Funny I said , “High” as if there should be even “low” assault rates in the Christendom!? this has become a terrible trend in in that, almost every other month you hear of notable men of God falling for this same weakness (hitting a woman). It is not the constant increasing rates of divorce, it is now the redesigning of woman’s faces that we are dealing with now, how low can we go!? it is not easy to say who is at fault here but judging by what the Bible says about women being the weaker sex . I think men should be able to restrain themselves even in most extreme cases where the woman just refuses to back down from an argument (for we women can sure argue our point to a fault) some of us will let go of the Holy Spirit and let go of all self restraint and lash out at the man and forgetting that as much as we like to see and believe that men are strong willed and powerful in the home, they also feel pain and are also anxious about their future like women too but too many women do not understand men’s pain for it is different from theirs while a woman is worried about “what type of cloth she is going to wear for an occasion a man is busy thinking of money and work or if he can keep on taking care of the family in the coming years” not that we do not have irresponsible men but we also have irresponsible women too, but in most cases men would be men and women will act like women. . . as we have all seen.
My point is that before a man gets married he has made up his mind to spend the rest of his life with this woman and for some reasons( devil prowling seeking who m to devour) he may not live up to his marriage vows and then all hell let’s loose. when this happens it is the woman’s duty to Pray not to nag and fight him,(and not be ignorant of the devils devices) for whether you like it or not a man with a made up mind is not easily swayed by emotions (that is why till date some women still wonder why their men left them for no reasons) it is not every man that is moved by tears, especially when he wants what he wants, he goes after it till he is fed up and then he may come back home.
With the matter at hand being that Pastors and men of God are no longer restrained, they beat their wives at the drop of a hat, some beat and listen later, what is going on brothers in Christ? if your wife is nagging you go into a quiet place and cool off for while instead of reacting on impulse, and if you are not living up to your responsibilities try your best to be there for you family after all you stated the family, why tear it down with your own hands! it is not wise. . . the devil is an expert at making us destroy ourselves with our own hands of course he will aid in the process but subtly
As for the women please allow the wisdom of God to guide your thought processes for I know women can think all kinds of crazy stuff to the extent that we become paranoid with rage and destroy the gift of God to us (our homes). Also the too much TV exposure cannot be good for your kids and family members, for the life of me I cannot understand why you would want your husband you once loved to be trashed on TV or on Newspapers, do they not know that these things will make reconciliation harder? what happens when the film crew are no longer interested in your stories? what will you be doing then? (am not supporting the men here but I wonder what some women think they are doing) Maybe am speaking as an African woman. . . who knows. in my place we have a proverb that says “two people don’t go mad at the same time” meaning one of the couple should show restraint when the other is going of the rails. Where is God in all of this!!!???Ephesians 5:22-25, 28-29 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
At last, new trophy wife in tow, Todd Bentley, the Canadian evangelist who has been having many problems over the past year (to put it lightly) has entered rehabilitation. Over seven months after the collapse of his internationally famous revival in the U.S., he has at last gotten around to going to North Carolina to come under the mentoring of charismatic leader Rick Joyner. Mr. Joyner is to help him return to ministry. Yet, already, in the annoucements and videos that are coming out with Mr. Bentley, there’s more backspin than at a convention of billiards players evident, which is not a good omen for those hoping that Mr. Bentley can return to his work with integrity and a good character.
As videos began to be released a couple of days ago, there was a flurry of commentary and a bit of news coverage. Blogger Miriam Franklin has already weighed in with several pointed critical posts on Mr. Joyner and Mr. Bentley. I’d defintely agree with her on one point she has made, namely that people are concentrating too much on Mr. Bentley’s divorce and quickie remarriage to Jessa, whose affair with the evangelist seems to be the proxinate cause of the "Lakeland revival". Not so. The affair was a symptom not a cause. That is to say, Mr. Bentley had a character problem that exhibited itself in lying from the pulpit about, for example, raising people from the dead. There were some aberrant, heretical things being said and done at Lakeland. And he was canoodling with a younger, prettier intern while his wife was either watching the kids or taking the pulpit herself to promote what her husband was doing. Marrying Jessa will likely not fix what leads to these sorts of actions.
