MY GOD….the true blacksmith.

Growing up as a child; dad would smack me for not knowing how to do certain things. I was a bit surprised that the only language he used was the belt or the bulala (Hausa made animal skin) along the line it got me thinking, mum would always call me and talk to me, she would make effort to teach and then complain when I mess up. At least I knew mum was talking to me. Anyway mum was raised by a forest administrator (that’s my grand dad) while dad was raised by a blacksmith. It made me wonder if my paternal grand dad did not just panel beat my dad into shape. That said, I am an adult now, I had to make a decision along the line to start learning certain character traits on my own. The good thing was we were highly exposed to Gods word as kids. One big problem family had with me was the fact that I asked too many questions. I was just not comfortable with accepting things simply because you said that’s how it’s supposed to be, I needed reasons…..so from school to play ground and to the dinning table, I had an issue with everything. Now what I expected was to have someone teach certain things, I never got that. Rather I was smacked for either asking questions or not doing what I did not know how to do. I made effort to learn from certain people, one thing I bless God for is the fact that I could discern good people from bad people as a child. I won’t say I had it all together, because in the long pages of my past, I have littered, stories of wrong turns that obviously emanate from wrong choices. Now am an adult, I have had occasion to listen to so many speakers try to dissect the seeming refusal of young people to do certain things. One question that comes to mind a lot of times is how do you blame or smack a person for what they don’t know how to do. There are so many young adults who live the way the live because that all they know how to. It’s so easy for us to say in this computer age, one should easily pick up right qualities from the environment but I would ask which environment? The one that's littered with corrupt and disjointed principles? Please don’t get me wrong, am not trying to excuse or condone the laid back and reckless standards of our society; am just trying to help identify the root cause of the problem hoping we can better address it. It’s a fact that many persons come from families with peculiar issues, some of us are from broken homes, some from violently disposed backgrounds, and some don’t even have a background. My point in the details of the events that transpired within the years that make up our formative years always have far reaching implications on our adult lives. For example, love defined to a child is TIME. How many parents gave quality time deprived of fear to their children; even where they did, there were cases of strong external influence, either friends or an uncle or aunty somewhere down the line infiltrated the system and sowed a seed to contradict everything good we were thought. Love therefore becomes distorted either for the little boy or for the little girl who never had the privilege of having both parents under same roof to call a home. This child grows to be come an adult, pretty, elegant or handsome but broken. We pad up with the right job, business, cloths, church activities and so on. However the details of our brokenness are quick revealed in the lingering crises we face as we try you confront love and loving. ; then comes the Joe who blames us for not knowing how to do what we were never thought. Well, here’s my view. We might never be able to determine what life throws up at us but we sure can maneuver. As Christians, we are often thought to anchor our hopes on the lord, this is true. It’s rather unfortunate that many of us find ourselves in the situation where mentors are lacking in our society. However it’s very possible for you as a person to do a careful and critical review of your life, look at certain grey areas and seek help. It’s very important we tell ourselves the truth that the society that raised us is broken; it’s a place where the best of us never lead, it’s a place where the most celebrated are the run down elements of our generation. We celebrate mediocrity; we praise appearance in place of content. We compete using the wrong indices and the church is not an exception. However all hope is not lost. God in the last age is raising men and women like he promised, he said he would raise stones and out of the mouth of suckling and babes he would ordain praise. In clear terms, God is saying if those shouldered with the responsibility of leading my people would not, I would raise the unqualified and qualify them to do the job. With that; you see you fit perfectly for the job. Many of us are not qualified to be called the hand maid of God, either due to our horrible past or due to our inconsistencies but the truth is, God has decided to work with us. You need to begin to accept Gods definition of you, you need to begin to see yourself in the light of who God has called you to be, you need to begin to forget the things that are behind and press onto the things that are ahead. The bible in jer 31.33 said…at the end of the age, I will pour my spirit on all flesh…. That includes you. The beginning of change is acceptance of Gods define of you. Let your identity be drawn from the content of Gods character. Let the peace that drives you be of the knowledge of God and not the shallow acquisitions of our time. It is true that God is at work, it is true that it takes a process and it is also true that you might not feel God working in your life but my dear friend, is it not also true that life is not driven by feelings? No one finds fulfillment by working by their feelings. Feelings as true as the can be are equally incorrect. Faith is the word. The bible says, without faith it’s impossible to please God. In the same vain, I believe it’s impossible to see God at work if you don’t believe. ROMs 8.28 say for all things work together for good for them that love the lord and are called according to his promises. ALL THINGS mean ALL. As a child of God, you’ll have issues, you’ll face challenges but that wont negate the truth which is that you’re an over comer. Bishop T.D Jakes would say you’ll win if you don’t quit. Winning is a state of faith, we need to understand that the promise is worth the integrity of the promissory. God is our promissory, his integrity in unquestionable. He is not a man that he would lie. God said it; you need to believe it and that settles it. Even if you were raised by a blacksmith who literally panel beat you into who you are today or you were raised by the gentle touch of a forest administrator, God can use you. All you have to do is open up your heart and ask God to heal you and fix you for his use. Indeed there is nothing the lord cannot do. Thank you and God bless you. igonohGodwin. 14/11/11

