BOOKS- THE SPIRITUAL CAPSULE FOR THE EXAMS OF LIFE
By Kizor-Akaraiwe Oluabusomma
“For every issue of life, there is always a book that brings the answer” the former Chaplain of Covenant University, Pastor Kayode Mobolaji Martins says. Some may call it a coincidence and others, divine leading and direction, like Pastor Kayode Mobolaji Martins. Pastor Martins has been able to work with teenagers and young adults as way back as 1996 as a Biology classroom teacher in a secondary school before he became a full-time pastor in 2002 with the privilege of pastoring around school locations in Abuja, Bida, Minna and Benin. He eventually became the Chaplain of Covenant University in 2018.
PKM as he is popularly called by the students of Covenant University is known for his emphasis on the importance of books. His love and understanding of the significance of books ignited after meeting Bishop David O. Oyedepo in 1993. As he was growing up, books taught him a lot in different areas of life such as relationships. Reading books have positively affected his attitude, career, his pastoral ministry and basically every area of his life.
A book by Myles Munroe ‘Rediscovering the Kingdom’ mentions that one of the undoings of the black race is our inability to go in search of knowledge and that is quite disappointing because many are suffering meanwhile the solution to their problem is just a few pages away. When a person is sick, the doctor gives a diagnosis and offers prescriptions from his wealth of experience so also Pastor Kayode, having the privilege to counsel Covenant University students, always recommends books relevant to their challenge or struggle. He sees pastors as spiritual physicians and likens recommended books to spiritual capsules. For example, if someone is battling pornography and masturbation, it is ideal to recommend books such as ‘Conquering Controlling Powers’, ‘Walking in the Newness of Life’, ‘How to Discipline your Flesh’ and other such books to enable them to take charge.
PKM talks about John Hangy’s book “What Every Man Wants from a Woman and What Every Woman Wants from a Man” that people go to the university to learn about the career they are going to do, but people do not go to school to learn about the marriage they will be in all their lives. Due to this, there is mismanagement which eventually leads to a disaster. Because of this, Pastor Kayode advised a man who planned to get married but had not grounded himself in the precepts of marriage to invest his time reading about it to avoid mismanagement and abuse.
For those struggling with vision, he recommends most books written by Myles Munroe such as ‘Understanding Your Potential’, ‘Unleashing Your Potential’, etc. He also recommends ‘Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, some of Bishop Oyedepo’s books on vision include ‘In Pursuit of Vision’, ‘Understanding Divine Direction’, ‘Understanding Vision’, as well as Kenneth Hagin’s books on vision. Every author has a word that God has told him to proclaim, and it is that peculiarity of that word that we will find when we read.
In this day and time, emotional health is very key as many are struggling with loneliness, depression, insecurities, and fear. In this case, Pastor Martins recommends books by Kenneth Copeland like ‘The Force of Joy’, ‘When God does not Make Sense’ and so. Joyce Meyer is another author highly recommended for situations like this, with books like ‘God is Not Mad at You’, ‘Approval Addiction’ and so on. James Dubson and T.D Jakes also go deeper in managing the emotions of people and using their mess to create a message through their books.
Books are clearly a contributing factor to the man he has become today. Pastor Kayode recalled the first time he saw the significance of Christian literature which was at a singles meeting in 1993 with Bishop Oyedepo talking about how he read eight books on marriage before he married and was eventually led by God to release the book ‘7 Secrets to a Stable Home’.
PKM goes on to say that it is not just about reading but reading people who will prescribe value and have the testimony of what they are saying. For example, Kenneth Copeland on prosperity, Kenneth Hagin’s on faith, Yonggi Cho on church growth and so on.
With all the knowledge gathered over the years, together with the passion he has to reach out to the younger generation, Pastor Kayode Martins plans to write books of his own as one of the things he would like to address is youths being in control of their lives and not allowing themselves to be driven by trends.