I think I have a release to share this other story about a man that God led to join with us, in the early days of our Church, The House of Leading Lights, Ibadan. We used to meet in an event center, paying a relatively expensive cost for the services. Of course the cost came out of my family pockets as usual. I had a ministry assignment with a missionary organization at that time that gave me monthly income. So out of what I earned coupled with my wife’s resources we managed to pay for the expensive hall because it was the place we found to start the Church from. We started within the shortest notice of about one week after I believed that God spoke specifically to start. As is usual with me, I do not try to reason things out whenever I feel led by the Holy Spirit. I just take the step, most times unreasonably so, and I leave the rest for God.
At the start of the Church, we made no banners, fliers or invitation cards, because I always felt God did not need such assistance to grow his Church in my hands. The truth however is that, much of my unreasonable decisions turned out to become faith boosters, because God proved Himself capable time and time again, regardless. Regardless that the church was located in a “hidden” residential community, God brought people into fellowship with us right there. Though, the location was hidden within a gated community, which was relatively impassable to the general public and that we were paying high costs for low attendance, yet we had notable God-led members there.
So it was in that location that the Lord moved this man, without any particular invitation to join in fellowship with us, he joined us and became committed. At that time, life for the man had become a heavy drag. He used to live a very good life, but things turned sour. He could barely afford to eat at home, and he nursed thoughts of suicide in those years. The wife left him because they had no kids together, but he had gone underground to have twins with another woman. So he was separated from the wife and his businesses went southward.
So, as it was needful of a minister of God, I began processes of ministering to this person spiritually and physically. He did open his home up for home fellowships, and invited few of his friends. On one of those fellowships, I ministered accurately by the word of God and prophetically to one of the friends and they were “wowed” about how I knew his precise situation without having met him before. God took care of that particular friend not long after. But, as we were concluding prayers on that specific night, the spirit of God opened my eyes to see the sun above the brother that was with our church. Then I also saw a woman who kept saying that she will not let him go. I told the brother what I saw, to which he gave witness of who it was that I saw. Of course, the woman that I saw in the spirit was dealt with by prayers until I had release that the brother was delivered from her bondage.
Not long after, this brother began to enjoy new life, he began to receive news of assistance and financial support, as the Lord had also have me prophesy over him. His 25/35 year old relationship breaks with members of his family and siblings, who lived comfortably well abroad, got restored. He became the center point for family activities. Then he also began to have new supportive friends. He also began to have international links for businesses and at one time had to be in a South West of Nigeria Governor’s office for a major government supply contract. He also found a new love in another woman who became extremely caring and supportive of him. By and large, his human dignity was restored. And the Lord began to do well for him.
Now to the flip side of the nice testimony! The day following my ministration of deliverance to that man, that is deliverance from the spirit-woman, I had a near fatal domestic accident. I was in my bathroom, getting to shower in preparation for a gospel of salvation ministration to another man who had a major private hospital in Ibadan city. The hospital owner had a terminal illness and had requested a sister in our Church to find him a trusted minister who could lead him genuinely to Christ. The man had been given specific numbers of days to live and die. So he wanted to ensure that he had genuine salvation, because he was not sure that his many years of church attendance and religious services would truly count before God. So, it was for this man’s ministration that I was taking my bath to get ready before a near fatal event occurred. The appointment with him was for noon and the accident happened like half an hour before that. Let’s keep in mind that this was just one day after dealing with that determined woman-spirit that would not want to let the brother I earlier spoke about, go.
As I tried to get out of the bathroom, taking my towel from the top of the opened door, the clock which hung at the top of the bathroom door, for some reason I could not understand, fell from outside to inside of the bathroom, went over my head and behind me and the glass on it came out and slashed a major artery to the back of my left leg. I bear the deep gash on my left leg to date for anyone who may want to see.
Immediately, blood started gushing out, I could not stand any longer and got on the floor holding on tightly to my lacerated ankle. There was a piece of dirty (foot-mat) towel by the bathroom door which I used to press on the cut. I tried to get up and realize that it was very difficult to do so. I had to crawl on my belly and chest to the living room, about, maybe, 40 feet away to get to my phone to call my wife who fortunately was not at work but somewhere in the neighborhood. I would assume that she was either on leave or had evening work schedule that day, because it was a working day and the kids were not home. I managed to limit the blood flow before she came to help me tie a piece of cloth to keep blood from draining out of the cut.
