Your problem as material for testimony – Part 1

Beloved, one thing that is as sure as day and night is that if you are in the Lord, the enemy cannot destroy you. So, whatever campaign the enemy has mounted to destroy you or your business will come to naught and should be considered as ingredients of your testimony. And the stronger the campaigns cum attacks, the better will your testimony be. All the things the enemies have done to frustrate your life, family and business, which have caused you sleepless nights and seemed to defy all solution are ingredients for testimonies.

No matter how bad your situation may appear to be, they are substances for your testimonies. I don’t know how many years you have suffered from a problem neither do I want to know who it is that is behind it, what I can assure you is that as long as you are in the Lord, it is a material for your testimony. It does not matter the degree of torment you have been subjected to all these years despite your sincerity in serving God, neither does it matter how people may have construed your predicament as some may even be accusing you of not doing what they expected you should do to alleviate your problem. Some may even be making caricature of your situation, but do not bother yourself for all those things are items for testimonies. They may mockingly be asking if you are still a believer but yet suffering while many are receiving solution to their problems, I urge you not to be anxious over such comment, rather think about it as a material for your testimony.

At times agents of Satan may mock you for being always in the Church and doing the work of God, they may even draw your attention to your bad condition and thus accuse you of not doing something to help yourself. They may even ask what you have gained for serving the Lord. Remember, your close friends are not excluded in this ugly campaign; they are all tools in the hand of the devil to ruin your salvation.

Your own case may be that you are being persecuted by brothers and sisters or kindred because you have chosen to serve the Lord and are born again. And they are doing everything to stop you from evangelism because they do not see any reason you should continue to do the work of God and have nothing to show for it and yet refused to join masquerade cults and village meeting.

They may have said many things against you and you may have erroneously spoken what was not becoming of a Christian about your case while God says don’t murmur or complain. I don’t know what you have said concerning your condition that ought not to be, but what I want you to understand is that whatever situation you found yourself are materials for your testimonies. No matter what you are going through, never you become disturbed by the mockery of unbelievers.

I want to let you know you are not the only one that has been mocked, for I also have been a victim of the caricature of people of the world. There is no jest in this world that has not been thrown at me when I took the decision to serve God. In fact, in one of the days I met a friend in the market where I went to preach. And with anxiety he asked why I abandoned my business and was perambulating foolishly all over the place in the name of preaching the gospel. He called my preaching of the word of God a waste of time and made all sorts of jest to embarrass me but today that caricature has become a testimonial material. Besides, I was always mocked every time I evangelise in buses, streets or morning cry evangelism, but today all those things are materials for testimonies. Some of these people are no longer alive and nobody can testify whether they made heaven at last. But here I am, this world is not how far you have gone in life but how well.

People suffer different kinds of persecution because they opted to worship God and God has never abandoned any of them. Your own persecution may be that you do not have customers, and you are so worried about the debt you want to pay and are wondering if God has abandoned you and not considering all the works you are doing in His house.

So if the above is your case you should consider it as material for testimony. Remember that when the brothers of Joseph were mocking him because of his relationship with the Lord through the vision shown to him, he never murmured or complained. When he was handed over to the Egyptian merchant who resold him to Potiphar, he never murmured, although the brethren were rejoicing they have dealt with him. But little did they know it was a material for his testimony. When the wife of Potiphar wanted to mess him up, lied against him and then caused him to be imprisoned for many years, he didn’t murmur. Today all those things were materials for testimonies.

When the Children of Israelite left Egypt to the Promised Land, and looked back and saw Pharaoh and his armies pursuing after them, they cried and asked Moses was it because there was no grave in Egypt that he brought them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. But Moses said to them, these Egyptians you saw today, you shall see them no more forever, the Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace. They were sore afraid but it eventually resulted into a material for testimony.

I don’t know the enemy that has closed on you to destroy you, my advise is that you should hold your peace and speak no evil because that you found yourself in such straight situation does not mean your world has come to an end. You shouldn’t think that your situation is hopeless or assume when you were in the world was better. You must understand that what is happening to you now are materials for your testimonies. There is no place better than being in Christ. And he that endures till the end shall be saved.

