Getting High or Being with the most High 2

Disown me?

Getting to church, I greeted my dad but he didn’t respond and my mum only gave sighs and expressions of disappointment. I was remorseful before my parents because I couldn’t bring myself to think of how I was going to cope if my dad stopped contributing to my life and so I fell flat before my dad and the church elders an promised not to smoke again. The elders preached and said somethings, one of them even threatened to come arrest me himself if I didn’t stop.

But ofcourse, it’s not an easy thing to let go right. I had a girl I was interested in at a time who said she couldn’t be with me because I was smoking and I tried to stay off weed but didn’t go beyond three weeks before returning to it again.

“An addiction to a thing or a cause makes you a slave to it, so please be addicted to positivity all the way”

I stayed back at my parents for three days before finally traveling back to Abeokuta to resume my second semester in year 1. I actually resumed late and had to miss some practicals though.

 

The beginning of the good

Anyways, now is the most interesting part of my story. I traveled back to school with the sincere desire to stop smoking and I tried to stay away from it for about three weeks, but in the third week, there was an heavy downpour and my body demanded for something to warm up, so I went back to it again. Now, I didn’t return to the hotel because even Bob already had a misunderstanding with the employer. I had to get another friend to stay with.

I was still in the struggle of letting go but not being strong enough to resist the temptation. For two weeks after I resumed back to school I refused to smoke and I was beginning to think I had overcome it, then there was that heavy downpour that triggered shivering and when others opted for hot tea and bread I opted for “kush” to keep warm and that’s how I became drawn to it again.

Then came a day, when I was invited to our university christian union program. I went to the program with Bob and on our way back, he suggested that we go take some kush to stay active.

 

“Not everyone present in the church understands and experience the power of the presence of God”

Bye Bob

At this point, I began to come to an understanding that if I would successfully stop this smoking habit,I would have to stop being friends with Bob, but I didn’t say anything about it yet. And just as if God knew this (ofcourse he knows all things), he orchestrated things and Bob had to travel to Ibadan.

Now, let’s have a quick flashback to the time I was at home before I got caught. I needed money and Bob suggested that we start the “kush business” again, for which I met my brother and told him I needed money. My dad had just given him some cash for his school expenses, and though he knew what I wanted to use the money for, he still gave me ten thousand naira to go do the business. It’s still a wonder to me how he simply gave me the money without argument not troubles. I gave Bob the money as a start up capital and I expected returns from the sales. I didn’t disturb him about the money while at home because my basic needs were met.

However, after resumption, I needed the money but when I reached out to Bob and asked him for returns on my investment in the kush business, he started giving me all manner of excuses like he saved the money in his mum’s account, he is having issues with transfer and all of those invalid excuses. I had to travel to Ibadan to ask him what exactly was going on, he still wasn’t ready to give me any money and so I left angrily and on getting back to school, I picked up my phone and texted him that I’m going to have nothing to do with him again and our friendship was over.

Now I was alone and I was ready to get serious with my decision to “Say NO to Smoking”. I returned to the church I was attending while at my school mother’s place (even though I didn’t understand all that was being done), I just sensed the help I needed was in church. It was in this church that a girl invited me for their convention which I agreed to because I have always heard people talk about conventions and I wanted to experience it too.

 

The convention

At that convention!!!, I knew there was more to being a Christian than the regular church going, sitting at the back and admiring the musicals. The venue was at Ibadan and we arrived around 4pm and the program started 6pm. When the prayers started, I had thought it was going to be till 9pm (at most). My dear brethren, I was joking. We remained there till 12:00am and you can guess my state; tired, hungry and confused.

And to cap it all, the pastor said he was sorry he didn’t inform us it was going to be like that and that the way it’s going to go was that we’ll be grouped into 2 and there would be 12hours prayers for each group per day. Group A will go from 6am – 12 noon and group B from 12:00npon to 6pm and it was going to go on and on like that for 7days with fasting!!!.

 

It felt like I was going to die especially because I didn’t even know how to pray and the ministers kept on encouraging us to persevere. On day 3, my perseverance was exhausted and I left without informing any one of them. My dad sent me transport fare because he called me while I was there and I informed him that I went for a convention but ofcourse I didn’t tell him I was running away, I only told him we were done and I needed money to travel home. Dad must have thought I had left smoking totally but he was wrong.

