I stood at the deserted junction, it was quite a cold morning, but my mind was far from the cold, something about this whole issue of ‘delivering’ a girl from ogbanje spirit was getting me edgy. No, I was not scared, it couldn’t have been fear. I have had a good background understanding of witches, ogbajes and other spirit cults, my maternal grandfather himself being a ‘strong man’.
Despite not endorsing the “OUT! OUT!” method of deliverance, I felt compelled to oblige my sister’s request to pray for a girl who was fed-up with being an ogbanje, she wanted out and was referred to my sister for assistance. The ASUU strike was just happening at the wrong time, but for the strike I would have not been the person to watch a girl wriggle and sway like a dizzy dancer.
I have seen my dad cast out demons from people in the past! He just didn’t use the “manifest, oya manifest!” method. He just ordered the devil OUT! IN JESUS NAME! And you hear the victim scream and THUD! on the ground, a still silence would follow. The person usually stood up free from demon oppressions. He never made a big deal out of such, his biggest brag would be: “500 persons were at the crusade, 100 accepted Jesus!” – he usually wore smiles at such times. Or it would be: “I prophesied about it! The Lord revealed it to me 7 years ago!” – he would sack the shelf and come out with an old pile, “...see! Look at it here! He would be made to leave office by the turmoil of angry nationals” – his full set of teeth usually showed complete. I never tried to become him, as a matter of fact I had always thought myself as being different. I was a third generation Christian; I never had break in my Christian life and was never at the battle field with tradition or forces of darkness. Between my two grandfathers and my dad, our family had a legacy of haven built the top three churches in our hometown, both in size, accomplishments and structure. But my paternal grandfather had died from spiritual attacks, while my maternal grandfather simply returned to his deity and lived out his life as the most revered witch doctor in the clan! I never had close experiences of even having the ukwan ball falling beside me, so there was nothing to develop the spiritual ‘fighter’ muscles in me. I only knew the scriptures, I had read the Bible through twice as a child and once as a teenager, I could even show my mom round the pages. But to CAST out devils? Jeez! What brought me back home?
She arrived just in time for us to start-up our journey to the church. I did not want people seeing us walk together, mnn-mmn... that would be some unwanted publicity. Medi had built up some reputation for herself in town as the ogbanje-disturbed-girl searching for deliverance. I had nothing much to discourse on our way to the church, as a matter fact I wanted nothing to discourse. I knew that failing at this task would place my faith on constant combat with my mind; I have had situations that made me question the potency of my faith. This was posing a similar challenge. Not that I question the potency of God’s power, NO! I have seen my dad pick up crippled persons and they began walking, I have seen people get healed. I have watched him re-light a blown out gas light with mere words! I knew there was power, but can I wield those powers?
‘Why do you think you are possessed?’ – I finally started a discussion. She looked me over, she must have been baffled. I know she felt quite disappointed at my age, she must have expected a huge, fire calling, demon destroyer as Ben’s brother. But she only met a 20 year old under-grad who doesn’t know how a girl would know she’s possessed.
I set my face with a look of ‘so, are you gonna answer me or not?’ – ‘well, when I sleep I am in the waters, in some gatherings. Some guy follows me around saying he’s my husband, but no one else sees him. I get strange visitors even when doors are all shut’ – she regarded my face to see if I was satisfied. I simply smiled at her. At the church, I did not pray for her, I just kept on with the gists, smiling and asking questions. My father’ words kept echoing through my mind: DO NOT LAY HANDS ON PEOPLE SUDDENLY! I thought I should first have a leading in my spirit to do so, but it never came. I counselled her about staying put with God and asked to leave.
