Chapter 33
“They are here…the sons of Ba’al and Janut have arrived!” announced Ade with a voice that sounded like the voices of a multitude. His countenance was like a mask upon which was imprinted the face of sheer evil…for Ba’al had taken possession of him utterly so that there was no longer any trace of Ade.
“Indeed…but a few more months and they will be ready,” replied Belial.
They stood in Ade’s house…Baal was clothed in Ade’s body while Belial remained in his true form. Janut was there to celebrate with them…the translucent man who had initiated the whole process.
“I wonder if they will grow to be giants or if like your son Bulawa, they will grow to possess powers we have never seen before,” said Janut turning to Belial.
“That remains to be seen Janut,” replied Belial.
“The Lord of Darkness is impatient for this battle to begin, why not now Belial?” asked Baal.
“It has begun already Baal; it just isn’t yet our turn. Already mobs are gathering against the churches; possessed by the armies of Familiars that recently entered through the Gateways built in my kingdom,” responded Belial.
“As I recall, there was a wave of persecution started by Baal against the followers of the Nazarene, which I was summoned to quell. It already scared away many of them from here. Why would we repeat the same strategy again?” asked Janut.
“The persecution was premature. It came too soon…yet it served a certain purpose…for those that remain are probably the true followers of the Nazarene…they are the ones who are not afraid of death…but we will see,” answered Belial.
“So where does the church of our enemies fit into this?” asked Baal.
“The Plan is to draw out Michael and his Elite Warriors…surely the Majesty will be compelled to send them to avert such city wide destruction of his beloved creatures? When that happens, they will have to go through the heavy resistance we have organised in the Heavenlies. Michael almost nearly didn’t succeed when he came alone to the rescue of the angel fighting to get past the Prince of Persia and get to Daniel not so long ago”
“If and when they do succeed, their numbers will be severely depleted…but they will certainly arrive here on earth…except that Michael will have not one but three arch angels to contend with. We will despatch Michael back to the Third Heavens where he will be incapacitated for a very long time. Should he get through us, he certainly will not survive long against the Lord of Darkness having been weakened by the three of us.”
“In the meantime, Bulawa, the Witch Mother and a host of Familiars will occupy the female mortals…their pastor does not seem to pose much of a threat…he appears not to have any fighting skills or experience like the female mortals…the female mortals will be easy pickings for Bulawa,” finished Belial.
“A splendid plan!” said Janut, applauding silently.
“It should be…you gave us the intial idea didn’t you,” said Baal, looking at Janut in admiration. Janut bowed modestly…they all strolled in together to see the new born babies.
They were the size of two year olds as was to be expected…they sat munching away at parts of their parents bodies…no one could have survived that kind of birth…their mothers had long been gone and a stench had begun to pervade the atmosphere…not that it mattered to them…Janut left with the others, his translucent body melted away like butter under the hot sun…Baal shrugged off Ade, leaving him standing befuddled…let him deal with the corpses…
The rise and fall of tens of thousands of angelic voices filled the Great Hall as they sang Eternal Praises to the One who sat upon the Throne. They did not just sing…they sang from within, their lips barely moving…Light shimmered and rippled all around them in endless waves and patterns…it seemed to emanate from the Throne…it was the fresh air of Heaven and all who breathed in the Light released its Life…for it came from only one source…The Throne!
Then the One on the Throne arose and the voices fell quiet…
Michael, Warlord of Heaven stepped forward and prostrated himself flat on his face before the King of kings and the Lord of lords…behind him countless warriors all clad in armours of light followed suit.
They want to lay senseless waste to the city; began the Most High.
They lay in wait for you Michael…you and your host…they are full of cunning…but you are full of wisdom. Go therefore in the might of the Spirit and prevent that which was not written from happening. Secure the city…as to My children…there shall be no angelic assistance for them…they have come of age…they are sons of the Most High and this day shall conduct themselves in such a manner…this day the manifold wisdom of God shall be made known to all Principalities and Powers…for they have learnt to battle not in their own strength…but to put the Spirit Himself ahead of them…though they fall…they will not bow to the Lord of Darkness…they are My faithful ones. Go Michael…go with My blessing…Said the Most High.
