Chapter 5: The Characteristics of The Wide Path

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. – Matthew 7:13-14

What is the wide path and what are its characteristics? I asked myself this question after I had parted ways with false churches. When the time came for God to deliver me from false churches, He used the scripture quoted above. God also explicitly showed me a dream in which I was on the wide, wet floor and yellow caution signs were all over the floor.

Normally, people think the scripture above is for nonbelievers only. But there I was—a church member, yet God revealed to me that I was on a wide path; lost in the church. Had I continued to attend false churches, I would have completely fallen from grace and I would have lost my path to heaven. It was only after Christ rescued me from the grip of false churches, that I properly understood the difference between the narrow and the wide path. One thing I know for sure is that the wide path does not have a sign labelled “Pathway to HELL”; because if it did, I think no one would choose it. God pointed me to the importance of identity in Christ: Understanding His kingdom, its governing laws, and the requirements we need for us to walk with Him soberly and fruitfully.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33

As you now know, the kingdom of God is hidden in the Lord Jesus Christ and if you seek God’s Kingdom, you must first seek salvation for your soul. The kingdom of God is received through faith in Jesus Christ. That is why the bible says that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life in John 14:6. If you want to walk on the narrow path, it means that you must keep your faith in Jesus Christ alone and never rely on other things. The bible says that the just shall live by faith; it also says that we do not walk by sight, but by faith, in Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 5:7. Whenever people walk through life by sight and not by faith, they choose the wide path, which leads to destruction. When people choose to walk by sight, it means they do not depend on God. They put their trust on the things which are tangible.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6

When people fail to trust God with all their hearts, they open themselves to deception and eventually, they compromise. Granted, every one of us does go through trials and temptations in life. Satan always entices people with lies; but if people do not discover who they are in Christ, they will fail and subsequently they will be defeated. Let me remind you, that whatever we go through in life as people, Christ also went through the same. The bible says that He was also tempted, yet He did not sin. He knew who He was. He also used the Word and the faith He had in His Father to defeat the devil. Jesus Himself said that in life, we will go through many tribulations. But we should not be troubled, because He overcame the world, in Matthew 4:4-10, Hebrews 4:12, 15 and John 16:33.

FALSE PROPHETS – BEWARE

False Prophets make people believe that they are on the path to heaven, but they lead people through the wide gate. Unsuspecting people follow leaders who claim to be men of God. They follow men and women who claim to be leading people on the way to heaven, only to find that those people are false prophets. The sad part is that many followers are sincere in their beliefs. They do not want to follow false prophets, but they are blinded by the fact that many false prophets appear to be sincere.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? – Matthew 7:22

LAYING ON OF HANDS

Let me return to the events of my first encounter within false churches. Part of my initiation into false churches started through praise and worship. I did not realize that I had put myself in a vulnerable situation. I totally surrendered my life during praise and worship. The level of my trust on the congregation and on the false prophet was high. The truth of the matter is that the initiation started long before I visited the church, and the whole initiation is more detailed in the next chapter, “Modus Operandi Inside False Churches”. What took place in the church on the first day was just the culmination of the initiation. One can praise and worship in truth and sincerity; however, if the ground you are standing on is not holy, it is a waste of time. Praise and worship work on your emotional and mental state. I do however believe that there is one part in you which the devil cannot overcome and that’s the spirit man inside. Often after the services, the Holy Spirit communicates to people either through dreams or visions. Unfortunately, people struggle to understand Him because they have given the license to Satan through spiritual links.

People who were rescued from false churches can testify to this. False prophets wear a mask which relates to a Christian believer and in that way, many people believe that they are at a right place, even before they could see the leader. The leader appeared genuine, nice, loving, and caring. After his sermon, he laid hands on everyone, which is another point of contact and often used to transfer evil spirits. When I left the church that day, I was sold out. I had mixed feelings, but I still thought positively about the church. The following day was on Monday, and I continued with my daily activities, including prayer and study of the Bible. Normally, during lunch times at work, I would go to the parking area and pray for an hour. I would normally use that time to pray and meditate on the Word of God.

On Tuesday, the 3rd of April 2012, as I began my time of prayer, I felt that I was going deeper into the spirit. With my eyes closed the entire time, I prayed in tongues and declared the Word of God. When I opened my eyes, I saw an eagle in front of me. It looked directly into my eyes and I also looked back into its eyes. It was a wonderful experience. As I continued to look at the eagle, it faded out of sight. It was something I have never experienced in my life before. The truth is, never in my life have I seen an eagle at such a close range. I have only seen it from a distance or on television. I shared the vision with a trusted friend of mine, and he advised me to go see the leader of the church (false church) I had visited over the weekend. He gave me the phone numbers of the leader. I also did a Google search on “eagles and what the Bible says about them”. I contacted the church leader; he agreed to meet with me.

To meet the pastor was very difficult at my church. I had been a church member for over six years, but I was never afforded an opportunity to attend counselling. I never even met some of the pastors. I felt as if I was just another number at church. I met only few leaders who were responsible for the business foundations of the church, since I was serving on that department in church.

I went to meet with the leader of the “false church” on a Thursday, the 5th of April 2012. On my way to the meeting venue, I lost my way and it took me a long time before I could find it. I even asked the Holy Spirit to help me find the place, but I could not discern anything from Him. I finally found the place, though. It was where the leader of the church conducted his weekly services. When I look back to that day, however, I perceive that God tried to protect me. I was supposed to give up and return home when I struggled to find the meeting venue, but I insisted.