My blogging friend Bene Diction makes an excellent point in a post that notes that many prominent charismatic groups and churches are slumping in the amount of people that are logging on to their sites. This relates to several things that I have been seeing on The Elijah List, an e-list that caters to charismatics, to the effect that people with alleged prophetic insight are commenting that God will bring Christians through the current economic woes, or bless them in amazing ways financially. There are reports of layoffs at ministries, and the tone of requests for donations has been stepped up. All this backs up Bene Diction’s suspicion that there may be a lot of pressure to get Bentley out on the road prematurely so, as the "star" of the "Lakeland revival", he can start to draw the crowds again.
Mr. Joyner’s first letter, announcing that Bentley and new wife had arrived, also noted that Mr. Bentley has a new ministry, Fresh Fire USA, which is organized under Mr. Joyner’s own ministry for now. Those wanting to help Mr. Bentley were offered Fresh Fire USA’s address. So, I had to smile when religion editor Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat, on his religious news blog, titled his note on Mr. Bentley’s restoration process: "Sorry about the adultery. Please send $$$" .
Charisma, the magazine of record for charismatic Christians in the U.S., is covering this too. Their own story has an intestesting note. At the tail end of Bentley’s time in Florida, a team of charismatic leaders and ministers lead by C. Peter Wagner held a special commissioning service for Bentley which was broadcast worldwide via Internet, in which the "Revival Alliance" members predicted that Bentley would go from success to success. They welcomed Bentley as a member of their group and even gave him a special ring, but Charisma’s story quotes Revival Alliance member John Arnott (known for pastoring the "Toronto Blessing" in the 1990s) as saying that Bentley is no longer considered a "member in good standing" of their group. Mr. Wagner and Mr. Arnott revealed some of Bentley’s misdeeds in the aftermath of his leaving the revival, so Mr. Bentley has evidently decided to form alliances with those who are more sympathtic to him, such as Mr. Joyner.
Mr. Joyner features in another Charisma item as well. Charisma editor J. Lee Grady, in his latest column, is disgusted with the rush to bring Bentley back too quickly, calling it a "travesty". Mr. Grady is righteously indignant, but what I find telling is Mr. Joyner’s response. He writes, in part:
Lee, I love some of the things you write, but I also feel that some are straight from the mouth of the accuser.
It should go without saying that if you are a professing Christian, one of the worst possible insults that you could use would be to say that your opponent is being used by the devil as a ventriliquist dummy.
One would think that "fighting dirty" would be abhorrent for a Christian such as Mr. Joyner.
Mr. Joyner, as the conservative site Apologetics Index notes has a history of doing other things that would raise the eyebrows of many Christians. He has a reputation of being "prophetic" and having special insight from the Lord, but non-Christian sceptics would no doubt be amused that he occasionally sees through a glass very darkly, such as his prediction of Los Angeles being levelled by an earthquake and nuclear bombs in the 1990s.
Mr. Joyner’s occasiional intemperance, as exhibited in his response to Mr. Grady, may also be shown in one of his famous prohetic words, in his book The Final Quest, about the "Blues and the Grays". He predicts a coming civil war in Christianity, with the winning side (of which Mr. Joyner is a part, of course) defeats the Christians who have been misled by Satan being defeated and removed from their positions of authority in the church. We must "remove the cancer from our midst" he writes in his book. (I wonder, given the violence waged between Christians in history, and in our own time, whether it is appropriate to share these sorts of visions in public. Certainly, Christians should "contend for the faith", but so sadly, they do not need encouragment to turn to violence in the direst of circumstances.)