The 3rd Commandment.

Hello guys, I went to see a brother within the city; an unmarried brother I mean, there were two of us in the house, I was in my room on one of the days when I heard him drive in, with him was a lady, I heard them laugh a few times. However something caught my attention and it forms the bases of my write up today. The lady had a very cheap way of using the name of Jesus at every instance. She would laugh at any event and say Jesus Christ and the gentle man would laugh along. Initially I was tempted to think she was so into God hence the frequent use of the name of Jesus. Not until I realised that a slap on her hips would still make her say Jesus Christ. The most disgusting part was when she ended up in the gentle mans bed. Its so sad that most of us abuse the name of Jesus even when he cannot lay claim to our lives. Its even more shameful when we can't remember the essence of his death and resurrection. How can you be financing sin yet declare the name of Jesus Christ. Most of us have lost the knowledge and understanding of the efficacy of the name of Jesus; such that we can be stripping butt naked committing fonication yet shouting the name of Jesus. It makes me wonder what we make of grace. The bible says shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (God forbid). More so how can we neglect such great salvation? We cannot keep sitting on the fence on matters that concerns God and hope to make it through this generation. In January of 2012, we had a prophesy that declared that this year is a year of maturity of good and evil. I would expect that we would thread carefully and gravitate towards doing Gods will; instead we have somebody singing the name of Jesus from unholy lips. We no dey fear God again oh?...Imagine!!! Guys; we need to sit up. Grace is not to be abused. Jesus is a lamb and a lion of the tribe of Judah. We cannot take his name for granted. Its completely unacceptable. An average un believer calls the name of their presumed god with much reverence. In fact every time the call the name; the bless him. That is for a man that died and was buried to be judged on the last day; but we serve a God that upholds all things by the power of his word. He sent his word and he dwelt amongst us, he became flesh, died and was raised on the 3rd day and he is seated at the right hand side of God forever and ever. This is the one without every knee must bow and confess to his lordship; then one ingrate would misuse the name simply because you've seen a man that tickle your fancy. I might sound a bit harsh but guys the question is shouldn't I be harsh? Thou shall not take the name of the lord your God in vain. Its a command not a negotiation. I pray that the holy spirit would re-echo this warning in our hearts. God bless you Igonoh Godwin 15/08/2012

