Redemption Faith Mission

THE FOURTEENTH MARCH

The Israelites, on entering the Promised Land, now have Jericho to face as the first city to be conquered and a gateway for them to possess their possession. The conquest of this city is a determinant and a key to the conquest of the entire Promised Land, because, a success or failure will determine whether the Israelites should go ahead to fight other cities or not. Therefore, Jericho stands as a wall between us and our inheritance in Christ, every good thing that God has promised us.

Joshua, the leader, met the Commander of the Lord’s army and received instructions from Him according to Josh 6:1-5 which says:

‘Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

Now, like the Israelites, you have a lot of promises from God before you but you just can’t get there. The gate is tightly shut so that you cannot move forward in life to possess your possession. All your movement and efforts in life had always been in circles like the Israelites marching round Jericho day after day. The enemy mocks at your efforts. Notice in Joshua 6:10 that Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" Reason for this is explained in 1Cor 14:8, which says, ‘Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?’ The voice of the trumpet, which the priests of God were blowing, is the message of God unto Joshua which was contrary to what the Israelites were seeing. The Israelites were seeing a tightly short city, but God said, ‘SEE (the reality), I have delivered Jericho into your hands.’ The Israelites needed to be in tune with God’s frequency to see what He has done. It required seven days of going in circles for them to understand God’s language just like a child or a stranger tries to learn a new language.

The woman with the issue of blood had a similar experience. Her story in Mark 5:25-29 was thus:

‘A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. (Going in circles) When she heard (the trumpet call) about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

The step of faith, like that of this woman, is the fourteenth march of the Israelites, based on a new revelation, a new language, a new frequency tuned unto by faith in Christ. She once believed various doctors, but now are faith is connected and anchored to Jesus. And in Christ she saw no veil between her and her miracle because 2Cor 3:16 says, ‘But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.’

After the thirteenth march of the Israelites, the Israelites too had their veil taken away and they saw no more a tightly shut Jericho but a Jericho without walls. The message of the trumpet call was now clear which the Lord announced from the beginning saying, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands…” and Joshua proclaimed the message saying, "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” Josh 6:16.

Josh 6:20 says, ‘When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.’ This is the fourteenth march, the march into your heritage unhindered, the step that yields result and no longer in constant unsuccessful repetition or vain toiling or going in circles.

The fourteenth march must be attained. It gives meaning to all the previous thirteen marches, the past efforts and investments. It gives life a meaning, giving fulfilment, giving God’s rest. It’s time to be in tune with God’s voice for your life and respond in faith to it. Let the light of His Word dawn on your dark path of constant stumbling. Stop being a fugitive and take the golden path that leads you to your promised heritage. Arise with a new vision! Arise with a shout of faith! Arise unto the fourteenth march!

Femi Fagbamiye

LOVE WHISTLE FROM THE ENEMY'S CAMP

Victoria met this charming young man with a unique attitude of no kind among men and his kind gesture towards her spelt an irresistible love that will bring her dreams to light. Love took over and filled all the scene of events between them, but their live drama had no one else watching, because the social status of the two love birds is of no regard, even amongst the people of the village where they live, and their love venues are often in humble places of no reckoning in the poor village.

The poor village, called Adamah, had been rebels to a great prospering kingdom nearby, called Celestidom. The cruel rulers of Adamah know that their poor citizens will prefer to leave the poor village and get a better life in any of the flourishing cities of Celestidom; so they prevent them from leaving the poor village to live anywhere else. With such cruel laws in place, poor Victoria knows no other place but her poor village. The only thing that gives her picture of the outside world were the loving tales from the mouth of her charming lover, Christopher.

Christopher, to the people of Adamah village, was nothing but a shoe repairer, going from street to street to repair the dirty, long expired shoes of the villagers. He dresses in tattered clothes as every common people of the village does. But, his words to Victoria and her experience with him, tells more about him to her. Like one in a day dream, Victoria will hear the poor looking Christopher tell her of life in the city, proved real to her by Christopher's unique lifestyle and the foreign things he presents.

