Berserker

Everybody ran

The Pastor, the pastor’s wife, The Assistant Pastor, and the Deacon

The woman literally unhooked the flat screen TV from the wall and hurled it at them

It wasn’t the spiritual power that they lacked

It was the physical power

How do you pray for a woman who had gone bonkers?

The woman’s two children were in the room with her

They were aged 11 and 9

They were hurdled in a corner beside the door

Afraid for their lives

The television the woman threw at the intruders missed the children by a whisker

The whole house was overcome by fear!

They gathered themselves at the staircase

They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry

The woman’s husband was also with them

He was wondering what to do, just like them!

The woman’s predicament began about three years before

Her three children were all attacked by measles

After several days in the hospital, two of the children survived

The youngest child died!

She mourned the child as if the sun will never rise again

Her husband mourned with her

But the darkness for her refused to lift

One month, three months, six months!

She refused to be consoled

She refused to move on with life

She had gotten stuck in one spot while the waters of life passed her by

Her husband begged, pleaded!

She was far beyond the reach of human entreaties

She had gotten lost in the darkness somehow

Professionals were called in

What was the cause  of the brouhaha?

She blamed herself for the death of the child

She went to the village to see her mother

Her mother gave her groundnuts for the children

She told her husband about the groundnuts

Her husband told her to throw them away and not give her children

She couldn’t do that!

Her husband was always acting as if he was more spiritual than the Holy Spirit

Her mother is a Christian

Her mother would never harm her children

She gave her children the groundnuts to eat

Within five hours they were running temperature

By midnight of that day the rashes started forming

She used palm oil and calamine lotion all over their bodies

She exposed them to the Air Conditioner

Her husband was far away on an oil rig for the week

He wasn’t due back home until about ten days

She tried all she could

By the time she would get the children to the hospital

The youngest one’s eyes had turned blood red

The doctors did the best they could

Her husband flew in the very day she brought the children to the hospital

Her husband was mad with anger

Did you give them the groundnuts? Did you give them the groundnuts?

She could barely nod

Her husband charged at her

People in the hospital refrained him!

“This woman is a witch! She killed my child!”

She couldn’t believe it

Her loving husband called her a witch! A witch!!!

“Rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft; didn’t I tell you not to poison my children?’ Her husband raved

She didn’t understand what happened afterwards

Perhaps the truth dawned on her or her mind refused to comprehend the magnitude of what has happened

She suddenly sank into herself and collapsed

By the time she came to three days later

The dead child had been buried

She had been hooked to an IV

She couldn’t even bring herself to apologize to her husband

She couldn’t argue with the coincidence of the evil that befell them

Even though she still could never imagine her mother being a witch

She knew the groundnut had something to do with the measles

The doctors listened to the story

The Senior Psychiatrist explained to her husband that the mind was held together by fragile realities

And can equally be broken by unexpected turn of events in some people

He was assured that she would be made whole

He had her committed into a psychiatric hospital

And she mended quite speedily

Within three months (nine months after the child died) she was back on her feet

The doctors recommended a change of environment

He got a transfer from his office, far from their previous residence

He was also given a desk job pending the time his wife would fully recover

They changed environment

They also changed church

It worked like magic

She left the past and its triggers behind

The faced the new dawn of hope ahead of her

Until that Sunday morning

She had prepared the children for church service

By the time he was ready, she said she was a bit tired and would like to rest

They went to church without her

They returned from the service

He didn’t know what she saw, thought or heard

As soon as she saw him, she went berserk

He thought it was a joke at first, he smiled at her

She ran into the kitchen and took a knife

Before he could say JESUS!

The knife was in the air, flying hard towards him

He ran for his dear life!

At first he wanted to go to the hospital

He wanted to get professionals who would calm her down and ferry her off for treatment

But then he remembered the sermon his pastor preached that morning

‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

He decided the supernatural would most likely give him a better result than medicine

He ran to the church

The Pastor and his wife were about to leave the church at the time

He was very lucky me met them

He told them the issue at hand

The Pastor sent for his assistant and a Deacon

It was high time they put what they preach into practice

The journey to the house took them fifteen minutes

They met a woman absolutely off her rockers

Her eyes were glaring red, her hair standing straight

Exactly like that “Ayamatanga” movie woman

The most damning and unbelievable thing was this

THE WOMAN

THE MAD WOMAN, THE CRAZY WOMAN WAS SPEAKING IN TONGUES!

TONGUES!!!

That was the secret weapon they intended to put to use to conquer the devil inside her

The pastor said “In Jesus, name I command you evil spirit to leave her alone”

The lady looked right into the pastor’s eyes and hissed

Then she continued to speak in tongues!

