Declare Your Identity First: A Practical Experience!

As I finished the previous post, I felt I should share a practical experience with you. However, I remembered an article I once read by an uncle of mine on this issue and decided to share it with you. In this article, he shared his practical experience on how the Lord narrowly delivered him from evil, as he took practical steps to declare his identity first. May this add to your convictions and teach you wisdom to behave IJN.

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I was miraculously selected as one of the production assistants for a Nigerian reality show in 2005. It was my first major contracted job and we were to travel to the Obudu Cattle Ranch (venue of the jungle life reality show) ahead of the contestants. On getting to Calabar town by 8pm we had to sleep over at the Metropolitan Hotel, where we were paired in twos. Unfortunately, my room-mate in that hotel had sneaked out of the room at mid night to go charter a prostitute to sleep with on the other half of my bed. They were having sex all through the night right there beside me, though God was equally gracious to me by blessing me with such a depth of sleep that I never knew anything going on till about 5am when I woke up to find a lady wearing brazier. You could imagine how I starred like a village boy wondering whether this was the reality show, a dream or reality itself. The lady simply said “Good morning bros” while packing her chest together with absolutely no sense of shame.

Hmmm, considering the fact that this was just “DAY 1” of a contract job that would last a whole month on the ranch, I began to inform my spirit, body & soul that I had entered a serious contract job here.

By the time we got to the Obudu Cattle Ranch, I was told we were also going to be lodged in the palatial rooms of its Protea hotel in two’s; only that this time according to the crew list, I was paired with a guy who was to arrive and join me in the room the next day. As roommates (both religious & non religious) began to agree on either sleeping corporately with sexual partners (from the nearby settlement), or leaving the room for each other, I knew my spiritual convictions of many years had to be properly defended or else… my goose is cooked. Whoever was to be my room mate and whatever was to be going on in my hotel room for that one month was the critical factor here and the solution was straightforward and simple:

DECLARE YOUR IDENTITY FIRST!

On the eve of the next day, I suddenly heard some welcoming chants from crew members around my room door and quickly gathered that my assigned roommate had arrived. I knew I had a very short time to create an impression that would be critical in deciding my fate for the whole month so I rose up, made sure the door was unlocked (so I wouldn’t need to stand up to welcome him) grabbed my huge bible, spread it wide on the bed, knelt down by it and began to pray some head shaking prayers in all manner of tongues. (Unknown to me, my assigned room mate was also a reknowned flirt who was already praying that his partner would be his kind of person for easy cooperation). I confess that there was more fake drama than real prayers in my stage managed devotion that day but sincerely it worked!

Immediately the guy walked in through the door, he lifted up his eyes and screamed in the Yoruba tongue, “Mo gbe!!” in other words, “I am doomed!”
He couldn’t dare ask me for any sinful cooperation. He couldn’t dare bring a strange girl to our room. As a matter of fact I stayed in the room alone all through the month as he had to find his way of life with the other guys who were just like him while coming to the room to dress up everyday. Before he could inconvenience me, I became an inconvenience to him and he posed no threat to me, neither did he ever occasion any temptation. Of course, he reffered to me as Pastor from DAY 1 and even made it difficult for me to compromise as he had spread the news of his roommate woes round the entire crew. He (not me) spread the news that I was indeed a child of God (If I had missed that first chance, I would have been the one to gradually be trying to convince each member of the crew of my stand in Christ).

Even if I wanted to misbehave… too late! Why? I declared my identity first.

Your first day at work, first day in school, first few minutes at the hotel reception, first one minute on the dinner table, first dress to work, first one minute of meeting anyone, first thing you do before you eat, first part of all your income, first one minute in the office everyday, the songs played out on your phone, the videos watched in your house, the wallpapers, your dp (display picture), your computer/phone screen background and screen saver, the clothes in your cupboard, your facebook/whatsapp profile picture, the songs in your mouth and the songs played on your wedding day/birthday, etc.… all these seemingly little things declare your identity much more than you presently imagine. Yes, they help the womanizer determine how liberal you are, and decide if he has chances of getting you. Yes, they determine how afraid anyone would be to request a sinful favour from you or seek your cooperation in a highly coded but rewarding fraud.

Unfortunately the believers today wear different identities on different days, times and places. See how the believers of old deliberately brandished their personal convictions and stand to the whole world…

Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Act 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Dear reader, please identify yourself! Who exactly are you? What exactly is your conviction and what do you believe in? What lyrics are you dancing to? Exactly what type of songs are your songs? Are you Christian? Liberal? Hindu? Pagan? Or a Freelancer fitting into whatever pays per situation and time with no genuine record of your name among God’s elect. Check the ID cards you carry about, let it all depict your faith and let it all match with what we see.

Ever before people begin to ask;
DECLARE YOUR OWN IDENTITY FIRST!

Segun Coker
SOV President
Tel: +234 (0) 805 500 9977,
E-mail: seguncoker@schoolofvirtue.org
© E-parchment series 2014.
For more articles from Segun Coker, please visit the School of Virtue.