Wrong Number

Many times I get a call and the man or the lady on the other end as for Ngozi or Hamza, its always one name or the other, it can be so annoying when they keep calling just to see if their expected line owner would pick the call. Anyway that is why I decided to call this article Wrong Number. Last Night I got a call, my phone rang and I picked, like the usual days when I get a call from a mistery caller, I usually say wrong number and hang up so I hung up; but the caller called back again and again till I decided to spare a few minutes, then I said who is this and what do you want but there was no reply, I repeated myself 3 times but no reply. I decided to keep quiet to see if I could pick any background sound, I became still and calm: just then I heard a male voice, he goes: Voice: Hi Godwin; do I have your attention now? Me: Yes and who are you? Why do you keep calling my line without saying a word, look I have things to do and I won't entertain people the call to waste my time. Voice: Godwin shut up and listen. Then all of a sudden, it felt like time stopped, every cell in my body froze. Then comes the shocker. Voice: I am God. I have been trying to reach you. I need to have a conversation with you. At this point I was stone cold, I could not speak, probably because he said shut up and listen. Then he asked Voice: Are you there Godwin? Me: Yes I am. Voice: Do you have anything to say? Me: Yes Voice: Speak Me: Am I dreaming? Voice: No you are not. Me: So let me ask you a question and you would answer to show you are who you say you are. Voice: Go ahead. Me: What was I doing before you called? Voice: You were in your room writing a letter and the last word you wrote before I called is "NOW". Me: At that point I was afraid to say another word because he was right so I said Lord am afraid. God: I know but don't be afraid. I need to talk to you about a few issues. I am worried about your recklessness and your complete lack of understanding of purpose. I have spoken to you time and time again but you keep falling into the same trap. Last week you asked for grace and mercy to be able to do my will, you keep asking for forgiveness of sins and I can't but wonder, what is wrong with you? There is grace already and my mercy towards you knows no end. You are forgiven of your sins, I need you to understand this. My objective is not to spank you but to have fellowship with you. What sin does is that it automatically create a divide between us, that's not my fault, its simply the order of things. I don't behold sin but once you say sorry, the lines are opened again and we should start talking freely but the way you keep asking for forgiveness for same sin makes me wonder if you really understand the efficacy of what I did on Calvary. The problem is that if you don't fellowship with me you won't understand my purpose and that applies to everyone else. I seek worship and commitment. Secondly, what is this thing I hear about "God is about to do a new thing". I am not about to do a new thing; I am already doing it. Godwin; are you listening? Me: Yes Lord. I am Where did you get the idea that I am about to do a new thing? Did I not tell you that at the end of the age, I will pour my spirit on all flesh? I have done just that. The effective application of my power is tied to the release of my spirit. Walking in power requires certain principles which I would share briefly. 1. Be Sober: Being sober is cardinal to hearing from me(God). Too much activity and noise makes hearing from God almost impossible. Many times you rush to speak to me and you walk away, conversation should be 2 sided. When you speak, listen and wait for the reply. Be expectant and you can only do this by being sober. 2.Listen: I am always speaking on matters you have not yet mentioned to me; like the other day you were chatting up that girl by the road; I told you to walk away; she's bad business for you. All she'll do is drag you to your knees but you were smiling and lost in lust, it took me using a bus driver to splash water on you to get you away from there. That lady way a well packaged plan by Satan , for your destruction. I need my children to listen. I am interested in speaking to each of you. When you read your bible, always know I will speak to you. Most of you think its just your mind thinking out loud. Let's get something straight; your human mind cannot think good or straight. Whenever your mind thinks pride,lust and arrogance, that's your human mind but when good things like forgiveness and giving etc come into your thoughts, that's me speaking to you. So stop thinking its your mind. I am always speaking to all of you and I need you to listen always. 3.Finally Prayer. Your prayer is too repetitive, do you think am deaf? Then what's all the shouting all about? I hear your thoughts so trust me; I hear you when you pray. Don't mistake my silence of deafness. Sometimes your request are contradictory, for example you asked for open door but you are not willing to meet new people in church or at work. How am I supposed to introduce you, when you are rude and nonchalant. Some of you want jobs, wives or husbands yet you feel too good to mix with others. So I keep quiet and you start shouting as if am deaf. There are principles that even I, can't break. If you sow corn you reap corn. If you are rude, proud and annoying, no girl or man would like you. Similarly if you are too busy to pick a call you won't have a conversation with me. Me: Lord can I ask a question? God: Ask! Me: what about the times we pray and you don't answer; like when we pray for Nigeria to change. God: Who is Nigeria? Is it not you and all your brothers and sisters? None of you wants to stand up and say or act against evil. You just pray. Prayer alone won't cut it. You need to speak up... I quickly cut in... Me: God; Is it like Nasir Elrufai and Tunde Bakare are doing? God: Yes; Nasir and Tunde are trying to do what all of you should be doing. God: So like I was saying before you cut in. Change only comes when you decide to act differently. I answer all prayers when you ask right and act right. I want to see more effort and dedication on your part. Leadership comes with a price but my grace is sufficient for you. Just then I heard Oshodi Oshodi; I opened my eyes. It was a dream. The question is; can we take time to think about all God said? Sober, Listening and Prayer. May be just then we would understand why certain things are the way they are and how we can change them. Igonoh Godwin 12/08/2012

