*”STRUCK DOWN”*
[EPISODES 16 & 17]
*_EPISODE SIXTEEN_*
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“Deborah. Debby dear wake up already, it’s time for morning devotion.” Debby heard a faint voice say as sleep slowly left her eyes.
“5am? Isn’t it too early?” Debby asked mummy Grace after greeting her respectfully. Mummy Grace responded to her greetings and smiled at her question.
“Let’s go, the rest are up already and waiting for us in the living room.” Mummy Grace said and left her alone to come by herself.
“Oh God I still feel very sleepy.” Debby said rubbing her eyes as she dragged herself to the restroom to wash her face.
“In Jesus name we worship. Deborah lead us in praise please.” Was what Debby heard as soon as she walked into the living room.
She looked around to see if mummy Grace was referring to her or there was another Debby in the room.
“Deborah please we’re waiting for you. Lead us in praise.” Mummy Grace repeated. Debby nervously went in the middle of the room filled with people of her age bracket and clapped her hands. Soon the songs began flowing and everyone sang along.
When the praise section was over. Everyone sat down to listen to the preaching for the day.
“Know God for yourself.” Mummy Grace announced as the topic of her message.
“Please do you have a pen with you?” Someone whispered to her as the preaching went on.
“No, I didn’t come with anything.” She whispered back.
“Oh okay. Thank you.”
“Now as you’ve all given your lives to Christ, some of you must have some battles you’re struggling with.
It’s even possible you must’ve given your life to Christ because you heard somewhere that He alone can deliver you from such a battle or sickness; but the truth is your salvation cannot last if you have that mentality because once you get your desired miracle or breakthrough, you tend to backslide.
Instead of coming to Jesus with the desire to have your problems solved, it’s best you come with the mind and desire to know Jesus personally and build a lasting relationship with Him. That way you’d find Him so interesting and remain with Him even after you’ve recieved your desired breakthrough.” Mummy Grace preached as Debby listened.
“The way to knowing God personally is so common among Christians but only few, very few, practise it. You remember that song we were all taught as kids? Read your Bible, pray everyday, pray everyday, pray everyday. Read your Bible pray everyday, if you want to grow. Do we all remember it?”
“Yes Ma.” They all chorused.
“Very good. In that simple and short song lies the secret to growing in Christ and having a solid relationship with Him. Reading your Bible just to know more about not just your Saviour and Lord but your brother and friend Jesus Christ and praying daily asking for grace to know Him more and becoming all He wants you to be is the surest way to building a solid relationship with God.
I’m very sure we’re all here to at least lay the foundation of having a very strong relationship with God isn’t it?”
“Yes Ma.” They all chorused.
“Good! So we’re going to be both learning and practising the various ways we can know God which are reading the Bible and praying daily. We’re going to be taking baby steps in attaining this goal so some of you won’t disappear from here.” She said and they all chuckled.
“The first step we’re going to be taking in achieving this goal is setting apart a little amount of time to pray and read our Bibles on a daily basis. Now when I mean little amount, I mean as little as 10mins. The trick here now is just to get your body system used to opening your Bible and praying each day regardless of how short the timing is.
As you get consistent with this, your brain would get used to it that going a day without reading your Bible or saying a word of prayer would become difficult. So that’s it. Who’s in? Raise your hand.” Mummy Grace said with her hands raised as an example for others to follow. There was silence in the room for a while with no hands raised.
“Come on, it’s just 10mins. It wouldn’t hurt at all.” Mummy Grace encouraged.
“But reading the Bible is super boring to me.” A girl said from where she was seated.
“Exactly! Not just that, I go dumb everytime I close my eyes to pray because my mind keeps wondering what I’m to pray about.” A guy beside Debby said.
“Oh that wouldn’t be a problem dearies, just indicate interest first, then we’d have that settled.” Mummy Grace said as she watched them stared at one another before raising their right hand after much hesitation.
“Good. Very good. Any other person? Come on, you can do this. Don’t let the devil deceive you that you can’t because this would change your life for the best.” Mummy Grace said and more hands were raised including Debby’s.
“That’s more like it. Okay I think we’ve made progress for this morning. Henry please give us closing prayer.” Mummy Grace said and a guy seated opposite Debby stood up to pray.
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Charity was taking an office break with a snack when she heard a smooth quiet voice within her.
“Thank you.” The voice said. She knew instantly it was the Holy Spirit speaking to her.
“Thank you? For what?”
“Letting me use you translate Deborah from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.” The voice replied and Debby smiled lightly.
“Because you focused on seeking first the kingdom and pleasing me even when it was tough for you sometimes, your case is settled.”
“My case? What case?” She asked and just then a call came in.
“Who’s this?” She asked herself as she stared at the unknown number for a while.
“Just pick up.” A thought within her suggested.
“Hello?”
“Hello Miss Charity, good day to you.”