Upon my arrival, the same thing which happened in the Sunday service, took place a long praise and worship session. The preacher only came after 12:00. He preached a short sermon and said “… some of you say you were led by the Spirit, yet you went astray”. That surprised me a lot because that was exactly what happened when I tried to locate that place earlier. After the service, he laid hands on everyone and those who wanted to see him had to wait in the queue. The queue was long. I waited from 13:00 until 15:00 before I could talk to him.

Something unusual happened during the meeting. The leader told me about my life, and he said that I needed deliverance. No leader or pastor had told me about deliverance before, except the brother who invited me to the false church, and two friends who were affiliated to these kinds of churches. He told me that I was supposed to come to church so that they could pray for deliverance over my life.

In due course, I told him about the eagle encounter, but he did not show any interest. He told me to meditate on Isaiah 40, and that was the end of our meeting. On the 6th of April 2012, I had a vision. I saw myself washing my hands with clean water. The following night, I had yet another vision. I saw myself being given a sword. After I took it, I saw that my hands were sprinkled with blood. They also had many scars, but when I looked again later, the scars were all healed. This time around, I kept quiet and did not tell anyone about my visions.

When I now look back, I realize that God allowed me to go through false churches for a reason, because I received all these visions shortly after I have visited the false church. I believe that my hard and painful journey through false churches was ordained by God; I was on assignment.

THE ANOINTING OIL

As I continued to attend the false church, they sometimes gave anointing oil to people. Something unusual would happen whenever the congregants received the anointing oil. They’d be scared. They would shake, speak in other tongues, and some would struggle to walk. It seemed normal to the other congregants. During breaks, I noted that there was a table where the congregants brought items such as body lotions, face creams, bottles of juice, water, and many other items for the leader to bless. If you wanted to take the blessing home, you had to buy those products and have the leader of the church pray a blessing over them. I did not feel comfortable with the explanation. They tried hard to convince me, but I still did not understand.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. – 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

One Sunday morning, the congregants gave testimonies concerning the anointing oil. They spoke about how it healed them, how it helped them find jobs they were not qualified for, and how it helped them receive loans from the banks, whilst their credit records were in a bad state. The emphasis was more on how they manipulated the system to get their own way through the oil. On the days when anointing oil was dispensed, church attendance would triple.

Some of the congregants would even skip the service and only come for the anointing oil. People would crowd the church to full capacity. The anointing oil service was one of the biggest events at the church. What also shocked me was that pastors from different churches would come to partake in the anointing oil service. They would travel long distances for the anointing oil.

Some came all the way from other parts of Africa, just to get the oil. Some of the pastors gave testimonies that their churches grew in numbers after they received the oil. They also said that they were able to activate spiritual gifts through the oil. The devil still misdirects many to the path of destruction today, just as he misdirected Eve at the dawn of humanity.

The sad part—or was it the good part?—is that the anointing oil never worked for me. There were times when I was desperate in my life and I used the oil, but nothing happened to change my situation. In fact, every time I used the oil and brought stuff to be prayed for, my situation would become worse. But eventually, God delivered me out of false churches, and He started to show me in detail how I was involved in detestable and abominable sins.

That is the wide path in action. Many people, including myself, thought we were on our way to heaven. We were led by a wolf in a sheep’s clothing and we were not aware. It takes true commitment to God for Him to open your spiritual eyes about the path you have chosen (your church). God will expose the wolf in the sheep’s clothing if you could pray about it.

BLASPHEMY DURING HOLY COMMUNION

Partaking in the Holy Communion at false churches, however, was a sad experience for me. Not only was it a sad experience, it was also bad and shameful. I felt that way for a long time. I cannot bear the thought that I was part of the people who dishonored such special spiritual elements. It took me a long time to forgive myself.

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. – 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

This portion of scripture makes it clear that we partake of the Holy Communion in order to honor Christ for the work He did for us at the cross. The Holy Communion is supposed to be a joyful time in the presence of the Lord.

Let me paint a picture for you of the madness which took place during the “Holy Communion” service. They used black tablecloths, and even the net that covered the Holy Communion table was black. Some of the congregants would talk or yell at one another during the communion service. Demons would manifest during the time of breaking bread, and ushers would take the people to the front and leave them there, instead of rebuking and casting out the demons—if ever the act was real. Those congregants would be left in front, performing all sorts of crazy acts.

The leader would go around with a cup full of the so-called “blood of Jesus” and the congregants would jump in fear. Others would struggle to take a piece of bread and if they managed to take it, they would struggle to swallow it. They would shake, stand, and speak in “other tongues” —the list is endless. It was a pure dishonor to the work of the cross. Additionally, fake miracles, signs, and wonders would be performed.

Those were heart breaking moments to observe. I think the time of Holy Communion was a party for demons. Many people are deceived in false churches and they are not aware. The minute you step into a false church, darkness falls upon you. In a short while, you become blind; but the level of blindness varies according to your personal walk with God. If you do not know God for yourself, you become totally captured.

Thank you for taking the time to read. To get a full copy of this book, please use the link below. Many blessings!

I have the One whom my soul loves.

Song of Solomon 3:4

Hello there! I’m Zama-Zoe. I am an engineer by profession, and I am a writer and an Author by the calling of God. I am a blogger, inspirational speaker, and a businesswoman. I am a homemaker; with two beautiful daughters.