THE GREAT “COUNSEL” I DID NOT FOLLOW

The call of God into ministry in the land of Eruwa got clearer during my service year. I had shared with some people I respect and I had been counselled accordingly: 

“Temi, there is no need of going to Eruwa immediately. You can live in Lagos or Ibadan. You practise as a lawyer or you pick up a job. You can begin an outreach work every month in Eruwa. When the outreach has become stable and it grows massive and it is obvious you have to stay there to lead it, then you can resign and focus on living in Eruwa.” 

Wow! Perfect plan. I had agreed to it. But we had a special guest who visited church who came with a word of prophecy: 

“There is someone here. God has called you into full-time ministry, you have decided to put one leg in and one leg out, the Lord said to tell you, ‘You will have harvest but it will come with losses'”. 

What scripture did he give that helped my heart to follow God? The story of the encounter of Peter with Jesus. This is what Jesus told Peter: 

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Luke 5:4 KJV

Did you see that Jesus told Peter to let down his nets for a catch? It was not “net” but “nets”. Peter definitely had some doubts about that instruction. He is a professional fisherman. He had toiled all night. But he still wanted to respect Jesus: 

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net.

Luke 5:5 KJV

Jesus said “Nets”. Peter said let’s begin with a net first. Why? He had his doubts. What happened to the net? It broke because the harvest for nets came into a net. When you obey God fully, your net will not break. There will be no need for a “net-breaking miracle”. There will be no losses. 

See! You must know the instructions you have in the Lord. Do not put any variation into it. Do not rationalize it. Do exactly as He has instructed. 

An elderly man who has been in ministry for years said to me years later, “You did the right thing by obeying the Lord to go all the way. I wish I had done the same years ago but I had my burden of responsibilities that I was afraid I had to meet. Today, both the call and the career were not exceedingly outstanding.” 

If you have an instruction from the Lord, obey him fully. Obedience takes faith. You must be willing to trust God regardless of evidences but much more regardless of consequences. 

If He saves you from the fire, He is God! 

And even if He does not, you will still hold on to Him all the way. Your circumstance does not change who He is! He is God!