Dec. 12th Year of 1 of the Vow

A few nights ago, Blaze crashed my normal family life, and was desperate to enlist father’s help to face-off with an old foe.

Blaze revealed the mystery that gave Nike night terrors.

When she was 9 years old, she was kidnapped by an enemy Blaze defeated, but made the mistake of sparing his life.

I know, as followers of the LORD, we’re supposed to be pro-life. Unless the authorities call us in to help with a case, most of the time we have to end the bad guys and by end, yes, I mean kill.

Does that make us murderers?

No.

Okay, with those that are redeemable and have the capacity to be repentant we don’t kill them. Like witch doctors are different from skinwalkers. Yes, we are required to leave them alive. Usually, the LORD provides a plan to dismantle them and destroy future endeavors and battles with redeemable normally puts the fear of God into the baddies to the point they are begging to change their ways to escape the reality of hell.

Sibusiso was Swazi, a member of a South African tribe steeped in sorcery and ancient traditions. He supposedly got saved by Jesus as a teen boy. He attended a bible school associated with a clinic that provided medical care to tribal members who didn’t conform to modern life in South Africa. 

In his early 20s, he rose to popularity for his unique revelation of scripture and his amazing deliverance ministry. 

By the time Blaze was sent to Sibusiso’s path, the supposed preacher was rumored to be corrupt and violent, but people were afraid to speak out against him. They didn’t want the curses of God to come upon them.

Blaze attended one of his meetings. He just gave prophetic words over people and hyped people up. He wouldn’t lay hands on anyone to heal them or anoint anyone to answer the call of God on their life unless they offered a seed to sow into God’s kingdom. In Blaze’s assessment, he just blew a lot of hot air and was a total phony.

But his false doctrine preaching wasn’t why the Lord sent Blaze to deal with him. When he wasn’t fronting the preacher act, he was one of the biggest arms dealers in the region. He was also a human trafficker. He was a drunkard and sexually immoral, having relations with multiple women and allegedly men.

The darkest thing he did was practice sorcery. His real allegiance was Satan and he was assigned to lead the people of South Africa astray with a false gospel.

Blaze wondered how he had time to handle all his affairs, but he had the police in his pocket. He used his ministry to smuggle weapons saying they were medical supplies and food for starving children around the world.

The orphanages were how he selected which kids to put up for sale, only the sickly and the ugly ones stayed in the orphanages. The healthy ones were adopted by diabolical wealthy people with sick uses for the children.

The list went on…

Blaze was to confront him, and have a Jesus at the well moment with him.

The year prior to Blaze encountering this fake Swazi Preacher, Sibusiso was punished by Satan for not taking out an evangelist that came through South Africa with the truth. The Devil blinded him for several months, and during that time Sibusiso questioned Satan’s love for him, and he wondered if he was that important to the Devil. He wondered if God would be better to serve. He prayed that if God was greater than Satan to show him. 

Obviously, God, the creator of everything is way better than Satan, the created-thing of God. But those trapped in darkness get it all seriously twisted. Their pain, anger, and misery cloud their judgement. What is good is deemed evil, what is evil is deemed good, and they are fueled to gain power and control – trying to feel satisfied in themselves.

Sibusiso was holding a tent rival. On the last night, after he made hundreds of thousands of dollars in offers and seed sowing, he left early, through the back. He let his worship team close out the event.

Blaze stood, leaning against Sibusiso’s black SUV that cost as much as a six figure house. The fake preacher’s security team took out their guns and started yelling at Blaze to get away from the vehicle.

Samuelson didn’t share what he said to the sorcerer. It was enough to have him on his knees crying that the Lord was real and what a wretched sinner he was. He was repentant in that moment.

Someone can have the best of intentions but if they don’t put their words into action, then they just give empty promises.

Blaze stayed to observe him for a few months. 

The orphanages started doing real adoptions to good people. He stopped smuggling drugs. And his preaching got more biblical. Still flashy, still filled with a bit of falsehood, but it was better.

He still lived a morally corrupt life.

Blaze confronted him a second time about taking the LORD seriously. He continued to seem more repentant.

As more time passed, Sibusiso appeared to be a changed man.

After six months, Blaze was sent back home to the states by the LORD.

Nike was 7 when Blaze returned home.

Two years later, Blaze had a dream that Sibusiso hadn’t really changed. He just put up a front as Satan permitted him to smokescreen Blaze.

Blaze went back to South Africa and he got rough with Sibusiso. He took out all his arms dealer connections. He reported the orphanages’ misconduct to authorities on an international level, limiting adoptions to remain in South Africa, and an investigation was launched to shut the orphanages down. The police forces in his pocket were to help him with arms’ deals, not the human trafficking side of business. Then Blaze organized a group of solid believers to evangelize outside his meetings, conferences, and teaching engagements to share the truth with people. Sibusiso was exposed as a false teacher.

Now, there were those caught up in deception. A good portion are so enamoured by their deceiver they refuse to see the truth because they’re blinded by the selfish desires in their heart. Their burning ears liked what Sibusiso’s false teaching told them. A pure heart turned toward the Lord will turn their head to the truth, even if they question it in the beginning.

Blaze was ruining Sibusiso’s influence.

One last time, Blaze confronted Sibusiso at his house. This time Sibusiso denounced his ties to Satan and accepted the Lord as his savior. Blaze’s job was done. He left.

Routinely, Blaze would wander the states to ensure he isn’t followed from a case gone wrong. Even with the ones that go right, it was best to be overly cautious when his wife was not a Modern Nazarite and his children lived normal lives.

