Most of the time, when we make a mistake, the usual defence has always been that, “I just thought within me that it was the best way to do it, not knowing that it would end this way,” someone would say. That was how our Chemical Company was liquidated. Our MD went to China, though he holds a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, a Chinese con man loaded drums of mud water for us, in place of chemicals. Our loss was the price for, “I thought…” There was no God factor!
Some ugly things could happen, which will dictate an unusual line of conduct in a family. Friends and colleagues, who know you, are surprised and wonder, how you allowed such a thing to happen. The usual explanation could be that you had a family meeting, where you agreed that it should be done that way. It has brought much shame, painting your family in lurid colours. ‘Family meeting’, no God factor!
Uncle and his wife, all the years, had been an example to copy by many people. For some time now, people have not been seeing them close. ‘I’ has taken over ‘We’ in their affairs. Rumour mill is strong that they are on the brink of divorcing, but it is difficult to believe, considering their marital impact on people. Someone musters courage and meets Uncle on the rumour mill. “Well, that’s true,” he tells him, “my wife and I, after reviewing our relationship have decided to call it quits”. ‘My wife and I’, no God factor in it!
Two men had been relating all the years in such a manner that some people had thought that they were twins. Any of them could settle the bill of the other, if he was aware of it. One day, one of them played a fast game on the other that involved a substantial amount of money. Tongues were wagging about it, and some people were saying boldly that they had expected such a thing, arguing that they were never true friends. The few people, who believed that they were committed to each other really, said that the culprit would not be dragged to court by his friend, though it involved a huge amount of money. One day, Uncle sued ‘his twin brother’. Someone, who was aware of their deep relationship, asked him why he did so. “My elder brother insisted that I must sue him,” he said. Yes, ‘my elder brother’, but no God factor!
Uncle Okey and Jane have been very close and what many people had been expecting was their wedding card. In recent times, many people have noticed the drifting away of one from the other. They have noticed also the closeness between Uncle and Kate. Pulling the bull by the horn, Olu confronted him one day. Okey kept mum all through. He must have forgotten that Olu does not give up easily on anything he does. At last, Uncle replied, “My mum said that I should not marry her”. ‘My mother said’, and he acted, no God factor!
The Police and the general public were surprised, why a lady, had only a child, after ten years of marriage, could behead the child. Her defence was that whatever thing she did or did not do, was beyond her control. “That night, I saw my fellow women, some of them, older than me, and some quite younger, drinking ogogoro and seeping some hard drugs. Out of nothing but mere curiosity, I joined them. It was the first time I was involved in such things. I didn’t know any other thing I did,” Aunty said. Death of her only child, the prize of doing what others do! No God factor!
In 1969, I arrived at my town, which was under the Federal Army, I was very skeptical of moving about. My eldest sister did not like my posture. She continued to tell me, how Chuks, my age mate from the village where she was married, was always mixing freely with the Nigerian soldiers. That was how she would like me to be relating with them. Soldiers! At war time! I put her wishes behind me. One day, we received bad news that Chuks was shot dead by a Nigerian soldier. He went to collect the money of a radio set he sold to the soldier. A soldier told him to go back home, as he overheard the man vowing that he would kill him if he dared to disturb him. It made my sister to stop her desire that I should follow Chuks in relating with the soldiers. Some people have regretted for copying others. No God factor!
Concerning the Lord Jesus, the Scriptures tell us, “The Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil”. He did not go there by reasoning. He was led, not by any human counsel, but by the Spirit of God. The result of anything we do is different and successful, if we are led by God. Human reasoning is limited, no matter, who reasons it.
Goliath was terrorizing God’s people and speaking blasphemies that forced them into hiding. It was the Spirit of God that made David’s father to send him to the war front, so that he would bring food to his elder brothers and to enquire about their welfare. The Spirit of God also, convicted David to fight and kill Goliath, when he heard his blasphemies. God’s Spirit made him, an idle civilian, a youth, who had never seen battle before, to kill Gen. Goliath. With the Spirit of God guiding someone, impossibilities become possible!
When we lean on the leading of God’s Spirit, it may not make any sense to some people. Our confidence in our action is that we do not do such things to please anybody. Consider the situation, where David found out that the Amalekites had raided and burnt his house and kidnapped his wives and children. They did the same for his servants, and he was asking God if he would pursue the evil people! Imagine! What else would he have done, if not to pursue them? God was pleased with him. Announcing the result of a match before it was played, He told him to pursue them and that he would recover all he had lost plus jara! And so it was. Human wisdom fails but God’s Spirit does not and has not!
Nobody told Apostle Peter the amount of money Uncle Ananias and his wife, sold their plot of land. Peter was led by the Spirit of God to know that the couple sold their land more than what they declared to the people of God. None of them could contest it and the end result was their death.
‘I thought’, ‘my family said’, ‘my wife and I’, ‘my elder brother’, ‘my mother’, ‘drug and alcohol’, ‘copying people’ has serious limitations. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, the Spirit of God made David to kill Goliath, the Spirit made David to ask God whether he would pursue the Almalekites, who kidnapped his wives and children, the Spirit of God made Peter to know that Ananaias and his wife were lying about the amount they sold their land. Without any doubt, we see that it is good to be led by the Spirit.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0909 041 9057; [email protected]