In a dream recently, a lady we will call Williams was shown something destructive that a preacher we will call Nicodemus was going to do to his congregation. In the dream, Williams was in tears as she told God how she had wholeheartedly trusted Nicodemus. The following day, she could not leave her house because she was very heartbroken and needed time to recover. A day later, even as she narrated the dream to a colleague, she was still in tears. Since then, her new motto is: TRUST GOD, NOT MAN.

Four days after that dream, Williams had another. In this dream, she and an acquaintance were looking on at Nicodemus’ congregation. Through sobbing tears, this acquaintance looked on at her fellow Christians saying, “These people do not know that the end of the world is near.”

A couple of days before this second dream, I had a dream in which Nicodemus was raping the very same acquaintance. As I awoke from the dream, I knew that this dream was symbolic of a financial abuse that the acquaintance was suffering. When I shared this dream with her, she told me, “I have been fasting and praying for three days now, because I wanted God to speak to me before tomorrow on whether I should continue supporting Nicodemus financially. Your dream is an answer from God; I will stop giving Nicodemus money.” On realizing the high level of deception she had gotten entangled in, and knowing that deception must abound before the return of the Lord, she painfully added: “The end of the world is near” – the very statement she had said in Williams’ dream!

What is the lesson for us in all this? Simple. We should put our trust in God and in Him alone. If we do so, then we shall not only avoid being abused financially, but also avoid unnecessary heartbreaks.

Many believers don’t seek God on important matters, preferring to believe only what their favorite preacher has to say. This to me is idolatry. Once upon a time, I thought such blasphemous behavior was for the Catholics only; they treat the Pope as infallible and take his every word as gospel truth. I have now come to realize, sadly, that many born again believers are not any different from Catholics. Though it is true that God has given us leaders for guidance, it is also true that those leaders are not supposed to take His place. Every person, however wise or spiritual, will always ‘know in part’. And even then, their commitment to truth can change at any given time.

Therefore, as we receive guidance from our leaders, let us not give them the trust that only belongs to God. Any preacher who fervently promotes loyalty to man without emphasizing that God should hold number one position in every individual life has become a Pope, and is leading people away from God. Preachers are supposed to lead people to God, not to themselves.

Please put all your trust in God, not man.

God bless you.