The Meat seller and I

I got an understanding of spiritual warfare recently… Let me explain with a story.

It was Tope and Eleojo’s tenth wedding anniversary. Though Eleojo was not much for celebration, Tope had been planning for a long time, he wanted to throw a big celebration for his darling wife. So they had to reach an agreement. The plan was to have a barbecue with few friends and family members, and a private dinner later for both of them.

A few days later, Tope came home with fresh meat.

“Ahn ahn babes! What happened?” Eleojo asked as her husband dropped the huge meat on the kitchen sink.

“I went to the market with Akeem and saw this big juicy looking meat, many people wanted it but the Aboki refused to reduce his ridiculous price, I said I will get it no matter the amount, for my beautiful wife and our anniversary.”

He answered as he tickled her. She slapped his hand away, giving him the side-eye.

“Go joor, Cheap man! You are buying me meat as an anniversary gift, did you buy it for me or for you and your friend’s barbecue?”

“Ha! Do you know how much I bought it? It was very expensive, but I kept thinking of my lovely wife. Besides the barbecue is for us all, you will still taste out of it.” Tope said as he tried to grab his wife.

Eleojo shook her head at him, as she took the meat to the freezer and left the kitchen.

Ele was watching the children play outside the next evening when she heard a commotion outside. She went to investigate when the noise got louder.

“Bitrus! What’s going on there, what is all that noise?”

She watched as Bitrus pushed someone out and locked the gate.

“madam na one man, he said he’s a meat seller you bought meat from at the market today and he has come to collect his meat back.”

Eleojo stood confused,

“what are you talking about? I hope you have not started smoking something. Go and switch off the pumping machine and stop inviting those your useless friends to my house to come and make noise.”

She angrily turned going back inside.

“Ha! Madam is not…” Eleojo gave him a look that shut him up.

“Sorry ma, I am going to turn it off ma.” Bitrus hastily left the scene.

The anniversary day, Tope was at the grill preparing the barbecue with his friends when they heard a knock at the gate.

Tope handed over the fork to Kelechi who had been cracking them up with stories and throwing jabs at Tope’s barbecuing skills. “Here, ” he said as he thrust them into his hands “let’s see if you can do a better job of it,” Tope said laughing as he went to check the person at the gate, he had sent the security man on an errand.

He opened the gate to see a middle-aged man staring at him. The man tried to slip by him into the house but Tope blocked his way with a frown.

“yes, who are you and what do you want?”

“I am Bala the meat seller.” the man replied still trying to enter the compound.

“Mr man, if you don’t quit trying to push your way into my compound, I will throw you out of here. What do you want?!”

Tope shouted sternly
“I want to collect my meat, ” he said.

Tope was confused and this distracted him for some seconds, using the opportunity, the man pushed his way inside.
“Come back here! What nonsense!”

His shout attracted his friends who blocked the man from going further into the compound.

Their stern faces dared the man to move an inch further as they regarded the man silently, waiting for Tope to meet them.

Eleojo wondering what was going on, came out to investigate why her husband was shouting at someone.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Kelechi asked.

“I am Bala, the meat seller and I came to collect my meat.”

They looked at themselves in confusion.

“Is it the meat my husband bought from you?” The meat seller nodded.

“Has he paid for it?” Chuks asked. The meat seller nodded again.

“Oga Bala, please now we have bought the meat, why are you doing like this, Oya how much do you wan..?” Ronke, Tope’s sister tried to negotiate with him.

“Will you get inside! Who called you here? Please what? How much where?” Tope shut Ronke up before she could finish her statement.

Chuks cleared the meat seller off his feet, while Eleojo took out her phone to call her soldier brother.

“How did you locate this house?” Kelechi inquired, kicking him.

“You are a thief!”

What gave you the audacity to come and ask for a meat that has already been paid for?” Chuks stood in front of him, taunting him as he bit into a tender part of the meat for the meat seller to see.

They surrounded the man knocking and pushing his head up and down.

“Imagine! Very expensive meat for that matter! He refused to reduce anything from the money, I paid all!”

The man was tied in a corner sweating and crying when Peter and his friends came to pick him up to the guard room. It was a drama-filled anniversary but it was the best one yet for the Otegas’

The meat seller is the devil

Tope is Jesus who bought us with his life and paid for our sins and freedom.

Ele and Tope’s friends are us trying to defend what Jesus bought

Tope’s sister is some of us trying to negotiate with the devil or some of us who think we deserve whatever happens to us because we are sinners and some of us who refuse to stand and defend our rights in Christ.

Would you have given the meat back or begged the meat seller not to take it?

What is your meat right now?

When next you are tempted to give up or give in, remember you are about giving your meat back to Bala the meat seller.