The SCOAN Sunday service of July 3, 2016 brought the children of God together to witness and share in the demonstration of God’s power and majesty above every other thing. Guided by His Word as well as the inspirational songs of the choir, congregants expressed their gratitude to God through testimonies. Knowing that God is the only dependable solution to every problem, they affirmed their faith in Him.

In his word of counsel, Prophet T.B. Joshua reminded Christians all over the world of the need to accept the challenges of life as part of their journey to greatness. According to the man of God, those who are destined for greatness in life must first face rejection, persecution and all sorts of trials in order to prepare themselves for new and higher levels in life. He said, “Challenges, sickness, disease and disappointments are normal; it is a way of life, you will get over them. Setback is normal, so far as you get over it. It is part of our way, everyday life. Persecution is normal, if you are alive and there is no persecution, etc., you need to ask yourself, ‘I am not noticed?’ If you are somebody or if in your future you are going to be somebody – persecution, crisis, etc. will come because satan sees where you are going – the only thing he can do is frustrate you, injure you so that you abandon your post.”

In his conclusion, he re-assured Christians that their trials will never be like those of unbelievers, noting that the travails of the believer would always make him or her a stronger person. But such a privilege, he reckoned, is only available to those who have a special relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ – “If you are not a Christian those things will impair you, destroy you or cost you your life. Because of the relationship you have with Jesus, He will not leave you. Once you have that relationship, He will always be aware of where you go, what you are doing, what is coming your way and will always be there to see you through. But if there is no relationship, your power cannot help you, you have no power to get you out of this. For others it may cost them their life. Your struggle is not like others.”

In her earlier message titled, THE WAY YOU RESPOND, Evangelist Ruth talked about a very significant cancer that has eaten deep into all fabrics of the society, including Christendom. She admonished Christians on the need to align with the ideals of Jesus, especially His attitude to unpleasant situations.

She called on them to desist from rash decisions and responses whenever they are provoked or put under pressure. She summed her message up with the following words – “One of the hardest things to do is to pause and reflect when you are provoked. When the truth was ignored, Jesus was silent, (Luke 23:3). Jesus’ response was never dictated by the emergency, pressure or tension of others. How would you respond if you were tempted with injustice? But many believers today live as common men. They allow their senses to rule their responses instead of the Spirit of God and because of that, the voice of the flesh grows louder in their hearts. Think about your response when you are wrongly accused, provoked, cheated, – does anyone need to teach you to insult, fight, lie, hold offence or take revenge? Your response determines your future”.

TESTIMONIES

BEDWETTING DRYS UP AS GOD’S WORD REIGNS DOWN

Mrs Rita Orji had suffered so much disgrace in the hands of a terrible spirit that almost made a mess of her marriage. Shortly after her wedding, she had found herself wetting the bed. She would find herself in the dream urinating only for the act to happen in real life. Initially, her husband was not privy to the embarrassing scenario. He eventually found out much to his dismay. All her frantic antics to cover up for her bedwetting by shifting the blame on her innocent children would not last the test of time.  For Mr Orji, it was the shame of the century for his newly-wedded wife to wet the bed like toddlers who have no control over their reflexes. On many occasions, husband and wife had to sleep on separate beds as a result of the problem.

The more Mrs Orji had tried to control her natural reflexes, the worse the problem became. The psychological trauma she bore was very heavy. It was like a burden that she had to carry for life. It took the maturity and understanding of her husband to persevere, under such circumstance. Ultimately, they knew that seeking a spiritual solution was inevitable. Their united decision to come to The SCOAN for help brought the much desired solace.

Seated in the auditorium, Mrs Orji was the first to be called out by the man of God. Prophesying to the congregation, Prophet T.B. Joshua, led by the Holy Spirit, poured forth his prophetic insight about her problem. “There is a woman right on the gallery there. You are very plump, huge. But you are having an embarrassment. Every night, you find yourself bedwetting… Jesus wants to set you free. Don’t be shy; come out – Jesus loves you,” he said. Coming down from the gallery towards the man of God, she fell under the influence of the power of God as Prophet T.B. Joshua commanded the spirit to leave her in the mighty name of Jesus. As she landed on the floor, her husband rushed onto the scene and also received his deliverance.

