NIGERIA – The Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Jimmy Odukoya, has revealed that he wears his dreadlocks in obedience to a divine instruction.
In a recent sermon, Pastor Odukoya shared that before officially stepping into his pastoral duties, he sought God’s guidance specifically about his appearance. He was clearly told by God not to cut his hair.
“Before I came back, one of the things I asked the Lord was whether or not I should cut my hair. And the Lord told me not to cut my hair,” he said.
To confirm what he heard, he asked his sister, Tolu Odukoya-Ijogun, to pray about it without telling her what he had received. She returned with the same message.
“I knew what God had said to me so I told my sister to go pray and that God will speak to her. She goes back and told me I wasn’t supposed to cut my hair, to which I replied, ‘I know, because God already told me.’”
Odukoya then recounted a powerful encounter with a woman who had traveled all the way from Zimbabwe just to attend his church. She shared with him a prophetic vision she had back in 2016, which she didn’t understand until years later.
“A couple of weeks ago, someone had come to see me all the way from Zimbabwe just to come to church. I said please bring the lady in and she begins to tell me her story.
She says, ‘People think I’m crazy. I told everybody I am coming to Nigeria for the next three to four weeks. I’m just coming to church.’
She says, ‘It was 2016, I was in New York, it was Thanksgiving and I had a vision, it felt so real. In this vision, I see you with your hair and you’re speaking to me and I have been dealing with some things in my life.
“There was this dog on my shoulder. I knew the dog represented the weight I was carrying and you had this long sword. You began speaking to me and it looked like thunder and lightning was coming out of the sword and it burnt the dog into ashes. And you began to declare over me and gave certain instructions.’”
The woman explained that after the vision, she experienced a series of personal tragedies: a painful breakup, financial loss from a divorce, and the death of her mother. In her search for God, she turned to online sermons—and that’s when she discovered Pastor Odukoya on YouTube.
“She said, ‘Fast forward 2025, after that vision I went through a tough break-up, I lost everything in a divorce. My ex took the house.’
She said, ‘Everything I worked for… It was a tough time. To compound issues, my mom got sick and I watched her die in my arms.’
She said she was trying to find God so she went on YouTube to hear sermons. And all of a sudden my preaching popped up.
And she said, ‘You don’t understand, because when I had this vision, I didn’t know you existed. The person I saw, I did not know it was a real person. So when I saw the man from the vision with a long hair I screamed. I didn’t know any pastor would have long hair.’”
Reflecting on her story, Pastor Odukoya pointed out the divine significance of his appearance and how obedience to God’s instruction led to a powerful moment of connection and healing.
“Here’s what’s crazy, in 2016, I didn’t have my hair. The God who sees, hears and knows, knew at some point in February 2025, one of His children will have to see a man preaching.
Guess what? If He did not ask me to keep my hair, I would have cut it.
And when I popped up on the screen, she would have seen me with no hair and it would have meant nothing.
God was making me keep my hair to save a life.”
By Damilola Adeleke | April 19, 2025
Adeleke Damilola (ACTION) is a versatile content writer with expertise in news writing and a seasoned media professional and broadcast specialist. Currently serving as News Editor for DNews Info, Damilola is also the CEO of the ACTION brand, committed to shaping lives and establishing a legacy of excellence for present and future generations.
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