Diary Of A Growing Christian: NOT AN INFIDEL

My mom started attending the Winner’s Chapel a little over a year ago and she has bought me books from Papa David Oyedepo and his lovely wife, Mama Faith Oyedepo. I found the book from Pastor Faith quite puzzling when my mom handed it to me. The title of the book “Arise and be healed” was what had me puzzled because I didn’t feel sick so why would she get me a book on healing?

Within the first twenty pages, I understood why I needed to read the book. This verse jumped out at me and sat firmly in my mind so much that it refused to leave my subconscious. I pondered on it for a long while before I decided to share it here because I hope it’d bless someone as it has blessed me.

“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel”

1 Timothy 5:8 KJV

This Bible verse is quite familiar to me as I believe it is to a lot of you. However, the reason why it stuck in my mind was because I had never considered it the way Mama Faith explained it as related to healing.

I have yearned for so many things in my life; some of which I have received while I still pray about the others. These desires have often caused me to cry to God in prayers asking for His mercies and practically begging Him to send me answers.

The Holy Spirit, however, helped me realize another aspect of God that I knew but never really assimilated.

I am of the household of faith and the head of this household is God. The head of every household is the provider of that household; therefore, in the household of faith, God is our provider.

That verse says that anyone who doesn’t provide for His own, especially those of his own household, is an infidel.

We already know that God inspired this scripture to clear any doubts we would have about how important provision is in a household. Therefore, He wouldn’t have inspired it if it didn’t also apply to Him also.

Which means God already daily loads us with benefits and all we need for life in abundance. So would it be safe to say that my ignorance about this truth of God being my provider has blocked me from receiving all that He has in store for me.

I remember in 2010 when I listened to Mr. Fela Durotoye for the first time; he shared a story with us about his first trip to America. He had been nominated for an award and the organizers had provided a five-star hotel and transportation for him to last the duration of his stay in the city.  When he checked the fridge, he saw that the fridge was stocked with snacks and drinks but he didn’t take any of them.

When he felt hungry, he walked around till he found a fast food place and bought a bucket of chicken from the little money he had with him. He rationed this bucket of chicken till the night before he had to leave. Someone came into his room and randomly opened the fridge, he asked Fela why his fridge was still so loaded; to which he replied, “I don’t have money to pay the high prices this hotel would charge for all of that”.

His friend was stunned that Fela Durotoye didn’t know that the organizers of the event had paid for everything. It was an all-expense paid trip and this meant that payment for the feeding had been covered, the hotel even had free breakfast for all lodgers.

If I were Mr. Fela, tears would have stung my eyes at the realization that I was eating stale, cold chicken at irregular intervals when the provision for a variety of food had been made.

Of course, it made sense that if the hotel was a luxurious one with a chauffeur on hand to take him wherever he wanted to go to; then the food would also be provided for.

In fact, I would have cried bitter tears.

He shared this story to emphasize the need to ask questions but, in this case, it is to emphasize how relieved I felt when I realized that God has provided all I need to live the life He has called me to. This changed my outlook in life and my disposition towards pursuing goals that I feel are above my pay grade or budget.

If God laid it in my heart, if He already gave me word to back up the desires, then it is an all-expense paid trip, then He would sort out how I get to the destination, where I’d lay down, what I’ll eat and even the people I will meet.

Everything has been provided for me and you who belong to the household of God; those He considers His own.

Here’s something you should ponder about till I do another post;

Do you believe that you are God’s own?

Are you convinced that you belong to the household of faith?

Like Mr. Fela, who realized almost too late what was available to him on that trip to America, one would assume that the knowledge that God is a provider would be common place to believers. However, in my walk with God, I have realized that until one has an encounter with God, some of these ‘rewards’ of faith can elude us; irrespective of how long we have been believers.

So, look through your life and pinpoint areas where you have fear or doubts about obeying God, that’s an area where you may have to apply the lesson from this verse.

I hope that this struck a new chord in your heart as it has in mine. That as you go forward this year, you would approach the assignments God has laid in your hearts with a passion backed by the knowledge that God is not an infidel.

Happy New Year!!!