My father has a degree in Godly Shamelessness.
Sometimes, I think people who were born into Christianity are too relaxed. Meanwhile, there is a kind of fire I consistently notice in people who converted to Christianity from another faith.
My father is a very strong example. He grew up in a community where idol worship was woven into everyday life. When he became a big boy, he upgraded fully into occultism and divination. And I don’t mean those small juju people do around. I’m talking premium stuff.
Azzin, if you no sabi book, you cannot cope with that level of occultism. Who exist you? If you could not read, you had no business there. Because to facilitate their spiritual practices, they studied esoteric and mystical texts, books on Astra projection, metaphysics, Rosicrucian literature, kabbalistic writings, name them! Everything they did came with a high level of structure and intentionality.
So when my daddy encountered Christ, it was not a half-belief something. He met Jesus with the same seriousness he once gave to the occult because he already understood things like power, cost, and allegiance. You know, once you have searched deeply for truth and power, and have seen the counterfeit up close, you do not play with the real thing when you finally meet it.
That was his story. And because of his background, there are three things my father does not joke with; words, authority, and silence.
I remember a few years ago, my sister was returning from school. She was an undergraduate at the time. As she was walking on our street, a middle-aged woman who owned a shop nearby, suddenly rushed out to greet her. It felt so strange because on that street, we had no friends and we minded our business.
“Fine girl, e don tey o. Where you dey since?”
“I’ve been in school,” my sister replied.
“Okay, greet your daddy for me.”
As my sister turned to continue her journey, the woman patted her on her head. My sister lost her peace in that moment and became so sad. She felt like something was stolen from her body. So she confronted the woman.
“Why did you touch my head, Ma? Am I your child?”
The woman immediately started acting offended and claimed she was only greeting her because she had not seen her in a while. People around jumped in and started correcting my sister. They said she was being rude and unappreciative, so she left the scene.
When she got home, she mentioned it to my father. My papa no even wait. He wore slippers and rushed out. My mother was running after him, telling him to calm down and understand the full situation first. Before she finished grammar, my papa don already reach the woman shop.
“Why did you touch my daughter’s head?”
“Ah pastor, I just dey greet am. Make una no carry am for mind.”
My father looked her straight in the eyes and said: “If you touched my daughter’s head with any evil intention, I return it back to the sender sevenfold in Jesus name. If you have harboured evil thoughts against anyone in my family, this moment, let evil slay the wicked!”
My father stood in front of her shop and kept speaking. People were watching. Ah! Even me, I wanted to enter inside ground.
That woman stopped coming to her shop after that day. A few weeks after, she died.
Days later, my father explained this godly shamelessness to me. He said that Christians are too chilled and people from the underworld take advantage of that.
According to him, the moment he stood in front of that woman’s shop, he picked it in his spirit that she wanted to renew her life with my sister’s. She was dying, and in her desperation, she sought to exchange her life for anyone available. But he discerned her move and stopped it in real time.
Of course, in the physical, he looked like an “overdo” because people around where shocked. Kilagbe kilaju? But in the spiritual realm, he was contesting and cancelling a transaction. That was the day I knew that souls could be exchanged. Isaiah 43:4 deepened my understanding of this further.
Why am I gisting you this?
Two weeks ago, my same sister told me about something she witnessed in a bus. Everyone was already seated when an elderly woman entered the bus, sat down, and immediately started commanding people to shift. People shifted. Then she focused on one particular girl beside her and kept disturbing her to shift again and again, even though that girl was the slimmest person there.
The girl politely explained that there was nowhere to shift to because the people beside were not moving. Immediately, the woman opened her mouth and told the girl “You will not live to see my age!” All the passengers were shocked.
Lol. “So wetin the girl reply?” I asked.
She said the girl said “God forbid” while the woman continued affirming that she won’t live long. A girl that did nothing! My sister said she had to start praying under her breath because at that moment, she realized the woman needed an excuse to pass a judgment.
Omo, e pain me o. Because I wish say I dey inside that bus. Honestly, E get some kind words person go tell you, or some kind kurukere movements person go move… the moment it registers in your spirit that something is up, switch things up! Clock it my dear!
As a child of God, that is not the time to maintain steeze, start crying, or saying ori e o pe! My father taught me that when people start speaking from a realm, DO NOT STAY SILENT. Enter into your own realm and speak from there!
What I mean is, RESPOND WITH SCRIPTURE! Never allow their voices to dominate the atmosphere. Look at David and Goliath. For forty days, Goliath released words over the armies of Israel. Words that kept them in fear! But David showed up, and the first thing we noticed is that he did not keep quiet. He introduced his God to Goliath.
The bible says that “those that know their God, they shall be STRONG! Open your mouth right there and start speaking the word of God.
Once they start, You respond that no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper, and no divination or enchantment against you shall stand. You declare that on your behalf, God has frustrated the tokens of liars and made nonsense of diviners. You declare that the rod of the wicked will NOT rest upon the lot of the righteous. You say that even if they fight, they will not prevail.
You declare that you are like Mount Zion and cannot be moved. You affirm that you dwell in the secret place of the Most High and therefore, no evil shall befall you. You affirm that violence CANNOT be heard in your land. You proclaim that the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof! The Lord is your light and your salvation, and your head is lifted above your enemies.
You state clearly that whoever that digs a pit will fall inside, and every trap laid by the wicked will catch their own necks. You remind the atmosphere that the Lord is a wall of fire around you, every snare is broken and that you have escaped. Yes, no one can take your life because your life is hid in Christ and Christ with God! In other words, they will have to kill Jesus before they kill you.
Suspend your everyday banter of “you are crazy and stupid”, speak from a higher realm! The bible says the voice of the Lord is powerful and breaks cedars!
These are not scriptures you admire quietly. These are scriptures you answer with. This is what I mean by godly shamelessness. It is not rudeness. It is not noise. It is knowing when silence is no longer humility or maturity.
Feel me?