Lessons from Vera Anyim – The Man of God is Still a Man
3 min read
“The testimony is a lie, there’s no such degree as a B.Sc in law… We are not playing here, we are not faking anything here… She said she got a degree in law, what degree, B.Sc? … lie testimony, come to stand on the altar to tell lies in the name of testimony. Anyone who dares that does it at their detriment, comes to make it look like the word of God is fake…” Pastor Eneche reportedly told Vera Anyim as she was testifying in church. Hours later, the Pastor apologized: “I never intended to embarrass Ms Vera publicly. I have now confirmed that she truly graduated from a University. I regret every embarrasment and hurt I have caused her. I have reached out to her.” Let’s reflect on a man of God as not infallible.
Do you often take every word from men of God “hook, line and sinker”? Have you done away with a valuable relationship because of what you heard from a man of God? Do you recognize that a man of God is human and so fallible? Or do you think every word a man of God speaks is from God? As Reno Omokiri spoke of Pastor Enenche, “He had unintentionally embarrassed in a presumptuous moment of weakness, which can happen to anyone.” In the words of a writer, “All humans are fallible and may disappoint one day, especially if you look up to them. Instead, make yourself the best version of what you want in others.”
So, enhance your capacity to appropriately handle messages from men of God. Know that they are not celestial beings. While respecting them, don’t lose your sense of reasoning or objectivity because of what they say, feel or think. Know that sometimes, what they say may be from God but at other times, it may be from the man in the man of God. Recognize that while God is omnipotent and omniscient, the man of God is not. And so learn from the Biblical Paul’s commendation of the Berean brethren in Acts 17:11: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Are you a man of God? Be conscious that some of your listeners take your words as direct words from God. So be sensitive to what you say and how your biases, feelings and perceptions as a human, may be impacting your listeners, their businesses, relationships etc. Learn from the Biblical Paul who was sensitive enough to different his words from the Lord’s: “But to the rest I, not the Lord, say…” (1 Corinthians 7:12). Don’t forget Paul’s counsel in Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
As you step out, be alert that men of God are still men and so fallible. As Kilroy Oldster stated, “Embracing human frailty, fallibility, and heartbreaking aloneness is crucial for any person seeking to attain self-actualization and self-realization.” Don’t forget the Biblical Paul’s counsel in Galatians 6:1: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
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Dr. (Engr.) Esang Esitikot is a chemical engineer, an HSE professional, a public affairs analyst, marriage counsellor, youth mentor and volunteer lecturer at the Institute of Health, Safety, Security and Environment, University of Uyo. He works for an international oil company and can be contacted via 08035103559 (Whatsapp only).
