Right from his growing up years, Prophet Dr. Omole Temitope Anthony had longed to be a Rev Father. He was particularly fascinated by the composure of Catholic priests and had thought it would be a great idea if he went to the seminary to become like one of them. His parents were not going to stop him.
“In fact it was a thing of pride for parents to have children in the seminary who wanted to become priests in those days. Some parents actually feel fulfilled that their wards is being trained to be a priest.” He said in a chat with Church Times.
But that vision was cut short upon realizing that he would not marry and by implication would not have children. “I could not sacrifice that aspect of my life. I could not imagine staying single though my parents did not mind if I become a priest and take the celibacy vow. But since I would have to live my life, I jettisoned the idea.”
His decision not to be a catholic priest was however revived in another dimension. He became born again. But then he was not thinking of becoming a pastor. He just wanted to be useful in God’s vineyard and pursue his secular concern.
A graduate of Farm Management from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Anthony recalled that his time at the university affordable him the opportunity to serve the Lord. But serving the Lord for him did not mean abandoning his other concerns and becoming pastor on a full time basis.
But then God wanted the whole of his attention. “My decision to go into full time ministry was not easy. I tried to evade the call but all indices pointed to my being called. There was a day a mad man met me around the Old Garage in Akure and said to me that until I become a pastor I would not have a settled life. As soon as he made that statement he walked away. I could not locate him again.
“There was also an incident when I was working at the Central Bank of Nigeria here in Akure. Something happened to me that I almost ran mad. By the time I came to my senses I was asked to go on break for two weeks so I could fully recover. But I could not return back to the job again. One of the senior staff in the company told me that I should go and take up God’s assignment. But I was adamant and began to plan how to travel out of the country.”
Rather than quit secular concerns he quit the Foursquare Church where he was attending and joined a ministry where he served for 15 years. “But all this while I stayed away from being fully committed. Several people came to give me prophecies and I knew God was calling me to embrace full time work but I just did not want to heed the call.
But when the warning was becoming unbearable, I heed to it and was ordained in the church I was attending. But that presented another bad episode. I was loyal to the pastor and was committed. But even at that God still wanted me to have my whole attention. Prophecies came from several sources. God used people to tell me that He had not called me to stay under anybody.”
Unknown to him, the church where he was serving was a queer environment. He soon discovered that God wanted his attention to dissuade him from the wrong association he had found himself. Not long it dawned on him that the pastor he was serving was diabolical, had penchant for patronizing herbalists and was also highly immoral.
He recalled, “What came to me as a surprise was that though the pastor was diabolical he had supernatural gifts and ability. His case reminds me of Bible warning that people would do miracles in God’s name yet they would be rejected in the last day. I was shocked my pastor then had great unction though he was diabolical and was obviously living in immorality. It took me a long while to believe what I saw and heard about him. I was always backing him and encouraging hoping that he would change. But when his immoral lifestyle was becoming something else, I had to leave him.”
He separated from him and the Lord led him to start a fresh work which he said has been tremendously blessed by God “I must confess that it has been quite challenging. But God has really helped us. We have been able to acquire our own property. But there are still many grounds to cover.”
Anthony who is the founder of Possibility Prayer Ministry based in Akure, Ondo State describes ministry work as daunting noting however that “there is no how you will work for God that things will not go on well for you. It is just that sometimes we are too carried away with our needs that we fail to see the bigger picture of what God wants to do in our lives. I am a living testimony of God’s goodness.”