“Amen to that.”
“However, this path to come is during a speedy and horrendous journey when the political leader will hit the airwaves and the media with his apostle or bishop to acclaim him to the world. It will be swift, and the times will come too quickly for some.”
“Preach. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for this revelation, and using both of us to deliver your message.” Jewel’s voice rose and raised her hand to give Him praise.
“You fell on a gravel surface since you’ll face temptations of lust. It’ll be lusts of the eye, of the heart, and pride.”
“Jesus. How’d you know? I only spoke a little of what the Holy Spirit had shown me and gave its meaning.” Jewel’s voice shook.
Under the influence of the Spirit, Lance continued, “The left tube shows many are drowning themselves with the influence of people. The central tube is allowing Me to direct your path in everything you do. Have faith. Otherwise, you can’t please Me. I’ll conquer and defeat all your enemies. Be open to hear My voice. Let God fight all your battles.”
“Okay, the center tube, the one started at the peak of the water slide, was the center of it all—Jesus. The left tube was people’s influence we have to be mindful of in these signs of the times, and the right tube is His righteousness—on the right path. Amen.” Jewel formed prayer hands, and Lance followed, and both bowed their heads, thanking Jesus for using their voices to speak His truth.
CHAPTER 5
Chasing the Dream
Roya Whitmore
Roya sat up, startled awake by the sound of a door slamming. She twisted her body around to climb out of bed. She sauntered to see what all the commotion was. Sunny greeted Roya with a sparkling smile. She went to the kitchen and prepared Roya something to eat. But Roya brushed her fork across the plate, mashing her food. She raised her fork to her mouth, tasted a tiny bit, then put it down.
“Roya, you need your strength. Honey, you’ve already got it into swallowing stage. Just a little. Please?”
Sunny started feeding her like a baby, or as if she was her long-term nurse to make sure she got her nutrients. As Sunny put the food to her mouth Roya tightened her lips to allow no entry. Then Sunny offered her a protein shake.
Roya felt a presence enter the room, saying, “…the enemy wants you to keep screaming at your past, not to grow in God. Satan doesn’t want you to reach your greatest potential in God. He’ll remind you of the people that weren’t there, abused you, and didn’t rescue you. I’ll rise up in you. Let My Spirit in you arise and your enemies will scatter. Scream at the real enemy of your soul.” Roya shook her head, wondering why she heard a male voice speaking to her. Can anyone else hear Him?
“Did you hear that?” Roya asked curiously as she scanned the room.
“Hear what, Roya?” Sunny said. She continued cutting up the vegetables to make Chinese stir-fry.
“Never mind.”
“Roya, what did you hear?”
“Nothing.”
“Sis, you prayed for God, did you hear Him?”
I probably had the best night’s sleep in a long time. I needed my sister. But I’m afraid of what will happen next. She replayed the words she had heard. Let My Spirit in you arise and your enemies will scatter. Scream at the real enemy of your soul. Roya reasoned, what’s there to scream at anymore when I was already so close to death? And who’s buried in my soul?
Roya ate the food Sunny had left in front of her. Her stomach growled, and she drank the protein shake.
Sondrea Willis
Sondrea’s heart thumped speedily. Her throat felt raw. She could hardly gulp down her saliva. She drank a glass of water. After four rings, Sondrea didn’t want to leave a message. Before the fifth ring and voice mail came on, she heard a “Hello,” on the other end.
Sondrea excitedly screamed in Roya’s ear, “I’m officially getting married!” She laughed. “I need you here.”
“Um. Okay.” Roya said with a lack of enthusiasm.
“You’re my matron of honor. Sunny will be also my best girl. I want you both as my special ladies. If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve never known such a wonderful family that I had.”
“Are you getting emotional, Sis?”
“Nervous. Yes. Aren’t you?”
“Not exactly. Full of joy.”
“Well, Roy. I want you to be there, standing next to me.”
“I hear you,” Roya’s voice dropped.