I felt so small. I asked myself many WHYs. When my sister returned from the following Monday her eyes were sparkling with excitement, I wandered what had happened – Medi had told her her brother was full of the spirit. She had come accompanied by demons who wanted to challenge anyone who dared to deliver her from the kingdom of darkness, the look she (Medi) had on her face that morning was not just of disappointment at my tender age, but that of pity as she was aware of the planned attack but was forbidden from telling anyone. We met severally before I returned to school. We had become friends, I never tried to lay hands on her, nor ‘deliver’ her. She avoided taking anything that was mine, ‘it might be used against you’ she would say. Her tales were horrorful and weird, she would tell them often times searching my face for expressions – but well, God made my face with a default SMILE! One night she belched severally and coughed out a stone or something like a stone. It was lovely but weird looking in the darkness. I must have had a different look on my face, cos she asked, ‘are you scared?’ – I recovered quickly and asked her to throw it away. I guess I saw shock on her face. When the time came to leave for school, I called on her the evening before and summarised my mission with her:
“I have told you about great healings, I have also told you about great miracles, I never told you about great deliverances because they have no physical manifestations. But I know they both work by the same principles and logic. Anything that is born of God overcomes the world. It is so not by some act of prowess, but because nothing in the kingdom of darkness is allowed to operate in the kingdom of light and vice versa. Demon invested diseases disappear when a victim crosses to kingdom of light. You don’t need a big show, just a simple believe in your SPIRIT (let’s say HEART) that it is gone! Tumour will dry up, barrenness would be healed, and drunkenness, smoking, homosexuality, lesbianism, violence and even wrong emotions of guilt, shame, disappointment and envy would be healed at that! When you are born again, you are TRANSPLANTED – more like A CHANGE OF CITIZENSHIP from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And when I say this, I don’t mean it for pride or harm – we are not of a kind! We live in two different worlds. You are of the kingdom of darkness, not cos you are possessed, NO! But because you never for once asked Jesus into your heart. If you would, then you would have a new identity and by your new identity a new nature, which, as you acknowledge it in your spirit, those things you had hitherto suffered would gradually lose grip over you!”
She never replied a word, and I never asked her for her decision, I just stood up and left the room. As she made to see me off, I said ‘No. I am done with you’. I smiled my goodbye and added: ‘ you would never find a man who would cast the demons out of you successfully while you partner with the devil by staying put in his kingdom’.
To be sincere, I completely forgot about Medi when I returned to school. What with the academic rush to catch up with lost calendar. We also had the fellowships and friends. I seldom spent good time at home during breaks, holidays were my time of rest and refreshment - academically and spiritually, so I stayed with my uncle in Warri where I had the peace and serenity that I needed. I only met Medi while in my final years, three years after – o wooooo, she was looking so lovely. The flashing glances that seemed to invite every man to bed was gone, when she stood she had the demeanour of a teacher not a defendant as she looked before. Her smile was a radiant morning and greeted your eyes with warmth. I took this all in a swoop.
‘hnmmm... na wao! So na you be this? Wetin you dey chop? Abeg tell me your secret o’
She just replied with laughter. She laughed so graciously I had to ask, ‘there’s a lot of difference in you!’
Then she began to tell me: ‘I have always wanted to see you again, I had always wanted to say thank you. I even wanted you to be the one to solemnize my marriage... (I laughed – I hate ‘Pastor’ roles) ...of everyone I have ever met, you changed my life the most. After you left to school, I tried several other places for deliverance but it kept getting worse. I started experiencing open attacks in daylight. I will scream and fall, cars or bikes would knock me down, but no one else seems to see them. The spirit that claimed to be my husband started attacking guys that came near me. It was horrible, and then one night all you ever told me played through my mind. I remained awake till morning, turning them through and through. I walked to the church that morning and by myself knelt at the altar and asked Jesus into my life. I told myself I was now in the KINGDOM OF LIGHT, the Kingdom of God, and of His dear Son Jesus, devil had no rights over me! Though I was afraid for the night, cos I hitherto had constant spiritual visitors at night, I knew I now had the boldness to stand before them and say; I don’t want you no more! Surprisingly, night came and none of them visited. Till date I have never seen them, only once I saw the husband spirit but I screamed JESUS! And that was the last. I asked God I never wanted to see or feel them again, and like Jesus said ‘whatever you ask THE FATHER in MY NAME that I WILL DO that the Father may take glory in the Son’, Jesus did just that for me. I have loved God so much since then, finished secondary school, got into the College of Education,... and now (she was smiling broadly, she raised her fingers for me to see her rings) ... I am happily married. No fear of being killed or my man being killed. I live in same kingdom with you now (she added this last sentence laughing).’ It was the loveliest testimony for me that year. I could only pray that God would give me the grace to keep touching lives effortlessly and convincingly.
What you would learn from this is very simple: THERE’S NO BIG DEAL ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM, THE ONLY BIG DEAL IS YOU! You could stand up and walk out of that challenge today, if only you acknowledge that Jesus has paid the full price to bring you from the kingdom of darkness where pain, frustration and evil experiences reign, to the kingdom of light where there is joy and pleasure forevermore. You should also be aware that what you enjoy as a citizen of the kingdom of light is limited by what you know as your right as part of this kingdom. Until you know that healing, prosperity, joy, success, forgiveness for past deeds no matter how BAD, love and such like are yours as a part of God’s Kingdom, you will still suffer the pains you brought in from the Kingdom of darkness.
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