Michael raised himself to one knee, not daring to raise his eyes to the One upon the Throne…he drew his mighty sword and raised it high…
To the Majesty! Roared Michael…
To the Majesty! Responded tens of thousands of warriors…
Michael inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of the Cherubim and Seraphim around the throne…his mighty arms rippled with strength as he took his leave…they were being expected by hosts of fallen angels in the Heavenlies…but they didn’t have to go through the Heavenlies…the Spirit was here…He would conduct them in secrecy…He would hide them beneath the shadow of His Wings…
Michael smiled grimly… As they left the Court, Michael heard His voice clearly…
Their eyes shall be blinded for a season…
It was their cue to depart at once…the Spirit had gone before them…they would not need twenty one days as before in the time of Daniel…they would get there this very same day…Michael chuckled at the wisdom and power of the Spirit.
Hasten Michael; the Lord of Darkness awaits your coming…he and his Princes!
Michael bowed his head in the light of the Spirit…My Lord I go, with your blessing!
The landscape of the Heavenlies was barren…filled with darkness and fear…hatred…distrust and betrayal…the Second Heavens were filled with fallen angels armed to the teeth…they stood battle ready, waiting for the approach of the Host from the Third Heaven…except that they waited in vain…what struck them as odd was the passing through of the Spirit Himself…never had he done that before!
A messenger was instantly dispatched to the Lord of Darkness about the anomaly…the harsh blinding light forced the fallen angels to break their ranks and run for cover…darkness was not merely their home…it was their life…the Light hurt…the touch of it against their spirits was like fire in the bones of a mortal.
And as the Spirit descended further into the First Heavens, even the demon spirits known as Familiars had gotten wind of his Presence…the entire landscape was deserted…they watched from their hiding places as the Almighty Dove descended to the Earthly Realm as he had done before upon the Christ and upon his Church …only this time…his Presence was like the Trojan Horse that carried within it, the destruction of the Enemy…under the Shadow of his Wings…unseen…
Daga’ath the Principality left behind by Lucifer to oversee things in the Second Heavens, stared in consternation at the descending Spirit…he was troubled at the new development.
They are planning something…something big! He whispered to himself, beginning to pace around in endless circles.
Where are his angels…surely he will not stoop down so low as to take us on by Himself? Daga’ath asked no one in particular. All the fallen angels had wisely scuttled out of his way…when one of the Princes was like this; it usually meant trouble for the rest of them.
Follow him all the way down into the First Heavens! Roared Daga’ath, glaring at the warrior angels that now scurried to do his bidding. At a safe and respectful distance they tagged along behind the Spirit till he disappeared entirely as he arrived in the First Heavens.
Reluctantly they soared back into their home in the Second Heavens…
If I take the armies down there, suppose it is a trick to make us leave the Second Heavens unguarded? Daga’ath was quite beside himself now…he whispered to himself feverishly, trying to think of a way out…the Lord of Darkness had merely told him to secure the Second Heavens…he had not been instructed to leave it…so let them deal with whatever was coming down there to them…he would stay here as instructed…
Chapter 34
It had taken a while, but both Muyiwa and Kola had made up their minds to be part of the team as they called the intercessory group. Both of them had had interactions with actual fallen angels…it just seemed the right thing to do.
They had both embarked on a one week dry fast. Pastor Adewusi had taught them that the flesh could be subdued through fasting…for when it became weak due to lack of food, its passions and lusts too also grew weak. But he had taught them much more than just abstaining from food, for the mind too also had to be starved of its desires…so they had taken a break from their computer screens…instead they concentrated entirely on the Word of God.
“The mind too will grow too weak to keep up its endless cycle of thoughts that it keeps generating in the mind, if those things that feed it are removed for a season,” Pastor Adewusi had taught them.
“When the mind is thus given a compulsory break from its endless patterns of thought and thinking processes, it would no longer be found wandering or indulging itself in imaginations…it would now become a servant of the spirit within; revelation would flow easily and directly from the spirit to the mind because the former distractions that hindered it have been removed,” Pastor Adewusi had taught them many things indeed.
With little baby steps their wives had stood by them as they started praying in other tongues. At first they couldn’t manage more than a few minutes before they had to switch over to praying with the mind.
“It will come with time,” Wunmi had encouraged both of them in one of their prayer sessions.
Then three days later, Kola decided to try it out on his own after his wife left to pick their children from school. At a certain point he felt like something was bubbling up right from his belly…suddenly he felt the power come through as his voice suddenly changed in intensity of its own accord…usually he always looked at his watch to see how many minutes he had spent in praying, but on this day he was looking at his watch to see how much further he could go…he didn’t want to stop! Something had come alive or quickened within him!
