It was a clear sign of the amazing signs that were to follow as The SCOAN Choir’s praise and worship caused an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon congregants, who let go of their inhibitions as they danced in holy excitement, grateful to be seeing the end of year under God’s guidance.
In a message for the season and for all time, Prophet TB Joshua exhorted congregants on the virtue of doing unto others as they would want God to do for them. He read from Luke 11:4 and Matthew 25:45. While the first passage talks about asking for God’s forgiveness after forgiving others, the second one urges Christians to try and meet their neighbours’ needs in the assurance that they are doing so for God. As such, he urged congregants to adopt unconditional love as a way of life: “The way I love you is the same way I will be loved. The way I help you is the same way I will be helped. The way I release you is the same way I will be released. The way I restore you is the same way I will be restored. The way I care for you is the same way I will be cared for.”
In another practical message, Prophet Chris taught the church: “LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE.” The message dwelt on the need for Christians to realise that no one is perfect, as all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Taking his proof text from Proverbs 28:13 – “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy”– Prophet Chris showed that trying to cover up a sin or imperfection will only lead to more sin and imperfection, as was the case with David in 2 Samuel 11. In the words of prophet Chris, “It is not that children of God do not make mistakes or do the wrong thing but when they do their heart is troubled because it is not their will to commit sin.” He therefore advised congregants not to ignore their conscience.
Indeed, the Lord moved mightily on the day as many received healing, deliverance and salvation as God’s servants prayed with the people in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
TESTIMONIES
A GRANDMOTHER ESCAPES FROM PAIN
For 18 years, 64-year-old grandmother Ms Bernadette Kato experienced difficulty in walking due to severe osteoarthritis of both knees. Doctors gave her knee braces and compression socks to help ease her pains. They also suggested that she undergo knee replacement surgery, as her cartilage had worn out completely. However, they warned that she might end up in a wheelchair, since the surgery could worsen her situation. Meanwhile, Bernadette’s home suffered, as she could not function by herself in her family’s Australia base. And because she could not work and support the home, her husband left her. Undeterred by the doctor’s report, the DR Congolese decided to take her case to God. Two Sundays ago, she visited The SCOAN for prayers in the mighty name of Jesus. After a touch from God’s servant Prophet Racine, she received her perfect healing and walked smartly as she glorified God’s name. At the end of her testimony last Sunday, Bernadette urged people to accept that nothing is impossible for God.
“NO PROBLEM IS BEYOND GOD,” SAYS WOMAN FREED FROM LOWER-BACK PAINS
Miss Henrietta Malm visited The SCOAN two Sundays ago for prayers over her condition of difficulty in walking due to degenerative disc disease and grade one spinal canal stenosis. For two years, the 37-year-old Ghanaian part-time student and worker had to use drugs every day to ease her lower-back pains, in addition to wearing a lumbar corset. To worsen matters, she also found it hard to retain urine. Determined to suffer no more, she had sought God’s help. “Jesus is the Repairer and Restorer,” Prophet Racine assured Henrietta just before he prayed for her in Jesus’ mighty name. Moments later, she stood up and walked painlessly for the first time in two years. “No problem is beyond God,” Henrietta advised the church during her testimony last Sunday.
CONGENITAL ASTHMA VANISHES IN AN INSTANT
Asthmatic from birth, South Africa-based 14-year-old Miss Marvelous Chukwuma had attended The SCOAN Sunday Service a fortnight ago with her mother. Fitted with a nebulizer – a breathing machine for people with her kind of condition – Marvelous sat before Prophet Racine as he ministered healing to her in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. After the prayers, he asked her to breathe freely as he declared her healed of the condition. On Sunday, during the testimony session, Marvelous’ mother said that she had been bothered about her daughter’s inability to smell anything, as well as her allergy to dust and flowers. She was, however, thankful to God for healing her daughter, who she said “ran from post to post” when they returned to their lodgings. “She can breathe very well, her chest is no longer sore and she can now smell,” Marvelous’ mother disclosed before advising people to believe only in Jesus Christ. Marvelous said of how she felt during the prayers, “I felt this heat inside of me, as if my chest was on fire. Ever since then, I can breathe well.” She advised people to have faith in God.
