Recently, I was going through my daily activities when a random thought came to me. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but when I paused to internalize it, I received a great revelation. The thought was a memory of a certain case I had witnessed several years ago. Here is the full story.
The counseling session that exposed the heart
Back in 2020, there was turmoil all around. If you were alive, you know what happened. I volunteered to do prayers and counseling at the church I was attending. I genuinely loved and still love helping people with every issue related to prayer.
Because I was still young, I was paired with a brother and a sister in the church so that we could counsel as a team of three. Most of the time, during counseling, I would sit quietly, analyzing what the person was sharing. Even after they finished speaking, I would barely say a word.
On a particular day, a decently dressed lady came for counseling. As usual, we sat in a semicircle and asked her to tell us a bit about herself. The brother in our team, being the eldest, led the questioning. The sister took notes, writing down the lady’s answers, while I simply listened.
The lady began narrating what had brought her to counseling and what she wanted us to pray for.
Immediately, I noticed something about her, but I didn’t react or ask any questions. Her problem was in two parts.
First, she had a disagreement with her mother about inheritance. She was employed and had spent part of her salary to buy a piece of land, which she then gifted to her mother. Her mother, however, had promised to give the land to her younger sister as an inheritance, not to her, even though she had bought it herself.
Second, she had a problem with her husband. The brother asked for more details, but she didn’t speak clearly. After a few rounds of questioning, it became clear that she was even contemplating being with another man.
When she finished, the brother promised that we would pray for her and that God would come through. The sister, taking notes, simply echoed what the brother had said. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to say something unsettling.
First, while the lady was speaking, the Lord had given me a Scripture that could be considered harsh: Luke 12:13–15. It revealed that the Lord was displeased that she was focused on earthly inheritance while neglecting her heavenly inheritance.
Second, when the lady shared about her dissatisfaction with her husband, the Lord gave me John 4:18. ‘The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”’
With these two Scriptures, I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to tell her.
The much-needed truth
“I know you came here for us to pray for you,” I began, “but there is something more important the Lord wants you to know.”
After I spoke, the lady, the brother, and the sister all turned to look at me. I could feel the tension, but I knew there was no turning back.
“We are not always good at recognizing our problems,” I continued in a calm, soothing voice. “Sometimes we assume our problem is one thing, when it is actually another.”
The lady seemed to compose herself, waiting to hear her real problem. At that point, I knew it was time to go straight to the point. However, I decided to use a wise approach, similar to what Prophet Nathan used when confronting David in 2 Samuel 12:1–10 for committing adultery with Bathsheba and plotting the death of Uriah, her husband.
I asked the lady, “What do you want God to do for you?”
Clearly hesitant, she said, “I don’t know.”
I followed up: “If the Lord is angry with you, what is most likely the cause?”
“I don’t know, unless you tell me,” she replied. With that, she had given me permission to share the unsettling message the Lord had given me.
The enemy named greed
Before I tell you how it went, reflect for a moment: how many times do you ask yourself if God is angry at you for something, yet He has not told you?
I came to learn that the Lord loves us so much and overlooks many things we do that annoy Him. However, despite God overlooking our grievances, those very grievances separate us from Him, as Isaiah 59:1–2 teaches.
‘But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.'(2)
In the lady’s case, she had grieved God without realizing it. She had long felt discontent with her life, but it was all part of God’s plan; to set her up so He could reveal what He had against her.
“My sister,” I told her, “the Lord says your problem is greed.”
Before I could say anything else, she confidently replied, “You are right.”
She then opened up, confessing the numerous times God had shown her she was greedy, but she had denied it. She admitted she had desired her husband for a long time because he was attractive, but shortly after marriage, she began resenting him for no good reason.
To cover up her resentment, she would accuse him for every little mistake, which she acknowledged were normal human errors.
Regarding the land, she admitted that she had enough money to buy another piece, unlike her younger sister, who was not doing well financially. Yet, she didn’t want the land to go to her sister.
It was from her confession that I felt it was important to remind you today to pray to God for contentment, as 1 Timothy 6:6 says: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain.’
As for the lady, we prayed with her asking God to teach her contentment, and she promised to give up her greedy approach to life.
God bless you.