, my dad did not pick my calls. My dad used to call me every day before then. Holidays came December and I remember Pastor telling us that whenever we go home, we should get gifts for our parents. I obeyed though I had doubts in my mind that my dad would accept it knowing the kind of person he is. He is the kind of person that once he has issues with someone, he could collect a gift from the person, keep it for six months without even opening it and send it back. He just has issues with forgiveness.
My other siblings are not in any way close to my dad. They called me to advise me that their problems with my dad began when the left the family church to go to another church.I would end up like them if I did not stop my ‘foolishness’.
I went home anyways with a gift for my parents. After I presented the gift and left, I overheard him ask my mom who gives his enemy gift. I then knew that he was shocked. And funny enough, the next day he used the gift. It had never happened before that someone that he is not in good terms with gave him something and he used.
I had heard Brother S’ testimony of how he did the conversation and persecution stopped. I felt all I had to do was just do the ‘conversation’ i.e. Tell my testimony and then all would be alright just as it had been for Brother S.
I had planned it. On 27th December, I went into his room and told him what I used to do and the sinful life I was living in even while still in the family church and then I related what God had done in my life in the last one year. I was really surprised by his reaction. He said I did all that out of my own foolishness and stupidity; that I was the one who had not wanted to imbibe all the things that had been taught me right from childhood. That I decided to go my own way was no one’s business. He claimed that God had been revealing all I had been doing to him e.g. the boyfriends etc.
In fact, he told me that I should go back to my pastor and that if he (pastor) really knows the word of God and I mention my family church, he would tell me to go back there. He went on to accuse Barrister of stealing church members. I came out of the ‘conversation’ wondering why I had even gone in the first place. I was feeling so down.
That night, I had a dream. In that dream, there were programs to be held in the two churches and I was told to go to God’s LightHouse.
The troubles with my dad went on even when I came back to school. He kept calling me to say that it was not the voice of God that I had been listening to but evil spirits. It was so terrible. There were just lots of accusations that did not make sense.
This went ahead for about five months. During this period, I dreaded seeing calls from my father. It was very weird because I and my dad never failed to communicate either on WhatsApp or calls. A time came that he gave me a week ultimatum that if I did not return to the family church, I would face severe consequences.
One of the brethren prayed with me and I thought God would say that the problem would end soon or any other comforting word. Instead, He said He would give me peace amidst the trouble which means there would be trouble.
I tried encouraging myself in the Lord and giving thanks but the next minute I would be down and depressed. It was a constant battle. I was asking for wisdom then a thought came into my mind.
“I could shuffle it” I thought. It sounded like a very perfect plan. So, I went to meet Peace to tell her to change the date when I would handle Believers’ class to another day so I could go to the family church on Mondays. I did not want to tell her the reason why I wanted to be changed. But she insisted.
Summarily, she advised me to remain in the fire. The troubles she said would reach an apex and then would be resolved. She advised that I should not cook up ways to resolve the problem.
It taught me a lesson about not taking God’s words lightly. Months before everything started, when the core leadership had prayed for me, I had gotten a prophetic word that I would be baptized with fire and something like an angel of light would come to deceive me, so that I would come out of the fire. I would almost be deceived but I would later realize it was not Jesus and so would stay away.
So, when I had been asking for wisdom, I did not even connect it to what God had said months earlier. It had seemed like God had been silent because He considers what ought to be done as done. He had spoken before on the matter and I had not paid attention only for me to expect Him to speak when I needed it. He had warned me months before it happened.
After talking with her, I was glad for the encouragement I got. The last ultimatum I got came around February this year. My dad said I should call him on that Sunday. He wanted to hear that I had returned to the family church. I did not call him and then on Monday I saw His calls and I dreaded picking it up.
But, when I picked the call, he went all caring asking how I was doing he even asked me if I had taken medication since I had sour throat. I thought it was one of those things parents do where they act all nice and then go to the main point.
Then he kept calling me frequently not bringing up the topic. I did not want to raise my hopes high. For me, it was better that it did not stop than for it to stop and I get all happy only for it to begin again. but the topic never come up again.
About a month later, my dad called me to ask if I had gone back to the family church. I said no. He just said okay and that was it. It was like nothing of this sort I am discussing never happened.
I thank God.