I note these things and note that Mr. Bentley, when not kneeing cancer victims in the stomach, has often delighted in telling his audiences about times that he has kicked old ladies in the head with his biker boot and such. (As I write, some of these stories are preserved on YouTube.) Amongst the fruits of the Holy Spirit that should be exhibited by an evangelist such as Mr. Bentley are meekness, gentleness and self-control. I have to ask whether Mr. Bentley’s mentor, Mr. Joyner, would be effective in advising him here when Mr. Joyner himself–this week–accuses his opponents of speaking on Satan’s behalf, and cherishes visions of winning a "war in the church". Yes, often the flawed have to help the flawed, but this is not promising.
On to the videos that have been released to explain Mr. Bentley’s rehabilitation process. The first video from Mr. Joyner’s ministry has Mr. Bentley himself as a guest. I’m posting a copy of most of the first video that has been saved on YouTube in case the videos start to disappear from Mr. Joyner’s own website:
Some things that jump out at me:
1. You’ll notice that Mr. Bentley is full of talk of mistakes and errors, but never mentions the word "sin". Even Jimmy Swaggart had the grace to cry "I have sinned," when he next appeared before the public after he sinned.
Not that people would demand a pound of flesh, of course. But talk of sin and sinning would indicate that Mr. Bentley is a lot more serious about making things right than his critics think that he is. The evangelist already has the problem that it took him over half a year to begin this supposedly important process, so he needs to be seen to be taking it seriously.
2. I don’t really believe that in an age of fax, e-mail and videoconferencing that it was impossible for Mr. Bentley to be working on his visa appeal with the U.S. custonms officials while moving to North Carolina. I’m sure that it is done all the time for compassionate reasons, for example. I sincerely doubt that it would be impossible as Mr. Bentley implies.
3. As a Canadian, I am a little dismayed to hear Mr. Bentley say this:
"….Shonnah’s doing everything she can to help with my immigration process…."
It would appear that Mr. Bentley is tring to become a landed immigrant or even a U.S. citizen. No points for guessing that his marriage to Jessa was designed to help with this.
If we grant for a moment that Mr. Bentley’s faith, giftings and burden to convert non-Christians are valid, this is sad. Yes, Canadian christians have been moving to the U.S. to pursue their calling since Aimee Semple McPherson, but the United States already has so many ministers and so much resources. If Mr. Bentley is who he says he is, the church in Canada needs people like him. Of course, his critics would say that Mr. Bentley should not let the door hit him on the behind as he leaves Canada. But the need is acute. If Mr. Bentley’s style of faith-healing evangelism is what is needed, then it is particularly sad that he never devoted much effort to the nearest major city to where he lived, Vancouver. (The last time that he himself ministered in the city was at a medium sized church over five years ago.)
Of course, Mr. Benley’s citics could question how committed Mr. Bentley was committed to "revival" in Canada’s cities and towns in the first place, based on his decision to move.
4. Mr. Bentley, 7:30 into the video, starts talking about how he dealt with problems as an unsaved teenager:
"….That old [sin] nature in you is when you hurt someone, you just want to give up and run away from the whole thing. That’s how I dealt with pain as I grew up as a child. If I was hurt or rejected or I disappointed my mother or disappointed my father, I just packed up and moved to the next town. When I burned all the bridges there, I just packed up and moved. This time we want to deal with everything square in the face…."
Let’s follow his logic. Mr. Bentley says that it is sinful, or at least immature, to deal with problems by running away from them. This is after he has divorced his wife and not only "packed up and moved to the next town" but moved to the next country. He has "burned all his bridges" with his ex-wife, turning in for a new model, instead of "dealing with everything square in the face" of Shonnah Bentley, his first wife.
How can you teach someone to stand and deal with their problems when they have just run away from most of them? What is preventing Todd Bentley from packing up and giving up on Mr. Joyner’s restoration process when by implication, spending the past few months running from everything that is painful to deal with is quite all right?
Did Mr. Joyner even try to persuade Mr. Bentley to stay with his wife and kids and stay in Canada?
5. An offhand remark of Mr. Bentley’s at the 8:55 mark will raise some eyebrows:
"There’s so much that I’ve learned on all this. There’s triumph. There’s tragedy. And, you know, there’ll be a message. Ther’ll be a whole series of messages…."
