I was born again on the 4th of May 1990 during a Friday Revival Service at the Deeper Life Bible Church, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Before this historic day, I had been a member of the same church for about two years. I was a very committed member who attended church services but had no assurance of salvation. The contradiction in my church membership without salvation came to a head sometime in 1989 when I got into a brawl with a friend of mine on the way home from the church.

The argument was so heated that we dropped our Bibles and started punching! It was at this point that I came to the realization that church membership is not the same as salvation. This experience made me become more desperate in my search for the assurance of salvation.

As the preacher preached during the Revival Service on May 4, 1990, I got convicted of my sins,
repented and responded to the altar call. Since then I have grown in my Christian experiences including being baptized in the Holy Spirit. I have also been involved in various Christian services, especially intercession. After several years as a member of different intercessory groups, I started the Global Network of Intercessors in 2018 where I raise and share daily prayer requests for global revival with over 300 members on our WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

Encounters with the Holy Spirit

I have had several encounters with the Holy Spirit. These encounters have deepened my walk and relationship with the Lord. The fellowship with the Holy Spirit has helped me in making decisions, avoiding dangers, deciphering false doctrines and teachers as well as overcoming life challenges. I have had the privilege of hearing God through dreams, the voice of the Spirit and His inspired Word.

One of the most important areas in which I have had encounters with the Holy Spirit is in my career. Given my natural tendency to defend the rights of others, I wanted to study law as a career. However, after obtaining the admission form, I heard the voice of the Spirit saying I should not choose law as my choice of study. Due to my lack of my spiritual maturity, I went ahead and chose the course anyway. I read as if I was going to die but still did not secure the admission. Subsequently, I got admission to study Political Science.

In my first two years in the university, I did not like the course because I felt it was not a professional course. Despite this dislike, I heard the voice of the Spirit saying that I should do a Master’s degree in the same course after my graduation. I had other options that could have derailed me from following this instruction but I was very mindful of what God said. Consequently, I did my postgraduate studies in Political Science, and graduated with a Cum Laude. This made it possible for me to be admitted for a PhD program immediately. Not too long after that I got a job as a Lecturer in the university. Additionally, when I completed my PhD, I needed to do a postdoctoral fellowship. I went to a mountain to pray as I normally do. After my prayers, I saw a vision of the University of South Africa and the Spirit gave me an interpretation of that vision to mean that I was going to get a postdoctoral fellowship at the university. Two months after the vision, I was invited to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship. I did, and I was offered the position.

When I wanted to leave South Africa, I had an option of going to the United States of America, where I had done part of my PhD studies. However, I had seen in a revelation that I would be teaching in my present place of work here in Canada. This made me to chose Canada. Although I came as a Visiting Scholar to the university, against all odds, I got hired as a faculty member in fulfillment of what I believe God had shown me long ago.

In conclusion, I can say without any iota of doubt that God is real. The fortunate opportunity that I had to enter into a relationship with Him at the point of salvation as a teenager has shaped my life’s journey. The mere fact that I can hear God at each juncture of my life is a rare spiritual asset that has made my life full of testimonies.

What is very clear from my experiences above is the need for everyone to have a definite experience of salvation with God through Jesus Christ. While coming to church is a good thing, it is not a substitute for being born again. The salvation experience is the starting point of the Christian journey. Jesus Christ invites everyone to be born again in John 3:3  ^“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

And by so doing getting into the rest that He provides in:

Mathew 11: 28
Then Jesus said,“ Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”