The SCOAN Choir began with the mellow tune ‘Ka bi o osi’, a Yoruba phrase meaning there’s no questioning God. As worshippers meditated on those words, the atmosphere became charged with God’s presence and the choir moved on to extolling Yahweh, the Alpha and Omega, for His bountiful blessings in the lives of His children. After a few other praise songs, the choir beseeched God to rain His shower of blessings and command His healing on worshipers and viewers.

In his message entitled ‘Bound and Burdened,’ Chris expounded on the theme of worry and how it impacts the Christian life negatively. The Christian, he said, who lets their worries overwhelm them instead of casting their burdens upon Jesus will not be able to travel far in the Christian race. Other consequences will also manifest in their material life, as such a Christian will find it hard to achieve and maintain success in key areas of life. The Bible reading came from Mark 4:14-20, the passage where Jesus gives the parable of the sower and his seed. With this metaphor, Chris showed how “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things” (Mark 4:19) often distract Christians from what should be their true focus: Jesus Christ. It is these things that cause them to be bound and burdened.

He therefore advised Christians to avoid worrying about mundane matters of the body and mind, but to consider cultivating a heart that dwells on God’s promises in His Word. Chris says: “You have to remove the weight in order to reduce the pressure. Many of us are acting under tension and pressure because our hearts are burdened, our hearts are heavy and our spirits are locked up. This is affecting our Christian work, our walk with the Lord.” Chris also said that a major problem with losing sight of God’s unfailing ability to help us is that we tend to turn to the devil and his agents for help. In the process, he observes, Christians end up with addictions and further bondage to satan. This is because satan cannot remove a burden he created; satan cannot loosen a chain he fastened. As a way out, he insisted, “Only Jesus can cut the chains. Only Jesus can lose the burden. Only Jesus can remove the pain. Only Jesus can give you peace – only Jesus!”

 

TESTIMONIES

“MASTER JESUS HAS SET ME FREE FROM BACKACHE AND DEPRESSION”

Mr Ngoabutho Moyo is a 28-year-old Zimbabwean who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in China. Since April 2017 he had been using a lumbar corset because of a slipped disc in his spine, which made it very difficult for him to walk. His problem had actually begun while he was in Zimbabwe.

There, he had consulted several doctors who concluded he had a torn muscle and gave him what they considered to be the right medications. Not deterred by the unrelenting pain, Mr Moyo went ahead with his plans for the China trip. W

hen the problem persisted even there in China, he opted to see another doctor, who managed to diagnose the real cause of the problem and suggested an operation. Stating his reason for seeking God at The SCOAN, he said, “I am here because I have suffered so much.” He added that the condition had made it difficult for him to walk long distances as well as sit or lie down for long. As a student and researcher, Mr Moyo found it extremely hard to put in the required efforts owing to the pains he was experiencing. “There is something inside your stomach that needs to come out,” so prophesied the woman of God as she prayed for Mr Moyo in the name of Jesus Christ. She also prophesied that the young man was being tormented by the spirit of depression, hence the suicidal thoughts in his heart. And Mr Moyo did vomit the poison in his system. At the touch of the woman of God, he said he felt as if a stone had been lifted off his back as he received his healing. While demonstrating his healing, he informed the church that he had previously been unable to stand upright, turn his body or bend down for the past two years. He also confirmed the prophecy about having suicidal thoughts, and thanked the Lord for healing and delivering him from physical and spiritual affliction. Mr Moyo advised everyone to depend on Jesus Christ all the time and to seek no alternative to Him.

 

 

A REJUVENATED SKIN FOR HAPPINESS UWEM, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF MISERY

 

Although just eight years old, Miss Happiness Uwem, from Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State, has known what it means to be miserable, dejected, and isolated from her peers and the rest of society. Since she was three, she had been afflicted by a strange disease which left her skin scaly and brittle, even nauseating. According to Happiness, her skin itched and felt hot, peeling off easily when scratched. The little girl’s condition had been such that only the love of a parent could have kept anyone ministering to her daily needs and coming close to her. Little surprise, then, that it was her mother, Imabong Uwem Akpan, who brought the suffering girl to God’s presence at The SCOAN. Mrs Akpan told of how much pain her daughter had endured and how much she had cried – both for the pain and for missing the whole of the last school term. “We have come to the final bus stop and I believe God will heal her completely in Jesus’ name,” she said. On her part, Happiness declared: “God is my deliverer; He will deliver me.”And the Lord God honoured His name and the faith of mother and daughter. Praying for the girl, the man of God prophesied that she would sooner or later vomit some yellowish substance. Although the little girl and her mother hadn’t seen the healing happen immediately, they thanked God for having answered the prayers of His servant.  And God did honour His name and their faith, for it was a tearfully joyful Happiness who came to testify at The SCOAN on Sunday, in the company of her parents. As narrated by her mother, Happiness started to breathe and hear shortly after the prayers. But more was to come when they got home. There, Happiness started to vomit and the yellow gooey substance did come out of her, to the glory of God. Just one week after, Happiness now has a completely renewed skin – all of the pain, pus, itchiness and peppery sensation had gone. The father of the house concluded the testimony by advising everyone to put their trust in God. Praise the Lord!