The Silence of God

The bible says when we pray, we should believe we have what we ask for and it shall be so. Sincerely, there are times that we don't even feel heard; again feelings like I always say can never be trusted, be that as it may, we are often torn between faith and doubt because of the seeming silence of God. Many times the silence of God can be deafening as it comes with the frustration that cannot be put to words. Its the kind of silence that the children of Israel witnessed while in Egypt for over 400 years, whereby they completely lost hope to the point that even Moses when sent, had to ask God," who do I say sent me". That simply meant that there was no knowledge of an active God in their daily life, the oppression was enormous and the pain was great. This is a very common place in life, when it looks like God is on leave in matters that concerns you, we sometimes think God is deaf or dead. It happened to job and many other people in the bible, even Abraham had his fair share of the silence of God. In the new testament, we had john announcing the coming of Jesus, it was strange cos for many centuries, there was no prophet hence no God in the affairs of the children of Israel, same goes for the case of Lazarus; it often feels like God does not exist, we feel so alone, we want to keep believing yet all the odds seem to point at the folly of holding on, we feel stupid and mocked by the seeming absence of an active God; this is the concept God is revealing to me lately. Its the silence of God. If you remember; I said the silence of God can be deafening. Its an irony, the truth is God is never on leave or asleep, in fact the farther it seems he is, the more involved he is. The purpose of the silence of God has never really being clear to me as one would wonder why a caring God would leave his children to wallow in abject confusion while he stands at the background in eternity looking into time yet doing nothing. It depicts God as a wicked God; till you see the outcome of all the situations that he seem silent about, I have never seen any case that we often feel frustrated about that went out of hand when it was time for God to show up. In fact looking back at Lazarus, Jesus was told Laz was sick but he went about doing other thing, when he eventually came, Laz had been dead for a few days, Mary said if you were here, Laz would not have died. Let's look at another example, when Israel left Egypt and were faced with the sea and backed by Pharaohs troop, Moses cried out, at one point Israel panicked and complain that Moses had brought them here to kill, Moses cried to God and God said this is not time to pray, stretch out the rod. Now here's what God is saying to us, "I don't PANIC". God is God alone, from before time began, he is God, unchangeable, unstoppable and unshakeable;nothing eludes him. When we approach God with a panicky spirit, we make it look like if God doesn't act now, the situation would go out of hand but we forget that nothing can go out of hand when God is in charge, so God is in the business of letting us get to the end of our line, He loves to demystify our fears by waiting in the background. The silence of God does not imply the incapacity or inactivity of God. The bible says for we know that all things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to his precious promises. As a child of God, you need to see Gods lordship as transcending all time, he lives in eternity and controls time, there is nothing that's impossible to God, he can undo the age and start all over again, God is not oblivious of the urgency of your request, he just understands the best outcome and time to act so he waits in the shadows of other events in your lives; to act at the best time. That's why in all of history, no one can point at God and say he failed me, no one alive or dead can say God can fail because that would mean he is no longer God. The silence of God is an orchestrated event to enable him showcase the excellency of his power. Read the account of the blind man when Jesus disciples asked him, who sinned that this man was born blind? Jesus answered and said; no one sinned but that the power of God might be made manifest. In many cases, we forget we exist to showcase Gods glory and how else can his glory be revealed except when seemingly failed situation arise; so my dear friends, your case is an occasion for God to be glorified. The silence of God is a divine orchestration by God to bring you to his expected end. His hands are not too short or weak that he cannot deliver you, neither is he deaf that he cannot hear you. If you are not in sin and you have done all there is to do on your part yet there seem to be no answer to your request, kindly start praising God cos your answer is right at the door. Don't give up, just wait a little longer, it would look like the situation is about to kill you but trust me guys, nothing can touch your life when God is on duty, if you don't believe me, ask job. You are Gods workmanship, he sits as a refiner of silver above you. The bible says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me... Guys, be glad. Let your friends and family mock you for trusting God; stand. Let the earth beneath you be shaken, stand; for God is able to exceed your imagination. The silence of God is an occasion for us to praise him; its a divine orchestration to showcase the hand of God in your life. God bless you. Igonoh Godwin 04/08/2012