“Yes good day. Please who am I speaking with please?”
“It’s Dr. Vincent. Remember the doctor at…..”
“Oh oh oh Dr. Vincent good afternoon. Sorry I didn’t save your number so I didn’t know it was you calling.”
“Oh that’s not a problem at all. How are you doing today, and how’s work?”
“Work is fine we thank God. What about yours?”
“Same as yours. Uhmmm….. Please when would you be free? I want to uhm….I just want to see you and have a talk with you, if you don’t mind ”
“Oh okay but that would be weekend. My week is very busy because of the nature of my job.”
“Oh alright. That’s fine by me. How’s Debby? I hope she’s doing well ”
“Yes she is, thank you. I’d send your greetings to her and let her know you called.”
“Yes please, do so. Okay let’s talk later then, I have to attend to these documents staring at me in the face.” He said as she chuckled.
“Okay then. Do have a lovely day.” He said
“Yes thank you. Bye.” She responded and with that the call ended.
“What was that?” Charity wondered.
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It was evening already and Debby was on the bed, reading a book.
“Hello, can I come in?” She heard a female voice ask, followed by a knock.
“Yes come in.” She said and someone her age walked into her room.
“Hi, good evening.” She said as Debby turn around to see who it was.
“Hello. You’re the one asking for pen this morning at the devotion, right?”
“Yes yes I am. How are you?”
“I’m fine, I’m doing very well. What about you?”
“I’m okay too. You’re new here?”
“Yeah. I’m guessing it’s the same with you.” Debby said as she nodded. Just then, someone came to announce to them that it was time for food.
“I want to understand something here: the number of people in this house, are they related to mummy Grace by blood or something?” Debby asked in the middle of their meal as the girl laughed.
“No dummy, how can you say that? We’re too many to be related by blood.”
“Yeah I noticed. Then I don’t know, does she run an orphanage home or something? Because at the devotion today, I was amazed at the number of people present. We were up to 15 if not more , so I was wondering how she was able to gather so much. Probably she’s running an orphanage home or something.” Debby said and the girl laughed for a while.
“You amuse me a lot dear. How can you even think that, that we’re all orphans? Okay you that you’re here, are you an orphan?”
“Nooo, God forbid.”
“Ehe! The same way you have parents is the same way we have parents too.
Mummy Grace is a member of our church that loves intercession and anything evangelism, especially to young souls like you and I. She seems to be interested in grooming people in the way of the Lord and so people from her church bring her younger ones to her to stay for a stipulated period of time especially during the holidays, just to learn more about God.”
“Oh oh I get it now. Probably that’s how my mom got to know her. Okay so everyone here were willingly brought by a parent or guardian, right?” Debby asked as the girl laughed.
“Did you say willingly? Well, from the look of things, some were forced here, while some came with a ready heart. Take a look at that guy adjacent us. Do you think he loves it here?” She asked as Debby looked in the direction to find a guy seated and angrily staring around.
“Hmmm…….this is quite interesting.” Debby thought aloud and just then, mummy Grace walked into the dining room where everyone was eating.
“Good evening wonderful souls, I hope you’ve been enjoying your stay so far.
Please as soon as you’re done eating, I need you all to sit and wait for me in the living room so you could be all distributed to your various hostels. Is that taken, please?” She said and everyone chorused a yes.
“Did she just say hostel?” Debby whispered to the girl beside her.
“Yes, I guess we’re all going to be shared to different rooms where we’d be staying in twos, since were a bit small.”
“And you know that how? I thought you said you were new too.”
“Well, my sister happened to be here last year so I’m not totally new.”
“Oh ……”
As soon as they were done eating, they gathered at the living room as agreed and mummy Grace called out their names, allocating them to various rooms in the house.
“Wait, how’s this house going to contain all of us?”
“They own the whole building, so some of us are going to be staying at the first and second floor when this place is filled up.”
“Oh wow. She owns the whole of this house? Amazing!” Debby thought.
Soon Debby was called and she fell among the set of people to live upstairs at the first floor. Her new found friend too was in the same category with her.
“Okay please those going upstairs, be careful not to fall. Just tread carefully and go there to wait for me, I’m coming.” Mummy Grace said as Debby and the rest went upstairs.
Soon mummy Grace joined them upstairs and allocated them to their various rooms.
“Deborah and Dorothy, room 04.” Mummy Grace called out and Debby followed the people in front of her going to their own rooms.
“You’re in my room?” Debby asked on getting to room 04 and seeing the girl she’s been conversing with walk into the room with her.
“Yes!”
“You must be Dorothy then.”
“Exactly!” She said with a warm smile and with that they settled in their room.
Although the room was fairly furnished, Debby had to put somethings in place and wash their bathroom.
“I hope to have an amazing time here.” Dorothy said dreamingly.
“Yeah, me too.”
