The Renegade (My Persecution Story)

Part 1

The Golden Child

I am the last child in a family of seven children – four males and three females and that makes me the ‘baby’ of the house. Growing up, I was cherished by my parents. My dad even named me after himself; I am my father’s name sake. My life was fun growing up and being the last in the family, I had a good childhood and was pampered. I recall being taken to really nice places, tagging along with my dad especially. I also had most of what I wanted, although I wasn’t  bought toys because I had a reputation for destroying them even though I loved them. I think I’m the only child that went to private primary and secondary schools. My mum even had plans of sending me to a private university but I didn’t insist because I didn’t see going to one as a big deal [a show of wealth and status].

I was prideful while growing up. I recall that in school, even though I wasn’t very intelligent, I didn’t fall below the third position in class. So I grew up as a very ambitious, proud person I could spend the whole day watching movies.

Clash of dreams/ambitions

My issues with my family began when I finished secondary school. My elder brother told me to apply to study at the School of Nursing, Calabar. The plan was for me to leave the country with him after three years. After facing so much disappointments in my life from my secondary school days [details will be given in the subsequent parts of this testimony], I did not believe in people anymore, not even my brothers. I didn’t just believe him at the time. I thought he was bluffing. However, I did write the exams and I was offered admission. But there was something that didn’t make me totally comfortable with the School of Nursing. I’d always wanted to be a medical doctor and was even more convinced about it when I went back to my secondary school for some documents. I realized that everybody, even my juniors kept asking me if I was reading Medicine and Surgery. Maybe I left the impression that I wanted to be a doctor as that had been my ambition and still is, although not as bad as it was before. But I had gone far in processing my admission into School of Nursing. My family was so excited that I just got out of secondary school and I was about entering the University. It was like my parents’ dream come true.

Part 2

Lost In A Quagmire

I just had to go against their dreams. I had a problem with the School of Nursing and that was that. I also noticed that out of about 80 people that were given admission, 70 were females! This wasn’t going to be good for me because I also wanted to know God more. I felt being in that situation wasn’t going to be healthy for my young heart.

Before this time though, I had already started having stirrings in my heart for God. I began to desire God a little. I remember praying upstairs in my class that I wanted to know God more. I began to seek God; there was a little spark somewhere in my heart.

I knew instinctively that I was going to fall into serious immorality when I got to the University. I had started flirting with some of the girls even before I got admitted. When I went to write the entrance exams, I already had a girlfriend just after the entrance exams! Imagine how it would have been staying in the school. I had serious struggles in my heart about going or not going to that school. Finally, I said to myself, “I think you are going to School of Nursing because of the girls” and that was the conclusion of my heart.

But like I said earlier, I had already gone far with the admission process and the only thing left was to pay the school fees. I planned in my heart to pay and then later on, after attending for a year, take another exam into medicine and surgery. All these plans shattered when I found out that the school fees was over ₦200,000. I was surprised! This was the confirmation I had been looking for. It didn’t make sense to resume and then drop out after a year. I knew my parents couldn’t pay ₦200,000 and let me leave after a year…for them that would be a waste and it didn’t make sense.

When I went home that day after the discovery, I noticed that my parents weren’t really comfortable with the school fees either. Another setback I had was that my eldest brother kicked against the idea when he found out. He advised that the RN (Registered Nursing) certificate was a lower certificate compared to doing a degree in Nursing in the University. He added that I would have limited opportunities as I progressed especially with regard to managerial or administrative roles when I started working. God used him to deliver me from that wrong choice because if he didn’t oppose it, nothing would have deterred my parents from forcing it on me despite the high fees. I literally almost lost my mind thinking about going or not. The decision was hard but at last, it was settled, I wasn’t going.

Nonetheless, my second brother never repeated himself again about that particular topic of going abroad and it never came up again.