 

“WHAT IS THIS?”  THE BENINOISE EXCLAIMS AS 20-YEAR ANAL CANCER DISAPPEARS

Being able to sit down and stand up at will is something most of us take for granted. But it wasn’t quite so for Mr Deffon Guillaume, a 42-year-old from Benin Republic, who was afflicted with cancer of the anus for 20 long years. Even to narrate his ordeal was an ordeal itself, as Mr Guillaume panted out his words, eyes half-dazed. Using the toilet, he said, was a torture as he could sometimes stay there for hours excreting blood. “I am here because I want God to heal me,” said Mr Guillaume as he stood clutching a chair unable to sit because of the excruciating pain. Before the woman of God prayed for the tormented man, she asked him if he was ready to give his life to Christ, and he said yes. Pinpointing the root cause of the problem, she prophesied that he had slept with a woman who was not his wife, which he confirmed. The fire of the Holy Spirit passed through the faculties of the woman of God as she prayed for him in Jesus’ name. Immediately after the prayer, Mr Guillaume was amazed that he could sit in a chair and, feeling no discomfort, exclaimed: “What is this? Oh, I am healed! Thank You, Jesus!” Eager to demonstrate his healing, he plonked himself into his chair several times as he marvelled at the power of God. The following Sunday, Mr Guillaume came to testify in church, dressed in a ceremonial white suit, for it was indeed time to celebrate and proclaim God’s goodness in his life. After further demonstrating his healing to the world, Mr Guillaume urged the congregation to run away from sin and never give up on God, no matter their situation.

 

 

 

POWER OF GOD FORCES OUT EVIL ATTACKS THROUGH BLOOD

Mr Oliver Udenwa’s testimony is proof yet again that the Arena of Liberty is suffused with the Spirit of God, and also that the same Spirit knows no boundaries. This is because it was while the woman of God was laying hands on other congregants that Mr Udenwa fell under the anointing and started manifesting. He was later to learn that his mother had also manifested about the same time far away in the village. It so transpires that the poisonous substances that Mr Udenwa vomited had in fact been the cause of his career setback and the dreams in which he always found himself eating. After such dreams, he would start to feel pains in his left rib and his breathing would become painful. As the anointing hit him, he said, he began to feel something trying to find its way out of his stomach. Then he started to cough, eventually vomiting a bloody substance. “It is all over now. Praise the Lord!” said Mr Udenwa as he testified to God’s goodness. He advised the congregation to believe in God’s time for their own healing and deliverance.

 

 

 

 

FROM TV ADDICT TO TOP STUDENT THROUGH THE MORNING WATER

When Mr Moses Phiri, from Zambia, stumbled upon Emmanuel TV and heard Prophet T.B. Joshua preaching about the need to pray for other people’s children’s success if one wanted one’s own children to succeed, little did he know that he had just come about the solution to a problem that had been bothering him for years. For years his children had been distracted from their studies as they became addicted to television and phone games. For his daughter Alice in particular, the more her teacher complained about her unseriousness in school, the more helpless he became. And so, once he came across the man of God’s message, he started to pray for his neighbour’s children. In no time, he had a dream in which Prophet T.B. Joshua handed him writing pens for his children, assuring him that they had been anointed for his children’s academic success. Trusting that God had granted his heart’s desire, he started praying with his children. After some time, he visited The SCOAN and got the New Morning Water, which he took back home and administered to his children. By this time, the children had become fans of Emmanuel TV instead of cartoons and suddenly became very focused on their studies. And when Alice sat for her high school exams, she had distinctions in all her nine papers. Well, somehow Mr Phiri thought it was a fluke; the British Council-supervised A levels would be more realistic. Before Alice wrote the A levels, she again prayed with the New Morning Water. This time, her results were even more amazing: Physics – Overall Best in Zambia, Chemistry – Overall Best in Southern Africa, and Pure Mathematics – Overall Best in Africa! Testifying in church alongside her father, Alice said she was inspired by the testimonies of academic breakthroughs she had seen on Emmanuel TV, especially those of young people like herself. Mr Phiri therefore advised parents to monitor what their children watch on TV. Father and daughter gave all the glory to God Almighty.

 

VIETNAMESE DELIVERED FROM BED-WETTING

The prophecy for 18-year-old Vietnamese Vy Quoc Vi was simple: Your bed-wetting is the result of a satanic attack in the dream. The man of God said the devil was trying to attack the brilliant boy’s destiny with the spirit of bed-wetting. He then prayed for Mr Vi’s deliverance in the mighty name of Jesus. A week later, the young man came to testify in church, accompanied by his parents and brother. He was all smiles as he thanked God for delivering him from bad dreams and bed-wetting. He advised people to run to Jesus, whom he describes as the ‘best Doctor’, the ‘best Healer’, and the ‘best medication’.