FREED FROM ADDICTION TO EATING BEAUTY POWDER
Until a fortnight ago, Greece-based Nigerian Ms Jane Ola Precious used to be addicted to eating beauty powder, a craving she had developed one summer afternoon while powdering her body. Ten years ago, a spirit had nudged her to taste the powder and she had done so. The following day, Jane had dashed down to the supermarket to buy more powder for eating. Eventually realising she was harming herself, Jane had tried to kick the habit but she had found herself returning to it. Along the line, she developed ovarian cysts and ceased menstruation as well as knee pains and headaches. Having had enough of satan’s oppressive hand upon her life, Jane had decided to visit The SCOAN for prayers. Looking straight at her, Prophet Chris had prayed, “Every strange spirit behind this addiction – out right now!” Since that day, Jane has lost the urge to eat beauty powder. She advised people to run to God for deliverance from strange cravings.
ZEALOT CONVERT SAVED FROM POWER OF HOUSEHOLD IDOLS
Mr Kwami Lembae came from a Ghanaian family where both his parents worshiped idols. For generations apparently, idols had been prominent features in his people’s homesteads. However, in 2014, Kwami moved close to God and began to preach the Gospel to family, friends and strangers. As a zealous convert, he believed he was at liberty to destroy the idols of his father’s house, beginning with the smallest one – or so he thought. On the night of the day he destroyed the calabash-housed idol, Kwami had a dream in which a weary-looking, filthy old man tapped him on the shoulder after accusing Kwami of ejecting him from his home. The man was carrying bags filled with all sorts of stuff. In the dream, Kwami had been unable to talk and once he woke up after the shoulder tap, he became seized by the spirit of fear. From that time on, Kwami reported, “It felt like another being had entered me and began to dictate the things I did.” He stopped reading the Bible, as fear had taken over his mind. And although he had given up alcohol after his conversion, Kwami not only returned to the bottle but also began to consume far more than he had ever done. Even more, the teacher lost interest in his family and took to spending time with free women. He would report to work with hangover headaches and would not be able to work effectively. He also had constant nightmares and believed he was dying. “I realised I had a problem but there was nothing I could do. Somebody else needed to help me,” Kwami told the church on Sunday during his testimony. As alcohol flooded his system, Kwami’s heart started to suffer and he would feel sharp, searing pain there. Ironically, it was a doctor who pointed him back to Christ. Meanwhile, before visiting The SCOAN for prayers, Kwami had had a dream in which he saw himself lying-in-state, although it was supposed to be his birthday. From his right side, a hand with a Faith Bracelet appeared and lifted Kwami’s own lifeless hand and slipped the bracelet into it. “Follow me,” the owner of the hand commanded. As the owner of the hand let go, Kwami tried to run after him – and he woke up from the dream. In the physical, he found that his right hand was stiff and it did not move until he pulled it with his left hand. “If I had not met that person in my dream, I think I would have just died in my sleep,” Kwami said. He then asked God to lead him to the place of salvation, which turned out to be The SCOAN. To cut the story short, the spirit in Kwami manifested. Today, Kwami has parted ways with the spirit of fear. “I now have wonderful peace in my heart,” he disclosed. Kwami’s wife said that to help her cope with the frustration from her husband’s lifestyle, she herself started taking alcohol in sachets. However, she added, she has now stopped doing so after her husband ministered the New Morning Water to the family. “I have seen changes in him,” she said. She advised people to run to God for solutions to their problems, while Kwami advised people to make Christ the foundation for their families and to seek God where His Spirit thrives.
AS SPIRIT OF RAGE VANISHES, JOHNNY STARTS A NEW LIFE WITH CAROLINE
When he turned 14 years old, Johnny Makhubu began to have dreams in which he would sleep with a woman. As he grew older, the spirit responsible for the dreams made him commit criminal acts, as he would commit assaults and break into homes, landing in detention every now and then. The problem was that the spirit of rage was inside of him. In the 1980s, Johnny paid ‘lobola’ on a woman called Caroline Malete and took her in and she soon had her first child, a daughter. Then she became pregnant with her second child, even though they were not officially married. After a session of pushing and shoving with Johnny, Caroline went into emergency labour and had another daughter. Whenever Johnny was away from his partner, he would long to speak with her but once he returned home he would find her irritating and would give himself a reason to beat her up. One day, he picked her up from work and took her to an isolated bush path after a minor argument. He beat her up brutally, meaning to kill her. However, he stayed his hand when it appeared somebody was watching him from a parked car. At home, he begged his wife to lie about how she had come about her injuries. As the ever forgiving, loving wife, Caroline agreed to tell no one. Yet, the following day, Johnny locked his wife in. Fast-forward to many years later, one of Johnny’s daughters introduced him to Emmanuel TV. Her father had been trying to part ways with the evil spirit controlling his life. Six years ago, he had bought rings with which he hoped to marry Caroline but the evil spirit in him had got in the way. A fortnight ago, at The SCOAN, God’s servant Prophetess Yinka laid an anointed hand on Johnny and the evil spirit in him manifested. Since that deliverance session, Johnny has become a changed man, who now feels nothing but tenderness for his partner and likes to read his Bible. “Everything about me now is calm and I will work for God for the rest of my life,” Johnny stated. Caroline advised people to pray for their partners, while Johnny advised abusive men to seek God’s help. And as he ended his testimony last Sunday, Johnny brought out the rings and he and his partner exchanged them – to live happily ever after, in Jesus’ name!