I can’t recall when or how but one way or the other, I found myself praying, “Lord lead me, Lord lead me. Lord what should I do? I’m confused”… Nothing was forthcoming so I stayed back home and read for JAMB again. During this period, my second brother promised me that he would take me to Sokoto with him to study radiography with him.

Part 3

Answered Prayers?

After my deliverance from School of Nursing, I began JAMB classes as I intended to apply for medicine and surgery. I read voraciously. The classes were held in one of the halls in the current building where God’s Lighthouse holds their church meetings now. I had been attending the classes for months and nothing strange happened. I was just a normal student anticipating and preparing for JAMB.

On the 20th of February 2019, something happened. That day happened to be my birthday also. I had prayed – “Lord, I want to become an adult for you”. There was an intense desire in me to grow up into an adult that knows God and is in love with Him. I didn’t want to be a normal adult. Not that I was righteous in any way when I said this prayer, in fact I still kept my girlfriend with whom I was committing some immoral acts. Although by now, God had delivered me from pornography and other bad vices but I still had some things I hadn’t repented of. After the prayer, nothing happened, nothing changed.

In March, as I was preparing for the exams which was to take place in April, I saw one of my classmates, Uk. from secondary school. We met close to the University (the venue for my classes was just opposite the University of Uyo). I had actually been seeing him there before now though and I knew he had gotten admission but since he was not one of my close friends back then in school, I didn’t talk to him. Also, I felt I was at a higher level than him; this was of course, pride. On the day I saw him, he came over and we started talking. He told me about a church group he went to and saw amazing miracles. He specifically talked about a guy who was a cultist but now was a Christian. It sounded like the movies to me because in my family church, an event like that had never been heard of. I had never experienced or seen anyone that had such a story. I mean we didn’t have people share such testimonies in my family church. People thanked God for successful burials, weddings and such. They didn’t thank God for healings, or a change of character. No! These were not the kind of testimonies I heard in the place where I was coming from. It was a wonder for me.

I followed Uk. that day to the church not because I wanted to hear or see what he told me, I just had this impression that this might actually be God as I remembered the prayer I had prayed at home on my birthday. I clearly heard a thought in my mind, “What if this is the answer to that prayer, and you may not get the fulfilment because of some excuse. Just go and see then, you can have a clear conscience that it wasn’t God. Opportunities come but once”. The excuses that came up were that I was on a strict study timetable and didn’t have time to waste on ‘useless’ things. Also, I’d never really gone to someone elses’ church so this really seemed like a very foolish and impulsive thing to do at the time. However, I decided to attend so that it will not be said that I rejected the person God sent to me. I just followed trusting that maybe it wouldn’t turn out that bad.

Part 4

Hooked!

We set out together to the church. I didn’t notice that there was no signboard (my dad later pointed this out to me). We got there around 4:00pm and when we got there, I met the former cultist. He really depicted the ruggedness I had heard about him so I knew Uk. had told me the truth. I mean the guy was real! He still had his tattoos on and was quite muscular. After talking with him, I noticed the Believers Bible School (BBS) had started and he convinced me to join in even though I didn’t want to attend it initially. When I saw the teacher, I thought “Well, this is a deaconess or at least she’s a big woman, she’s married” because where I come from, you don’t teach except you’ve reached a particular stage in whatever criteria was required. I went home late that day and I felt right… That’s how I can describe the feeling—RIGHT. There was an assurance that I got from just that class, the tranquility of the environment; it felt like there was a certain chill that made me not to worry  about getting home late. I just loved it there.

After that day, I totally lost interest in my family church. I was completely ‘stolen‘. I knew I wasn’t bewitched or anything. I just loved the peace around that place and I fell in love with it. From then on, I kept going there. I became very consistent and I couldn’t afford to miss meetings. It was like this place had what I was looking for. I really enjoyed going for the teachings and everything. It seemed there was a longing in my heart that was satisfied there. I wanted to hear this truth, I wanted to hear it – everything. The Pastor ticked my requirements for a man of God – no suit, no tie, not complicated, just simple with knowledge.