He was home for a week when Nike went missing in the middle of the night. A note was left for Blaze. Blaze did work some security gigs for the government as an independent contractor, so his wife and her family assumed Nike was taken from the Homeland Security work he did.

Needing backup, he enlisted my father’s help. I guess in Modern Nazarite circles, my father was known as the closer, which meant he got the job done. Yes, my father isn’t that gracious. He probably would have ended Sibusiso.

Sibusiso took Nike down to Mexico. His repentance and accepting Jesus was all a joke or he slid back to the old man. But once you have known the goodness of God, how can you revert back to the evil of Satan? It took them months to pin down his location. Sibusiso wasn’t interested in killing Nike. He wanted her to suffer. Though when our fathers found the witch doctor preacher, they were prepared to take him down, but he was gone, and Nike was left behind for Blaze to collect.

Nike to this day doesn’t share what she experienced.

Blaze spent a few years in disobedience trying to track Sibusiso down to finish him off, but all his trails went cold. Sibusiso went off grid and started working for the enemy behind the scenes and out of the limelight. 

Father thought it was best I went with Blaze to track Sibusiso down.

Blaze got permission this time from the LORD to find Sibusiso and to stop him for good.

For the past three days, we’ve been on the road, traveling to Florida. 

Our intel for his whereabouts are Blaze’s visions from his slumber.

I’ve done most of the driving, in case his car naps lead to revelation.

Traveling from Michigan to Florida shouldn’t take three days, but we stop every few hours so Blaze can stretch or use the bathroom. Then we’ve made detours to visit people, also, the visions of where Sibusiso was going were either interpreted wrong by Blaze or he changed his plans…

Finally crossing the Florida state border I asked, “Do you need to get out and stretch?”

“I’m good, just keep heading toward Luna City, I’ll let you know when I need to get out.” Blaze said wide awake with his eyes fixed on the road.

He turned on the radio and searched for a channel he wanted to listen to… if he couldn’t land on southern gospel, it would be classical music or talk radio.

He grunted every time he found a station that promoted the Devil’s Music. Surprisingly, he turned off the radio station.

“The quiet will do just fine.” He huffed.

Driving his brand new, shiny truck was fun. Not gonna lie. Something about the revving engine was invigorating. It was like being a kid on Christmas morning, playing with a toy truck you begged Santa to bring you. 

Curious why he worked a regular job on top of being a Nazarite, I was direct and asked him, “How come you pick up independent contractor jobs for the government?”

“I got to make money somehow, don’t I? What we do doesn’t exactly pay…”

“My parents don’t work.”

Blaze laughs wheezily. He coughs a couple times. I try not to be salty, but he is near impossible to deal with. 

He said, “Both your parents are heirs to old money, boy. They don’t need to work. That money makes money on it’s own and won’t ever run dry… hopefully…:”

He crossed his arms and slouched low in his seat. Looking out his cracked open window, he added, “My girls get paid by the tribe and I help them out when they need it. Once I get ‘em all married, maybe I can take fewer gigs. I’m not young anymore. Even with super strength, working both fields weighs on me.”

My parents continue to surprise me. I thought all Nazarites lived like us but I guess I was wrong. Sometimes I feel like my family are vampires instead of demon-slaying-evangelists that sometimes do some crime fighting.

Well, I’ll soon learn the truth. I hope.

“You know, your mother came from a family of Nazarites, four generations before her. The relative that was a Modern Nazarite decided to disavow and leave the family business behind, but as the last living heir they still had access to the money. I think they got involved with banking in England. I don’t remember, she explained it all to me, but I put it out of my mind after she split and chose your daddy over me.”

The man just kept my curiosity alive like I was black cat.

“She dated both of you at the same time?”

“Well, I didn’t say that. We were all just friends. I may have exaggerated she was dating me. I told her I was in love with her and I couldn’t picture anyone else being my wife. She asked to just stay friends… that she wasn’t ready to date… But weeks later she ran off with Joshua eloping.” He clarified.

“Wow, you straight up lied to your kids. Nike swore you dated my mother.”

“I never claimed that, she assumed that.” Blazed defended himself. “You seem to take after your mama. Friends with this mysterious Caitlin and my Nike at the same time… who are you leaning toward choosing?”

We didn’t really explain Caitlin to Blaze. Mother said Blaze wasn’t very trustworthy with precious secrets unless it involved his family directly. I can definitely see that now. I figure I don’t have to talk to him about anything unless God gives him a dream. We said Caitlin was a family friend falling on hard times. We were helping her out until she could get on her feet.

“Well, if I asked for your permission to marry Nike, it’s not like you would give it.” I retorted.

Suddenly, his calmness escalated to furiously mad. “I kept you two apart in New Mexico because I know my daughter. And I knew you were fresh off the worldly sinner boat. I was protecting the two of you from making some dumb, lustful decision that could impact your whole life. I would be honored to have my daughter become a Priestly. Your father is filled with the most integrity of any man I’ve ever known and your mother is the greatest woman I’ve had the pleasure to be friends with… don’t have low esteem in yourself. You come from greatness.”

Wow… Nike was a lot like her dad… that bossy side of her is suddenly not sexy anymore.

“So, wait, when I ask you if I have permission to marry Nike, you won’t object?” I wanted him to be clear.

“That depends when you ask. Right now, right here, over my dead body you’ll marry her… I don’t know you, hardly. You gotta ask me at the right time.” He replied.

The Samuelsons were a confusing bunch…

“Woo, we’re in Orangeville, take exit 215… We’re gonna stop by and see my buddy Ricki. We pick up gov gigs together all the time. In fact, Ricki might be able to help us track Sibby.” 

Here we go again, another pit stop…

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*Edited by Kristen Wenneborg