On Police and Harrassments...

I left church a few nights ago, and I got pulled over by the cops. Hold up, I should start all over since we’re talking about the Nigerian police.

I left church a few nights ago and was stopped by some policemen. Usually they don’t stop me within town, I smile at them, or frown at them, whatever the mood is and they just wave me off, but this night, this guy needed some money, so I was asked to pull over park well. I did, confident because my documents were in order.

He asked for my license, which I handed over, and then he asked for the car papers.

I got it all out and gave him.

Then he goes, “better check well if there are any other papers there because your papers are not complete.”

Huh? How? We travel with this car, and even the hungrier police checkpoints on the highway have never harassed us about incomplete papers because the papers are in order.

“What papers?” I asked

“Two papers are not here, police clearance, and purchase receipt”

I’m stunned. “Police clearance for what? Why do I need a police clearance for this car? It was bought brand new, are we expected to get a clearance to drive it as we leave the car shop?”

“Madam you don’t have the papers… it’s required”

Now I’m getting quite calmly irritated. Especially as I know what he’s playing at.

“So what do you want to do?” I ask disinterestedly

“We’ll have to hold the car at the station”

Now’s the time for me to panic and offer him some bribe, a little more than what the other people would because I’m a small girl and I’m scared. I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction, especially as I knew in my heart the truth that those papers he asked for were not required, even as much as I didn’t have a head knowledge ( i.e. facts, figures, words, phrases, how things relate to one another) about it and couldn’t argue.

“Ok” I throw him off guard with my response.

He leaves me for a while, and I’m on the phone gisting with a friend, and then I get tired of waiting.

I come out of the car and ask to his annoyance “Are you taking the car or not, i can get it over with and go home"

They’re disappointed, this lady is not crying, pleading with more money than the regular bribe, because of her grave crime.

He gets another confused officer who obviously isn’t keen on this play in the car to take me to the station around the corner, and I drive off, no begging, no talking, not even to my new passenger, I’m still charged up from church so praying in tongues under my breathe… I must have scared him.

We get to the station, he tells me where to park, I step down from the car and lock it, and the confused policeman still tells me to make sure I lock the car… I roll my eyes. Dude, stop delaying, I’m ready to match into the station.

Just then the police who is dragging his feet and making a call… probably to the one who asked him to bring me in, possibly telling him, the woman no say anything o tells me “I just called our oga and he said since its only police clearance I should let you go…”

Only? What about the other inconsequential document… purchase receipt? You forgot you said I don’t have that either.

He gets back in the car with me and drops off close to where his other cohorts are… then wait for it, just before he gets down he goes “Nothing at all for us?”

Like seriously? “No”

I get home angry and head to Google, I see required documents for vehicles, and I see a statement, culled from the police website stating that they are not to ask for police clearance for your car. I was angry at myself that as much as I knew they shouldn’t ask for it, I didn’t have anything to base my knowledge on, my heart knowledge had no head knowledge to back me up. You see when you speak from a point of knowing, the accusers back off quickly.

My brother says they only do that when they want money.

They saw a young lady in a nice car, a good catch for some money… but I didn’t bulge, I disappointed them. I cut short their expectation…. Like imagining a chilled bottle of coke in the fridge only to come home and find that it isn’t there.

Look! Don’t let anybody steal your word. You’ve seen in the word that prosperity is yours. For your sake He became poor so you can be rich… if after saying that someone comes to lie to you that Jesus was poor and you ought to be too, hold on to the scriptures you know… don’t allow them impound your believe/word/hope. You have your revelation of the word. Don’t allow them steal what you’ve seen in the word.

Jesus wants you to be healed, don’t allow them tell you He made you sick as a thorn in your flesh, so you can serve him without pride. Don’t allow them impound your vision of the healing and well-being gospel, they have their revelation sprinkled with lies and works, you have yours flavored with the truth. Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life(John 10:10) in every area of life.

Like I couldn’t defend myself beyond the heart knowledge, which gave a little room to the police to harass and waste my time, know in your heart the truth of God’s word, the revelation of the word and have those words of the bible in your head and mouth so when they come, you defend your hope beyond the heart knowledge but with a head knowledge as well. With this you don't get to the place of second-guessing, because as much as you know in your heart, you’re not so sure what the scripture says. Whatever you’re trusting God for: marriage, healing, provision, children… as much as you believe in your heart that all things are yours, look for scriptures concerning them and lock them up in your heart to guide the truth and and in your head and let them spill out of your mouth.

The police can’t harass me anymore in that area, because I know what I ought not to present to them and I’ll confidently defend myself and avoid being bullied or delayed for no reason. I didn’t give in to them by bribing or crying and pleading, but I was delayed. We can’t have people impounding our prophecies and dreams for no reason, and wasting your time. When you stand your ground and they/the devil sees you cant be moved or shaken, he’ll let you go for another day, but he wouldn’t get to you in that area any more because he knows you’re grounded in it, like being grounded in the truth that Jesus loves you. He'll probably look for another area to harass you, but remember you always win, no matter what angle he tries to hit you from. Glory to God.