Tragedy I can understand. Triumph? The only triumph that there would be is Christ somehow cleaning up the pig’s breakfast that the evangelist has made, but the "restoration process" has only just started. Rather, are we seeing a "triumph of the will" specifically Todd Bentley’s will? He got the wife he wanted. He got the parenting situation that worked best for him. He got a very sympathetic mentor to counsel him. He has a lot that he wants, and that might not be good for him.
Watching this video may bring a sense that Mr. Bentley is not being asked to be serious about his mistakes. This is an unease that is shared, according to Cary McMullen of the Lakeland Ledger newspaper, who has done a lot of great reporting on Mr. Bentley’s revival and its aftermath. In a post on the reaction to the plans to restore Mr. Bentley in "Pentecostal circles", McMullen notes that many seem to fear that "this is just further evidence that Bentley and his supporters are frauds".
Mr. Bentley and Mr. Joyner have their work cut out for them. If they are truly wanting to do the right thing, there is a lot of scepticism to deal with. Well-founded scepticism, I am afraid.
Yes Christians Todd Bentley has finally said I do to his former live in nanny /Mistress (Jessa). But am not going to go into the nitty-gritty of what Todd has done , for I know that He and his Pastor/Prophets sure know what the word of God says about these things. This is truly a sad story, every Christian out there should continue Praying for Todd Bentleys first wife (Shonnah) who has had to endure these recent embarrassing situations she found herself in and, remember the Children (my heart breaks for them) and neither should we forget Todd and the New wife both who have given in to the lusts of the flesh we ought to hope that they truly repent and find their way to God. For what I can see and read so far shows of people with hardened hearts, those who have chosen their own way instead of Gods way. so sad indeed(sigh)
Read the full story for yourself from Todd Bentleys Chief apologist Rick Joyner (I call him that for he keeps on making excuses for Todd)
Todd Bentley Begins Restoration Process By Rick Joyner
Todd Bentley was used to spark the Lakeland Outpouring, which raised the faith level of much of the body of Christ. Testimonies of healings and miracles from it are now virtually all over the world. When Todd’s marriage failed, he abruptly stopped all ministry and virtually disappeared for almost nine months. In the meantime, his divorce was finalized and he has recently remarried. Todd has taken full responsibility for the failure of his marriage. He and Jessa also admit that their relationship was premature and should not have happened the way it did. Both are adamant that it was not the cause for the failure of his first marriage, nor did they begin their relationship until Todd was convinced that his marriage was over. They have both expressed that it was wrong and premature. They do not want to try and cover this up even though they know many will never accept them for it. Even so, they are married now and are resolved to make the most of their marriage, their lives, and to continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can. My position all along has been that I will do my best to comply with Galatians 6:1, “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). To obey this Word, I have always felt that it did not matter what one had done, and that it was my responsibility to help them find the grace of God to return to the place from which they had fallen. I confess that with Todd, I am not just doing this as a duty. From the time I first met him nearly ten years ago, I knew that he had an extraordinary purpose and a gift of faith for the miraculous that would be desperately needed in these times. I consider helping any of God’s children an honor, and helping Todd is a privilege. I also confess to some selfish ambition in wanting to do this. I had a dream two decades ago in which one of my children had fallen into a sewage ditch and could not get up. My child was being scorned and no one would help him. A man came along who helped my child get up and then cleaned up. In that dream, I felt as if I would give everything that I owned to this man who helped my child. Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?” Since that time, I have been devoted to helping any of God’s children that I could who have committed any trespass, because I knew there were few other things that would bring the Father’s favor. I consider this willingness to at least try to help others this way a major reason for the extraordinary favor that our ministry, my family, and I have received. I love Todd and am glad to help him, but I also know by doing this, I will be doing something that means a great deal to our Father. When we release someone to minister in the body of Christ, we are releasing him or her to minister to God’s own children, and I personally do not do that with anyone who I would not allow to minister to my own family. For all that was done through Todd, and especially at Lakeland, which touched and helped countless thousands, many were also left confused and hurt by the way it ended. I think Todd is even more sensitive to this than I am. Although in some ways he greatly misses being in ministry and praying for people, he wants to be sure that when he comes back that his life and his ministry are on the most solid ground possible so that he does not cause these kinds of problems again. Jack Deere and Bill Johnson have agreed to be a part of Todd’s restoration process. I asked them to be a part because I know they will probably see things I don’t, but also because both Todd and I trust them and know they would not sign off on something they did not really believe in. However, both of them are going to be involved in this at a distance, and therefore, I will be the main person responsible.