One hour later when his family returned, Kola was still praying in the spirit in his study. Wunmi quietly opened the door to let him know they were back and went away smiling and skipping a little bit in her joy.
“Thank you Lord…you really did make everything beautiful for me in your own time didn’t you! To think my husband could change so much! I thank you my Lord!”
Later that evening after the children had gone to bed, they sat together sharing the Word of God. Kola had become insatiable; he simply couldn’t get enough of the Word of God. He was enraptured whenever Wunmi opened the bible lovingly and explained certain things to him…he felt like he had entered another world once the Scriptures were opened up to him.
He hoped that one day, he too would be able to receive revelation for himself…but for now, he was content to listen to his wife Wunmi teach him.
“This is why praying in other tongues is so important, it’s because when we pray like that, it is our spirit that is praying not our minds. If our spirit prays then we are praying in line with the God’s Will. Let me show you from scriptures,” Wunmi said.
1CO 14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
“But there’s more, it is also the way the spirit builds itself up, much like strengthening the spirit man.
1CO 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
“Do you see how the word edify is also used in connection with prophesying in church? Well, many people think that praying in an unknown tongue edifies the spirit by building power into the spirit, whereas a comparison of the same word edify in the two instances shows that something more is inclusive. Prophesying is the means that the church is encouraged or forewarned about things to come,” said Wunmi, turning to her head.
“Go on,” said Kola, not wanting her to stop.
“So it also means that not only do we build power into our spirits through praying in other tongues; but we also receive revelation from God through the same means. Prophesying entails a revelation from God to the Church. I receive a lot of guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit as a result of praying for prolonged periods of time in other tongues,” said Wunmi, smiling.
“I know, and here was I complaining and grumbling back then about how ‘over spiritual’ you were…had I only known”, said Kola ruefully.
“Better late than never, at least we are on the same side now aren’t we,” said Wunmi, tapping her husband on his nose.
“ I see now that the key is consistency,” said Kola
“Yes, consistency along with living right otherwise you just become an empty vessel making noise. It is not all praying in other tongues that builds power into your spirit you know, one has to really be living a righteous and holy life. That means, that a lot of sacrifices would have to be made,” continued Wunmi.
“Like what?” asked Wunmi.
Wunmi promptly opened her bible again…
RO 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
“What you do with your mind goes a long way in determining how strong your spirit really is. If you are minding the things of the flesh, all your praying in tongues won’t change a thing.”
“Does that mean I need to spend more time reading the bible?” Kola asked.
“Not really; what it means is that one must change the affections and desires of the mind...the things that the mind loves so dearly such that worldly things no longer have a hold over it. There is so much technology now that captivates people almost all day and if care is not taken, most of the night too. People watch movies, stay on social media for hours, play games on their PCs; these are ways in which the enemy seeks to take control of our lives and cause us to spend our time and by proxy our lives in frivolous ways.”
1John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
“Imagine a person who spends even half the time he spends on the social media, studying the Word or praying in the spirit, his mind would quickly become attuned and sensitized to a different kind of world entirely,” said Kola smiling as he picked up the bible.
“Exactly! The Word has a way of sensitizing the spirit and making it lose interest in the things of this world,” said Wunmi.
As Kola switched off the lights, he reflected on the things he had learnt that evening…he tried to reach deeper…his mind would not let go of the words Wunmi had shared with him…one scripture kept coming back to his mind…
RO 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
He didn’t want to be one who lived after the flesh…on a sudden impulse he opened his bible and looked again at that scripture, then read the entire chapter to the end.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
It was impossible to please God if one remained in the flesh…that meant that keeping the mind focused so much of the time on the things and toys of the world would keep one in the constant displeasure of God!
He said a quick prayer under his breath..
Father whatever it will take, free me from the carnal mind…teach me to walk in your ways…teach me exactly how to be spiritually minded…
You have just begun son!
At first he was startled for he thought Janut had returned and was speaking in his mind again…but it wasn’t in his mind…it wasn’t even a voice per se…he seemed to receive the revelation of something in his heart…it was a revelation of God’s pleasure…God was pleased with him!
Kola resisted the impulse to dash into their bedroom and tell Wunmi…God had just spoken to him for the very first time!
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