I was so excited about this new found treasure that I wanted my family to know. Little did I know that they wouldn’t share in this happiness of mine but rather would have preferred to have it shattered…

All the while, my excuse for coming to God’s Lighthouse was my JAMB classes, although my parents noticed I had begun to come back late. It wasn’t really a problem because I usually covered it up with “I just went for some classes”. I told my mum later that I was attending a Prayer House (Nkaakam in my dialect) and the meetings were usually long, I knew she wouldn’t oppose this. My JAMB classes were soon coming to an end and there was no other umbrella to hide under. After I had written my JAMB, I had to tell them the truth about my new-found church. This was early in May 2019.

I decided to call a family meeting to tell my dad and everybody at home about this church. Before now, I had already told my mother about it and she was okay with it. Her reply was, “Fine, if you want to go, it’s okay. Go ahead, no need to worry”. She was totally okay with it but it was my dad that brought the shock when I told him about it. I never had any intentions of saying I will be going to God’s Lighthouse permanently. It wasn’t in the plan. The plan was, since meetings were especially on Monday (BBS), Wednesdays and Fridays which were the exact days I needed, I could go to God’s Lighthouse on those days and then on Tuesday and Thursday, I would attend choir practice in my family church. I would attend service there too on Saturday and Sunday; and that’s what I told my dad.

Part 5

Hell At Home

My dad said No!

He didn’t want me to go to any other church group. I was surprised because my dad typically would not react like that especially when you’re both sitting down and having a discussion. That’s where the whole soup started spoiling [things began to go bad].

I had this discussion with him on Monday and then on Wednesday, I told him in the morning that I’ll be going to my church that evening because I thought he had agreed. That afternoon, as I wanted to go for service, I told him I was leaving. Suddenly, he took all my clothes and packed all of them into a room and locked everything up so that I will not be able to leave. My mum told me it was okay and that my dad just wanted to see how stubborn I was and to know if I was really serious about going to church. That day, I had to go to church wearing my shorts, a light polo t-shirt and slippers. Thank God my t-shirt wasn’t really dirty. When I came back that evening, he didn’t release my clothes. He kept my clothes for two more days. After that, he gave them back but seized them again. This happened two more times until one day, I went for service and I came back late. When I got back home, my dad refused to open the door for me. I slept outside for two nights. Then it occurred to me, “Why should I be sleeping outside?” I told my shepherd (the leader in church who was responsible for me). She told me to spend the night with the brothers in church if it was too late to go home. So I started staying over at a  brother’s house and going back home the next morning whenever I couldn’t go home directly from the meeting. This was another problem on it’s own. By the third time this happened, my dad was very angry. “Why should you be sleeping over at someone’s place?”, he asked even when he was the one who locked me outside.

He flogged me on one of those days. I think he gave me up to 12 strokes. He had never flogged me that much before. Yet, that was the beginning. He just went on like that and slowly, I started losing my grip on things. He started cursing me and saying he would not send me to school again as he didn’t want to waste his money on me. I tried to talk to him, and make him see reasons with me. I told him God’s Lighthouse wasn’t the way he thought but he refused to listen. One of those occasions, he told me not to sleep outside at someone’s place again and when I came back home, he locked the door and refused to open it for me. I slept outside and used rags to cover myself because of the weather. By the next meeting on Friday, I knew he wouldn’t let me in so I didn’t bother going home. When I went back home that Saturday morning, he sent me into the house and told me to pack my things and leave. I just took few clothes as he had seized most of them already. I stayed at that brother’s place throughout Saturday.

On Sunday, my dad came to the church premises. We were on a retreat so the meeting was on till evening and we had just eaten melon soup! I was still there enjoying fellowship when my mum and my dad came.

