THE DEVIL ON THE ALTAR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
(FINAL EPISODE)
He went in for the second surgery and almost lost his life. They prayed for him tirelessly and were more than convinced that his sufferings were as a result of some things he had done.
“If he wants to die, let him die. I think it would be better for me if I’m a widow than a wife to someone like Paul and I have to be the one paying for his sins,” Deborah lamented after she had another revelation pointing to the fact that Paul’s suffering was self-inflicted.
“Don’t talk like that. We need to pray that God would touch his heart,” her mother said obviously fed up with the whole thing.
“That’s right,” the pastor agreed.
They spent the night praying that God would have mercy on Paul and touch his heart so he could confess and also give him another chance to make his way right.
They went to his room the next morning and like he had been touched with their prayers. They met him crying and asking for forgiveness for all the wrong things he had done.
Paul confessed the great atrocities he committed while he was the students fellowship’s president and while he was serving the nation as a corper.
He got to the position as a genuine child of God who was zealous for God. He was seduced into immorality by a lady who normally visited for counseling and one day, she brought food for him and that was all he could remember till he woke up and discovered what he had done. She disappeared after the act and somehow he could not stop himself. He would feel guilty at first but later he became hardened that whenever he picked interest in any sister or lady, he would not give up until he had his way with them. Later, he started using marriage to tie them down and make them do his bidding. He got engaged to many sisters and asked them to keep the relationship as a secret. He remembered Patricia and sighed. Pastor Raphael remembered her immediately; he mentioned her name as one of his victims and Pastor Raphael broke down in tears. The only one that was bold enough to run to him for refuge after the shepherd he placed over them was slaying them was sent into the open by him and was disgraced for owning up to the wrongs she did. Instead of him to help her like a father would his daughter, he threw her farther down.
Paul mentioned the name of another lady who also lost her womb while aborting a pregnancy he was responsible for. Pastor Raphael wondered how his spiritual eyes were so darkened by his love for Paul to the extent that he could not discern any of the things that were happening right under his nose. He knew instantly that he was not fit enough to be called the shepherd of the flock of God and he now understood why his only daughter had to fall victim to such a man.
They all wept as they heard Paul’s shocking revelations and Deborah broke down completely when she heard that about two sisters lost their wombs while aborting Paul’s pregnancy. No wonder she could not conceive even if she went to Jupiter, she can’t bear a child for Paul who had willingly killed countless seeds God gave him.
“I’m so sorry for my foolishness, God,” Pastor Raphael managed to say amidst tears.
They all prayed for Paul from their hearts and began to contact the ladies to apologise to them. Some of them forgave him while the rest could not be contacted and he got an idea on how to reach them. He booked a slot on national TV and had a live broadcast from his hospital room to the whole nation asking for forgiveness but keeping the identity of the ladies private. A lot of press men began to parade the hospital to have an interview section with him but he declined them all.
He had a revelation where he saw himself being honoured on TV and press men falling on themselves to interview him. That was what his future would have been like if he had not used the opportunity God gave him to destroy his life and the life of those under him.
He spent his last days writing books to young ministers, ladies and the whole world at large admonishing them on the danger of fornication, unconfessed sins, disobedience and the importance of shepherds of God taking care of the flocks under them and not slaying them. He and his wife adopted a baby girl and he named her Patricia. He died of medical complications after a few years.
The end!
What a sad ending for you Paul