Being a believer in body ministry, I expect our whole leadership team, and to some degree, our whole local church, to be involved in helping Todd and Jessa. Our staff and all from the church that I have discussed this with are very happy about them being here and want to help them in any way that they can. In future Bulletins, we will go into more detail about what we’re doing and why, as well as what we think was a cause of some of the failures Todd experienced. We will only do this for the sake of helping others avoid the same traps. We know that trust has to be earned and that Todd will have to earn the trust of the body of Christ for future ministry, which will not be easy, nor should it be. Todd, more than most, does not want to jump back into ministry prematurely, even as much as he misses it in some ways.
I for one have been very encouraged by the expressions of grace and genuine concern so many have expressed toward Todd in this situation. It gives me great hope. As we have been constantly reminded, the Lord had great patience with sinners, but He had none for the self-righteous. We’re all here because He had mercy on us, and we know we still need it. However, we also know that true repentance and restoration can only come if we refuse to compromise the clear biblical standards for morality and integrity. Todd wanted to personally say the following: It has been a long while since I have spoken publicly and openly. I am sorry for the hurt and confusion that my decisions have caused the body of Christ. It has been a true season of brokenness, hiddenness, and a long process of grieving. As many of you now know, my previous marriage has endured years of unresolved conflicts. I apologize that it has ended in divorce, and I take full responsibility for my part for the ending of the marriage. I realize that my silence and decisions have caused many of you to feel hurt, confused, and offended. The reason for the silence was for my need of healing, creating a restoration process under a team of qualified leaders, much needed rest after the Lakeland Outpouring, repentance, and the divorce process. I have now relocated to Fort Mill, South Carolina and have entered into my restoration and healing process under Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson. I am confident of this one thing—that God is faithful to His promise and my hope is to be fully restored, strengthened, healed, and to learn from all the mistakes I have made along the way. Thank you friends and partners for your continued prayers, encouragement, and love. I am committed to the work of the Holy Spirit and confident that the good men around me will help me be restored first as a man, as a husband, and ultimately to fulfill God’s call on my life.
Those of you who were touched by the Lakeland Outpouring do not lose your encouragement. What happened there was from God, and Todd is a true servant of God. He has made some mistakes, and he is trying to get his life back in order, and you can be confident that he will. Throughout the Bible, many of the greatest heroes in it also made some of the worst mistakes. King David, possibly the greatest hero in the Bible after Jesus, made one of the most horrible mistakes, not only committing adultery, but murdering the husband of the woman he committed it with. God knew that was going to happen with David when He called him, and He loved David before, during, and afterward. One of the remarkable events in the Bible is that the Lord then used Bathsheba to bring forth the heir to the throne, Solomon, and she is part of the genealogy of Jesus. It still stretches me, but we need stretching in the grace of God. At the same time, we must balance it with how God hates divorce, and it is one of the scourges of our times that is tragically hurting many, many people. Marriage is under such an assault now because it is so important. However, legalism will not overcome lawlessness. This situation and similar ones that almost every church and family are now being faced with is one that we need answers for. We cannot run from Him, but must run to Him with our need. Many of Todd’s friends and former partners have asked if and how they might help to rebuild and establish Fresh Fire USA, which has recently relocated from Abbotsford, BC Canada and is now based at Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. Donations can now be made to Fresh Fire USA at the following address:
Fresh Fire USA
C/O MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Dr.