Part 6

And The Flames Grew Hotter

My dad came into the compound and strolled into the meeting venue. He began to look around; I had no idea why. He went outside after this. One of the leaders went out to meet him and he demanded to see the Pastor. An appointment was fixed for a day in the week as Pastor was busy. My dad refused to go to the meeting. He was offended that a Pastor should fix an appointment with him. Before he left that Sunday, he told me to go back home and stay with him.

I became depressed. I thanked God I was a male and for the little strength I had inside of me. I remember saying to myself that if my life got any worse and it was impossible to go to school, I’d still be fine. I felt that my life was like a grain of sand on a seashore and there is an ocean of people so if I died, it wouldn’t mean anything as no one will notice. A lot of people had deserted me.

Remember my brothers? They had left me. My eldest brother who initially wanted to take me to Kaduna but declined before this time, suddenly called me to join him there. I refused because I felt it was his way of taking me away from church. This made him very angry. My sisters left me as well. I had working-class siblings who used to give me financial support so that I lacked nothing. My elder brothers told me, “If you don’t stay back from that church, we are cutting you off. We will no more give you your monthly allowance.” I was in lack and it really took a toll on me. That was the beginning of my poverty and everything just went downhill from then.

My dad at intervals would send me out of the house and then my mum would ask me to come back. I mean she was the one that usually saved me from my dad. Thank God for mothers. She was the only one that saw anything good about my church and hoped for the best from it especially when I told her of the people God has been transforming. My dad never allowed her conviction of the truth to stay because he would always pressurize her, telling her that she was supporting and pushing me to continue to disobey him. I remember he even threatened to send her back to village. My mum told me that I was making her marriage fall apart, that she was at risk of losing her marriage. This pressure on my mum is why she was quite double minded. She tried to even stand by me but whenever my dad was at home, she would shout at me and say all sorts of things to me just so that my dad would think she was on his side.

Part 7

Finding Solace In Brethren

I’m thankful for the brothers that helped accommodate me. The first time I was kicked out and stayed over with them, they kept encouraging me and saying that I was very lucky. It didn’t make sense to me then. “How am I lucky?” I thought. I wasn’t even sure of gaining admission by the next year but they kept encouraging me. I remember once, they told me that they wished they were in my condition –  being persecuted for Christ. That was a bit awkward for me, who thinks like that? Well, I got to understand with time. Their encouragement was what kept me comforted and staying with them was such a blessing! If I didn’t have where to stay, I would likely have returned to my former church and my old life. I even got clothes from them as mine were locked up at home.

One of those times when I returned home, my dad sent me to stay with his brother (I didn’t understand why at first). This uncle is someone my dad had always told me wanted to kill him! Yet he sent me to his house. It was during my stay at my uncle’s place that I got to read ‘Good Morning Holy Spirit’ by Benny Hinn. It was such a blessing and I enjoyed my stay at his place. But when I discovered that he sent me there so that I won’t go to church, I started planning my return home. I also really disliked my uncle’s church because they cried and mourned a lot. They were generally more sober than the regular church. They also did not allow phones two miles to the church building saying it was disrespectful to God, you dare not attempt to use the soft copy Bible on the phone. I had to tell my uncle I was leaving because I wasn’t enjoying his church.

Everything got to a peak on 23rd July, 2019 after I had returned home because I had to check my JAMB result. It was usually matter relating to school that made me return home every time my dad kicked me out. After a while, my mum would bring me back because she wanted to send me to the university too. She said she didn’t want me to be without a university education. By this time, my dad had told me he would not send me to university again and he assured me he’ll stand by what he said. On that very day, I was at home Uk. who brought me to God’s Lighthouse came visiting…

Part 8

Rants and Raves

Before his visit on that day, my dad had been interrogating me about the church (GLH). He had asked me a lot of questions including who took me there. I told him nobody took me there rather, I went there myself after my friend Uk. told me about it. I didn’t know the name stuck. He used to call my church a cult group, and said that I had been initiated and brainwashed. He also said that they were going to destroy my life and future.