“Also, Sunny’s the one that kept me in line, gave me encouraging words when I wanted to give up, and kept in touch with me when I was at my lowest. She’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever known. I pray she catches the bouquet so that she’ll be next in line to get married. She’s in her thirties and deserves a good, godly man.”
“Whoa. I’m lost for words. Like I said, I’d love to come. When’s your wedding?”
“The 4th of July. I’ve already got a plane ticket for you and your kids.”
“Girl, really? This early? Alright then. I wasn’t expecting this type of notice.”
“I gotcha.”
“Be careful, watch your back at all times.”
“Girl, of course.”
“If they cannot get to me, I have acknowledged that they’re willing to hurt anyone who is dear to me, including you. I’m glad my home is in Heaven, but I still miss my loves that they took. If it weren’t for my boys, and Joy, I’d be very eager to leave this earth behind. Don’t let anyone know that I’ll be there. You hear me?” Roya pressed the buttons on her phone to switch channels. She learned it from Joshua. If anyone was listening it’d change the frequency and leave a screeching sound in their eardrums.
The sisters said their final farewells and hung up.
Roya
Her Samsung phone had a distinctive ring when an attachment was sent to her mail files. She was curious about who’d sent her an email, as social media chats were so common. It was her old friend and next-door neighbor, Lisa Black, who she’d met in passing when she moved in the area. They spoke occasionally and exchanged contact information.
She clicked on the buttons to view the picture email. It was a vibrant and glowing picture of Lisa Black. It also included a strange man with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. Roya couldn’t recall who this was so she read the text message that came with the picture.
Lisa Black: Hi Roya. I tried 2 knock & ring ur doorbell. No answer. Where R U? I have good news. Sent a photo of me & my husband Luke.
Roya wanted to reply, but she was more anxious to read her email now. She opened the message on her phone.
You won’t believe how I met this man. He was at one of the cross points. I was leaving the city to visit my folks. They’re putting martial law intact here to find an Alliance Group. Never heard of them, anyways, he stopped me at the post. I explained where I was going but his eyes spoke to my soul. My heart, girl, it was love at first sight! He invited me to have dinner with him after his shift. I got married at JP a month later. Luke is the greatest thing in my life and makes a girl happy. I wish you could meet him.
Roya pressed the ‘Lisa Black’ icon on her phone to speed dial her phone. Lisa answered the phone, “Hello.”
“Hey girl. I just got your message,” Roya said, breathing heavily with glee.
“I’m glad that you called, Roya. My husband Luke would like to speak to you.”
Roya listened as the phone was handed off to Luke.
“Hi, Roya. I’ve heard so much about you. However, we’ve been trying to track you and your Alliance Crusaders for Christ group for quite some time. I see the GPS system picks you up in California. You think we cannot touch you, but we’ll find you soon and your group! Lisa is one of us now. She has the implant. She’s freer than you can ever imagine. Give yourself up and you won’t suffer the precautions or brutal death like half of your family did!” Luke hollered in Roya’s ears.
Roya’s eyes widened in shock. She pressed the OFF button on her mobile phone. Oh, Lord. You just warned me! Crazy chick and Loone
y hubby. She pulled out the sim card and threw the phone across the room.
“Roya!” Sunny scolded.
“They know where I am, Sunny, I’m like a condemned woman.”
Dang, I should’ve known it was another setup! A trap to get my back locked up. This time they’ll kill me or make me choose God or make me watch someone else die if I refuse to take the mark.
She fell to her knees, crying. More than anything, she wouldn’t let them find her again or her family. She’d risk her own life not to see any more of her children dying in front of her eyes, or to lose her half-sister Sunny. Sunny has been the person that makes me smile when I don’t feel like it, brightens up a room with her sparkling spirit, and took care of my children during all this mess.