*”STRUCK DOWN”*
*_EPISODE SEVENTEEN_*
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“Hey wake up. It’s time for morning devotion already.” Dorothy said, waking Debby up.
“Are we seriously gonna have to be waking up like this every morning?” Debby said pouting. She obviously wanted to sleep a little further.
“Well, some of us are working so we have to have a short fellowship before going our separate ways so….yeah we’re seriously gonna have to be waking up each morning by this time.” Dorothy responded and tapped Debby a little further before she finally dragged herself off from bed.
“So are we going downstairs or what?”
“No, we’re staying here. We wouldn’t be needing to be going downstairs anymore, we have a mentor of our own.” Dorothy responded and just then they arrived at the living room.
“You see? People aren’t even here yet, you just wanted to be wicked to me this morning, I don’t know if I’ve offended you before.” Debby said as Dorothy giggled
“But on the timetable it says 5am is morning devotion na.”
“What timetable?” Debby asked and just then an elderly woman walked into the living room.
“Good morning everyone. Where are the rest?” She said when she looked around to find only 4 people plus herself in the living room.
“My roommate is taking her bath.” A girl named Sylvia said
“Mine would soon be here, I suppose.” Another girl said.
“Okay, that’s fine. Let’s gather around and commence already, the rest can join us later.” She said and with that she began with opening prayer followed by worship songs.
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“Wow…..this is amazing. Oh wow.” Debby thought aloud as soon as they got back to their rooms.
“What? What is amazing?”
“Today’s devotion of course. The way she explained today’s passage and linked it to our real life is so….. awesome. It’s no wonder I hear people say the Bible is the Christian’s guide. It’s not a lie because by the time a passage is explained to you by a spiritually high person, you’d get the right guidance you need at that point in time.
Wow wow wow….. awesome! Really awesome.” Debby said as Dorothy let out a smile.
“I’m glad you enjoyed today’s devotion after all the complaints that I woke you up too early. You should be thanking me sef; if not for me you would’ve missed the awesome devotion you’re jubilating about.”
“Who said so? I would’ve woken up by myself, durh.”
“Yeah right, after we must’ve been done with everything.”
“It’s a lie joor.”
“Anyways, I’m glad you enjoyed today’s devotion. I’m glad. So glad.”
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Baba was consulting in his shrine when an image appeared in front of him.
“Abomination, never!” He said as he saw Chief’s wife trying to persuade him to join her to attend Church, where she had met her new found love – Christ.
“Never! Who dares to free the lion’s prey under his very watch? Impossible!” He said to himself and made incantations.
“Chief mustn’t escape my claws, he mustn’t!”
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Dorothy sat alone in her bed space deep in thoughts as Debby was in the shower.
“Dear Holy Spirit, I came here to learn to listen to you and your leadings and obey promptly, I don’t want the flesh to have a say over my life again.” Dorothy prayed silently as she recalled a time she had a leading in her spirit to pray for the current project her family was on but did next to nothing about it except for the few words of prayer she offered in a few seconds. Three weeks later, problems began in her family that delayed the project and they got duped, delaying the project even further financially.
She recalled the strong urge in her heart to pray and regretted not taking it seriously enough to do something about it, and then promised herself it wouldn’t happen again.
“Lord I believe my coming here would help sharpen my spirit and weaken my flesh even further, so I can offer prompt obedience to your leadings. Please help me achieve this goal. Amen”
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Dorothy kept tossing uncomfortably on her bed until she reluctantly opened her eyes.
“Who left the lights on for crying out loud!” She screamed within and turned around to find her roomie reading her Bible with a jotter beside her.
“Oh God! Living with someone other than you can be hard at times.” She reasoned within, wondering why she couldn’t just use her lamp instead of putting on the lights and denying someone of sleep.
“Hey, still up?”
“Yes! I can’t get enough of the devotion of yesterday.” Debby said. Dorothy checked the time and it was past 1am.
“Babe this is morning. We’d be having another devotion in less than 4hrs time.”
“Yes I know but it just feels this particular verse and topic is for me alone.” Debby said and Dorothy sighed. Though she wanted to just put off the light and get back to sleep, a part of her urged her to be patient enough to hear her friend out.
“So tell me, what makes you think so?”
“The passage makes me think so, and the explanations too.
Luke 8:41-54…..that was where we read right?” Debby asked as Dorothy nodded in response.
“It said that Jarius came to Jesus to ask for healing for his daughter. According to the teacher, that’s how someone somewhere who we may or may not know takes the pain of going to Jesus in prayer on our behalf to tell him of our sickness, of our plight and of what we’re passing through.”
“Yes, I remember her mentioning that.”
“Yes, and it resonates so well with me because I was once a sick bed like Jairus daughter and someone who I had treated badly was on her knees interceding to God for me.