…I had no prior knowledge that Uk. was coming to my house. I had received his call earlier but my phone went off before he said anything. When he came, he rode on a bicycle into the compound. Perhaps if I had known, I would have met him outside. Anyway, I believe everything works together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28). He came in and the first person he met was my dad. After he greeted, my dad called him and started asking questions. I believe he introduced himself with his name! I heard them talking and went outside. My dad angrily shouted at me to go back inside but I wanted to rescue my friend so I refused. I tried to calm my dad down because he had starting cursing and saying things like “You are the one that took my son into this! God will punish you!” I got very angry at him and told him not to talk like that to my friend as he had not done anything.

Then he told my friend to leave his house. Still angry, I told him that he should not do that; he could not send my friend away. I said this because my elder brother would bring girls to the house and he (my dad) had never once chased the girls out even when he knew the evil they came to do. I didn’t think my dad should send my friend away. Before I knew it, my dad started pushing Uk. physically out of the house. When I was telling him to stop, he pushed me into the house. He pushed me so hard I almost fell over. I pointed my fist at him and told him that he should stop it! I should not have done that (as was pointed out to me later by Pastor and my shepherd), I’m not happy I did. I should have known better than allow anger win. I also raised my voice at him. That was wrong of me. Uk. told me not raise my voice at my dad and told me he’d go. As he was leaving, one of my sisters came outside and began talking with him. She also started shouting at him. Of course like every other sibling of mine, she was not in support of me especially because of the dreams she claimed to have of my church. I wondered when she started having dreams when I heard them. After the drama, I went outside the house and spoke with Uk. who had waited. We spoke for a while then I went back home. I didn’t know what was in store for me.

Part 9

Under Arrest!

I went inside the house and began reading my Bible. I was reading about the Kingdom of God and the narrow way. I can’t really remember a lot, but I saw that the road that leads to death is broad but narrow is the way that leads to life. I was excited that I had learnt something and I could preach about it. God was speaking to me! Later that evening, I wanted to go for the BBS classes but I had already completed two or three cycles so I decided to stay back.

Around 4:00pm, I saw my dad arrive home. I didn’t even realize he had gone out. Then I noticed another car along with his. I thought, “Maybe there is someone that he wants to show something in the house”. But then I saw four men come out from the car and approach the house with my dad leading them. My dad walked past me as though he had no business with me even after I welcomed him. Two men walked right into the room almost immediately and asked, “Are you S.A?” I said, “Yes”. “Pack your things, you are under arrest. Put on a pair of trousers and come with us”. In my mind, I didn’t even understand what had just happened. I thought it was just a joke or something till they took me into the car. One of them said I was being arrested because I joined a cult. He said, “Look at how you want to waste your life as a cultist”. It was still funny to me until they told me I was going to the Police Headquarters in Akwa Ibom State. I thought they were joking because no one arrests someone for nothing. What did I do? I saw my dad following from behind so I actually thought they were taking me to a church, somewhere to conduct deliverance because my dad had always said I was bewitched. I didn’t think that they were telling the truth.

Well, they were telling the truth. I was taken to the police station and from the get-go, they were already pushing and beating me. The officers took my phone and told me to switch it off. Thank God, I had written out the numbers of some people on the back of my jotter in the past. I was taken to an office and questioned in the presence of a senior officer. In a bid to answer their questions, I started preaching and even quoting scripture even when I knew just a little. The men took turns to question me. I didn’t know a lot, so when they asked me things about the Bible, I wasn’t able to answer. I had a lot of knowledge gaps as I was still a new believer. If it was now that I know a lot more, I am sure I would have been able to convince those men that I was speaking truth. But even the little knowledge I had provoked them. Shortly after, they told me to sit on the ground and that was when the actual beating began. They wanted to lock me up in a cell that day but the senior officer said they should just allow me to go. He told them to call my father to come and pick me that there was no need for them to keep me; then he left.