Fort Mill, SC 29715
Make checks out to Fresh Fire USA, or if you would like to donate by credit card to help in rebuilding Fresh Fire USA, call 1-800-542-0278, and tell the operator that you want to make a donation to Fresh Fire USA.
Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
You Don’t Need King Jesus, You Need M O N E Y!
What Kind of message Is This In Church!?
My husband calls them Men of Goods? I couldn’t agree more. . . it is really sad.
Am Still not back to full time blogging please keep Praying for me In Jesus Mighty Name Amen
I never knew I would write any article on Todd Bentley, because I deliberately avoided the topic while it was raging all over, even though my husband was very vocal against him and his group then, he is even telling me right now that he is not surprised about this piece of news .
With this recent development in Todd Bentley’s marital life even, there are many questions that Christians need to search for the answers Spiritually and in the scriptures. . . also hold him accountable for the gospel he preached, especially if he is not living it. Enough about the people Preaching something else and doing another, I wonder why some Spirit- filled men and women of God are not on TV? Money . . . I guess
Separation May End Bentley’s Lakeland Appearances
Todd Bentley, the evangelist who has led the Florida Outpouring revival here in Lakeland since April 2, has filed for separation from his wife and might not return to the revival, according to his former local spokesperson, Lynne Breidenbach. She said Bentley made the announcement to his staff this afternoon. Bentley and his wife, Shonnah, have two daughters and a son and are Canadian citizens.
Under Canadian law, separation is a first step in divorce proceedings and takes nine months. Bentley and his wife have been in marriage counseling for several months, Breidenbach said. She called the situation “very sad” but insisted it “doesn’t invalidate what Todd did” at the revival.
This is very great news to me and the body of Christ, it is good to know that just after my recent post on Divorce in the Christendom, God led me to this News article some minutes ago
By Aaron Leichman Christian Post Reporter Wed, July. 09 2008 02:27 PM EDT In an era where rising divorce rates and marital infidelity are rapidly becoming societal norms, hundreds of couples met together last month to buck the secular trends of the world with a renewed commitment to God and the sanctity of biblical marriage. Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), which is active in over 90 countries and exists to give couples a “weekend experience” to recommit their marriages through “techniques of loving communication” centered on God, held its 40th anniversary convention on June 27-29 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, Calif. “This is a way for us to reinforce the permanence of our marriage vows and the sanctity of the sacrament of matrimony,” said couples Tony and Cathy Witczak, who attended the group’s anniversary convention, in a statement. The event, which gathered over 2,000 participants from around the world, was called a success by WWME which spoke glowingly of a banner proclamation affirming the commitment to biblical marriage that was signed by thousands of people at the conclusion of its anniversary event. The banner, which included a statement of faith and belief that marriage is an institution existing only between a man and a woman,” featured “Forever Yours” in large print at the top. WWME, which holds events periodically throughout the country, describes its programs as unique and innovative. “It’s not a retreat, marriage clinic, group sensitivity, or a substitute for counseling. It’s a unique approach aimed at revitalizing marriage,” the group says on its Web site. WWME, which continues to fight daily in its struggle to uphold the sanctity of marriage, is a non-profit organization that uses all its proceeds to finance its programs and give struggling married couples new hope in their lives. Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Following Christ has been a reality for me, my goal is to make heaven and to make sure that others around me do so too through the Grace of Christ Jesus my Lord. this passage I live by, without it I don’t know what would have become of my faith in Christ today.
Isaiah 49: 8-11,8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
Earlier on, while walking and working with Christ I was falling in and out of sin and repenting and, asking for forgiveness from preventable sins was like a daily routine for me but one day this passage in the Bible struck me… Acts 17:30 God overlooked people’s former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him.* 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” making me realize that I can only the play the fool so much, God is not mocked, I can’t keep taking His grace and mercy for granted as I was, and it was about time I surrendered completely to Christ there was no other way for me to go but the way of the Cross and there and then, I promised God to serve only Him forever and I have never gone back on my promise in Jesus Mighty Name Amen (Not that am perfect but I took a stand and pledged my allegiance to Jesus Christ).
