Wisdom Chest: “Thank God I CHANGED CAMP!”

In less than 12 hours from now, it will be exactly 21 years ago when a freshman in college CHANGED CAMP! The Holy Bible says, “God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating” (Colossian 1:12-14). Psalm 40:2-4 also says, “He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge…”

The two passages above summarizes the dramatic journey of my life before July 10^th, 1994 and the happenings around me from that day. I have shared the story before but I can’t stop sharing it because it’s my STORY that eventually becomes HIS STORY. Up until July 9^th, 1994, there was a LAW in operation in my life, it is called the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. That law kept me at the backside of nowhere, without hope, in sickness, in immoral lifestyle and of course in darkness (ignorance). Many of my friends who knew me before July 10, 1994 were quick to testify that something HAPPENED to me after that day. Like this great nation (America) still remember July 4^th 1776 with great celebration and appreciation to those who contributed to liberation from Great Britain, I’m eternally grateful to Pastor Olubi Johnson for his message on ‘Spiritual Time Management’ on that Sunday morning. Even though I could not understand most of the things he was saying, the only thing I heard was, “The Spirit and the Bride is calling, would you come?” It was an invitation to the palace of the King. It was an invitation for a change of CAMP! It was an invitation that was to alter my life’s course! It was an invitation to come out of ordinary, powerless lifestyle! It was an invitation to be controlled by another law – THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT of LIFE in Christ Jesus. Oh, I’m glad I honored that invitation.

It will be surprising to know that I did not set out on that day to attend Pastor Olubi’s church but going somewhere else with a friend.

20 years after with Pastor OJ in Nigeria

With my friend in '96

We already walked pass Pastor Olubi’s church when I had a problem with my shoe. I decided I was going back to campus, because one of the “missions” we were going to accomplish at this other place will be messed up without a good shoe. The moment we were about to pass the exit to SPCC, my friend persuaded me that we should go to this nearby church. Even though he was much as far away from God as I was at that time, he persuaded me!

From that day at Scripture Pasture Christian Center (SPCC), back to my room at E9A, South Campus (The Polytechnic Ibadan), the journey continued to Christian Union (Poly Ibadan), to Covenant Partners Fellowship (Poly Ibadan), to End-Time Triumphant Church (Ibadan), to NCCF (Bayelsa State Chapter), to Ibadan Varsity Christian Union (Postgraduate Fellowship), to Victory Chapel (Bishop Adelakun’s church), to Overcomers Christian Center (Columbus Ohio), to New Season Assembly (Columbus Ohio). And to all the ministers, friends, colleagues, ministries (audio, video, print media etc.) that has in one way or another contributed (and still contributing) to my pursuit of HIM that first pursued me, I say, Thanks for giving to the Lord. I don’t plan to recover from what happened to me on July 10, 1994 because my life is BLESSED because of it.

Friends, I appreciate you reading this story. If you have not made a decision to “change CAMP”, I encourage you to do so today. Jesus is the answer for your “troubled world”. If you are already in the CAMP, keep following HARD after Him. Shalom!