When he left, the other officers were so angry that they started slapping me. They said I was talking too much, and acting like I knew more than them. I was slapped, beaten and literally bullied. That was just round one.

Part 10

Deny or Die

I was told to write my police statement. They told me what to fill. They showed me that my dad had filed for my arrest because I was a cultist. It dawned on me that those officers were not beating me as someone whose father thinks he is going to the wrong church. They were beating me with the mindset that I was a cultist and that I was among those who raped girls. I think they even said something to that effect. That was not the truth! I was so sad that my father could fill that kind of statement.

After writing out and signing my statement, they started beating me again. This lasted from about 5pm till 8pm. While they were punching me, I covered my face because I didn’t want to have marks on it. I did this while shouting at the top of my voice “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!!” While beating and punching me, the officers told me to deny my church and say I will not go there again but I refused. “You don’t want to deny your church? It’s like you want to sleep in this police station?” They went on to threaten me. They said that in prison, there’s no food and so on. I also remember hearing that in prison, there are lots of homosexuals. I was dead scared as I began remembering my experience in secondary school with homosexuals and all this really made me even more afraid. They kicked me on the floor and used their shoes to kick me all over. They were about three men and one later left.

The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was convinced that even though I didn’t fully understand why any of this was happening, I was sure God’s Lighthouse was a good place. And that all the things the officers and my dad said about the place was just a lie. In fact, I was sure that the reason my dad didn’t want me to leave my family church was because he was an elder there. And if I left, it would damage his reputation. It angered me to think his focus was his reputation. Around 8pm, he came to the police station with my mum and I was told to stand in front of him and say that I would no longer go to my church again. When I stood before my dad, I told him “No, I’ve been to the church and I’m very sure of my choice”. My mum beat me and said I should accept his condition and that I should not be stubborn to the police. She told me to just deny the church in front of the officers and they’d allow me to go. I told her that if I did so, it means I’m lying and whether I was telling the truth or lying, as long as I opened my mouth and denied, even if I was joking, it will still hold.

I was so bold, I couldn’t even understand. It was like when I saw my dad, the pains I felt evaporated even though I was still sobbing. At this point, the officer got really angry. “You mean you won’t even respect me and act like it in front of your dad?” He took me back and I knew I was being prepared for round two.

Part 11

Homeless

When it was clear I wasn’t going to change my mind, he started beating me right in front of my parents. My mum had to leave, she couldn’t stand and watch while I was shouting. The man was beating, slapping and punching me. He picked up sticks and used them to hit me too. Then more officers came and stood at the sides of the room. They used me like a football! One will beat me and kick me at one side, then push me to the other officer who will beat me and punch me. At a point, they picked a big log of wood and used it on my bare body (they had removed my shirt earlier and I was wearing only a pair of jeans which had even been torn earlier when I was being bullied). I was finally rescued when my mum came in with my dad. The officers had to stop because my mum was pleading with them to leave me alone. After this, I was taken home. Later that night, I sat down to write down the events of the day. I was very scared and traumatized because my parents told me that the next day, Thursday, the police will return to take me to prison if I hadn’t changed my mind. I was thinking that night “Oh God, I’m going to prison to stay”. I really didn’t want to go to prison as I dreaded. I decided to preach to my parents that night because I thought “This might be the last time I see them, who knows what will happen to me in prison?”. I told my dad that he was up to 60 years, and had spent a good part of his life already so it was better he focused on knowing God so it won’t be too late. He turned everything around and said I was praying for him to die, whereas that was not what I meant.