 

Something happened

Anyway, I ran away from the program and went back home, to my parents’ house. However, though I was not fully committed to the prayers, I knew something changes inside of me because I became curious and you can trust God.

During my stay there, I was on the stairs in a part of the house when I saw a Bible lying quietly close by and I took it and was just skimming through and then I came across Romans 1:28 which reads;

“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done”

And then the truth hit me that the reason I have been doing all these things even when I really don’t want to do them could be because I have not actually given time to knowing God.

That day I prayed honestly and from my heart to the Lord to help me to know him and help me to live a good life and not continue to do things that are not appropriate.

I came back to school and I would always read that verse again and again and I prayed with it always and that was the beginning of my journey out of that addiction.

Flashes of the old spark

I understand that it didn’t come easy for some and that there are some who have even decided to follow God wholeheartedly and still fall back again. Well, I understand that so we’ll because it happened to me too.

For a whole semester after my encounter with the word of God and my decision to follow God, I stayed away from “kush” and I was fairing well.

Then came a day, I was at Ibadan and I went to visit my brother’s friend who stays at the boy’s quarters in our compound (the same place I had my first doze of drunkenness). He was still an addict and I met him in the act but he didn’t know how to “mole” as I could and because I was present he asked that I helped him with it, which I did. After helping him, he told me to also take some puffs. I honestly can’t remember how I took it but all I know was immediately I took two puffs, I came back to my senses and my resolution.

And just as peter was so remorseful after he denied Jesus, so was I. I left there immediately and went to God in prayers to please forgive me and help me to resist any further temptations.

“There will always be temptations and trials to pull you back into darkness but once you fail at it, don’t wallow in it. Instead, be quick to return to the father and plead for mercy and grace.”

On my return to school I joined a bible believing fellowship and I began to understand the word of God the more and began to fall in love with the service to God. I joined the church workforce and I had new friends with Christ-oriented way of life.

 

Another flash

I won’t end this story without giving a brief of the experience I had again with Bob after my salvation and gradual growth in the Lord. I had gone to Ibadan to say hello to my grandmother and I saw him. Ofcourse he was all about the need to catch up with me and to know what had been happening with my Life and that was when I told him the Lord has saved me from that addiction and I wasn’t going back to it. He didn’t believe me and he kept on saying he won’t believe it until I agree to follow him to a place called “Jungle” which is like the smokers headquarters in that area and proof to him in the face of temptations that truly I have stopped it.

I agreed to this, even though it was a risky decision. When we got to the place, there were other guys who were also smoking. Bob got a stick of kush, lighted it and began to puff the smoke into my face just so that I could be tempted by the scent and want to take it. But as he did all what he was doing, I heard a voice reminding me that I must not allow this to draw me back into darkness and I kept on pondering on that word. To him, I wasn’t moved and then he knew I really had changed from who he used to know, but within me I knew I was able to overcome by the spirit of God. However, as we left the Jungle, beyond the whole proof to him that I had changed, all I wanted to tell him and which I did was that he could also be saved and leave the life of slavery to kush. I tried speaking with him and even though he didn’t appear to listen, I still trust God that Bob will get saved and get to know God and experience freedom from addiction to all manner of wrong activities too.

 

The comparison

Life for me with the most high is multiple times better than how it was for me when I was always getting high. Then I depended on an ordinary plant (Kush) to get anything done but now I’m independent of it and I still prosper in my academics and other areas. I remember the scornful looks I get whenever I took kush and people saw me, even though I cared less then, I can say that I love that people do not look at me scornfully and with hatred anymore. A great difference has been established in my life by getting to know more of God and I take this time to pray that as many persons that are still in this bondage or any similar to it receive the light and receive freedom in Jesus name.

Amen

 

This is a true life story narrated by Brother Tolulope (surname withheld) and compiled by Faithplane for the benefits of as many that are struggling with a similar challenge.

It is with great faith that we share this and hope it comes as light to many.

We are still accepting entries for the “Once upon a time series”.

If you have been through challenges and had experience that you know will be a great message to show God’s saving grace.

Then, you’re welcome to be our next narrator.

In all you do, put God first and desire to know him more.

Let’s continue together on Faithplane, a journey through faithway.

To read the first part click here