No doubt, Christopher is one, from the outside world, with a secret mission to help & provide aid to the poor villagers. Such certainty rests in the heart of those villagers who really know him, especially Victoria. But Christopher has more secrets for Victoria. He tells her of Celestidom as being his father's kingdom and his plans to take her there as his queen and fellow heir to the throne over the entire kingdom.

Victoria believed Christopher with all her heart and was ready to live with him for the rest of her life. She accepted his marriage proposal and the wedding plans began with so much excitement in Victoria's heart. News began to fickle into ears about the wedding between Victoria and the poor village shoe repairer.

Victoria's parents are classed poor even in the poor village. They are servants working under a clan head, called Foxy, a hypocritical man of influence among the people of his clan. When Victoria's parents told him of the wedding of their daughter, he comported himself as head of the clan but spoke tactically against it saying: "with the beauty your daughter has, she ought to be married to an influencial person that will change your status and better your life, but you now want to marry her to a common shoe repairer in the village." Foxy, ofcourse, has his own unwelcomed interest in the poor beautiful Victoria.

Wedding plans went on with the support of the friends of Christopher and Victoria in the village until the d-day came. Christopher in humble attire matched amidst the herald of friends to receive Victoria as wife from the hands of the parents. Many villagers that Christopher had helped were there to cheer him and there was gladness in the clan that the entire village knew that something was happening.

The rulers of the village, being skeptical of any such things for fear of rebellion, called for a meeting of the rulers, which includes Foxy, as one of the clan heads. They enquired from Foxy what happened in his clan few days ago. Foxy took the advantage to falsely accuse Christopher with his reply. He told them that Christopher was leading a rebellion against the rulers of the village, by trying to woo the people to himself in order to make himself their new king. Immediately a detarchment of soldiers were sent to arrest Christopher and exile him from the village. The soldiers, with the help of a deceitful friend of Christopher, came upon Christopher where he was with his wife, Victoria. They dragged Christopher away, beat him to a coma and threw him out of the village. But his people from Celestidom came to pick him up and gave him the best medical attention. He revived and sent message to Victoria in Adamah that he is alive and will return for her soon.

Since, Christopher is now recognized as one supported by Celestidom, he will not be allowed to walk freely in Adamah as he humbly did before. Previously, they thought a man as poor as he looked couldn't have come from Celestidom. But now, if he comes, they will wage war & this will definitely put an end to the rebellious rulership of Adamah. Celestidom could have simply achieved such a fleet long ago, but what has withheld them was the oath they made long ago not to destroy all the people of Adamah. So, as long as there is general support of the rebellious rule of Adamah from all villagers, Celestidom will not go to war to recapture Adamah. But if villagers from every clan can call for the intervention of Celestidom, then they can be sure to have citizens to continue the recaptured village. Therefore, for a just recapture of Adamah by Celestidom and to spare as many as possible among this villagers that Christopher once lived with, he needed to be patient to have them pledge allegiance to him and not join the rebellious rulers of Adamah in the war against him and Celestidom.

This time of patience demanded much of it from Victoria, who, though newly married, was left alone to live like a widow. Though encouraged and supported by friends and family, she still has to face persecution, prejudice and opposition from those in support of the rebellion of Adamah and those loyal to the hypocrisy of Foxy, the clan head. She also faced mockery and insults because she's already pregnant for Christopher. These were intended to pressure her to abort her pregnancy. Some even rumour that Christopher is nothing more than a dead village boy and that all such stories of his return as prince of Celestidom is nothing but a day dream. Will Victoria be able to withstand the pressure to the end?

The family and friends of Victoria were her strong support. The good ones among them want her to remain blameless of abortion and blameless of adultery before her husband whose grave is no where. But her major strength was the child within, a heir of Celestidom, a product of a great love she experienced.

