Dreams And Omens

The country of Ghana is also known as the Gold Coast. There are gold and diamonds here in great abundance. Visitors come to Ghana from all over the world, not only for the fun of an African adventure. But also to possibly acquire some gold or diamonds. Most visitors are unaware of the fact, that the precious minerals industry in Ghana is strictly regulated by the authorities. Purchasing gold from appropriately licensed people is one thing. Being a hapless victim of gold and diamond scammers is another. There are many wonderful realities about Ghana. For example athletic, shapely and beautiful people is an ever present source of visual pleasure. The all around the year luxuriant greenery of the natural world is another. The delicious food and extremely courteous people are welcome nuances of Ghanaian society. All of these unique factors sets Ghana apart in a distinct category.

Scamming and deception however, are extremely serious hazards of Ghanaian life. Of which visitors should beware. Recently I encountered a gentleman on WhatsApp who offered to sell me some gold. I suggested that we meet at a governmental agency in Accra, to have the precious metal assayed. He agreed. This is one of the requirements of Ghanaian law. That gold must first be tested and authenticated as such, before it can be bought or sold. I packed my luggage in preparation for the journey. Purchased my ticket in Berekum on Sunday and went to bed that night thinking about my journey the following morning. As soon as I dozed off I saw myself standing beside a massive pit. I was gazing down into it and it appeared to be bottomless. This was my first warning that I should not be pursuing this transaction. Initially, I wondered what it meant but I should have known. Because I had been warned in this manner by the Spirit many times before.The human mind however, is always processing a multiplicity of messages and influences. Consequently, we are not always as focused as we should be.

Since my VIP Coach was scheduled to leave at 6:30 A.M. Monday morning. I left my apartment at 5:45 A.M. and was picked up by my pre arranged taxi shortly thereafter. I was in the Town by 6:00 A.M. I disembarked at the Berekum Station and made a quick stop at the rest room. While I was there my sports jacket fell into the urinal trench. I grabbed it out as quickly as I could. I carefully examined it and it was only damp in two spots. I was grateful but I recognized this mishap for exactly what it was. A very bad omen. Which constituted my second warning. Call me superstitious if you will. Dreams and omens however, have an important function in human existence. The Lord Almighty is not only transcendent, He is also immanent. As we read in scripture, “And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’ So Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.  But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.” Exodus 19:29. (NKJV).

The Coach arrived at approximately 6:20 A.M., all the passengers boarded the vehicle and sat in their prearranged seats. We all pulled out at 6:35 A.M., and were well on our way to Accra when I dozed off and dreamt that I saw a bright red fox with bared teeth. At first I thought that I was dreaming about a dog. But it gradually dawned upon me that only a fox has a red furry coat and a bushy tail. By now I was experiencing some psychic discomfort. As the stories I had read during my boyhood years came rushing into my mind. Reminding me that a fox was a wily and treacherous predator. I realized that this dream was actually my third warning. That a disaster was looming ahead of me. We arrived at The Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra at 5:00 P.M. This development afforded me enough time to find a guest house in which I could spend the night, before the evening darkness descended. I flagged down a taxi and we stopped at several such facilities before I finally found one with which I was comfortable. As soon as I had finished hanging up my clothes in the closet, unpacking my essentials, and taking a well needed cold shower. I called my would be gold salesman to advise him that I was in the City and that we would meet as planned the following morning.

His response was, “O.K., I will talk to my business partners and let you know their decision within the hour.” This was a completely different narrative from the one that I had heard from him before and as Mark Twain stated, “If you tell the truth then you don’t have to remember anything.” Obviously he had forgotten what he had told me previously because he had been lying all along. He called me back two hours later to complain that he had been robbed by unscrupulous people a few times before. Consequently, to establish trust in his own mind towards me he wanted me to send him 200.00 GHS to pay the transportation expense for himself and also for the two boys who would be accompanying him. My response was, “Sir, no money will be paid until after we have met, the metal has been assayed, and has been authenticated to be 100% gold.” There is no perfect crime. It is also impossible for humans to conceal their motives to such an extent that their intentions become invisible. Scam artists first signal what they are about to do in coded and symbolic speech. Based upon his words and also my dreams and omens I declared to him, “Sir, you have no gold. Nor will I be meeting with you and your boys. Because you either intend to waste my time or to attempt to rob me. Please don’t contact me again.” One of the warnings that Jesus gave to his disciples regarding events transpiring at the end of time was, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” Matthew 24:4. (NKJV). Without The Spirit’s guidance through omens and dreams not only would I have been a sitting duck. I would also have been the unwitting victim of yet another Ghanaian scam.