In my case, I had two Jairuses- a friend of mine, and my mom. These were the people I had thought had given up on me.”
“Hmmmm….”
“Yes, and then Jairus daughter too can be likened to my destiny. I lived a very wayward life and throughout that time my destiny was as sick as Jairus’ daughter and I never got to know of it until recently.
At this point in my life I feel my destiny has moved from being sick to actually dead just as Jairus’ was told that his daughter was no longer sick but dead. And there has been this voice in my head lately telling me not to bother about my destiny anymore…..that it’s gone.
The voice telling me that is like the same man in vs 49 telling Jairus not to bother Jesus anymore, that his daughter is dead already.
Babe, honestly there has been this voice in my head trying to convince me not to bother getting mentored in an attempt to get closer to Christ to heal my sick destiny and it really felt like that voice was already succeeding in my head until I heard Jesus response to such voices in vs 50: fear not, only believe.
It went ahead to tell us that Jesus went to the sick and already dead girl to heal her and she recovered.
This miracle alone gives me the hope and faith that if I persevere in seeking Him He’d come heal my sick and already dead destiny.” Debby said and gave a light smile.
“Hmmm…..wow. It’s the way you took the passage so personal for me.” Dorothy commented.
“That’s because it is personal and resonates so well with me.”
“Hmm….wow. This is…..quite interesting but what’s this about a dead destiny?”
“Well, I believe when one is first given birth to, such person has pure and unaltered destiny at first. But when such person grows and begins to love unrighteousness and sin, such person’s destiny becomes polluted, wounded, sick and could probably be dead, according to the degree of hurt (sin) done.” Debby said as she listened on.
“But in my case, I consider my destiny already dead because of my past.”
“Hmm….well, what I know and what my Bible tells me is no matter how terrible your past might be, He can make something beautiful out of it if you’re able to hand it over to Him.
And since you’ve given your life to Christ, I’m sure He’s going to turn whatever mess you feel you’ve made in the past into a message.” Dorothy said as Debby sighed and nodded her head.
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Chief was having the most frustrating time of his life. Thinking so hard of what to do to get the girl he slept with for rituals in his fingertips again has become so difficult as there was no help from anywhere to help achieve his aim.
While alone in his room and deep in thoughts, he heard a knock on the door.
“Who’s that person disturbing my time alone?” He roared and the knock stopped, probably out of fear.
After a few minutes, the door creaked open.
“Benson.” Chief’s wife called out as soon as she walked in.
“Is something troubling you? Why did you have to shout that way?”
“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know it was you who was at the door.”
“Hmmm…..Benson….” She called softly and came to sit down beside him.
“Ben when are we going to stop all these and enjoy this marriage for once?” She said with her soft-spoken voice as her husband turned to look at her.
“Stop what exactly?”
“For years now you’ve distanced yourself from me. We’re more or less like strangers because we hardly know anything about each other. The little things I knew about you years back have changed because we’re all evolving yet there’s no intimacy whatsoever between us. Our level of communication too is very poor, so poor that even the boys notice it when they come home for holidays.
My love, this isn’t the kind of marriage you promised me, neither is it the kind of marriage I promised you.
Please, whatever the problem is, let’s open up to each other so we can make this work and rekindle the old love again.
My love I miss the olden days and it should not be……” Helen said but was cut short with Chief’s wave of hands.
“Enough of your nags and emotional talks woman. You know the root of the problem in this marriage.”
“I know? If I did know, why would I be behaving like I don’t and asking you?”
“Well maybe because you’ve refused to admit it.”
“Admit that what?”
“That it’s you Helen. You’re the architect of the challenge this marriage is passing through!” Chief said at the top of his voice.
“Ever since you joined that so-called church, things have never been the same between us. Always praying, always fasting, always going extreme at anything.
What is wrong with you?”
“But my love it is for our own good.”
“Oh well I don’t see how that is for our own good in any way. Your new lifestyle has done more than good.” Chief said and Helen was really pierced by his words.
” Chief what exactly are you saying?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying Helen. Stop this your religious fanatics and this marriage would be what you desire of it.” Chief said and laid back on his bed as Helen left the room with her head bowed.
She had barely walked into the guestroom when her phone began to ring.
“Hello pastor.”
“Hello Mrs. Helen, good day Ma.”
“Hmmm….good day Pastor, how do you do today?”
“I’m okay Sir.”
“You’re okay? But your sound of your voice is saying otherwise.”
“No really I’m fine. If there’s anything, I’ll be sure to let you know. But as of now I’m fine.”
“Okay Ma, if you say so. My regards to you and your family.”
“Okay, thank you so much for calling.”
“You’re welcome Ma.”
As soon as the call ended, Helen picked up a picture on the table she had taken with her husband years back.
“Hmmm……if anyone told me my marriage would be like this, I’d never had ventured into it.
*_To be Continued.._*
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