“This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many. God has been fighting for me right from the beginning. That is why you can’t hear anything from me. If you slap me, my God will fight for me.” – Prophet T.B. Joshua
In a thought-provoking message, the man of God admonished Christians to always be wary of the future, adding that since tomorrow belongs to God, it would be unwise for anyone to look down on his fellow man. He explained that the people we fight or underrate today could be our saviours tomorrow: “Many have imprisoned their saviour tomorrow because of wrong done now. Check yourself – what they have done is bad; they might have committed destruction, stealing, etc. but you sentenced them to death or prison. These are the people that might be your saviours tomorrow. Tomorrow is something you don’t understand, a mystery you don’t understand but because you are claiming your right, you sentenced him to prison. You will need a saviour tomorrow and he will be there. He could be a saviour to your children. This is why the Bible says that you should forgive those who have wronged you. You say, “Father, forgive me” – have you forgiven those who wronged you? The condition is you have to forgive.”
Acknowledging the fact that his ministry had come under attack by people in the past, the man of God maintained that he had learnt not to respond to insults and quarrels so that he would avoid a situation where his future relationship with his traducers would be destroyed beyond repair. “It’s all about Jesus, not about me, my knowledge or my gift. God has been taking care of me. But it’s a pity that a lot might have been deceived. Anytime there is healing going on, they cry. When we ask why they are crying, not thanking God, they say they wanted to bring their mother here but were deceived and she is late now over a simple thing. You hear many stories like that.”
The man of God also told congregants to be of good cheer whenever their good works come under attack or face difficult times. According to him, the hard and difficult times are a test of their faith in God and that it will make them appreciate success when it comes. He cited the challenges he faced when he was broadcasting his miracles on some Nigerian television stations and how the ban on the broadcast of miracles led him to found Emmanuel TV which is currently among the most popular Christian TV stations in the world: “They told me that miracles were banned on national TV. I removed my program from all the stations. I went to the prayer mountain and God said, “I am aware; I want you to discover yourself”. God asked me to open a TV channel and God said, “Emmanuel TV”. I changed it by myself as “SCOAN TV”. The cloud went dark and God said, “When you wake up, change the name to Emmanuel TV”. I was warned by God. That was how Emmanuel TV started. If I didn’t quit, would I have discovered myself? No. Emmanuel TV is the most popular Christian channel all over the world today. Don’t cry, don’t lament. God is speaking to you through your situation.”
Concluding, he reminded Christians that life on earth is unstable. He urged them to see trouble as part of the journey, adding that it is not good for things to be too smooth in the life of anyone: “You are not in Heaven; you are in this world. If things are going smoothly, no challenges, it is not good for the trouble to come in a later day. You have a brother who is in a place of authority; when you want to fall, he will help you. When you want something, you just make a phone call, sit down and you will get what you want. I am afraid when he will not be there for you.”
Earlier, in her message titled GOD SEARCHES THE HEART, Evangelist Bolaji reminded Christians that rather than look at outward appearances, God searches the heart of man, adding that it is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit when it is properly managed: “The great thing that God looks at and requires in a man is his heart. Why? The heart is the home where God dwells. If the heart is the home where God dwells what is the state of your mind? Your mind must be at its best for God. Is your heart at its best for God? Sin is the disease of the soul. When we sin, satan has a foothold in our heart. Remember, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unholy place. Therefore, our heart must be made spiritual in order to be at its best for God. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to act on your souls to produce the virtue of Christian character.”
She summed up her message with the following advice: “The management of our heart and its thoughts is fundamental to our faith and holy living. We, Christians, take hold of our hearts – where to go, what to say. If you don’t take hold of your heart, your past will take hold of your heart and control it. With your heart, you see Jesus – you work with Him. Engage your heart now with prayer – Oh Holy Spirit, take more of me; give me more of You.”