As the couple rose to their feet, Prophet T.B. Joshua pointed out to them that the problem was caused by a spirit husband which never wanted her to get married. The man of God explained to them that a spiritual wife or husband could wreak serious havoc in any marriage where it operates. He declared the woman free and urged the couple to live in love for each other. During their testimony, the couple from Anambra State, Nigeria, took turns to narrate their unpalatable experiences. They thanked God for putting an end to the havoc caused by the evil spirit. There were signs of a great relief and respite in their countenances as they advised people all over the world to repose their trust in God, stressing that they should believe in Him as He works out the answers to their problems.

DECEPTIVE SPIRIT OF WOMAN DEALT WITH BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

The untimely death of her mother when she was only two years-old dealt a fatal blow to her growing up. Her development was rough and culminated in a rape incident at age twelve. Unknown to the heartless rapist, he had left an indelible scar that would haunt her for life. Miss Chika grew up to hate men. Her entire life changed physically and spiritually. She had encountered a strange woman in her dream who would appear to her and make love with her only to make her develop and desire for women. The more she encountered the strange woman in the dream, the more she sought intimate relationships with fellow girls in secondary school.

Her travails in the hands of the strange woman became more complicated when the dream marauder started using the faces of different acquaintances to appear to her. The strange woman sometimes appeared as a python. Disturbed by the spiritual attacks and the continual lust for women, she sought help from different prayer houses but the problem persisted. The yoke continued to weigh her down until the Sunday when she visited The SCOAN in search of help.

As the man of God prophesied to the multitude of congregants during the Sunday service, his prophetic radar, controlled by the Holy Spirit, located her. “There is a woman. I think I’m looking at you here… You have this spirit of woman inside you. I’m seeing you on the gallery – come! You are a woman but you have a woman around you all the time. You don’t want to see man, that is the spirit of woman.” Coming down from the gallery and confirming the prophecy, Miss Chika narrated her horrible experiences in the hands of the evil spirit before the man of God sent the spirit packing with an anointed command backed by the mighty power of God. In that instant, the young lady from Anambra State fell to the ground under the influence of the anointing that breaks yokes.

Returning for her testimony this last Sunday, she told congregants how she had battled with the spirit of woman. According to her, it was like a spell that she could not resist. She thanked God for delivering her. She remains grateful to the Most High for the new lease of life she now enjoys through Christ Jesus. She no longer has the urge to have affairs with women and the strange woman in her dreams is gone forever. She left the following advice for people all over the world, especially the youths. “If you find yourself doing what I did before, run to Jesus. Only He can deliver you.”

 

“WHAT IS CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS WHEN I HAVE JESUS?”

Last year December, Miss Uche Alex was involved in a near-fatal motor accident that almost consumed her consciousness. The car had summersaulted and had ejected the young lady into a small lagoon. As rescuers rushed to the scene to help her out, she was out of touch with her senses. It took her about twenty minutes to regain her consciousness. When she was taken to the hospital, she was already feeling pains all over her body. Necessary medical tests revealed that she had cervical spondylosis. According to the doctors, surgery was the only option. Miss Uche Alex rebuffed every suggestion of surgery even though she was faced with incapacitation and with her mother bearing the brunt of her condition. Instead, she opted to come to the Arena of Liberty.

At The SCOAN, she was admitted to the Prayer Line. As the man of God laid hands on her, she felt some hot sensation around her neck and eventually realised that the stiffness and pains were gone. The man of God thereafter asked her to take off the neck collar and declared her absolutely free from the impairing condition that had held her down. It was excitement galore as she moved victoriously around the auditorium thanking Jesus for healing her and restoring her health.

