Spirit of Discernment

Story time!

Last Friday, I woke up to a warning notice from the communications department of a fellowship I attend! ‘Trevor’ turned out to be a scammer! A conman! And I was so angry at this discovery!

I didn’t want to meet Apostle Grace or any pastors! Trevor came to me!

He met me at one of the latter Sundays of November — the 17th. I was at a cafe, at Quality Mall, Naalya, for those who know it! He came with a subtle demeanor! A wolf in sheep’s skin!

He greeted me, saying, he’s seen me on X (formerly Twitter). He sat, and began with all that ‘how was service’ talk. Then he began that ‘man of God-ism’ and how I had a mantle of wealth!

“The weight on you is heavy! Thank you for loving God!”

I got bored! I knew he wanted something but he was beating about the bush!

Having been robbed in 2018, my antenna had already upped like telecom masts! I prayed to God, that he’d make this man speak quickly so that I’d get back to my work.

When I cut him off, he unfolded.

“You see man of God, I have my sick mother with cancer — stage four. (He showed me a photo of a woman lying on bed) And we are due chemo this Tuesday, but I am stuck. I’m supposed to receive help from members in the media team with whom I serve, but they are away with Apostle Grace, and once they return, they’ll give me the cash. (He was mentioning random names, as if to attach accountability. I was only waiting to hear a name I knew).

I heard God tell me, ‘Give him 50k, and let him be on his way.’

Trevor insisted I make it 130k! I heard just received a hefty payment, in cash, back at home. The dwarfish man begged. He soothsaid with haunting assurance and squinted eyes,

“Surely the covenant I have with the Holy Spirit is sure! I cannot fail to refund your cash.”

He sounded like those people who say if they do not fulfill a particular thing, then God should strike them with lightning!

Having spoken with such depth, and overuse of vows, I trusted he’d keep them. For at some point, he seemed to own up to the punishment of blasphemy, in case he never kept his word!

My cousin works at the bureau. I asked her for 130, and refunded her at home. Trevor went on his way. I had my doubts. But I trusted the God of vengeance, in case I had been scammed.

Two days later, he called. We had exchanged numbers, so that he’d send the cash over when he got it. He told me he had travelled to Bushenyi; and he was getting ready to convey his mother to Mulago National Hospital. But he needed to buy some drugs which costed 30k.

I felt the pinch: the poor shall be among you. So, every time I tried to turn away, I’d feel condemned. I remembered Proverbs 19:17: whoever gives to the poor lends to the Lord.

I wired the cash.

Two days later! Trevor called — crying and weeping!

“Biggie, my mother has died!”

😟

I was in the middle of the parking at Lugogo Mall! And it was noisy. His tears weren’t fake! I got goosebumps; and the pain of losing my father, brother and best friend was provoked. I became completely vulnerable. He moaned, saying, he served in church, but church people disappointed him! No one reached out to him. In the long run, I became empathetic — sillily. I told him trusting in a man is a snare. I also canceled the 160k debt! 🫨

But he then asked for more monetary help.

My stone rebel heart became flesh again! I forgot about the previous red flags. I was willing to give 50k. He insisted I made it 80!

There was a Phaneroo service happening in a few minutes. I met Ronah at Cafe Javas who joked, after I had told her what transpired, “I hope he’s not one of those folks!” She squinted, gesturing conmen.

The reality was kicking in! If it was true, then what a fool I’d been made of! I hoped to see pictures of a burial at-least.

I did see them the following Sunday as he tried to ‘detooth’ more cash from me. But I had blocked his number. I had been drained quite. He kept sending me WhatsApp audios — service providers he was indebted to, from the burial.

But this guy who has no family or job to help with the financial burdens … ! I wondered.

Trevor continued sending me texts at weird hours in the night, and I found missed online calls — to portray his desperacy and dire need of help! Over Christmas, he said he had fallen ill and no one had come to visit him. Luckily, I was so far from the city but I sent him comforting scriptures.

Shockingly, when this poster was released days ago, it hit me that those photos he sent could have been from any random burial! I was also very unsettled by how Trevor knew I was at the cafe that time, that day! It was giving ‘stalking’. Could he be working with a team to conspire!

When the matter was brought to light, many friends inboxed me about the same person! Pippy says he encountered him as well after a random service. He asked for money. A worker at Uganda Communications Commission says he came to their main offices, but she chased him at once!

At Worship Harvest Church, he made appearances as well, and many were warned. Joanitah said she was told the exact same story I had been told! She lost figures around 700k. Later at the prayer evening, I discovered Trevor had nibbled off — not nibble … but DEVOURED — quite a number of congregants’ money!

Another baker confessed handing him 800k, to save his mother, who was due an operation and that was the balance needed for the procedure to proceed. (For the readers in the diaspora, the digits here are Ugandan Shillings, and not dollars to alarm you)

Despite all that — I asked God, “How come many never discerned this liar? And how can we prevent this from happening again?”

He taught me that partly, it was because Trevor approached everyone on an individual basis. Pretty much like in a horror movie, where the enemy devours a character who was isolated, he targeted victims when they were set from the bigger crowd. Perhaps in groups, a member could have been his past victim, and put him to flight.

For my case, I heard bits of God’s warning, but the lilliputian man never gave me opportunity to speak. He was so loud! And perhaps the spirits of confusion aided him. The sixth sense was not allowed enough room to think on it. But, next time better.

The Holy Spirit in us knows all things. We therefore have the discernment; but it only needs to be sharpened; pretty much like having the gift of tongues or prophecy, but lacking a larger experience to have confidence of either.

Or perhaps … there are levels of discernment; and every one must pierce through the lower stratospheres to the higher mesospheres of discernment. Previously, we could detect the worldly conmen! But this one seemed ‘among us’ or one of us! Just because a preacher has a large crowd, may not mean they are preaching the right doctrine. Thus, one needs a different kind of discernment to sieve such a matter.

Before I was robbed in 2018, I had always been the good boy, talking to every manner of stranger on the streets. From that day, I learnt the trick. And it seems as if by default, that one develops a discerning detector that beeps loud when similar confrontations ensue.

Now, it might be sad to many, but our God says he takes what the enemy meant for evil, and turns it for good. All things work together for the good of those who love Him. From God’s view, this will save us from bigger scams, where we could lose millions of dollars mayhaps!

On the other hand, I believe if every victim examines carefully or retraces their steps, they’ll find that God warned them by unction. Or, if He kept quiet, and did not approve of anything, you will find that it is us who went on to give without His go-ahead! And so we can’t blame Him for the loss.

Isaiah 30:21 says you’ll hear a voice say ‘here, turn, this is the way; walk ye in it.’ But did we honestly hear it? … Regardless, that aside, our God promises comfort. He says He’d restore what the palmer worm, and the locust, and the canker worm and the caterpillar would eat! He also said He’d restore double for our loss! And, that He would take on any necessary vengeance for us!

May that be your testimony tonight, along with praise for ears of the learned to hear lies from a mile away, eyes as sharp as His word, able to cut through soul and spirit, and joints and marrow — to see through vain righteousness!

For He said that before we would call, He’d have answered us! Like Paul called out the spirit of divination from the girl in Acts 16, may we exorcise and bring to nothing these demons of deception lurking and having hidden amongst Jesus’ bride! By His might and Spirit!

And for Trevor, well, the law of seedtime and harvest do not exempt anyone. He will reap what he sowed. And you who gave in ignorance, may it come back in good measure, multiplied, pressed down, shaken together and running over into your laps.

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Joel 2:25-26, Zechariah 9:12, Isaiah 61:7, 50:4, Romans 12:19, Luk 6:38