The Abuse of Abundance...God,Grace and Man.

How many times have you heard someone say God is dealing with me and you wonder what its all about. Anyway I just have to say that now, that God is dealing(teaching) with me. From the accounts in the bible its pretty clear that whenever God needs to send a message, he separates the messenger to have a unique encounter that would help him or her understand the depth of the message. Similarly God would take you away from the usual to enable us articulate the unusual. God has been dealing with me on a lot of thing and the abuse of Abundance is one of them. The first time HE dropped word on this issue I felt "but I don't even have money so how do I abuse abundance? Most of us measure abundance through the balance of our bank account, it took a while for me to understand that Gods primary concern was not cash but something else. Guys God is worried about us all,not about cash but about how we abuse time,health and above all grace. Man is on the verge of loosing his grip on life and all God has given;not because of the absence of what we need but because of the abuse of the abundance of what we have freely received. Grace is anchored on faith in Jesus Christ,its the only reason why we are having a discussion with the father,its our premium ticket, our diamond card to fellowship with the host of eternity. Grace however is not an occasion for abuse but that seem to have become the case in most lives. Like dew, life is filtering through your days and many of us live in the deception that there is time, we seem oblivious of the fact that the much anticipated wrap up of time is approaching. Earlier in the year, we had a prophesy at the this present house church Lagos,Nigeria; that in 2012, good would mature and so would evil. For me that was a deep revelation. God is announcing something so important yet all we remember to do is pray for a break through. In seeking to get my attention, God revealed the emptiness of pursuit and the imminent danger when we abuse abundance. The grace of God is like life, you either live positive or you die negative but you must live and die. The same grace that enables us to rise when we fall is the same grace that empower us to serve. The bible records that Elijah was a man of like passion... Just like most people you see around making an impact in divers fields, they are people of like passion, they use available grace to enable them develop the gift they were given by God, just like you. An abuse of abundance is an insult on redemption, we are not saved to waste but to serve, investing in the mandate you have received of God is a sure way to maximise what God has put within you. The concept of abuse of abundance is obvious in many areas of our society, from government to businesses, we abuse resources all to indulge, the church runs is harmoniously engage in a competition with the world to showcase the most ridiculous of life and style all in the name of prosperity. Its made worse by the ability to conjure scriptures to soot any objective. All abuse is done in the face of glaring difficulty;faced by many people , so its either the recklessness of our youths with life whereas so many are at the hospital begging for a chance to have the abundance of health or its the abuse of valuable time where as there is a need to constructively engage systems and demand change. ( For we are light of the world). I am yet to fully come to terms with effective use of available time and resources for the furtherance of Gods objectives but from the little insight I have; I understand the abuse of abundance as something that currently cuts across most lives, unfortunately, the custodian of the grace for redemption are also caught up in this dilemma of misplaced priorities on this subject. We think we never have enough where as we have all that needed to turn the world on its head for God. In trying to understand the mind of God concerning this issue, God revealed to me that productivity is not by effort but by commitment, so he said as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is; meaning mans becoming is a function of his thoughts. I discovered that what we dwell on would grow into a vision. The problem with is that we dwell on seemingly right things but the purpose is completely floored by our greed and endless craving for more. Its either we are hiding behind the shadow of God to advance our ego or we are searching the scriptures to discover a way to polish our misdeeds. We never really purse to think " is God really in this". For we know that if we dwell on the idea or thought that God may not be in this, we might. Come to our senses and repent; so the enemy keeps us busy in this rat race called life without fulfilling the real essence of what we've been given. Life is not an opportunity to walk the earth and get a degree then pass on, its an invitation to serve with all you have received to enable us restore the kingdom of the father here on earth, we are called to worship and to serve, to showcase the excellency of the power of God that's at work in us, to do of his precious will; not to party and aspire to galvanise our existence with mind bulging Igonoh Godwin 210712