The next day, I called a sister in church, I got her contact from the numbers I had written behind my jotter. I couldn’t call my shepherd because I didn’t write her number. I told her I was going to prison that day and she told me not to worry and that she will talk to Pastor about it. To cut the whole story short, when I got there, it didn’t turn out as I thought it’ll be. I was allowed to go after they interrogated me and found out actually it was a church group and not a cult group as they had thought. I was immediately told to go but I should obey my father too so that he will send me to school. They advised my dad not to allow me stay in his house since I was disobedient too. This advice really spurred my dad and so on our way home, in the car, (well since the previous night, my dad had told me that if they don’t take me to prison, I was not going to stay in his house again) he reminded me and immediately we got home, he told me to pack all my things. My mum was very angry about my disobedience so she went outside and got a piece of (fire) wood. She used it on me, on my shoulder and I almost fought back due to the pain caused. I felt really angry and embarrassed. I think she almost dislocated my scapula because that’s were she hit. After that, I left the house.

I got to church that day and sat down to listen to Pastor teach. All that was going through my mind was how to start looking for jobs so that I would have what to eat and go to school. The very thought of hustling on my own was pretty humiliating for me because I didn’t like that kind of life. I already had my life secure but now I was sure it wasn’t going to be perfect anymore.

Part 12

A Ray Of Hope

After I got kicked out that Thursday, I went back on Friday to apologize to my dad for pointing my fist at him in anger. Pastor and my shepherd sent me back saying I should not have done that—true that was wrong even if he was the first to push hard on me. I went back and apologized to my parents. My dad kept saying that if I didn’t stop rebelling against him, he won’t let me come back. My mum said it was a strategy by the church to prevent me from being cursed by my dad—just a very funny idea.

From then on, I stayed with another brother. My mum said, “Let him go. When he has experienced the world like the prodigal son, he will come back”.

During the season when I was away from home, God taught me compassion and how He felt for poor people. It was there I met an epileptic boy and his family of ten. I was really humbled by this family and I tried to help them in the little ways I could. Throughout my stay at the brother’s house, we didn’t lack food for once. I  didn’t sleep hungry except on rare occasions when he was not around. I attended church meetings steadily and learnt God’s word without interruptions. (Details in subsequent testimony). I stayed with that brother for about a month, from late July 2019 till sometime in August. I had to go back home because the date for my aptitude test at University of Calabar was drawing close and my mum called me to come. When I got home, I was very sick. I could see the pity on my mum’s face when she saw me. From then, she used it to reproach me saying if she didn’t call me back I would have died. After this, I wasn’t kicked out anymore from the house because she started focusing on sending me to school. But true to his words, my dad refused to put a dime into my university education.

A major problem my parents had was my incessant study and reading of my Bible. They would always say I should go and read my school books. It worried them that I was reading the Bible so much and praying in tongues. I remember praying one day in my room in tongues and my dad came in with a Bible and began to rebuke every evil spirit at work in the room, casting and binding things. I just watched him. It really freaked my mum out that she brought water and sprinkled it in my room at night when I finished praying one evening too.

I’m currently at the University of Calabar studying Radiography, sponsored only by my mum and my brother who is helping me ‘just because of God’, according to him.

Unshaken!

Going to the University wasn’t easy. I barely had enough allowance to survive on. I squatted with my elder sister and the place was not very comfortable. I didn’t have enough food to eat! I mean I was barely surviving on the pocket money my mum gave me but I thank God that my church family, God’s Lighthouse  really supported me. My first few months in school was full of lack and hunger. But despite this, I solved every necessary financial problem I had and even got some few and very needful clothes.

I am happy now because the entire persecution experience has largely died down. Though once in a while, my family stirs up thing again. Just recently, my dad seized the laptop my elder brother gave me but I’m believing God he will return it. In general, I thank God for grace to stay and the mental fortitude not to vent my anger on them, and be that ‘bad’ child. I really want to thank God for the faith I have exercised. I wouldn’t have gotten this level of faith if I was partly committed or inconsistent at meetings in God’s Lighthouse. This is because every meeting and every teaching equipped me with the needed armour to fight with. God made everything happen so that I could focus and just love Him. It is indeed a privilege to suffer for Christ.

Bro S.A

© God’s Lighthouse 2020.