My wife is a medical practitioner and of course the first instinct was that we head to the emergency room. Someone reading the story may under-estimate the seriousness of the cut because of my next decision and action. The cut was by no means minor, it was a major cut! Thankfully, my wife knew the kind of man her husband was, otherwise, she would have withstood my next decision, based on my “unreasonable” faith.
My wife had to help me dress up and help me get out of the house. I could not even lean on that left leg, so she had to support me to get to the car. I told her to take me to the hospital where I was due for ministration. I said to her that even if the last thing I did was to minister to that man, so be it. I would not take care of myself without preaching to the terminally ill man first! I wanted to get to the place to time and we hurried out to go. I was in serious pains and the blood kept dripping out of the artificial first aid. I think my wife made attempt to convince me of the danger of my insistence, but I would not hear any of that.
We got to the hospital, I was in serious pains, but I subdued it all because I must minister salvation to the Medical Doctor and owner of that popular hospital. I was helped up 3 flights of stairs by a nurse and my wife because I could not even limp on that leg, neither could I carry my own weight. The nurse and the doctor tried to have me treated in the hospital first but I insisted and said NO!
So I subdued my pains and managed to minister salvation to the man. He accepted the Lord and took salvation prayers. Then I prayed with him for baptism of the Holy Spirit. By the time I was done, the pain had become totally unbearable. It was then that I accepted the offer that the hospital conduct surgery to stitch the deep wound. On my way to the theater, blood was getting all over the place. I knew it was flowing on the artificial bandage while I ministered, but, I managed to hide it from the said-to-be-dying but well-dressed, well-looking and well-comported doctor.
Now that I had fulfilled my ministry desire, I was groaning out loud in pain as they helped me to the operating theater 3 flights down. The hospital had no elevator and the stair-case was not wheel accessible. Unfortunately, the hospital lacked experienced hands to handle my situation and the staff only made matters worse. Anesthesia was applied but did not work on the wound area. My shouts of pain would not let the amateur doctor-in-training do the job, and blood continued to drain out of me from the leg. My wife was right by my side all through these stages, patiently enduring all that her medical mind must have been overwhelmed with. It was at that stage when the surgical procedure was being incompetently handled that I realized and could feel for the first time, the frustration and pain, my wife was going through too. She probably sensed my change of mind because that was the time she reluctantly pleaded with me again to let us go to the teaching hospital where she worked, and where the best professionals in town were.
This time I agreed. Time was running out because of much blood loss. There was either no wheel chair in the hospital, or we were so much in a hurry to get out of that hospital heading for the teaching hospital complex, that we did not wait to look for one. I was helped out, and rushed to my waiting car. i was barely able to lean on my other leg. By now blood was flowing all over the floor that I began to get afraid for myself. I remember that the culmination of pain and impatience was so much on me at that time, that I literally had to “dive” into the back seat of my Lexus car before holding on to the cut ankle trying to subdue blood flow when we finally got close enough.
Thankfully, we got to the emergency room of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where I was promptly attended to. The staff knowing that I was spouse to one of their colleagues killed the pain quickly and conducted the necessary surgery in good emergency timing.
Now, I told this story to tell of my act of faith and how I survived my unpleasant situation. I do wonder, If similar situation happened today, maybe I would pursue a different course of action or maybe I would not, I really cannot tell. But the point here is, my pain worked out for some people’s glory.
Those who understand ministry of deliverance would agree that the ankle-artery-slashing incidence was no happenstance. The prayers releasing that brother into better life and the word ministration to save a dying man from physical and spiritual death invoked the wrath of kingdom of darkness for a spiritual counter-attack.
It is needful to say though, that these stories are not designed to uplift pain above pleasure. I am not writing to ask anyone to repeat my experience. Neither am I writing to influence anybody to desire pain. I am just writing to tell some of the situations I have faced because of personal commitment to God’s noble calling, sacrificing myself for others, for no personal profit. This is not even close to the end of all I have endured. There are more "tellings" to come!