Dynamics of Tongues

The most effective or efficient way to pray when your understanding is jammed with contradictory opinions that seem to or seek to negate the position of Gods word is praying in tongues. Praying in tongues simply put is the ability to operate on a higher frequency in the face of bad or poor weather conditions It makes praying easy. The limitations of words are better dealt with using the abundance of words groaned in the spirit. Understanding tongues is best when you practice it. Shut your human understanding to avoid negotiating with logic. The logic of tongues is a spiritual thing just like faith. Approaching the principles that are inherent in the new birth with human logic is tantamount to wallowing in confusion. That's why we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Obviously using Gods word. Human logic is a hindrance to divine revelation. 1corth 1 vs 18.... Read it all the way down. For the message of the cross is foolishness to them who perish but unto those of us been saved it the power of God unto salvation. Release your heart to believe and there would be a release from within to speak. For out of thy belly shall flow a river, where so ever it goes, what so ever it touches, it shall live. So like Pastor Amanda said; neglect of gifts accounts for reason for poor or lack of results. If you work it;you'll see results. Aight guys. Its all yours, go for it cos we are all sons&daughters. He(Jesus) loves all of us the same way. Yes even you. Enjoy your weekend. Igonoh Godwin 08062012

Fit for the Masters Use

Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, it means there are other ways, coated with lies and leads to darkness. Let me remind us of another scripture, Jesus said I am the good shepherd, it means there is a bad shepherd; let's get this straight, its possible to be fit for the masters use but which master? Once Jesus said to someone you are like your father the devil, it means that the devil has a fully functional deceptive system, designed to mimic the authority of God. Hence when we say fit for the masters use, we need to emphasis which master cos some of us are unknowingly or knowing living a contracts that contravene the authority of God. You cannot be visiting a witch doctor for charms and claim you belong to Jesus neither can you be sleeping around as a single person and claim you are with God. Don't be deceived, church attendance accounts for nothing, don't get carried away by your attendance, God is not impressed by attendance but by obedience. Of what use is a well attended service with completely unfaithful attendees. Our many works do not impress God when our hearts are far from him. Face it guy, being fit for the masters use is not just a cliché, its the confession of a believer who has been forged in the furnace of Gods workshop. The bible says by their fruits you shall know them. Any vessel fit for the masters(God) use would never be mistaken for otherwise; So check yourself again, are you fit for Gods use or just another porn making a caricature of the entire process of redemption. God said; if your neither hot nor cold I would spit you out. There is no sitting on the wall, you are either fit for Gods use or you are not. God is looking for committed hearts, people that would take a stand come rain or sun; so make a decision, that you fell is not an excuse to stop trying, its in your many attempt that you master the needed skill for doing the job. Practice makes perfect, endure that your purpose is right with God, a fall of a God driven person is just an occasion to be better, your greatest undoing is when you are neither here nor there. When you make a decision to stand with and for God, it comes with ap pending challenges but so is the limitless grace that comes with your decision for God has already provided all that's needed for the journey; so quit dwelling on one failed event and look at the bigger picture. To be fit for the masters use, you must be ready to be forged by the master and trust me guys, when I say forged, its FORGED. God would overturn every cell in your body till you realise that he is your destination and the journey is meant to reveal himself(God) in you. God is the master planner, in the decision to serve him is the decision to be crucified with Christ, this is something we need to understand to help us hold firm when it looks like the earth beneath us is caving in. So again I ask, fit for the masters use- which master; cos if it the God we serve, the unstoppable, unshakeable and unchangeable God; then you got to hold fast no matter what comes your way. Its a decision you must make independent of emotions and sentiments, cos until then you'll confuse fit for the masters use with fit for the masters use without really asking the question: which master? Igonoh Godwin 210712