Then in 2004 I heard the voice of the Lord say to me an giving you a new name the Lord gave a new Name "Hanna" the Voice said "you are now my Hanna I was like what! Hanna? why Hanna why not Deborah the Judge, "after fighting with the Holy Spirit about it the Lord said go and check the meaning of the two and when I did check it out I was glad I was "favored" by God and blessed by Him.
Time went on and The good Lord instructed that we get married because I was so scared of marriage, don’t ask me why? We Got Married am now living with my husband. We are learning daily in our walk with Christ and the Holy Spirit has been our Chief instructor all these years. and in all our trials and tribulations our God has been a Great God toady we don’t beg for food to eat we can afford the basic things of life and God has continued to show us his marvelous mercies that are new every morning… Amen
Also, I have been privileged to encounter Christ in many different ways over the years, in my dreams and visions and He has kept on reassuring me of His Saving Grace and mercy. for all you skeptics out there… He is Alive and He showed me one day His pierced side… the White garment he was wearing didn’t cover the pierced side but there was no sore on it. Folks Jesus is real and He is coming back again to judge the Earth. Hallelujah!
finally I would say having the opportunity to present this testimony of my life to you today as in obedience to the will of God has given me much joy and am grateful that I could only give a glimpse of my life to you and hope to get to know you my friend more in Jesus Mighty Name.
Today my father is calling on us to come back home that he needs us that we are the family he has, because his people abandoned him when he became poor but he still lives with his new wife of 13 yrs with their two sons., and by the special grace of God , I try to do what I can for him from time to time… but we ve moved on.
By the Special Grace of God, I hereby submit a short version of my testimony, agree or not it is true, cannot write every thing Down but I must say that Life has taught me things only God knows. . . am not in the habit of talking much about myself and so if there any thing you might want to know about me, Read and feel free to ask me any questions you wish. Godbless.
I would also like you to Read this post A Brief History About This Blog before you continue … that is if you haven’t already. Thanks.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11, 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn’t already exist long ago? 11 We don’t remember what happened in those former times. And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
Revelations 12:11, 11 And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony.
Introduction
My Birth Name is IJ (meaning safe journey/ journey Mercies), I am Nigerian born to a Christian Home Anglican in the Niger Delta and now I reside in Lagos State, according to the instruction of the Lord, when He (God) said to; me to pack up your bags and go the Lagos and I will meet you there . . . God knows I hated the big city but I had no choice but to obey so, here I am trying to serve Christ any way I can. ” that’s another story for another day, as Lord pleases.” Am also A University graduate and am married to a wonderful man of God whom God gave to me for support and true friendship.
Early Days
My parents got married at the Anglican Cathedral and the wedding was conducted by 6 Reverends and a Bishop. My Mum was very young and also she is a very trusting individual, what ever you say she believes, always seeing the best in everybody so she trusted my dad and married him. little did she know that was going to live to regret her decision later on.
They got married, very soon I was born into the family. mum was a young woman at the time she was over the moon thinking that from here on it was going to be a roller coaster ride for her and us her Children. well that was not to be the case as she was very much hated by my fathers sisters and so began the saga of many years of suffering in the hands of my father and his sisters.. . you see I grew up in so much hatred and wickedness that I taught I was not going to be able to love anyone since all I had was hatred but God turned me into a loving person today, that even when I tried to hate, I find it difficult and end up loving again and given so many second chances to people around me.
As a child I found out my father hated my mother, and her children… his children, especially me since am the first born of the family, so maybe he believed I was the excuse why he should keep staying with a woman he hated so much and she was busy bearing him more children whom he loved to hate.(thank God for my brothers and sister) My childhood experience is so traumatizing that am not sure if it’s something worth sharing but God told me to do so and God is Good all the time. . . Amen.
