I Will No More Be Ashamed -By Gabriel Agbo

Never again shall we be ashamed! Never shall we go through this defeat again. Never shall we go through this suffering. Never! Maybe, your situation is like that of the children of Israel. They were invaded by different kinds and levels of devourers. The troubles and the enemies came in quick succession. As one was finishing, another took over. Just listen, ‘After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After then came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts too!.. A vast army of locusts has invaded my land. It is a terrible army, too numerous to count! Its teeth are as sharp as the teeth of lions! They have destroyed my grapevines and fig trees, stripping their bark and leaving the branches white and bare.’ Joel 1:4-7 My God! Does this describe your present situation? I see restoration coming to you today in Jesus’ name!

As I write this my mind quickly went to our brother Job in the bible. You know he went through the same experience. In quick succession he lost all he had – his business, his children, his servants, his flocks, his health and even the support of his wife and friends. It was indeed breaking. Thank God he managed to retain his faith and trust in God. Yes, I say managed because he almost lost that when the whole thing became unbearable. He managed to hang on! Yes, I appreciate what Job went through. I have been there before. I also counsel people who go through that kind of experience. Recently, a sister sent me a text that she hates God. And what was her problem? She felt God has failed her. Though very hardworking, educated, but has not received promotion at work for more than a decade, has a failed marriage, and recently she also had a ghastly accident that almost took her life. And from her sick bed she sent me that text – that God has been cruel and has failed her despite her prayers and godly living. My God!

I really didn’t know what to say, but I just managed to tell her that God loves her more than she can ever know. Thank God that she regained her faith, sent an apology and reaffirm her trust and faith in God. Yes, sometimes it can be that hard and challenging. Maybe, you are going through such right now, listen, that affliction is being lifted off you and never again shall you be ashamed! Now, look at those agents of persecution and their effects: Cutting locusts (Palmerworms), Swarming locusts (locusts), Hopping, crawling locusts (cankerworms), Stripping locusts, consuming (caterpillars). Each of these has its own characteristics and operations. They were used to represent the various types of problems, their effects and the extent of damages that have been done. The trials might have come to cut short your joy, expectations and dreams, or in multiples; swarming on you like bees or it might have caused a gradual destruction of a part of your life, or even totally striping you of all you have laboured or hoped for.