The Wonderful Work Of God
How God Delivered Me From Wrong Marriage
MY name is Sister Jacinta Okafor, I hail from Arondizogu, in Imo State. Before I joined Chosen, I was already into wedlock to a man I thought was my husband. I was his fourth wife and the only one with him at that time as others have gone to their respective homes but later some of them returned. Little did I know that I was into wrong marriage? Immediately after, our traditional marriage and I joined the man as husband and wife, peace disappeared in my life. My suffering started right from the day I entered his house. Initially, I thought it was going to be temporal but the situation instead kept degenerating. Nevertheless, I was enduring whatever the situation was because it is considered a reproach in my community to divorce husband or wife regardless of what the reason might be. This is because my people placed much value on marriage and frown at separation, thus I took decision to endure the suffering till the end, not considering the fact I was the fourth wife. The other wives were also having same experience and intermittently would separate from him and later would return.

Whenever, any of the wives abandoned the marriage, the man would tell everybody that she would come back and true to his word, that woman would return. So, he also was mocking me when I left him, thinking my case would be the same.

When I went back to my parents, frustration became the order of the day. Daily, I was struggling with annoyance and as a result started contemplating to reunite with my husband. To escape from the stress, I started indulging in immoral lifestyle. But before I knew it a lump appeared on my breast and when I went to hospital, it was confirmed to be cancer. From that day the cancer was diagnosed, I lost the little joy in my life and became a walking corpse.

A day came and I had a dream where I was sitting among congregation under a canopy, and we were singing Chosen song that says, “Chosen are saying, You are worthy.” This song was sung throughout the dream with great joy in my heart. And when I woke up I was surprised because I never had anything to do with Chosen or their members. When I told my mother about the dream, she made caricature of the story but I kept pondering what the dream could be. Moreover, I couldn’t imagine myself becoming a chosen because I was into all the vices that the Chosen people preached against. But one day, I met the Chosen people doing publicity and they gave me the handbill of the programme and invited me. On the day of the programme, I joined the free bus provided by the church and we arrived during the time of testimony. While seated, I heard many people testified the goodness of God upon their lives and I prayed that God should visit me also. When the deliverance ministration started, the Pastor prophetically pin-pointed my case and said God would visit me with mercy before the end of the programme. Truly, as soon as he concluded the programme and asked the congregation to say Amen three times and it was done, lo and behold, all the pain associated with the cancer instantly ceased. I felt like a big load was lifted out of me.

When I examined my breast, I couldn’t find any lump again. That was how God delivered me from cancer and life of immorality. From that day, I joined the ministry and became active in all their activities. Moreover, I was made to understand that being a second, third or fourth wife is a sin. This is because the position of the Scripture is one wife and one husband until death. Anything out of this precept is abomination. So, I did restitution and started praying for my rightful husband. And not quite long, a young and handsome brother asked for my hand in marriage and today I am rightfully married. I give God all the glory.

Hated Chosen Because Of Apron But Now A Chosen
MY name is Brother Friday Chidinma Ebere and I live in Umuahia, Abia State. Formerly, I was the head of the Choir in the Anglican Communion in Umuahia. Our choristers were known for winning laurels in the diocese during competitions. Before now I hated Chosen members because of the apron they wear. And whenever I asked them the rationale behind the apron they would say that one day, l would wear it too. It happened that one day, while watching T.V (cable), I suddenly took a nap. And in that state it seemed that something tapped me, and when I opened my eyes and looked at the television to my chagrin I discovered it had been tuned to Chosen channel and I saw people wearing apron. I became disturbed because I did not know how the channel was changed as I was alone at home and would never intentionally tune to that channel.

However, still sitting on the sofa and wondering what happened I decided to watch the channel for a while. After some times, the General Overseer appeared on screen and asked the congregation to say, “Amen, anywhere you are in the world and if you have a problem, lay your hands on the T.V your problem will go now.” At that point I didn’t remember the hatred I had for them but obeyed and laid my hands on the T.V and he prayed. After the prayer, I went and sat down and involuntarily coughed out a stone. As soon as this stone came out, it was like a human being departed from me. From that day, the moving object I have been experiencing for many years disappeared.

Meanwhile, 10 years prior to that time, my wife had left my house and a new beautiful lady was being packaged for me as a second wife by my siblings but as I heard the message of the General Pastor on one wife, one husband till death separate them, I told them to rescind the idea of getting a second wife for me because I have heard undiluted message that I did not hear in my former church. Brethren, it is better to make heaven at last than to enjoy women in this world and go to hell and suffer forever. Now that I am a Chosen and practising true holiness and righteousness, the presence of God has not departed from. As I was coming back from the crusade from Sorrow to Joy, I boarded the bus of rituals but God frustrated their effort and saved me. I am no longer afraid as I used to be when I was in my former church. I thank God for making me a Chosen.