My Pain, Your Gain, is a highlight of Olanrewaju Elujoba's untold private sufferings and spiritual encounters occasioned primarily because of personal commitment and full devotion to God's ministry calling, which has been essentially to uplift others for no private profit.
At the start of the Church, we made no banners, fliers or invitation cards, because I always felt God did not need such assistance to grow his Church in my hands. The truth however is that, much of my unreasonable decisions turned out to become faith boosters, because God proved Himself capable time and time again, regardless. Regardless that the church was located in a “hidden” residential community, God brought people into fellowship with us right there. Though, the location was hidden within a gated community, which was relatively impassable to the general public and that we were paying high costs for low attendance, yet we had notable God-led members there.
So it was in that location that the Lord moved this man, without any particular invitation to join in fellowship with us, he joined us and became committed. At that time, life for the man had become a heavy drag. He used to live a very good life, but things turned sour. He could barely afford to eat at home, and he nursed thoughts of suicide in those years. The wife left him because they had no kids together, but he had gone underground to have twins with another woman. So he was separated from the wife and his businesses went southward.
So, as it was needful of a minister of God, I began processes of ministering to this person spiritually and physically. He did open his home up for home fellowships, and invited few of his friends. On one of those fellowships, I ministered accurately by the word of God and prophetically to one of the friends and they were “wowed” about how I knew his precise situation without having met him before. God took care of that particular friend not long after. But, as we were concluding prayers on that specific night, the spirit of God opened my eyes to see the sun above the brother that was with our church. Then I also saw a woman who kept saying that she will not let him go. I told the brother what I saw, to which he gave witness of who it was that I saw. Of course, the woman that I saw in the spirit was dealt with by prayers until I had release that the brother was delivered from her bondage.
Not long after, this brother began to enjoy new life, he began to receive news of assistance and financial support, as the Lord had also have me prophesy over him. His 25/35 year old relationship breaks with members of his family and siblings, who lived comfortably well abroad, got restored. He became the center point for family activities. Then he also began to have new supportive friends. He also began to have international links for businesses and at one time had to be in a South West of Nigeria Governor’s office for a major government supply contract. He also found a new love in another woman who became extremely caring and supportive of him. By and large, his human dignity was restored. And the Lord began to do well for him.
Now to the flip side of the nice testimony! The day following my ministration of deliverance to that man, that is deliverance from the spirit-woman, I had a near fatal domestic accident. I was in my bathroom, getting to shower in preparation for a gospel of salvation ministration to another man who had a major private hospital in Ibadan city. The hospital owner had a terminal illness and had requested a sister in our Church to find him a trusted minister who could lead him genuinely to Christ. The man had been given specific numbers of days to live and die. So he wanted to ensure that he had genuine salvation, because he was not sure that his many years of church attendance and religious services would truly count before God. So, it was for this man’s ministration that I was taking my bath to get ready before a near fatal event occurred. The appointment with him was for noon and the accident happened like half an hour before that. Let’s keep in mind that this was just one day after dealing with that determined woman-spirit that would not want to let the brother I earlier spoke about, go.
As I tried to get out of the bathroom, taking my towel from the top of the opened door, the clock which hung at the top of the bathroom door, for some reason I could not understand, fell from outside to inside of the bathroom, went over my head and behind me and the glass on it came out and slashed a major artery to the back of my left leg. I bear the deep gash on my left leg to date for anyone who may want to see.
Immediately, blood started gushing out, I could not stand any longer and got on the floor holding on tightly to my lacerated ankle. There was a piece of dirty (foot-mat) towel by the bathroom door which I used to press on the cut. I tried to get up and realize that it was very difficult to do so. I had to crawl on my belly and chest to the living room, about, maybe, 40 feet away to get to my phone to call my wife who fortunately was not at work but somewhere in the neighborhood. I would assume that she was either on leave or had evening work schedule that day, because it was a working day and the kids were not home. I managed to limit the blood flow before she came to help me tie a piece of cloth to keep blood from draining out of the cut.