As her time of delivery drew near, the support for her and the enmity simultaneously grew stronger. Adamah was at the verge of a civil war cutting across all clans. But the supporters of Christopher and Victoria got counsel of the wisest thing to do to attain victory regardless of their population. They called for aid, not as rebels of Adamah, but as redeemed loyalists of Celestidom. They all made ready their identity with Celestidom and ensured that all supporters had the identity flag sent by Christopher.

As soon as all supporters had the identity flag of Celestidom, a great battle cry with a loud trumpet call sounded at the village square. Arrayed in a royal robe comes a rider on a white horse followed by a great army, such as has never been seen before in Adamah. It's Christopher with the title, 'the ruler of Celestidom'. All the army officers were dispatched immediately to pick his loyalists and Victoria, now with a child, was brought to him in a royal chariot. At the sound of the trumpet, she had delivered.

The supporters of Christopher, including Victoria, were taken to the capital city of Celestidom and were given a rich welcome by all the citizens of Celestidom, who had been expecting them. It was indeed the greatest of celebrations and the best of banquets.

Meanwhile, the other people of Adamah that still support rebellion against Celestidom were greatly persuaded by their rulers to fight for Adamah against Celestidom. But the things abandoned in Adamah by those loyal to Christopher became an object of contention, quarell and confusion among those fighting against Celestidom. They destroyed one another by their greed, covetousness, lust, selfishness, bitterness, rage, malice and hatred. Then Christopher gave orders and everything was demolished, hipped up and burnt up, and then a new city of Adamah was built to the developed standard of Celestidom. And all citizens lived happily together ever after under the rule of Christopher and Victoria, dancing to the whistle of love.

By Femi Fagbamiye

Shina Rambo is a former bandit who terrorised South-West Nigeria in the 1990s. After serving jail-time for his crimes, he was converted by an evangelist and became a Christian evangelical pastor. Shina Rambo now Mathew Oluwanifemi was a name that sent shivers down the spine of people who lived in the South West of Nigeria and even outside Nigeria, like Benin Republic and neighborhood, in the 1990s.

He was a hardened criminal, a terror and killer, one whom men of the security agencies will never forget in a haste.

A man mountain, towering about 6 ft 5inch, well built, dark skinned and sweltering eyes, he carried out his operations, like a movie, in the broad day light, with
sophisticated weapons, and bullet belts and explosives strapped roundabout him. He specialized in robbing exotic cars on highways and robbing banks. Nothing could stop him, not even security operatives, he was totally invincible. He was Shina Rambo!

BIOGRAPHY

He was born in the year 1958 to a military man who was a bad egg in the service. His father was from Abeokuta in Ogun state, but his mother was a native of Sabongida–Ora in Edo state. His father had over 18 wives. He recalls, “I remembered when I was about 7 years old, my father came home with a lot of money, foreign currencies, with blood on it, and they were using something like a woman’s scarf to wipe it, then I asked him, is this an animal’s blood, or human blood? But he wouldn’t answer me, they were just drinking, smoking, and merry making.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

”Shina was already indoctrinated into the underworld by his father at a tender age of 7 without him knowing it, as he would sit in front of his son, to dismantle and assemble all sorts of weapons and then polishing them in preparation for an operation.

This went on for so long till one day, little Shina, entered into his father’s room while he had stepped into the toilet, and saw a dismembered gun on the floor. He sat down in front of it, and bit by bit, he had assembled it effortlessly in no time at all. His father came out of the toilet, and saw his son, with a loaded gun in his hands.

Shina flashed back and said, “That day my father was so disappointed, that he wanted to kill me, he grabbed the gun from my hand and shot straight at me, but I miraculously escaped out of the room. Then he waited for me to be less alert at night he came to my room with a machete and tried to behead me, but once again, I escaped, but the machete caught my left leg (he rolled up his trouser to show us the large scar, that made everyone sighed in pity). It cut me so deep I thought I was never going to walk again.

That day I knew I had graduated, all that was left was to pull the trigger, and I was so eager.
Shina Rambo became so notorious in no time, and was hell
bent on succeeding in his career as an armed robber, that he went through any length to secure spiritual powers for fortification.

