A period came when the travails of life hit him so hard. Like a tempest he felt he may just sink in the boat of life. Keeping his destination in focus; his thought was like “No! I don’t want to die without being fulfilled.” So he began to offload his belongings into the sea so as to make his weight light enough to reach his destination. Despite these he knew this was a trick of the devil to shake him and make him jump into the sea like Prophet Jonah.
Ajani took little thought of the risks: He saw a big ship approaching and he took the advantage to be safe, at least for the moment. “You are mingling with the devils” The spirit warned him. But he prayed, “I know; this is the limit of my enduring strength Oh Lord. So I admit that I am weak. But if you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I pray that you save me.”
Amidst all odds and sins, Ajani’s biggest failure was an affair with the princess of the sea. How he came out of the trap he did not understand. But the biggest shocker of his life was when the demon tested his grace. Approaching Ajani like a buffalo, all he could pray was that the power of darkness encounter the light of God. Knowing he is not worthy to call on the protection of God, he still affirms that his time to die has not come. And God was faithful to his call in a way he could never have imagined: because the earth opened up and made Ajani swallow the buffalo.
This story was not what I planned to write on this article, but I thank God for that grace. Many times so many ministers of the gospel make mistakes. Some brood over it and sink deeper into failure. Some pretend not to know their wrong and they ended up not being able to recover from their fall. But here, I want to state that I respect those who admit that they are not perfect, even if they are the biggest preachers around. And I want to state that those are the people who experience Ajani’s kind of grace.
Check out what the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And he hath said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (ASV).
Yes! Maybe you are already getting my point, and you consider yourself to be like Ajani; see, you need to ponder on Romans 5:1-6, “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God… For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly…” (ASV)
Nobody said it is good to make a mistake, fail, or fall into sin. But the truth is anyone can do such, since we are all in the flesh. It is the resolve that we have not to let go of God that matters in such times. And I think that was what saved David in the first place (Watch out for my book on David). Remember it is a child whom the father loves that he chastises (Hebrews 12:6), so expect to receive your punishment when you make a mistake in your walk with God and don’t think you can just mess up without being punished. However, that is not my point: For as long as you are still a child of God (Who admits weaknesses and plead when you fail) even if you are experiencing God’s punishment, He will not allow you to fall into the hand of the enemy flatly. Remember Jeremiah 1:19 “And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.” (AMPLIFIED)
I don’t know the wrong you have made in your walk with God; but I have come to tell you that He will not let you go just like that… And if any demon in hell thinks he/she can just mess you up because of your mistake then they should be ready to face that same God who gave Samson the strength to kill more people in his death than those he killed while he was alive! (Judges 16:28-30)
[Dedicated to Eternal Order Ministries, in honour of her Mid-Year Retreat 2011. 15-17 July @ Camp House, Winners Chapel Ota, Ogun state.]
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