Were it not for a burden bearer…

(Written by Ife Grace Dada)

For the first time in my life, I was really afraid.

Four guns were pointed at me.

This was me, Spirit-filled, tongue speaking, fire brand associate Pastor of a local church with urine trickling down my trouser.

They say accepting a job as an external auditor was more dangerous than working in a political party or running the politics game. Now I believe it.

I’ll never forget that night. The night I came face to face with death.

I had just arrived Port-Harcourt for an auditing task and instead of going straight to the hotel room booked for me, I thought to have a word with the GM of the company, and to sort out some little details in preparation for the rigorous task set for the following day.

The GM was happy to receive me. As I walked into the conference room, two fair-skinned slender girls came in with trays of small chops and wine. They were followed by two other beautiful girls in skimpy gowns.

The GM laughed as he stared lustfully at them. He waited until they left the conference room.

‘Port-Harcourt is full of sexy girls. You shouldn’t miss out on the delicacies here.’ He laughed. ‘We can arrange one correct fine babe for you tonight. Trust me when I say, these girls will take you to the tenth heavens!’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ I said and went ahead with the reason I had come.

I noticed his countenance changed. As an auditor, sentiment was not part of our work. The CEO had paid our auditing firm good money. I was here to do my job.

As we walked out of the conference room, the GM stopped and turned to me.

‘Can you step into my office for a minute?’

I shrugged. ‘Fine.’

On the table was a cheque of two million naira. He pushed it towards me.

‘We’ve had different auditors come here and this is how we settle things. Take it. Stay for two days in the five star hotel we’ve booked for you and your team and leave with a report our internal auditors will give to you.’

I didn’t touch the cheque. ‘It’s unethical to accept this sir. My team members will be joining me here tomorrow, we will need your full co-operation sir.’

The GM smiled. ‘Noted. The driver will take you to your hotel room now. We will be ready for you in the morning.’

As I stepped out of the office building, my phone rang. It was my prayer partner from my Uni days. I’d not heard from him in a long time. He said he was led to call me and told me he was in Port Harcourt for a training but he’d be leaving the following morning. I told him I was in Port-Harcourt too.

‘Can we see?’

I almost wanted to say No. I needed to rest and the driver was standing by the car waitin to take me to the airport. Finally, I decided to go see my friend.

Interestingly, he was just a street away from where I was. I wanted to tell the driver to check in my luggage into the hotel room but I felt a restraint not to do so. When my friend arrived, I asked the hospitality officer to give me directions to the hotel and told him I’d find my way to the hotel.

Dele and I had a nice time talking in the hotel lounge where he was lodged. We talked about our campus days, the evangelistic outreaches we had and other stuff. It was already dark by the time I called for a taxi.

As the taxi pulled into the hotel, I suddenly began to feel uneasy. I stepped out and opened the trunk to get my box. As I approached the hotel entrance, the restraint became stronger.

Something was wrong. I couldn’t quite fix it.

Then I heard this clearly in my spirit.

‘Get out of here!’

I turned swiftly away from the entrance and hurried back to the car park, wondering where I was going to spend the night.

As I turned to my left, I noticed two men in black, leaning on the car, staring at me.

My heart pounded fast. I began to mutter tongues. I looked around the hotel car park and for some minutes I was confused.

‘Sir, Get into the car.’

Behind me was the taxi guy who had brought me to the hotel. Without thinking, I threw my box into the back seat and jumped in. The two guys entered their car and we’re pulling away from the car park.

I started to speak in tongues aloud. I was surprised when the taxi guy also started to pray in tongues. As we drove faster, the second car came after us. We kept driving until we turned into a corner where two cars sped past us and blocked our path.

We were surrounded. It was then I heard a gun shot and shattering glasses and a strong hand pulling me out of the car. That was then I saw the guns. I counted them.

1.2.3.4

The street was lonely. The few cars speeding towards us turned back quickly.

I thought of my wife and my three year old son. Was my wife about to become a widow? Does it mean I’ll never be able to attend my son’s graduation, tell him how proud a father I was to have him as my son, wear my agbada at his wedding? Was this the end?

Suddenly, I heard the siren of police cars. It was so defeaning and from a distance I could actually see two cars speeding towards us. The men jumped into their cars and sped away.

I was alive! This was a miracle!

I stood there, sweating profusely. The taxi guy was holding the wheels. He was stunned beyond words.

As I climbed back into the taxi, a police car stopped beside us. A man got down from the car and sauntered towards us.

‘Are you okay?’

‘How did you know we were in trouble?’ I asked the officer.

He ignored my question. ‘I think you should go get some rest.’

We didn’t see him again as we turned back into the road. How could he have disappeared just few minutes ago?

My hands were shaking as I picked up my phone to call my wife. Her call came in before I could dial the number.

‘Sweetheart.’

I tried to calm my racing pulse. My eyes were teary.

‘Thank God for deliverance Honey. God rescued me’

She sighed. ‘Hmmm…I was in the kitchen tonight when I had a strong urge to pray for you. I rushed into the bedroom and went on my knees but the more I prayed, the stronger the heaviness in my heart. The Lord told me you were in danger. I prayed until the burden lifted.’

‘Sweetheart, thank you for yielding to the Lord.’

We talked about the time she started having the burden and when she had it lifted. It was so accurate. It had started from the time I ordered for a taxi and it had lifted when the men disappeared.

I smiled. ‘We’ll talk better when I get settled in.’

I ended up sleeping in the taxi guy’s house. We were just full of thanksgiving that night.

Well, we did our job after filing a report on the incidence to the CEO. the GM was arrested along with some other staff for fraud.

I remember sitting with my wife in our car weeks afterwards and then she turned to me.

‘I’m having a burden to pray. Someone is in trouble. I don’t know who.’

I smiled. Together as we drove home, we prayed in tongues. This was one of the many times we shared burdens together.

While praying, I could see the image of an obese young girl holding rat poison and staring at the mirror. She looked dejected and there was death in her eyes.

We didn’t stop praying until we got home. We continued even when we got into our bedroom and shut the door. We didn’t stop until the burden lifted.

Fiction.

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We live in a wicked world. We live in a world pervaded by darkness. Believers cannot afford to just live life ignorant of the devices of the devil.

The Holy Spirit continually seeks men who will be burden bearers. Men whose sensitivity to the Spirit are high, men who give priority to prayer.

Men who will be instruments to carry burdens are those who have built consistency in the place of prayer for it is by consistency that we pick divine signals.

The devil cannot wreck the lives of those around us while we sit down and do nothing.

It is in prayer we see danger ahead and avert them. We are sons in the kingdom. We are God’s instrument to defeating the ploy of the devil.

May God trust us with burdens. May we be available to get into partnership with the Holy Spirit as He nudges our heart to rescue men from the evil plans and devices of the devil…on our knees.

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2833137183679327&id=1530688850590840

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God bless you and have a wonderful week ahead.