I give all praise and thanks to God almighty, my pantokrator, the One true God Who knows all the stars in the sky by name. He neither sleeps nor slumbers. He keeps watching over His very own. Hallelujah!
I want to thank Him for delivering me from a fire accident that would have claimed lives and properties but He in His infinite mercy and love for me turned what the devil meant for a long-lasting misery into this mind-blowing testimony to the glory of His name. Hallelujah!
A couple of weeks ago, I woke up early in the morning, prayed and started getting ready for work. I put on my recorded faith confession and was repeating after myself, as I got ready. I was almost done with what I was doing when I suddenly remembered I had some sauce in the fridge and since there was no power I figured it must have defrosted, thus, I decided to warm it so that I could use it for dinner upon my return from work. I went into the kitchen, put the pot on the burner, turned on the heat and went to the room to finish getting dressed. I took my flask and shoes, and looked at the clock; it was time to leave since I usually join a colleague of mine to work. I dashed out of the house not remembering I had a pot on the fire. My resumption time is 7:30 a.m., so, I was already at the office before this time to close by 4:30 p.m.
While at work, one of the solo ministers in the New Wine Choir called me up and asked if I could back him up to which I agreed. The song was sent to me and I started listening to it, already knowing that I will be going home a bit late. After work, I came to church for rehearsal, which lasted for more than an hour. When we were done, we had our usually ten to twenty minutes small chit chat and laughing to cool off after a busy day, after which we went our separate ways. Until this time, I still didn’t remember I had a pot on the fire. I crossed over to the other side of the road to get a vehicle to go home but I didn’t see any for more than an hour due to the heavy traffic. Eventually, I got one and headed home. When I got to my junction, I had to get down from the cab to conclude a business discussion with a client. So, I got home at about some minutes to eight o’clock.
As I opened the gate to enter the premises, I perceived a strong burning smell and I actually stopped to say audibly, “Na who dey burn this kind thing by this time wey no go let person sleep well sef this night?” I thought someone was burning refuse or something around the neighbourhood. Little did I know that the smell was actually from my flat. Then, I moved forward to open my protector and then, the door. The smell was even stronger inside the house. I didn’t see any smoke, so, I went on to open the window blinds for ventilation and then walked towards the kitchen area. Right there was my pot still burning on the gas. In a panic, I screamed, “Jesus!” With my heart beating faster than normal, I rushed into the kitchen, turned off the burner.
The part that left me speechless at God’s ceaseless love for me was the fact that the curtain in my kitchen fell right on the burning pot, which was on the burner for almost thirteen hours but it didn’t burn. How did that happen? I don’t know. How there was no smoke in my apartment? I don’t understand. How the heat that could have caused an explosion dissipated into thin air, I can’t explain. As far as I was concerned, this was God’s undeserving love on display. I turned off the burner and removed the curtain from the pot; there was not a single burn. I just fell face down on the floor exclaiming, “Thank You, Kabiyesi! Thank You, Kabiyesi! It could have only been You, My King!”
My mind still could not fathom what my eyes saw. I started calling everybody, from my zonal pastor, Pastor Esther Sunday, to my aunt, choir members, friends, and loved ones. I was shaking all over. I couldn’t sit for almost three hours; I was crying not to glorify the devil but in joy as to what God had just delivered me from. I kept calling people to tell them this testimony. I was settling some uncertain issues for some other people, as many of them would say, “Oh! Thank you for telling me. You don’t know what this has done to me now”. I said to the devil, “If only you had known. You just picked the wrong girl, you liar!” I kept recharging my phone and calling people to tell them what had happened. Some praised God some more while some cried and thanked God for the reassurance that He would never leave nor forsake them. One said that she and her husband were led to pray but weren’t certain of what exactly they were praying for. I told her that they were praying for me.
One of our confessions says, “Everything that God has given to us we keep by the Holy Ghost”. My apartment is a good thing and I keep it by the Holy Ghost according to 2 Timothy 1:14. Psalm 91:11 says, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”. God did send His angel to take charge over the fire that would have burned up the curtain spreading to the other part of the house, exploding the gas cylinder and even the generator that had fuel in it. I could have destroyed someone’s property, lives, the car that was parked close to my kitchen window, and my own property that God had blessed me with. The police would have come for me for destroying someone’s property. I could have come back from work to find out that I was homeless and all I had were the clothes on my back, and people chorusing, “Sorry oh, sorry oh”. God forbid! Where would I have started? God almighty, the One whose centre is everywhere and His circumference is nowhere stepped in and became the fourth man in the fire. Praise God forever! Hallelujah!
God is consistent; God is intentional about me; God is faithful to me and He is mindful of me. God loves me too much and He is with me. I will forever be thankful to Him. I am eternally thankful to God for a church like TCC, where we are moulded by the true Word of God such that you can actually look back and see how you’ve grown in a steady, progressive and godly way, consciously applying what you are taught on a consistent basis.
I would like to thank my pastor, teacher, and mother, Pastor Nkechi Ene, for answering this call to shepherd, guard, teach, correct and lead us on the right track.
I praise my almighty God for loving me. May His name be praised forever and ever! Hallelujah!!!