PROPHECY FREES WOMAN FROM BONDAGE OF BED-WETTING
“There is a lady – you bed-wet…. Come out – this will destroy your marriage.” Two Sundays ago, those had been the words of prophecy for Mrs Joy Okoh, a newly married Delta State indigene. As the prophetic words left Prophet TB Joshua’s lips, Joy began to walk gingerly into view to confirm them. Last Sunday, she came back to church to thank God for taking a major reproach out of her life. She said the condition had started from childhood and that it had caused her depression. She also said she had refused assistance from native doctors, despite being unhappy about the isolation that the condition imposed on her. “My husband hated me,” she added. She said she even blamed God at one point for appearing to have abandoned her. A viewer of Emmanuel TV, Joy had on impulse decided to visit The SCOAN two weeks ago and to the glory of God, she received her deliverance. “Praise be to the Lord; I am free now,” she told the church, even as she advised people not to lose hope in God.
NO MORE BLEEDING OR PILES AFTER PROPHECY
“There is a lady there – you are bleeding.” Although two women came out for this prophecy two Sundays ago, God’s servant TB Joshua insisted that it was for the bleeding woman who also had piles. “It’s not guesswork,” Prophet TB Joshua asserted. And the woman in question was South Africa-based Nigerian Mrs Chinwe Eheli, who returned to church last Sunday for her testimony. She said the problem had begun two and a half years ago and had caused her severe iron deficiency, which in turn led her to start eating soil and thus caused her piles. Chinwe said she had resorted eating soil because the prescribed iron supplements were ineffective. Motivated by her husband’s healing from prostate cancer after his visit to The SCOAN last year, Chinwe had come to church assured that God would locate her. Meanwhile, at home, the condition caused marital friction as Chinwe lacked the energy to perform her duties. Chinwe said she was bleeding from both openings in her private region. After the prophecy, however, she went into the restroom to check herself. To God’s glory, the blood had dried up. “The problem is over and I am back to normal,” she declared while advising people to put God first.
AT LIVING WATER SERVICE, WOMAN SEES A VISION OF THE MESSIAH
Two Mondays ago, at The SCOAN Living Water Service, Ms Lucy Tembo, a Zambian living in South Africa, got the grace to see a vision of The Messiah, Jesus Christ, as she stepped on the Mountain of Prayer. Interestingly, she had not always been the type that was anxious to visit The SCOAN or engage in spiritual activities. It was a friend of hers who had pressed her to come over. As Lucy made to climb the ‘Mountain’, she felt a force trying to restrain her but the ushers prodded her on. Once there, a spirit began to speak through Lucy: “I’m seeing Someone standing there – He’s wearing white. A tall Man – the Man standing there wearing white is Jesus. He’s cleaning everyone.” And the voice went on and on, eventually asking people to believe in the God of Prophet TB Joshua. Once the voice stopped speaking, Lucy fell flat on her back and for a few seconds she seemed oblivious of it all. The moment she regained consciousness, Lucy sprang up and made to run away. Of course, the ushers did their job. In her testimony last Sunday, Lucy said the Figure was touching everyone rapidly and that despite being a person who used to get visits from a spiritual husband, she never took Bible reading seriously. “Now I know there is God,” Lucy said, adding that she is also calm and enjoys reading her Bible. She advised people to realise that God’s presence is at The SCOAN.