While testifying before The SCOAN congregation, Miss Uche Alex expressed her unreserved gratitude to God for healing her. In her advice, she urged people of weak faith to realise that there is no disease God cannot heal.

“GOD BLESSED MY DAUGHTER WITH A SET OF TRIPLETS AND LIFTED ME TO THE ZENITH OF MY CAREER.”

Mrs Lawal’s daughter had stopped seeing her menstruation shortly after getting married in 2012. The scenario prompted a visit to The SCOAN. During that visit on a Saturday, Prophet T.B. Joshua laid hands on her daughter and gave her the Morning Water. As she ministered the Morning Water, it took only twenty-four hours for her ceased menstruation to be restored. Within that same month, she became pregnant and went on to deliver a set of triplets. Ever since that miracle, Mrs Hassanat Lawal has continued to repose her faith in the God of Prophet T.B. Joshua.

As a civil servant, she had been a Director in the Kogi State Civil Service and had been seeking promotion to the position of a Permanent Secretary. Convinced that she would have her prayers granted by God at the Arena of Liberty, she wrote prayers requests down on a paper and proceeded to The SCOAN where the man of God laid hands on the list during a Prayer Line service. Number one on the list was her request to be made a Permanent Secretary. But after the man of God had laid hands on the list, she waited for her name to appear in the promotion board but it was not forthcoming. She almost became frustrated but mustered the faith that since Prophet T.B. Joshua had laid hands on the list, her promotion must be granted. She returned to The SCOAN and placed the prayer request on the floor, insisting that God would surely grant her request.

True to her faith, after waiting for a while, she was promoted to Acting Permanent Secretary. As she attempted to question the reason it was not a substantive promotion, the confirmation came. She was confirmed a substantive Permanent Secretary. And as she was still thanking God for the confirmation, after a few months, she was announced as the Acting Head of Service in Kogi State, a very powerful position that places her as the number one civil servant in the state. All those who sat for the promotion interview with her were sent on compulsory leave in order for her to emerge. Her status has improved drastically with the new promotion.

Testifying in company of her children, daughter in-law and grandchildren, Mrs Hassanat Lawal advised people all over the world to be patient with God and believe that whatever problems they have are solved through Christ Jesus.

SEVERELY CRUSHED FOOT TRANFORMED TO NORMAL

In order to beat the traffic jam that usually characterised the route to his work place, Mr Leonard Okoroji had parked his car somewhere and had boarded a commercial motorbike. As they zoomed towards his work place, the back tyre burst. As the rider tried to control the motorbike which was already swerving due to the burst tyre, they fell to the ground only to be rammed into by an approaching trailer. The rider was instantly crushed to death while Mr Leonard was dragged by the vehicle until it came to a halt. No one came close to rescue him initially because he was assumed dead. It took the waving of his hand to attract sympathisers who pulled him out from under the trailer with one of his feet badly damaged.

On getting to the hospital, he was admitted but without any improvement. His sister arranged for his transfer to a medical facility in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. After undergoing two surgeries, the request by his doctors for a third one was rejected by him. He preferred to come to The SCOAN, after a friend had introduced him to the ministry, to seek the supernatural power of God. Brought in a car to the entrance of the Walk Way where the Prayer Line is conducted, Mr Okorojo could not come down on his feet. The man of God had to go and minister healing to him right inside the car. As the man of God pointed his hands towards Mr Okoroji and prayed in Jesus’ name, his damaged foot began to shake. Prophet T.B. Joshua commanded him to look into his eyes and walk. As he obeyed, he summoned strength to rise and that became the first time he would walk unaided in a long while. Immediately he stepped his feet on the ground, Mr Okoroji started walking as the crowd that had gathered to witness the miracle burst into praises to God.

During his testimony, he told congregants how elated he was to have received his healing at the Arena of Liberty.He left them to ponder over the following advice: “God is still God and He answers prayers; just have faith.”