The Quenched Desire – Episode 18

The Quenched Desire – Episode 18

By Lewis Dampson

While the congregation was surprised at his middle-aged appearance, they recognized the power of the Holy Spirit that rang through Charles’ voice. The people became so excited that it was murmured throughout the country. The question on the people’s minds were whether they will see another revival.

Mrs. Johnson got sick again while in her house. She was sent to the hospital, and the doctor diagnosed her of a lung disease. She became very afraid as she learned her disease had become chronic. “Please doctor, I have enough money to undergo any treatment you want to carry out on me. I am ready to pay. Please tell me the amount. I just need you to save my life,” Mrs. Johnson sobbed as she implored the doctor to do something about her situation. The doctor replied there was nothing he could do about it.

Meanwhile, Charles had come back to the home of Mrs. Johnson after a brief visit to his family. He was in his room praying when he heard cries in the hall. He was surprised since he had never heard of anyone crying in the home of the Johnson’s. He went downstairs after his prayers only to find Mrs. Johnson crying.

“What is wrong with you, madam?” Charles asked. “Hmm… Hmm… I was feeling funny this morning and have been coughing for the past one week. I went this morning to see my doctor, and he diagnosed me of a lung disease. He said nothing can be done to cure me. He said I will be dead in three months,” Mrs. Johnson said amidst crying. Uncontrollable tears were streaming down her cheek.

“Don’t worry madam, there is no need to cry over this. Our God is a healing God and I know He will heal you according to His will. Take heart and wipe those tears of your face. You are making Satan happy,” Charles said as he tried his best to comfort Mrs. Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson prayed for several days, but wasn’t healed. Her health deteriorated as the days went by until she was bed stricken. She remained in bed while she struggled for breath. Mrs. Johnson’s lungs failed permanently while on her bed one evening. She gasped for air, but her lungs weren’t functioning. She had a lot of air in the atmosphere, but her body couldn’t utilize any of it. She suffocated and died.

Many people came to Mrs. Johnson’s funeral to pay their last respect. They finally buried her in her house.
Charles longed for his homeland for some time. After the death of Mrs. Johnson, he returned home permanently. He was met with lot of loves from his family and friends as they were happy for Charles to be permanently home.

Charles’ father’s sickness also became serious, and he died as a result of it. At the funeral service, Charles did something unusual. As his father was being somberly eulogized, he suddenly interrupted the ritual and said, “This is not a death but a resurrection. Let us bear witness to this truth.” As he spoke those words, people felt something like electricity move through them. They felt that if he had gone on, there would have been a revival then and there.

The deacons in a local church invited Charles to take part in a special service after the burial of his father. When Charles decided to speak, the exciting news traveled throughout the country. Visitors poured into the country, and locals rushed to the chapel after work.

Two hours before the service began, the chapel was full. Outside in the streets, another large crowd had assembled. Young people were eager to hear the man their parents spoke of. When Charles took the pulpit, he calmly addressed the crowd and went outside to address the overflow of people.

During this brief period, he visited various chapels and warned against the choking materialism that had crept into the church. Once, two parents brought their child to Charles’s prayer room. As he prayed for the child, the room was flooded with light and with a sense of the Spirit of God. The parents began to praise and worship God at the top of their voice.

Soon, nearby workers heard them and left their jobs to join the group. Shoppers in the same district also heard the celebration and ran to take part. In a matter of time, there was such a large crowd gathered in the streets that vehicles couldn’t get through the streets.

Charles came out and prayed for healings and deliverances and operated in the gift of prophecy. But, when someone tried to speak in tongues, he openly rebuked the person. It seems Charles never got rid of the poison Mrs. Johnson injected into his head.

Nevertheless, some of the people thought Charles had become Pentecostal. Healings, conversions, and answered prayers were the most talked about results of this small revival. A year later, Charles totally disappeared from public life.

(Romans 11:29 says the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Charles had an unmistakable call on his life. God did not take that call from him although he went astray. The Holy Spirit used him anytime he availed himself. I believe Charles could have achieved more with God if he hadn’t allowed himself to be deceived and used by Mrs. Johnson. So let us beware of wolves who come to us as sheep. Let us maintain focus on the call we have received from God.)

Two years later, after his total disappearance from public life, Charles was almost a forgotten man. He stayed in a room provided by a sympathetic widow. She wanted nothing from Charles but to ensure his peace of mind. He spent the last years of his life writing poetry and letters to ministers. He kept a daily journal and was always watching sports and theater.

Charles got sick after nineteen years of staying in the widow’s house. This was the first time he stayed in bed the whole day. He died the next year at age seventy-two. He was buried in the family plot behind a church. Some years later, a memorial was raised in front of the church commemorating his efforts to stir revival.

The funeral service of Charles itself turned into a memorial. Hundreds who loved him but had lost sight of him through the years, attended and sang his favorite hymns.

Indeed, Charles was a great revivalist who held the keys of spiritual awakening. He pioneered a tremendous move of the Spirit of God in his nation. However, forty years later, not a trace of this revival could be found in his nation. It remained only as a memory in the hearts of those who experienced it.

(To carry the weight that comes with leading a spiritual movement, especially for a nation, all three parts of the human being- spirit, soul and body, must be made strong. As we can see from Charles’ life, there is more to a spiritual move than spiritual revelation. Spiritual hunger and revelation are always where it begins. But we are more than spiritual beings. The human body and emotions must be strong through the Word of God to maintain a strong move of God in the earth. Your work for God doesn’t have to fail or be cut short. Strengthen your body, season your soul, and yield your spirit to the plans of God. You can have a strong move of God in your nation and even worldwide and run it successfully!)

THE END.

NOTE: This is a true story that took place in the life of a revivalist called Evans Roberts in the nineteenth century. The story was presented in literature rather than its original form-history. The author of this great history is Roberts Liardon. The author of the God’s Generals. There are several editions of this book. Find these books and read more histories about past great men of God and their works.

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