UNDERSTANDING THE HOLY GHOST FELLOWSHIP III

From the Pastor’s Diary – THE YEAR 1985

1985 was a year I will never forget. I did the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps programme immediately after my first degree in Nigeria. At that time, I was having the same kind of spiritual rebirth with my elder brother. While at the university, I was backslidden and decided to discover the truth, what exactly it was. I found it difficult to believe that it is only those who carry the Bible that will make heaven. So, I read a lot of books.

Ironically, I preached my first message at the age of twelve in a Holy Ghost driven Church. I was in Church that morning when the Pastor suddenly said the Holy Spirit told him that He had prepared a vessel that would minister. We all looked around to see if there was a guest minister, but there was none. I was waiting for the Pastor to sing so that I could play the local wooden musical instrument that I was so accustomed to. Suddenly, the Pastor pointed at me and gave me the microphone. I looked around with my legs shaking, but there was no one to help me, not even my mother.

The only scripture I knew then was John 3:3 and that was how I preached my first sermon. Thereafter, the Pastor called me to preach from time to time. Unfortunately, I backslid and everything started going down from then on. That was the worst period of my life. It is the worst decision any Christian can take. The first thing that happened to me was that I lost my peace and started looking for it where it does not exist. I read more books than necessary for my academics. Deep down within me I was struggling. I tried to ‘enjoy’ some things like taking alcoholic drinks but I just couldn’t cope. I was neither here nor there.

In 1985 however, I decided to take stock of my life and realized that it was after I threw away the Bible that everything took a downward turn in my life. In my little apartment in my place of primary assignment in the northern part of Nigeria, I knelt down and repented. I reached out to a sister who took me to her Church and that was how I returned to God. I made a decision there and then to throw away all the other books I had been reading and to stick to the Bible. After returning home from my place of primary assignment, I discovered that my elder brother had also taken the same decision and so we began to have what we called ‘early morning conference with Jesus’, a time we woke up early to spend quality time in the presence of God, worshiping him and just talking to Jesus. The first thing that happened to me was that my peace was restored. Secondly, I started enjoying prayer and fasting. Thirdly, I started having revelations, very prophetic revelations. During one of such revelations, I found myself in a Church in the United States of America where I paid my offering in US Dollars. Six years after, I found myself in that very Church. As I was about to give my offering in dollars, I remembered that revelation. To God be the glory.

Pray –

• Dear Heavenly Father, I worship and adore you in Jesus name. I give you all the glory for you are good and your mercies endure forever, your faithfulness to all generations. Graciously make it impossible for me to ever backslide from following your dear son Jesus Christ, the way, truth and life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

TO BE CONTINUED…….