To the extent of pounding over 27 live new born babies in the mortar with a pestle, cutting off about 100 human tongues and cooking them to eat, visiting the spiritual river called river of life in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State, living in an Iroko tree for days, and sleeping in the cemetery.

He was given a spiritual wife who always followed him for any operation, she dressed like an Alhaja, people thought she was human, but she was a spirit, that was why they never saw her face. He said she was his personal driver, that she could drive from Nigeria to Cotonou, in the speed of light.

Hear him. ”I was involved in so many rituals, that I can’t start naming them now, I was so powerful, I went underground, inside trees that looked like a city, a lot of beautiful houses inside the tree, I had my own too. I went into a river called River of life in Ogoja, where a lot of politicians and wealthy men used to come.
I had several personalities, I could change my form whenever I wanted to, that’s why the police were busy killing innocent people, and thought they were killing Shina Rambo.The 9 herbalists that gave me that power, I became stronger than them, one day I went to their shrines, and killed all of them, so that they don’t reveal my secrets.


I had too many powers; my spiritual wife could drive any car in this world or out of it, no police vehicle, or anyone for that matter, could ever chase and catch me during an operation. She was out of this world, and when she had completed her operation, they took her away from me. I could give anything to get powers, and the elders knew, so they also gave me anything I wanted. I once beheaded hundred men, and gave them the heads fresh, they were so happy with me that they made me invincible.
No matter the kind of bullet you shot at me, it was just like pure water on my body. I could give anything to get power, but of all the things I did to get power,the one that still breaks my heart the most, is sleeping with my mother. My father is dead now, but my mother is still alive, and she lives with me she is 85 years old. Whenever I set my eyes on her, I just start crying. I can’t bear it.

He would go to police stations, in broad daylight and kill every policeman there, drive to check points and open fire on every policeman on duty, he didn’t like the police at all, and was never afraid of them, he operated in broad day light armed to the teeth looking like J***y Rambo, in the popular Sylvester Stalone movie, “First Blood”.

He once robbed 40 exotic cars in one day and drove all of them in a convoy, from Lagos to Cotonou, unstopped. He was powerful; he was wealthy, and impenetrable. He was a tin god, apparently belched from the very arroyo hell, we all dreaded him.

He had a wife and three children, but he lost all of them in one day during a bloody police raid whilst he was away on operation. His wife was his stabilizing factor his life changed afterwards. He says “my wife was everything to me, I was forbidden by the elders to sleep with any other woman apart from her.

I could gather about 50 women around me in a hotel, and they will just be playing with me. We would smoke, drink, and sniff co***ne, I will give them money but I will never sleep with them. I will go back home to my wife and sleep with her. That was why the police never caught me. She knew my job, she knew what I was and I never left them alone at night, I operated in the day time and go back home to my family at night.

I had everything, I was very wealthy, I sometimes spent 50 million naira in a day, I did that a lot. There was one day that we were coming from an operation and it seemed as if my powers were going to fail me, the police and the army were almost closing in on us, so we had to drive into a crowd and threw millions of naira in the air, there was commotion, everybody was busy picking naira notes even the police, until we escaped.

I was too rich, but anything the devil gives you never lasts, he will collect more from you, it’s only the devil that will give you Fila, (cap) and ask for Iro and Buba (wrapper and top). I lost everything, all the money, my family; I was so powerful the police couldn’t catch me but I lost it all. I had to surrender myself to the police and I was arrested and jailed for 11 years.

While I was serving my jail term in Agodi prisons, Ibadan, Prophet T.O Obadare came visiting, and having been encouraged several times by the Christian brothers and sisters in the prison to give my life to Christ, he prayed for me and converted me, and changed my name to Oluwanifemi, and it was so miraculous, the next day I woke up and started speaking in tongues. It was during the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, that we were granted freedom.

God is indeed wonderful. He has sent many people to their early grave without repentant of their sins. They will go to hell and him having given his life to Christ will go to heaven when he dies. How do we judge that?