Recipe for battling spiritual ignorance, by Michael Olatunbosun |

The book: “Light for Life,” is written by Ayo-Oluwa Oloyede, a trained microbiologist, a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and a pastor. It was published in 2022. In the preface to the book, the author tells that the book is ‘to give the saints presently pressing for the truth an opportunity to lay hold on the word of life… a compass for the coming generation to navigate themselves out of the wilderness of confusion that may attempt to replace the narrow way to eternal life.’ So for the author, the book brings readers to light and shows them the way of God in simple and unambiguous terms, making it easy for them to find direction for their lives. That is essentially what the author has imputed to the book’s four chapters and 136 pages.

In the book, the author starts with an illustration of how he and his wife got their first car – with automatic transmission – and some old people raised concerns with regards to the cost of technical maintenance of the automatic gear. This concern was born out of their familiarity with the old model of vehicles driven on manual gear systems. He says the same applies with the new creation. The old man finds it impossible to allow the new creation to have free expression of God’s nature in any man.

In the second illustration, Ayo-Oluwa discusses his daughter’s experience with her homework. We are told that she made a mistake in her drawing and attempted to correct the mistakes by using the eraser repeatedly until the drawing became rough and the paper perforated. She cried because she wanted it to look better so he gave her another sheet of paper to draw again. She carefully attempted a second time and avoided the old mistakes. It came out neater, bigger and clearer. The author reports that her teacher commended the work without noticing how the first attempt was discarded. The author thus submits that this illustration is simply the reality of the new creation: God discarded the old rough life and offered a new clean slate by faith.

In this book, the author explores further six reasons people are not having or experiencing a new life. He explains how to get to Christ Jesus for salvation, stating that it can only be through faith. He states that it is not every word that can get a man saved, it is not every message that is preached that can get a man saved; it is only through the truth. He avers that the Holy Spirit confirms the seal of salvation by leading us into the truth. He also states how readers could mortify the deed of the body through the spirit through prompt prayers, and that the consciousness of our identity helps us to refrain from whatever may want to tarnish our identity. He submits emphatically that the leadership of the spirit over the life of a new creature is a mortifying weapon against the deeds of the body.

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In the book the author affirms that Jesus is the best definition of a gift that keeps giving. He says a lot of patients have lost their lives in many hospitals found in underdeveloped and developing nations because the necessary medical equipment and instruments are not readily available for treating the sick. The physicians are well trained but they are not properly aided to provide corrective cures. He opines also that the church is not a well-populated workshop or clinic but it is well equipped, it is prompt in her responses to situations and effective in the discharge of her duties to humanity. 

Afterwards, the readers are shown the things that they must add to their faith for it to increase in proportion. He mentions virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness and brotherly kindness. Others are, charity, waiting on our ministry, doing it with simplicity, ruling with diligence and cheerfulness. He then proceeds to show how we can dedicate ourselves wholly to something or a cause or mission. These tips the author highlights as investing into it, being disciplined for it, acquiring training in the cause, and fellowshipping with gracious souls. 

In the book, Light for Life, Ayo-Oluwa wonders why Nigeria has not been listed as the loudest and longest praying nation of the world in the Guinness book of record. He backs up his point with examples of all kind of prayers that we have, first prayer of the month, prayer to ‘japa’, prayer for children, prayer for new house, night vigil, first seven days of January, prayer for men only, women only, widows only, children only and lots more. He even says politicians have prayer warriors perpetually on their payroll. But the question is: are we really praying? So in this book, the author teaches that there is a way to pray. He says a lot of people learn how to bake cake, learn forex trading, leather work, coding etc., but wonders why many people do not consider that it is important to learn how to pray. He says one of the greatest challenges that men face with regard to prayers is that they are not taught to pray, warning also that people should not pray like hypocrites. 

In the work, the author states that relationships require connections and connections affect ignition. He also writes about relationships and seasons, stating that when God is about to announce the next season in one’s life, he may bring the person into a divinely arranged relationship that will turn the tides. 

In the final analysis, the book contains four cardinal truths which hold the promise of enlightening and elevating the reader to great heights of illumination. 

The author’s smooth writing ability in making the sense of the book clear to the reader is commendable.
Olatunbosun is a broadcast journalist, fact-checker and book reviewer at Splash FM 105.5, Ibadan. He can be reached via 08023517565 (SMS & WhatsApp only) or email molatunbosun@splashfm1055.com.

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