My wife is a medical practitioner and of course the first instinct was that we head to the emergency room. Someone reading the story may under-estimate the seriousness of the cut because of my next decision and action. The cut was by no means minor, it was a major cut! Thankfully, my wife knew the kind of man her husband was, otherwise, she would have withstood my next decision, based on my “unreasonable” faith.
My wife had to help me dress up and help me get out of the house. I could not even lean on that left leg, so she had to support me to get to the car. I told her to take me to the hospital where I was due for ministration. I said to her that even if the last thing I did was to minister to that man, so be it. I would not take care of myself without preaching to the terminally ill man first! I wanted to get to the place to time and we hurried out to go. I was in serious pains and the blood kept dripping out of the artificial first aid. I think my wife made attempt to convince me of the danger of my insistence, but I would not hear any of that.
We got to the hospital, I was in serious pains, but I subdued it all because I must minister salvation to the Medical Doctor and owner of that popular hospital. I was helped up 3 flights of stairs by a nurse and my wife because I could not even limp on that leg, neither could I carry my own weight. The nurse and the doctor tried to have me treated in the hospital first but I insisted and said NO!
So I subdued my pains and managed to minister salvation to the man. He accepted the Lord and took salvation prayers. Then I prayed with him for baptism of the Holy Spirit. By the time I was done, the pain had become totally unbearable. It was then that I accepted the offer that the hospital conduct surgery to stitch the deep wound. On my way to the theater, blood was getting all over the place. I knew it was flowing on the artificial bandage while I ministered, but, I managed to hide it from the said-to-be-dying but well-dressed, well-looking and well-comported doctor.
Now that I had fulfilled my ministry desire, I was groaning out loud in pain as they helped me to the operating theater 3 flights down. The hospital had no elevator and the stair-case was not wheel accessible. Unfortunately, the hospital lacked experienced hands to handle my situation and the staff only made matters worse. Anesthesia was applied but did not work on the wound area. My shouts of pain would not let the amateur doctor-in-training do the job, and blood continued to drain out of me from the leg. My wife was right by my side all through these stages, patiently enduring all that her medical mind must have been overwhelmed with. It was at that stage when the surgical procedure was being incompetently handled that I realized and could feel for the first time, the frustration and pain, my wife was going through too. She probably sensed my change of mind because that was the time she reluctantly pleaded with me again to let us go to the teaching hospital where she worked, and where the best professionals in town were.
This time I agreed. Time was running out because of much blood loss. There was either no wheel chair in the hospital, or we were so much in a hurry to get out of that hospital heading for the teaching hospital complex, that we did not wait to look for one. I was helped out, and rushed to my waiting car. i was barely able to lean on my other leg. By now blood was flowing all over the floor that I began to get afraid for myself. I remember that the culmination of pain and impatience was so much on me at that time, that I literally had to “dive” into the back seat of my Lexus car before holding on to the cut ankle trying to subdue blood flow when we finally got close enough.
Thankfully, we got to the emergency room of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where I was promptly attended to. The staff knowing that I was spouse to one of their colleagues killed the pain quickly and conducted the necessary surgery in good emergency timing.
Now, I told this story to tell of my act of faith and how I survived my unpleasant situation. I do wonder, If similar situation happened today, maybe I would pursue a different course of action or maybe I would not, I really cannot tell. But the point here is, my pain worked out for some people’s glory.
Those who understand ministry of deliverance would agree that the ankle-artery-slashing incidence was no happenstance. The prayers releasing that brother into better life and the word ministration to save a dying man from physical and spiritual death invoked the wrath of kingdom of darkness for a spiritual counter-attack.
It is needful to say though, that these stories are not designed to uplift pain above pleasure. I am not writing to ask anyone to repeat my experience. Neither am I writing to influence anybody to desire pain. I am just writing to tell some of the situations I have faced because of personal commitment to God’s noble calling, sacrificing myself for others, for no personal profit. This is not even close to the end of all I have endured. There are more "tellings" to come!
My Pain, Your Gain, is a highlight of Olanrewaju Elujoba's untold private sufferings and spiritual encounters occasioned primarily because of personal commitment and full devotion to God's ministry calling, which has been essentially to uplift others for no private profit.
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