WHOA!

The pastor told the other ministers with him to start praying

They prayed and prayed

It became a shouting contest

The pastor, his wife, his assistant, the deacon and the husband on one side

The mad woman on the other side

The children were standing close to the entrance, watching the contest

It lasted for ten minutes

The mad woman got irritated by the noise of the ministers

She walked to the wall, yanked off the TV and let fly

Everybody ran!

Eventually they decided her husband should go to the hospital and get professionals

Her case had really gotten out of hand

The Pastor and his ministers drove behind the husband’s car

The Husband couldn’t believe it

Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus is the answer

The moment came for Jesus to do his thing

Like the sons of Sceva, his pastor and other ministers turned to jelly

He wouldn’t dare doubt the efficacy of the name of Jesus

But as sure as he knows his own name, the name has no weight in their mouth

His phone rang

He parked the car

It was the Pastor

Pastor: Sorry my brother, we will like to go to your house and give it one more try

He didn’t know what to say!

People than ran out of his house like scared rabbits few minutes ago

What had changed?

He: Sir, I don’t understand

Pastor: Please sir, let us turn back and try once more

He obliged them

They turned

When they got back to his house, the pastor and his team stayed in the car for a while

They prayed fervently

He waited patiently, perhaps they needed more anointing in order to subdue the demon in his wife’s brain

They prayed for about fifteen minutes

While they were praying, another car emerged

The car parked right behind their car

The driver jumped out

They also alighted from their vehicle and exchanged greetings with him

They proceeded to the house

He couldn’t help but smile mischievously

The pastor and his ministers were in complete suit

The young man that came to join them was in Jeans and T-shirt

Perhaps he was brought in to help overpower his wife so that they can take her to the hospital

They got upstairs

His wife had not calmed down

She was praying in tongues as if her life depended on it

At the same time, she was smashing everything

Picture frames, mirrors, glass cups, plates

She would suddenly pause and scream

“The devil is in the glass; the devil is in the glass”

Then she would begin to smash stuffs

Sometimes she would cut herself on the thigh with the broken glass

When they got into the house, she stopped and looked at them

Then she continued what she had been doing

The pastor went to her and shouted “In Jesus name I command you to leave her, you demon of darkness”

She looked at him and started praying in tongues

Everybody started praying

The children had slept off in the room

He could see them from the sitting room

The brother in jeans and T-shirt did the unthinkable

He called her name “So and so, come”

Remarkably, his wife dropped everything and came to the brother in Jeans and T-shirt

The brother was crying

His wife was crying

They hugged each other and they both cried their eyes out

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt kept saying “I am sorry”

His wife kept saying “I waited for you, you didn’t come on time”

This lasted for about fifteen minutes

By the time they let each other go

His wife was completely fine

Just like that!

The Brother bade his wife goodbye

His wife hugged him and bade him goodbye with a radiant face

The ministers and the brother left

Her husband chased after them

Husband: Sir, what happened? Do you know my wife from somewhere?

Brother in Jeans and t-shirt: No! But she is a sister of mine! We have the same Father

Husband: I don’t understand

Brother in Jeans and T-shirt: I don’t fully understand it too but immediately I saw her, I didn’t see a demon possessed mad woman, I saw a woman grieving for the loss of a loved one. I saw pain, agony and sorrow. I realized she must have suffered a traumatic loss for which she didn’t grieve properly and the pain was driving her crazy! All she needed to do was let out the pain!

The Holy Spirit moved me to tears and I cried with her! I grieved with her and now she is fine!

They left

Five minutes later the Husband called them

Husband: Are you sure she is fine now? She kept saying Jesus came into the house and hugged her and took away all her pain! Are you sure she is fine? I kept asking her if she knew those who came to the house especially the brother she hugged and cried with but she insisted she didn’t hug any brother. It was Jesus that came into her house and hugged her and took away all her pain!

Weeks later they met again, the brother in Jeans and t-shirt and his wife, she didn’t recognize him at all

And she refused to believe that he was the one who came to the house that day to grieve with her when she was grieving for her dead son

PS: This event happened in Dolphin Estate, Lagos in 2015

The woman has never had any psychotic episode since then

The Holy Spirit is as real in spiritual warfare and He is real life issues

Nothing heals a broken mind like love

Compassion is one of the greatest assets of a believer

Please don’t be a believer with a hardened heart

Killing this, cursing that, attacking everything and everybody

Of course there is a time for warfare

But if the Holy Spirit has not declared war, please pursue peace and love