Roya knew that God was speaking to her spirit. She screamed from the top of her lungs. Oxygen released from her chest, and then she exhaled and inhaled to gain back her strength. She fell flat on the floor, kissing the ground, and extending her arms out on the carpet. “God, what’s going on? Please don’t leave me or forsake me. Please don’t let them find me or my family. You said in Your Word, you’d be here for the righteous during these perilous times.”
She pulled herself off the floor. She rummaged through the house in search of a Bible. She opened to her favorite book in the Bible, Psalms. She needed God to renew her spirit, mind, and heart. She remembered the sweet taste of the pages she ate to assuage her hunger while she was in captivity. The nightmares wouldn’t flee from her mind and hurt was buried deep within her soul. Moreover, she couldn’t understand why she was spared.
In Psalm 138:6-8 NIV, this scripture spoke high volumes to her spirit for the answer she was searching for.
Her vociferous outburst, “Woe my soul. OOOOOOOOOOOOO, Lord. Please tell me why you preserved my life. Why you stretched your hands against the anger of my enemies and your mighty hands saved me! What’s my purpose oh Lord, speak to me or forever hold your peace! Show me Lord or tell me! O-O-O.”
_______________
Sunny heard Roya’s moans and thought something bad happened. She prayed Yahweh would show his plan soon to all of them—Sunny, Roya, her sisters, her mom, or even the Alliance Crusaders for Christ. She was afraid she’d lose her sister forever if Task Force tracked her and captured her again.
As she prayed, Sunny recalled something she once heard in a movie she was watching, ‘Every saint has a past and a sinner has a future.’[6] Minutes later, Sunny’s cell phone on her hip vibrated. She picked it up off her strap to see who was calling on the caller ID. Joshua! She answered it. She put him on speakerphone while she hugged Roya. Roya’s head fell forward and rested in her bosom.
“Sunny. I have some startling news. We have contacted Yosef in Africa. He’s with some FBI agent and the other Task Force militants left once they saw that he didn’t try to leave. He received a revelation from God. He told me to read Psalms 78:1-8 in the New International Version. It means that it is time to stir up a ‘New Generation’ of men and women during these atrocious times. I know that Solomon was preparing us for what was to come with our food supply when he looked at the book of Genesis with Joseph’s story. He knew that food would be scarce soon. He also set up other tactics on how to defend ourselves by encouraging Stuart to teach us self-defense with a combination of martial arts.”
“What are you talking about Joshua? Slow down. You’re confusing me,” Sunny said. Roya rested, willing to continue her prayer.
“Anyhow, we’re planning to find those to preach to the nations with these new insights that Yosef has received. We have to get ready for twenty-four elders to preach the gospel to the nation. Soon we will, if not already, see a few spiritual Christian leaders vanish off the face of the earth.
“They’ve banned Christian programming from all sources, including private groups on Social media outlets. The enemy knows this is the divine way. Promise me that you will look at Psalm 78:1-8. Pray and see if God is leading you too to be on this path of sharing the light to a dark nation. We don’t have much time. Many people, as you know, are choosing the implant or the microchip believing it’s the change of the times. We’re to be in one accord. They know our headquarters of the Alliance Crusaders for Christ originated here and we are moving to other cities to save others from such a high-tech microchip whereas Big Brother is keeping a watch of all of us throughout the world.”
“Okay.” Sunny responded.
“I’ll come out there soon. Thank Roya again for setting me up in her old home. We have new technology devices to tap in their computer systems and databases to keep tabs on what they are up to next. We have to be five or more steps ahead of them! Love you. Tell Roya I love her too,” Joshua said. Before Sunny could answer that Roya was listening, or was right here to speak, the receiver went dead. He apparently hung up his phone after a distinctive signal rang through the phone. They must have been trying to discern our location.
CHAPTER 6
How the Holy Spirit Moves
Sondrea Willis
Los Angeles, CA, Late Fall
“You sure about this, Honey?” Bernard asked Sondrea as he held the door to the attorney’s office.
