By Their Fruits you shall know; part 2

A pastor was fighting for his life in early June last year after he was beaten into a coma when condoms fell out of his bible during a preaching session in a bus in lagos, Nigeria. While preaching to the passengers, he was uttering statements such as ''If you wear trousers, you'll go to hell! Make-ups and weavons are from the marine kingdom! If you have pre-marital sex, you will burn in hell!''  While he was preaching and laying hands on passengers (Usual practice of Nigerian bus preachers), two Durex Condoms fell out of his bible.
The angry men in the bus who had been feeling guilty due to the preachings against fornication, suddenly got mad and pounced on him. While they were battering him he started shouting, ''I also preach safe sex, safe sex is good!''  He was beaten into unconciousness before the police arrived.

(Curled from our daily manna, by Dr Chris kwakpovwe.)

After reading this story, I had a good laugh. On the other hand, I gave a serious thought to the story and the different possibilities. That a condom was found in his bible didn't necessarily mean he was commiting adultry or fornication. what if it was meant for his wife? what if he wasn't aware that it was inside his bible, or what if it was a set up. I also pondered on his response when he was being beaten  ''I also preach safe sex! ridiculous! Did he really mean that? or did he just say that out of fear of being beaten to death.
Well, whatever the case is, I grabbed two important lessons here;
First,
 Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest,  neither is anything hidden that will not be made known (Luke  8: 17) 
Secondly,

God knows them that  are  His, those thst name the name of the lord or profess Jesus must stay away from evil or whatever resembles evil "  (11 Tim 2: 19)

Believers are targets of the devil who always wants to oppose God and make God look like a like a liar.

There's a nursery rhyme that says ''He that is down needs fear no fall.....I cant remember the complete lyrics but I remember that song each time I face huge temptation that can make me fall or can lead to my disgrace/shame if not properly handled.
As a believer, It helps to bear in mind that there are lots of things unbelievers can do and get away with it, nasty stuff that they do and no one would raise an eye brow or talk about it, but you cannot dare the same as a child of God. Infact, the very first time you attempt same thing, the devil will not only plot your downfall but will so disgrace you that you'lld not be able to forgive yourself for what you did.

I remember having this discussion with a friend who was upset with her boss. She said to me ''Chi, why is it that everyone in the office does this and gets away with it? why must my own case be different? why does my boss have to confront me and place me on surveillance, even after I've explained  my situation to her?.''
I said to her, ''dont complain my dear, it's because you are different'' I could easily connect with her because I've had similar experiences. I therefore try to follow the right routes and protocols to almost everything I do, why? because the devil knows that I'm different.
When the bible said we should count it all joy when we pass through trials and tribulations, I'm sure it wasn't refering to the mess we find our selves in due to our sin. There's absolutely no joy in paying for one's own sin or mistakes.

 For instance, It definitely would have made a big difference if the preacher was beaten because he said some truths that offended people in the bus, or for preaching Jesus (as happens in some islamic countries) instead of for Condoms!

We know that as humans, we have flaws and weaknesses that struggle to have control over our lives all day long. We are the devil's target every second we breathe, and he fights to ensure we dont bear the fruit of God in us.
Every morning when we wake up, we need to ask God for the grace to overcome the temptations the day will blow our way.

by Chioma