“I had drunk what is known as ‘combine’, smoked cannabis, and ended up in the hospital—my parents never knew. I was drowning in immorality, pornography, alcohol, rage, and unforgiveness. Then God’s mercy found me.”
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My Upbringing
I grew up in a Christian home, and my parents trained us in the best way they knew how. I was involved in the activities of the children’s church, such as memory verse recitation and others. My father was an elder and coordinated many activities in the church. I believe I was shaped by the godly principles of my parents and the lessons I learned from family devotions and church.
When I graduated from primary school, I was awarded the best-behaved pupil in my class and received a Bible.
Bad Company
When I entered secondary school, I came into contact with very bad friends in my class (JSS1) who corrupted me in many ways. One of them taught me how to masturbate. When I got back home, I tried it, and that is how I got enslaved for years. Another friend introduced me to porn magazines, and I became hooked on them. Later, in my senior secondary class, I obtained porn tapes and would wake up at night when everyone was asleep to watch them. Surprisingly, I wasn’t caught.
I was introduced to sexual immorality in my SS3 class, again through the influence of bad company. Before then, I only had a faint memory of being molested as a very little boy.
Examination Malpractice
I was also involved in examination malpractice at different times; people would pay me to give them answers for their JAMB examination. I would get the answers and take them to their examination centre. That was the same way I wrote my JAMB exam before I got admission into the university. I had also done the same during my WAEC examination earlier. The consequence of the above was that I struggled in my academics while at the university, even though I had been an above-average student before this time. Sometimes, I would take first or second position in class, especially in my junior secondary classes. The consequence of sin is real.
After my secondary school education, I wanted to be serious about God. This was around the year 2003. At that time, we had just left the family church we all grew up in and became members of a new denomination where I was baptised. That was a few years before I gained admission into the university.
In my first year, I came across a group of students who normally sat outside to drink. The first day I joined them, it felt as if I was initiated into this lifestyle because I continued for a long time. I had been involved in similar activities a little before in my SS3 class and during a post-UME program, but this time at the university, it had gotten worse. Then I backslid. I also had a non-student friend with whom I would often meet for binge drinking, and there was a time we left beer and only drank bottled red wine. One day, we consumed a total of six bottles in one sitting with a few people. He invited some girls, from whom we made our choices and proceeded into rooms in the same hotel to do our thing. Though he was the one sponsoring this lifestyle of debauchery, sometimes I would contribute, and when his money was exhausted, he would borrow from me, as I had access to some cash from my father’s business where I used to help out. Sometimes he would not pay back, and I would cover it up. I was unfaithful in handling the money I collected from customers.
I remember that the first time my mum saw me with this particular friend, she asked me who he was and told me not to have anything to do with him. Looking back, he was a very bad influence on my life at that time. This kind of lifestyle negatively affected my academics and didn’t allow me to focus in school.
I was not really into smoking, but at some point, I decided to try smoking cannabis for a while. One of those days, I chewed it and drank almost a bottle of Squadron dry gin to get high, and the result was bad. That day, I ended up in the hospital, though my parents were not aware of what I had done. I had drunk what is known as “combine” and had used cannabis in different ways in a bid to get high. I smoked it for about two years before I rededicated my life to God and was delivered from it.
Unforgiveness
I also battled with unforgiveness towards my parents. My relationship with my father, especially, was not very cordial. I had to leave the family’s house because there was a lot of strife between us, which led to him uttering some very hurtful words to me. Although he needed some help due to his health condition, I concluded that it wasn’t safe for me to be there at that time, so I had to leave home. I stayed with a friend for a while before I rented an apartment. After living on my own for about four years, I had a dream sometime in 2017 and was told to reconcile with my father, and I started to work that out to the best of my knowledge, but I didn’t know that it also involved returning home. That was the same period I came to God’s Lighthouse, where I rededicated my life to Jesus.
Overcoming Hangovers
I still fell into some of these sins here and there. I had not stopped drinking completely as well. But as I kept living for God, separating from bad friends, and studying the scripture, the Holy Spirit kept convicting me, and gradually, I was delivered. I remember that I would fall into pornography maybe once a year, and the longest time I stayed away was about two years. However, when I came to God’s Lighthouse in 2017, during the first Psalm 139 prayers (a deliverance-type prayer gotten from Psalm 139), pornography was highlighted, and that was how I was delivered from it.
Another thing that was emphasised during those prayers was unforgiveness, which prompted me to reconcile with my father. Though it was something the Holy Spirit had told me to do before then, I had to go home at that time and sleep over at the family house for the first time in about four years. However, I did not understand that part of the reconciliation meant going back home and staying with him.
Because of that, I was told about it again in a dream. This was January of 2018. Somehow, I couldn’t pay my rent. I had to face the fact that I needed to go back home and help him out because he needed it. I am the first child, but I became the last because I was going back home to stay. In that particular season of my life, it wasn’t easy, but I had to face the fire. I believe the messages in the house helped me to survive those times.
Things were also exposed in me, like heightened anger and rage. There were still issues between my father and me, but this time I had to address them and put into practice the things I had been learning from the scriptures. I learned obedience from the things I suffered. I had to learn forgiveness in real time and numerous ways. God gave me the grace to live with him and have peace amid warfare.
During that season, I had to confess to him about my past disobediences and things he was not even aware of, and ask for his forgiveness. I thank God that, right now, the Lord has been working in his heart and mine, too. He is more careful about how he talks to me now, and recently he asked me about my issues and encouraged me about it, something he doesn’t normally do. I thank God for the progress so far, and I trust God to finish His work in our relationship.
Wrong Relationship
Though I had testified before, God had also saved me from a relationship with an unbeliever. I remember how God helped me, and I escaped falling into immorality with her. During the first weekly meeting I attended at God’s Lighthouse, Pastor Ita spoke specific words like, “Do you want to marry an unbeliever? What are you doing with her? There is no dating in the Bible.” Though my intention was not to be involved in any immoral act with her, after all, I used to preach to her. But since she was not the right one for me, I was setting myself up for a fall. I thank God that after the meeting, I got the courage to discontinue the relationship, though I had wanted to do it before then.
I thank God for showing me mercy and allowing me to experience His saving grace, delivering me from my past life of immorality, pornography, alcoholism, lack of peace, rage, stealing, and many things I can’t even remember. I once evangelised to someone who knew me before, and he told me that he is grateful to God for saving me because I would have lost my life due to how I used to live. I can’t imagine how my health would have been if I had continued to live that way. The difference is clear now! I am so thankful to God for my life.
Praise be to God.
— Bro E.Ek
14th February 2025
© God’s Lighthouse 2025