“Yes. I needed to update myself on the contract I signed with Solomon Productions, to make sure my royalties are correct, and the advance is on point. The album sales have hit the roof since Solomon’s passing, and those royalties should be coming through soon. I also have to see what the other recording companies are offering, she’s reading their offers.”
“Death. That man was…” Bernard stopped short after Sondrea glared at him.
Sondrea wasn’t in the mood to discuss details. She’d shared a little about her relationship with the Whitmores, and that’s all he needed to know at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” He placed his hand on the small of her back. She stood at the front desk as he stood by her side.
“How may I help you?” the receptionist said as her head rose from the computer screen.
“Yes, I have an appointment.”
“Your name please? Wait, my apologies, Miss Sondrea Willis.”
“I am she.” Sondrea placed her hand on her chest.
“You’ve been checked in and the attorney assigned to you will be meeting with you momentarily. I’ll call her phone now.”
“Thank you, dear,” Sondrea answered.
“You may have a seat.”
Sondrea fell back into the cushioned waiting room loveseat, and before Bernard reached for a magazine, a woman in a striped pantsuit walked up to them and extended her hand toward Sondrea.
“Sis,” Lavonne said.
Startled, Sondrea rose abruptly from her seat. “Oh my. It’s you, Lavonne. What are you doing here?”
“I work here.”
They hugged.
“So good to see you, Sis,” Her eyes became watery.
“It’s been quite some time. Missed you,” Lavonne stared into her dark-brown eyes. “What brings you here?”
“Um. Checking on royalties. Solomon Productions. Since, you know, um.” Sondrea stuttered.
“I understand. No need to explain.” She rose her hand. “I’ll get back to work but it was good to see you.”
“Wait, Sis. This is my fiancé, Bernard.” Sondrea dug in her glittered fashion bag. She pulled out a business card, and then a flyer.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Lavonne, Sondrea’s sister,” Lavonne said as she shook his hand. “Hold on. What’s this?”
“I want to stay in touch. Tonight, Jaizon will be performing at that church, and I might get a chance to sing, too,” Sondrea pointed at the church name on the flyer and then pointed at the address. “I would like to see you there.”
Lavonne held the flyer in her left hand and glanced at the business card in her other hand.
“Oh okay. I can’t make any promises. I’ll try,” Lavonne blushed, shaking the business card and placing it in her back pocket. “Thanks. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Good, I’d like that,” S
ondrea held her close.
“Wonderful to see you,” Lavonne offered before walking away.
Sondrea waved, “You too, Lavonne.”
The receptionist rose and walked around her desk. “Attorney Lewis is ready to see you now. Please come this way.”
“Welcome,” Ms. Lewis said as she opened the door. She shook Sondrea’s hand and then Bernard’s.
“What brings you here, Sondrea?” Attorney Lewis asked.
“As the email stated, I would like an update on the royalties, especially after Solomon Whitmore’s brutal death.”
“True. That was a horrific event.” Lewis sounded sad. “I’ll be glad to show you what I have here, and how the contract reads, and highlighted the areas for your review.” She handed her the file that was placed on her desk with her name typed on it.
“Can I keep this?”
“Of course. I prepared it for this visit.”
Attorney Lewis went over the contract, especially the highlighted areas, to give Sondrea clarification. Sondrea was relieved that she’d still receive the royalties from the sales, even after his death, and was fully entitled to her royalties.
“What about the other contract offers?”
“Sondrea, you just forwarded those to me. I’m still reading them. I’ll let you know my advice and reasoning as soon as I can.”
They shook hands. She exited the office with a smile.
“Glad you are relieved and things worked out for your good.” Bernard said as he walked by her side.
“Ready for church tonight?” Bernard said after helping her in the truck.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll drive us there after we pick up a bit to eat. What do you have a taste for?”
“I’ll let you surprise me.” Sondrea rested her hands in her lap.
“Okay. Will do.” Bernard drove to his favorite dining spot.
Just over an hour later, Bernard and Sondrea left for the church. Bernard had promised he’d assist with the final preparations of the event.
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