Minister in making is about my journey from being a passing, uninvolved Christian to a born again Christian pursuing pastoral duties. It highlights my challenges, struggles, acceptance and somewhat understanding of my new career as my sister in-law nicely puts it.

This is my story....

I have changed churches a few times now in the last 3 years (ok so I’ve been to 5 churches so far, it’s not that bad is it?) – should I say I have been church shopping. Was born a catholic or knew I was affiliated to the Catholic Church through family until I started planning my wedding and a catholic priest said hubby had to convert - which sounded like a long process, before wedding discussions could be had etc. sounded too long winded so my response was tell the Pope not to call me, I’ll get back to him. So went off to an Anglican church where the priest whipped out her diary there and then and asked me for dates, that was me sold.

Had kids, moved house and church and even started serving in the new church at the tea and coffee section until some guy and his wife came and cussed me out for not being quick enough to get everything ready on time (bearing in mind I had to boil the water for the hot drinks and church only finished minutes before). So me being me, I cussed both of them out in the house of God, used the F, B, MF and C words (I know, Satan huh). I cussed both of them so badly, despite the fact that they started it, they got so angry that they reported me to the priest. The priest came to have a word and said Jesus Christ would have turned the other cheek, so I told him there and then am not Jesus Christ that’s why I am still seeking salvation. So he took me off the volunteer refreshment schedule the very next week and that my friend was my exit card.

So I decided no more Anglican church, I wanted a change plus hubby and kids always refused to attend anyway.

Leaving there I felt there was something lacking with the notion that my life wasn’t being fulfilled and there was something stopping me and blocking my prayers for me to move forward. You kind of get a sense of these things, but can’t quite put your finger to it.

Telecom companies always try to push their products out there professing how good it is to talk or the good ol saying of suffer not in silence. Take your pick because I do know how to rack up the phone bill and obviously have a good chat.

Let us not pray silently in our hearts as God knows what’s in our hearts, but open our mouths and speak silently, in a whisper or conversation to reaffirm what we want.

I Want My Stuff Back

Ok, so how did I know my stuff was in the hands of demonic agents I hear someone ask? Honestly I didn't think it like that initially, I just thought the recession was impacting my earning abilities as everybody was feeling the pinch. Yet all my investments were not yielding returns whichever way I cut and diced it...nothing, nada, zilch. "what da what"? Like one of my sons would say.

So I got to thinking what next? Am I going to die poor? I hate being poor, not being able to afford things, I don't want to die poor, I still have lots of ideas and a lot of life still left in me. Which means do nothing and I'll be poor and struggling for a very very long time (considering my age), but what can I do to change my luck? Oh and ps. am not the type to do just anything, I like to weigh my options, assess the option then decide, but on a few occasions I have also been known to do a quick draw silver thingy, but this wasn't one of them.

So my friend recommends speaking to a man of God, pastor, minister (whatever pigeon hole we all like to put them in) regarding my issues, which I obliged, several men of God later (trust me after a while I became an expert in screening them) deducing from all the stab in the dark attempts these men of God were making, I got the inkling that it wasn’t pot-luck or the recession that was blocking me from moving forward but something darker, so I thought the most would be somebody taking my name to a witchdoctor to block me from reaping the rewards of our investment in Africa, sometimes people do stupid things out of jealousy right?

So this is one of the biggest risks I have had to take by calling so many random men of God, who I have never met, whose church I have never seen, or know what denomination they were actually affiliated to. The only thing that kept me going was my prayers to God to find me a good man of God who serves him and where his name is not called in their gathering for him to sever all ties. And he did. Plus my friend always had somebody that had used the men of God first before she gave me their numbers – ok so am trying to justify it and am sticking to that story.

The Things I Have To Do…Gush

Pentecostal doorstep – while making the calls, I didn’t rest easy here either. My first night vigil, there was lots of prayers, prayer points flying around, you needed a fishing net to catch all of them I tell you. Didn’t know what to expect, but it was like a regular service, only at night and probably more prayer points and praying etc.

We’ve all heard of Pentecostal churches trying to get us to pledge money we don’t have right, well this one tried to push the boat there. Another thing that ticked me off was the Pastor trying to sell their first ever published newsletter (which was donated to the church for free) I know, who says he can’t raise money from that right, but not at £10 a pop for a newsletter!!! Prayer point book yeah, prayer guide anything yeah, but newsletter I thought max 3 bucks would have sufficed especially when it was donated. So didn’t go back there.

Evangelical Approach – We then joined an evangelical church, to be honest I didn’t know the difference between that and Pentecostal so I googled it and realised that amongst other things Pentecostal gives messages from God, to put it bluntly, while evangelical don’t. so I stayed put thinking I wasn’t really ready to hear from God just yet, knowing my record he’ll scold and reprimand me on lots I can’t even begin to put here.

So evangelical church was nice at that point in my spiritual journey. They say God puts you in different situations and positions for a reason and I’ll say amen to that, because I learnt to grow spiritually and got introduced to praise and worship songs. The choir there could sing and play Christian song so well I felt I wasn’t missing much off my clubbing years. So I use to go there mainly to get my groove on. The service was ok and after a point (one year to be exact) we had grown spiritually past the church plus the fact that some people within the church felt we shouldn’t be seeking prosperity from God (being a fan of Joel Osteen), but to be content with just about getting by. Even the choir couldn’t convince me to stay put as I believe the God I serve created heaven and earth and all that is within it, so what can I ask my father that he cannot provide for me when I have tried to be good and live right. Plus I also came to the realisation that I had an African problem and no choir could sing it away if I didn’t take drastic steps.