“NOW I’M STARTING MY LIFE AFRESH,” SAYS MAN FREED FROM INFLUENCE OF EVIL RINGS
Mr Ibrahim Bangura was not your regular in-law. No, not at all! Why? He was a reckless cocaine user, weed smoker and drunk who never felt any qualms about taking leave of his senses in his in-laws’ compound. Shocked to find they had handed their daughter to a ne’er-do-well, they asked to reverse the marriage contract but there was no way. “Let me be; I want to help this man,” she asserted. They left her alone – and she went through hell until two Mondays ago. That was the day the Spirit of God arrested the former Sierra Leone national team footballer, nicknamed ‘Obreh’. And the arrest happened at ‘The Arena of Liberty’ – The SCOAN. For over 15 years, Ibrahim’s life was in disarray after a spirit wife forced him to accept two mysterious rings from her forest abode. The moment Ibrahim slipped on those rings on that Wednesday in 2003, he lost all of his capacity to play football as well as all interest in the game. His sight and hearing also diminished and his first wife and first son vanished into thin air. Realising that something was amiss spiritually, Ibrahim’s USA-based sister took him to Muslim clerics in three West African countries but he never turned a new leaf. His mother developed hypertension as she watched her son losing control over his own life, eventually winding up in jail in the Gambian capital, Banjul. It was along the line that Ibrahim came to Nigeria and married Tina, whose family soon discovered their ‘mistake’. They had never seen an in-law who so openly smoked weed, took cocaine and drank himself to stupor. And as for those who rented out their homes to him, there were regular clashes. At one point, Ibrahim chased his landlady around the house, aiming to harm her. From three different home owners, he got quit notices. Always seething with rage, Ibrahim would constantly beat up his wife and starve her. And when the children started arriving, he had no time for them or his wife, who patiently sought a solution to her husband’s problem. From Adamawa State, she tricked him down to Lagos and managed to get him to The SCOAN. And the rest is history! Today, Ibrahim cannot even stand cigarette fumes and always wants to be with his family. Also important, Ibrahim’s neighbours are in celebratory mood, having watched his deliverance session on Emmanuel TV; they can now have their peace. Tina advised people to visit a living church for solutions to their problems. Ibrahim advised people not to give up on their errant family members. “Avoid drugs,” he warned.
22 YEARS AFTER, OLUWAGBENGA MAINTAINS HIS HEALING IN THE NAME OF JESUS
It was 22 years ago when Mr Oluwagbenga Oni first came to The SCOAN, brought there by his loving family who refused to abandon him despite the fact that his body was being ravaged by a poison that had turned him into a walking corpse. He was a smelly, scary, hideous sight and anyone might have concluded his days were numbered. But not God’s servant TB Joshua, who declared: “I want to bathe him in the Blood of Jesus.” Radiating divine confidence, the man of God prayed, “In the name of Jesus, in the Blood of Jesus, I wash away disease in the blood, in the fluid, in the tendons, skin, on the body, in the name of Jesus Christ.” The people chorused, “Amen!” And the prophet answered, “That is the end!” Instantly, the journey to recovery began for Gbenga. His skin stopped biting and four days later he returned to The SCOAN to show his completely healed body and manhood. Last Sunday, to further glorify God’s name, Gbenga was given a chance to show the world that his healing was indeed permanent. “When I had that problem, I could not eat, sleep or do anything; it was as if I had boiling water in my stomach. I could not bear to stand in the sun. My body was hot all the time,” he began. He said the landlord wanted him taken away from the house, as he was like a corpse. Needless to say, his mechanical engineering business was grounded. Even the doctors advised Gbenga’s family to seek a spiritual solution. Hearing that, Gbenga lost all hopes and asked his family to give him poison so he could end it all. As they took him from place to place, they finally landed at The SCOAN. And the Holy Spirit did the rest! Not only did Gbenga get his healing, he also witnessed a turnaround in all aspects of life. Today, he has three children, the oldest of them being 20 years old. He advised people to learn to maintain their healing by obeying God. “There’s no problem for which God has no solution,” Gbenga’s older sister advised, having been there with him 22 years ago.
WOMAN WALKS AGAIN AFTER THREE YEARS IN A WHEELCHAIR
For Rivers State indigene Mrs Blessing Keje healing came during The SCOAN Live Sunday Service of December 15. Her distraught husband, Promise, had dared to interrupt the man of God’s prayer ministration with screams for help. After a few words of admonition to the man, Prophet TB Joshua asked him to go and pray for his wife, who was wheelchair-bound outside the church. Later, following the Holy Spirit’s prompting, the man of God requested that Blessing be brought inside the church. He instructed her to pray and ask for God’s mercy. As she prayed along with Prophet TB Joshua in the mighty name of Jesus, Blessing began to shed tears and shake all over as the power of the Holy Ghost surged through her. Afterwards, God’s servant asked her to get off her wheelchair. In her first try, she plonked back into the chair, as she was still manifesting. Once she stabilised, however, Blessing took to her feet again and walked a few meters before sitting in another chair. Instantly, she regained her appetite for food. “I want to eat chicken and rice,” she requested, and the man of God granted her wish. During her testimony after the service, she said she had been suffering from facet joint arthropathy, which caused her paralysis of the whole body and prevented her from functioning in her oil company job for the past three years. She said doctors had been unable to help her, hence the resort to divine help.