Abegunde Peter (Cephas) Olugbenga:The One Who Found Mercy

As a young lad taught in the way of the Lord, the enemy saw a star and decided to capture it early, little Cephas was not aware.

He was young and naive, he followed the bait of the enemy until he was trapped.

It took several years to come out, I tried all to no avail.

 The enemy was determined to have me, he paid the price to ensure I was hindered from seeing the light but unfortunately for him, Jesus was also desperate to have me and I saw the light. 

I was liberated, I was still called a Pastor in those dark days but I knew I was not in any way near. 

I've always looked like a pastor even when I dress casually, that aura has refused to leave me.

If you knew the Old Cephas, there's no need preaching to you that he died.

I still find it hard to reconcile the new Cephas with that old and deadly one. Totally different personalities.

I was brilliant until my fall, and the enemy saw that as an advantage and struck me. Because of my results, I was made the Assistant Class Captain in Jss1, but the foxes that spoilt the field was that I could not speak good English.

 To answer questions was very difficult in class, relating with teachers was a no go area.

Even as I write this, I still remember the mockery I faced because of my poor English. Trust me, it wasn't funny.

I was left with no choice than to be with myself, but then I kept on improving till I became a better version of myself.

It was not until my final year that some people realized that I could speak good English when I preached in the fellowship.

I was the normal quiet boy in class. But if you're privileged to meet Cephas today, he speaks as if he's British. Lol

Now, I can confidently go to Secondary schools and lecture students and share with them my stories. Is God not wonderful?

After trying to leave the devil's trap, I became a bittter soul.

I was stuck between light and darkness. That further aggravated my shyness, it grew from bad to worse. 

I struggled with my mental health for many years, I became an alien to everybody, but only few noticed this, they thought I just went silent. But at home, I was always alive.

 One of my classmates then (name witheld) once told me that I was not a social being.

To make matters worse, my words were bad, insults were not too far away from my mouth.

I needed friendship but I could not find one until I found the Holy Spirit.

Boluwade, Emmanuel, Daniel and I eventually got along together before leaving secondary school. They managed me the way I was. I was gradually changing. We had rifts those days, there was none I did not have a quarrel with, there were days I would not speak to them and then they will come asking me what was wrong and I'll still ignore them. That has since become history.

They're just the best of friends.

As I'm writing this, I can't even remember the last time I had a quarrel with someone, it's now so difficult for me to get angry, let alone quarrel.

Boluwade, Daniel and Emmanuel, thank you for the love. I cherish those beautiful moments.

Another friend turned brother that also helped me was Adeboye Victor, he remains dear to my heart. Although, I got closer to him when we were about to leave secondary school. He's my covenant brother.

 

 I had friends around me but I was still lonely until I found the Holy Spirit.

 I would sit down alone for hours and meditate on things that were not needed.

 I was lost in my own world, those days  I resorted into poems but they could not save me.

 I was dying, I was deteriorating yet no one noticed.

 I lived in a world of my own, I was the king of my own castle, my imaginations were wild.

But then, I only came out stronger.

I passed through long years of constant depression to help others overcome it.

Depression is real!

But these days, I'm always full of energy by the mercies of God, I may have down moments but never depressed.

The Joy of the Holy Ghost is real!

For many days, I was in constant pain. For months, my health went haywire, it looked as though I had suddenly become a sickler. I wouldn't want to go into much details.

Some days, I wished for death.

 The enemy wanted to take me out, but to his shame, I'm still living and getting stronger!

That's why this particular birthday is special.

This is the first birthday that'll be surrounded with a lot of hype, I'm not a fan of birthdays, but for this, I MUST celebrate because Jesus persevered me.

I decided to give you a peep into my past, to know that Cephas once had history. 

I need not talk about what the Lord has done for me here, but it's evident everywhere  

The last one year has been eventful, characterized with many adventures and many wins. I had little challenges but I won and I'm still winning and I will continue to win.

Jesus remains my greatest strength!

I've been surrounded with a lot of brothers who by the mercies of God had shaped my journey and set me on a path of greatness. My friends are precious to my heart and I love you all. 

It's my birthday and I'll give you a parcel of advice.

It's a new year.

Thank you for supporting Cephas for the past one year.

I promise to serve you more.

Happy birthday, OluwaCephas

Till next time, Au revoir 👋

Thank you for being a part of my last one year.

Dear reader, I love you with all my heart.