It was a power-packed Easter service that saw the man of God lay hands on congregation even up to the late hours of the night. Because of the multitude of people who worshipped, Prophet T.B. Joshua was moved by compassion and was led by the Holy Spirit to attend to everyone. Healing, deliverances and blessings were released from Heaven as the man of God prayed with the congregation during the Mass Prayer. The testimonies were too many to be counted – a signal that the power of God never departs from the Arena of Liberty.
Speaking on FORGIVENESS AND UNFORGIVENESS – the main reason Christ died on the Cross, the man of God warned Christians not to allow themselves to fall into the trap of unforgiveness, stressing that man’s spirit – if it is not free, cannot contact the Spirit of God. He said, “Many Christians today are victims of the trap of unforgiveness. Many of us have never felt the presence of God, they just use ideas. Many of us have never felt the presence of God due to years of holding unforgiveness – griefs, grudges, pain of the past, bitterness or resentment in their heart. An unforgiving spirit will put you in the dark, outside God. Whether you are right or wrong, you don’t have a right to hold the pain.”
He stressed that we must learn to forgive ourselves so that we would be able to forgive others. He maintained that a man does not give what he does not have, “Someone may have done horrible things to offend you but for you to receive God, you must forgive. How will you forgive? First, learn to forgive yourself. Then, you can forgive others. What you do not have, you cannot give to others. Everybody hurts somewhere. You must give them another chance”.
Concluding, Prophet T.B. Joshua left a very deep message to Christians, “Many who are better than you or live right better than you are in the graveyard. Their dreams hit the rock of disappointment. You are looking, sitting and talking freely. Jesus never disconnects Himself from those who have made mistakes with their lives. Your accuser, offender or enemy – give them another chance”.
In an earlier message, titled A NEW LIFE, Evangelist Yinka had admonished Christians to free their hearts and use the commemoration of Christ’s resurrection as a time for reconciliation and repentance. She said, “When we talk of the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we are talking of the rare opportunity He has given to all believers to experience a new life, a new beginning – that is an opportunity to be released from the captivity of satan and sin. Freedom from offence comes from knowing the truth. Offence produces bitterness, hatred and envy but your ability to see beyond your present situation frees you from the trap of satan”. She added that no matter what a person is going through, as soon as he or she embraces Jesus, he or she will become winners. She summed up the importance of her message with the following admonition, “Don’t forget, to release forgiveness to your offender might be a hard thing to do but it is the way to break satan’s hold over your life”.