Eating my words

While attending this evangelical church I was still trying other things like dial a minister/ pastor both here in the UK and Africa, attending deliverance services at other churches where I met other pastors who prayed for me. I got introduced to rudimentary fasting regimes and prayers, got to the point when they pastors would ask me to fast and I didn’t, just to see if they’d know (come on-if they were speaking to Jesus Christ, he’ll tell them I was taking the piss right?) but none came back the wiser, so I’d move on. Got the shocker when one of the pastors offered to fast for me and I was like “what the what”. This is my problem and I should at least make some effort or pay a price (or ransom) to get the relief – right? So again I moved on from that false prophet.

Moving on to another one, it was funny when he told me what he thought I wanted to hear. Some of them actually have the gift to speak and hear from God one-on-one, I mean we all do, we just have to listen carefully to our inner thoughts, while others are very good mind readers. As soon as I left him, I rubbished him. Well this time I didn’t do it to his face (read my Anglican exit). Hubby’s issue was I wasted his time and now the prayer might not work and my response was, if it works then God has dropped his standards (Mark 11 v 24). So to prove myself right we did the prayers anyway and guess what……it didn’t work.

Why can’t I pray for myself I wondered? Even when I tried it, why weren’t my prayers been answered? Other than the fact that I didn’t have all the biblical verses, techniques if there ever is one etc. I know how to fast and pray better now I think. While grappling with this a friend told me that to move certain spiritual problems you have to be spiritually sound and of a different level - I guess that is when they say you have the anointing or you move with the power of the Holy Spirit, I wasn’t.

Ah jackpot, I have been doing it all wrong, wasting my phone credit by calling mere mortals (disguised as pastors) like myself to pray for me. When Jesus Christ said, “For many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many” (Matthew 7 v15-20 and 24 v 5) he was so right. I could have owned half of a telecom company by now with the amount of money spent on telephone credit, calling both the UK and Africa regarding my issues and you know there is no refund, whatever happened to customer services 28 days refund policy when you need them.
So we left the evangelical church and went to Pentecostal, yeah I know I was dreading it and was among those who cussed it out as a money making machine – guilty. So I found there is bad in every religion-church and their varying denomination. I guess it is the minister that sets the tone of the church and once they see themselves as equal to or above God, then there lies the problem.

So far am having to chop up all the cuss words I used about Pentecostal churches and shove them down my throat – it is painful I tell you and there are lots of words, so am far from done.

Why we must keep praying and fasting.

Who says being persistent doesn’t pay is yet to meet a dog with a bone. I finally got lucky and met a dial a minister that has direct access to God. Yeah I hear you saying this is another load of "what da what", but it works and it's worked and is still working for me.
Oh yeah, this is also a Pentecostal church and I finally sent spies to go check it out in Africa.
Gone are the days when prophets were banished, they are back and when you find the good ones (not the ones you find in the Pharaoh or Ramsey times....don't mean Gordon the chef) they do counsel and advice on the best prayer pattern to follow.
So I got into prayers and fasting and trust me, I never knew I could pray or fast this much, what I thought I was doing before wasn’t praying and fasting.

Before I started dialing pastors or ministers, praying was something I usually do before I go to bed and that usually rocks me to sleep quicker than anything, even chamomile tea couldn't get me to sleep quicker than prayers; and fasting oh men, I'll always got my get-out-of-fasting card -medical condition. Can't even be bothered to give up anything for lent I just don't do it. So when they say God has your time, it is right here, right now and there's no going back.

Working with my minister I have been able to learn that my dream is my spiritual space and I am the only one that can keep others out of it, so they do not affect my physical or earthly space, if you know what I mean.
I also know when certain things happen in my dreams (not all dreams though, but the ones I remember) it means something and again this all depends on what time of the night I have this dream - so anytime between 3am and the early hours of the morning can be a typical dream; telling you something important, a vision; showing you stuff or a revelation; revealing important information to you. Depending on what it is, you have to pray to claim it or reject it, probably fast for more effect.

Generally dreams are your connection to your spiritual space and things generally happen there before it come to light physically and I've had a lot of de ja vu moments and I start to think this has happened before, but don't know where. So now my mission is to know how to make it work for me as opposed to against me - talk about change of fortune huh. My tool is involving Jesus Christ, The Almighty God into everything I do now and surprisingly this reflects in my dreams and life.

Ok for my current church am still enjoying it; one year plus and stopped counting. I wouldn't say I got all my breakthrough thanks to this one church, but God is God everywhere right? So I guess I get credits for all the prayers and fasting I have put in towards my continuous deliverance, breakthrough, blessings and favour regardless of which church or minister is directing and advising me.

I am getting different experiences at this Pentecostal church and learning how to Live Right, although the choir is still work in progress, but they are getting there. I know I shouldn’t be critical and appreciate all God’s workers, but we all pray to be Christ like and am still work-in-progress especially from where he brought me from; there are lots of options for you to pick from, I won’t be mad.