Bedazzled

The lady ran into the church

The man in Jeans and T-shirt was in the congregation

Eyes closed and arms raised in worship

The worship session and the choir rendition were always his preferred moments in a church service

Though every part of the service was beneficial

But he does not joke with the Praise and worship session

A lady tapped him on the shoulder

‘Sir, please I will like to see you outside’

He followed her

He was just a church member

With an ear for the need of the people

Jesus didn’t call anybody to be a talker

He commissioned every believer to lay hands on the sick so that they may recover

They got outside the church

He saw another lady standing right in the car park, he looked at her curiously (He was standing upstairs and the lady was downstairs, he was looking at her from the balcony)

What! She was raving mad. (Like Street roving mad)

This event happened in front of a church located at

No 125, Ogudu road, opposite former Tantalizers building

On the second Sunday of July 2018

The church was located on the first floor

The mad woman was standing in the parking lot on the ground floor

He got scared!

What sort of temptation is still on a quiet Sunday morning?

All he wanted to do was worship God and go home to his wife’s Jollof rice

The woman was wearing like 5 tops

A black long sleeve sweater showed under a pink blouse

Another set of yellow, grey and blue blouses were showing underneath the pink top

She wore black slacks, three quarter jeans and a short green skirt

She looked very scary

Her hair had been uncleanly shaven, making her head look like Sahara desert with a spatter of growing shrubs

He: What happened to her?

The lady: We were neighbors in Ojota sir.  

One Monday morning in December (2017) she screamed from sleep and ran out of the house

By the time people caught up with her she was talking gibberish, totally mad sir!

They cut her hair and did some traditional stuff but she didn’t get better

She was eventually left to roam the streets

This morning as I was coming into church, I saw her

She came up to me and asked me to give her some money for food!

Whoa!!!

He observed her!

She was dressed like a lunatic but she looked calm…

He had barely processed the thought when the lady started displaying!!

She just went off the rails

Saying all sorts of jargons

“Oh! Jesus”, he screamed inwardly

‘The woman is very mad!’

But the lady who came to call him believed in him, believed that God can use him

He was an example to many!

Even though his legs wanted to turn in the opposite direction and run

He cannot deny his master now

He cannot let down those to whom he had ministered the power of Jesus over the years

He cannot choose whom to pray for and whom to ignore

Christ came for all and he paid the full price for all!

But he had never ever prayed for any mad person before

He had handled schizophrenia, depression, bipolar and many other “Controlled’’ mental disorders

But never this type and never in the full glare of all sorts of people

He became self-conscious

He shook it off!

He started praying in the spirit, strengthening his inner man

He braced himself

Told somebody to bring him a plastic chair

Asked the mad woman to sit

She didn’t!

She started dancing ‘lala kuku lal”, and singing with glee

‘Oh my God’ He thought

‘Why did I come to church today?’

He approached the mad woman

He: What is your name?

The mad lady didn’t respond

He looked to the heavens, lifted up his hands

Boldness came!

“Holy Spirit, I take over this atmosphere right now

Let every strange powers operating here cease”

(The mad lady was still dancing and singing)

He:  Sit down!

The mad lady looked at him, laughed and sat down

He: In the name of Jesus I command this infirmity to leave your body, I command your mind to be restored to normal. I command your senses to come back to you

Mad lady continued staring at him as if transfixed

He watched her for a minute, laid hands on her again and repeated the prayer

Praise and worship had started inside the church

All the big pastors and ministers were deeply engrossed in worship

Mad woman snaps out of comatose

He: What are all these beads on your hands? Break them!

Mad lady started breaking beads one after the other

Mad lady: I have broken all the beads

He: Stand up

Mad lady stands up!

He laid hands upon her head again and prayed

She became transfixed again

He: (Holy Spirit, is she fine now?)

Holy Spirit: Pour some water on her head

He told somebody to bring him some water

Mad lady hears water and picks race

He: Come back here!

Mad lady: No, I am going! Don’t pour water on my head!

He watched her as she walked away

The sister that came to call him asked if she should go and get some boys and dragged her back

He said ‘No!

The rain will fall soon, once the water touches her body she will be made whole’

The lady believed

His hand was dirty and smelly due to their contact with the woman’s head

They brought him water

He washed his hand

He went back into church to join the service

Thanked God for the mad lady’s healing

The next day, at 10 AM

The mad lady came back to the church

It had rained and she had been made whole

The security man saw her dressed like a mad lady

Chased her away

She went home, showered and changed

The next day

She was back in the evening

As soon as the man in Jeans and T-shirt arrived

She came to his car

He greeted her

He didn’t recognize her

‘My Pastor!’ She screamed

The lady that brought her started crying

Church members trooped out and started glorifying God

She had been completely made whole

He laid hands on the mad lady again and commanded her total healing

She fell under the anointing of the Holy Spirit

He watched her for a few minutes

She roused

She was totally fine

Everybody shouted

Bible study had been done in a practical session

Church members cheered in praise

The afflicted had been restored!

Hallelujah!

Some people said she would relapse

She had not

She will not!

The scripture says “If the son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed”

Hallelujah!

PS: The man in Jeans and T-shirt had never healed a mad woman like her healed before. He had heard of it and seen it but WOW!

As other church members left the church for their homes, he sat on the staircase leading to the church and cried!

He cried because God’s power transcended his weakness

He had seen another dimension of the power of God

It was beautiful

Hallelujah!