….How God showed up in my life
Johnbull stared down at the bucket half filled with water and salt. He saw the olive oil bottle by the side which was designed to act as soap. The pastor had told him that the reason for the mix of salt and anointing oil was to bring back his glory and destroy the hands of wicked forces including those caused by bad dreams and his other social escapades mostly strange women. Johnbull wasn’t happy that he had to do this. Did the bible not say that ‘as a man thinketh so he is? And that ‘ever seen a man who is diligent, he shall eat with the kings!’ Why was his own different? He also remembered again the one that says ‘whatever a man soweth, that he shall reap!’ Johnbull had sown hard work, diligence and honesty, but it was just not working.
After he submitted himself to Redeemed Christian Church he thought his problems were over. He wanted to go far by joining the Workers Brigade class that would have qualified him becoming a pastor in the church. Why not; he had suffered enough and if this was a way out to defeat his unseen enemies, then, grab it. Unfortunately for him, the Redeemed people had a clause in their constitution which stated that if you had been married before, you are automatically disqualified from the class—and of course being a pastor! That ended his spell with the Redeemed Church and he promptly moved over to the Hoy Christian Nation Church of God where the General Overseer, otherwise known as G.O. accepted him with both hands. Johnbull fell in love with the G. O’s powerful ministrations and prophetic declarations.
It was this G.O. that first prophesied to him that although things were rough, they were going to be shortlived and Johnbull liked that. Life had been a puzzle to him all this while. The more he worked, the more it seems something was trying to restrict him. There was no respite. At nights he dreamt of seeing himself in his village and he didn’t understand it. Other times, he saw himself discussing with people who turned out to be dead ones. Now, this got him thinking. What has he to do with dead people his mind tried to find answers. Several times he experienced tough witchcraft attacks. Once, he felt goose pimples all over his body when  something that looked like a human being walked into his room in the middle of the night.
The stranger, like a masquerade, proceeded to hold his neck and began to squeeze, trying to suffocate him. That’s when some of the training in prayer warfare he had received from his new G.O. came in handy. Johnbull raised his hands and fought back gallantly; the stranger panicked and vanished into empty air; before he got the boost to fight back, he had raised his voice to shout, but found his throat dry; swiftly, he remembered the G.O had said in times of such strategic attacks he should recall the name of Jesus which he did and that’s what gave him victory! What a close shave that was. Long after the masquerade had gone, Johnbull persisted in prayers, raining powerful bible verses against the attacker. At the end, it was as if a bucket of water had been poured on him.
He promptly reported the matter to his G.O. who advised him to go immediately for deliverance. He needed no second push. Seven days later he was through and somehow his business opened up and he found himself selling Home Appliances—all sorts of water heaters, Grill machine, Insect Killers, Refrigerators, washing machine. An office was opened for him in Victoria Island, Lagos and for the next four years’ life was a blitz for him. He attended church programmes regularly and even became an elder! The General Overseer appreciated his presence and they worked prayerfully, holding night vigils and counselling. Johnbull fame spread and he met some powerful military officials who began to lavish favors on him.
They helped him pay off some of the most pressing bills in the church. Johnbull did not remember to ask for his own private needs. He believed that such would come if he remained loyal and honest to them. It least occurred to him that, what you don’t ask for you don’t get! At the height of that fairy tale, Johnbull travelled to Egypt for one week and returned happily. But it was to be temporal as the company began to experience hiccups. Debts mounted and soon patronage dropped. Although prayers were intensified, it was not to be. Johnbull’s financier, inexplicably became obsessed with lavish lifestyle and began to throw away whatever was left of their little savings.  Johnbull and his marketing team were aghast.
They made frantic attempt to stop him, but he had become too reckless. More troubles were to come as the man seized that period to get married, and what more—to a very high profile lady; the marriage ceremony was so loud, it included a gift of Range Rover for the lady! That wasn’t all; they now had to move into a costly apartment in the highbrow Ikoyi that finally drained the company’s purse! Though the marriage produced triplets, it only lasted for two years before crashing. Johnbull’s financier had run out of cash and was unable to foot the bills anymore and the lady promptly moved out. Johnbull’s financier never recovered, so also the company. That’s how Johnbull’s effort crashed. The company was later sold for peanuts and Johnbull and his team thrown into the streets! Furious, Johnbull was left with no option than to search for solution. It was in this state that he arrived Benin.
Now, looking down at the bucket of water, Johnbull took the sponge given to him and began to scrub his body. He began to pray as well while pouring the water on himself. He used the salt to wipe his face profusely and the olive oil. For five minutes he repeated the process fervently. He had been told not to use the towel but to allow the waters to dry up on his body. He finished and stepped out.
‘Very good’, the pastor, who was waiting outside told him.
‘Your prayers will be answered’, he promised him.
Johnbull who was too cold, nodded his head in agreement.
Up in the sky, birds flew majestically oblivious of the frailties of human beings. Surprisingly, the weather was cold and it appeared to drizzle. Around the bathroom shack, lizards were to be seen climbing the dirty walls.
‘Come inside let us complete the rest’, the pastor told him
Inside his nondescript one room apartment, Johnbull mother clapped her hands and congratulated her son.
‘Oh thank you my son’, she announced as soon as he appeared.
‘You will be happy from now’ she prayed;
The pastor brought out a big dusty bible and asked Johnbull to kneel down.
He did, and the pastor went into a lengthy prayer session and at a point burst into speaking in tongues. He pleaded with the Almighty God to deliver Johnbull and pave way for his success. Next, the pastor brought out a scented perfume and sprayed Johnbull’s face.
‘From today, you will find favour’, he declared compelling him to stay away from women for the time being.
Johnbull’s mother who was listening attentively, expressed her gratitude and handed him some money, which couldn’t have been more than N2,000. They got up to leave and wished the pastor well. Along the way, Johnbull admitted he felt good, and hummed under his breath. While doing that, he noticed some hawkers had swarmed around them because they had run into traffic snarl. Johnbull wasn’t interested in their wares and instead turned his attention to the tens of hundreds of people on either side of the road who appeared too busy, shoving each other and somehow rushing to nowhere. Johnbull envied them and marveled at their show of determination. ‘Are they nursing any ambition like him?’, he wondered.
They looked so peaceful and contented with their small time operations. ‘Well, am on the big league’, Johnbull assured himself; these are small time people who were satisfied selling a couple of cheap items. Not him, Johnbull was designed for the big deals! ‘God, if not for this fucking goddam witchcraft attacks!’, he blurted out. Just then, their vehicle arrived home and once again Johnbull’s mother nudged him and told him to come down. Just then his phone rang and it was like the voice at the other end was saying….’we have been trying to reach you…’ Johnbull strained his ear to catch the voice…’hello…hello.’ and then silence; network issues had disconnected the voice! Frowning, Johnbull walked into the house expecting whoever it was to call back.
