Wearing the Jersey Doesn’t Place You on the Team – Yomi’s Salvation Story

Hello Royalty.

Welcome to the third Sunday of our Salvation Story Sundays! Thank you for sticking with me. Today, we have Olorunyomi sharing his experience with us. If you feel like you were born on the church altar, but you don’t have a real connection with Christ, Yomi’s story will definitely relate to you. Read on!

This story is based on a true-life, on-going experience, funny right? Now I sound like a Nollywood movie’s “introductory note.” However, my salvation journey is true and a continuous one with so much more to be unfolded. In fact, my salvation in Christ is daily, simply put a moment-by-moment experience. I was born and raised in a Christian home, now you would say it is not a real journey with Jesus, right? That I haven’t started the journey yet? Well, that was the foundation for me. 

I got “exposed” to Christianity very early and like everyone in my shoes, I dreaded God’s ‘judgment day, and I constantly came out for every altar call every Sunday after falling short during the week.  Of course, I never even felt saved despite responding to many altar calls, not to talk of knowing  that I was.

Fast forward to my teenage years, Senior Secondary school was a big chapter of me growing up and finding God. During this period, I was among a long list of young millennials who desired an eureka moment for solutions to their quest to fill their emptiness and void as individuals. Just as it is written in the Bible,“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6Little did I know that God was aware and was ready to fill my hunger and thirst; like a mother who anticipates her child’s needs, God was already preparing answers to all my deepest desires.

I had a constant mental battle with questions like how are you going to trust the Lord with your soul for an eternity when you can’t trust him with your day-to-day problems?  And thoughts like, So many people wear the jersey but aren’t really on the team! It does no good to say “I follow Jesus” if you don’t follow Jesus deep inside my heart. 

In all these, I wasn’t even a “bad boy.” I honored everyone; I respected authority and embraced order. However, some things were missing – Peace and purpose. Hence, my quest to know God more and in totality. My process was quite different, however.  I did not have a moment where I heard God speaking to me in a dream, or being in church service and the sermon got into my spirit, body and soul, and boom that the hour of liberation. No, none of that.

So, all these generated into fear. I was afraid. Yet, I was going to address it and my only armories were rooted in Christ. In my inconsistent moments of studying God’s word, I had come across this scripture “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7” So, I had no other choice than to deliberate and consciously give my life to Christ whole heartedly. Well, I made a personal confession in my heart to surrender all to him that day. I cannot remember the day, but it was in summer 2004.

Many times, the reason we are still in the chains of regrets, pain, hurts, fear, guilt and shame are simply because we are yet to have a revelation of God in our hearts. Oh, how it changes everything!

It will be impossible to express the peace that flooded my heart that day. It made me feel like I should have done this a long time ago. Then, gradually, purpose began to find practical expression in my life.

Now, it has been many years of knowing Christ. Would I say everything has been smooth? No, not all. I fell into some bad habits, however God’s mercy found me yet again. Nowhere in scriptures did God promise us the best of beginnings, however the Word of God is replete with assurances of better endings.

I have enjoyed a sweet fellowship with him, my fellowship with Jesus cannot be expressed in mere words. My fellowship with Him was accompanied by transformation and healing.

This is not the end of our story (God and I). So many adventures lie ahead, and I am eager to see where our journey takes me. 

Hallelujah.

Yomi Owobo.

Olorunyomi Owobo is a seasoned man of God, with a heart for God and His Word. He currently leads the Youth With A Difference (YWAD) team and the Speak1Verse team. Through these channels, he consciously spreads the Word of God, and he is a blessing to many. You can always find him on Instagram @olorunyommy

Thank you for reading!

Goodbye Royalty,

With Overflowing Love,

Alexandra Zion.

About the author
Christocentric. Academic. Writer. Poet
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