THREE GATEWAYS TO THE SOUL OF A PERSON, Culled From Dipo Toby Alakija Illustrative Sermon Book Titled: “The Two Routes To Eternal Destination.”
There was an elderly woman who retired as a Primary School Head Teacher in Nigeria before she lost her sight in a mysterious way. She became a very fervent Christian soon after that, hoping and praying to receive her sight back. According to what she personally told me, she gave God one thousand and one reasons she needed the sight, including using the eyes to study and teach the Bible in the Church but God had a better idea. She never got her sight back until she died at the age of 84. In spite of her condition, however, she was able to occupy prominent position in a big Church where she was able to impact others with the word of God. My interaction with her years before she passed away revealed that there are three gateways to a soul of a person. Here is what she said, “I know a lot of people would pity my condition but I really understand and appreciate God’s reason for not restoring my sight. Pastor, do you know that I know much more about the Bible than most Christians, including ministers of the Gospel?”
I frowned, of course, because I could not imagine how. She must have understood my silence as a sign of disbelief.
She said, “I know you are surprised, aren’t you, Pastor?”
I told her she would have to prove her claim to me if she wanted me to believe her. She agreed to prove it just as she had been proving it to others. It was a simple test really. She told me to read any passage of the Bible, saying she would tell me where the passage is. If she got the book, the chapter and the verse right; she would have fifteen points. If she missed the book, she would miss the whole points but if she missed the chapter or the verse, she would miss five or ten points. She would set the same test for me off hand. Then we would see who won. I wished I had not accepted the challenge. Out of the three questions we each presented, she scored 35 out of 45 points while I scored 20! In fact, it was by chance I got 20 points! It was amazing. I had the chance to set my questions by looking at the Bible while she did not. Yet she passed my test while I failed hers – woefully. Now the question is how did she get to know so much about the word of God without her eyes? Did she have someone reading the Bible to her?
She answered, “One of my nephews bought me Mp3 with audio Bible which I listened to years after years. Since I practically have nothing to do except to clean up myself, I have time to read the Bible and also able to teach others. I have people doing other chores for me. You can rightly say I have read the whole Bible several times with my ears…!” When I realized that she was very conversant with the scriptures, I was able to influence her to be holding Weekly House Fellowship in her home. She faithfully held it until she passed away.
This testimony gives the basis of this message about the three gateways to the soul of a person. Everybody needs to be on guard because the enemies of mankind mostly use these gateways to cart souls to hell. They are as follow:
1. The Eyes: Although God gives us eyes to see and observe things in our environment but they are very ideal passage into the soul, which is invisible. Since what we see is often recorded in our memory, they have many ways of influencing our thoughts and actions. For this reason, the enemies of mankind (which are not flesh and blood, according to Ephesians 6:12) use things people can see to infiltrate their minds with what God condemns. A lot of materials like nude or other horrifying pictures, movies, musicals and others are specially designed to lure people to hell. And yet Jesus said in Matthew 18:9, “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”
2. The Ears: Again, just like eyes; what a person hears has ways of influencing his or her thoughts and actions. The testimony of the elderly woman is a classic example of how a person can use the ears to enrich his or her soul. The Bible says in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Chances are that the elderly woman would not be so conversant with the Bible to the point of beating me in the Bible quiz if she was not blind. Now compare this testimony with cases of people hearing bad news about what the enemy is doing to mankind everywhere everyday. Of course, this often dampens their faith, hurting souls without them knowing it.
3. The Flesh: The way everybody uses his or her other parts of the body like the mouth, legs, hands and others can also serve as avenues to the soul. Thus Jesus also said in Matthew 18:8, “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”
I pray that none of those reading this message will end up in hell in Jesus’ name.