Growing up I witnessed so many hurtful situations, I will only give account of a few, as early as the age of seven I became my fathers punching bag, I was beaten mercilessly and manhandled in a way fit for a criminal and not someone’s child. My father and his sisters made sure they stole my childhood, they tormented me for years, you might ask, how? let me throw a little light to how I grew up
For good Nine years I was a victim of physical torture almost daily, in other for you to understand my point take a look at this scenario that played out daily for years. My father called me names and beat my mother to pulp almost daily and I was next inline, he could just come back from work and when I run out to go and greet him he would slap me in both my ears at the same time and he does this daily, I would find it difficult hearing after the slap, till date I have trouble with my left ear. another constant scenario was that at night while sleeping he hits and pushes my room door open and gives me a heavy knock on the head to wake me up to ask for his food and it is mostly at midnight cos he was a heavy drinker and smoker. ..(because of the long years of torture even my husband can’t touch me at night I feel someone wants to beat me up ) My father was almost awake 24hrs a day or he sleeps when he leaves the house and goes to his many guest houses with his girlfriends that his sisters and brothers organized for him. whenever he comes back home there is tears and pain because I would be seriously beaten and he would ask us ; what are still doing in my house? and I would say “Papa please forgive us” and let us stay in the house with you, we have no where to go” and he would start stumping on my stomach and chest with his weight and he would beat me with the fan belt of his Mercedes Benz cars and also a mop stick, he always wanted to kill us , he would throttle me as if to choke me, I would be bleeding from my nose and other places and then he would push me against the wall and I would hit my head on the wall and fall down, and also he would kneel me down and ask me to carry a heavy object over my head for hours. when that is not enough he would force me to crawl round the compound and scrape my knees on the granite floor, sometimes he put knife on my immediate Junior Brother’s throat and my junior sister he threw downstairs from the balcony, God saved us we didn’t die or were we disfigured in all these years. this was what played out almost everyday he was drunk and not in any particular order. but mostly it did happen like this. he kept on repeating the punishment , ?(I wondered why he didn’t spank us like most parents did their kids) Instead he fought like he was fighting his match, it was like he was been controlled by forces to do those things to me and my mum… especially when my mum became pregnant he would beat her that she would be bleeding all over the house he did it to her so she would miscarry and God never allowed that to happen. He was also doing all this to make his people happy, because if his people find out my mum is pregnant they would be angry with him. . . some times when my mum gets to the hospital she lies that she was mugged by robbers., Because it was too much , I know wives get beaten once in a while but ours was like daily and very brutal too.
Aside from the beatings he called me names and which I think is worse, cos the beating and the wounds healed over time but the words I remember daily and it pains me that my own father would do what an outsider wouldn’t ever do to me uncountable times, he called me a nobody and a witch, a prostitute and, I was always checked if I was still a virgin he would send any lady available to do that(check) after beating me up even though I didn’t even have a boyfriend let alone have sex, this was what I knew as life. he always told me that his brothers and sisters were the most important thing to him (but today he is singing another tune)
My fathers sisters hated me so much, they taunted me and my mother shamelessly we were all called for meetings and they assigned a particular punishment to us as they deemed fit at the time for any reason they have, what they do is they accuse you falsely and they punish you for it too, they reckoned my mum wasn’t bold enough to leave so they where going to make sure they frustrated her out of her house, you could see the glee in their faces as the spat on us and calls us all kinds of names. This made me draw closer to God daily and in my distress I cried all the time to Jesus and guess what He answered me. They also made sure that I shouldn’t be friends with their Children, my cousins but today God has given me Jesus Christ, (He is all the friend I need that is why I keep to myself till date. . . I found I have peace that way). . . we were always threatened to be banished all the time, by them Because they were living in their small world and mum was from a poor home, so they believed she was not their class, it was in such a time that I was recalled a day when I heard a voice say to me; they are out, they have all gone out, quick take that rope and hang your self on that tree so that all your troubles would be over, and they won’t trouble you any more. As I sat there contemplating whether to get up and do it. I did I heard another voice say to me don’t ! , am your father, I know your father has offended you a lot, I am here to help you I will never leave you nor forsake you I will take care of you, just trust in me, though your father and Mother forsake you I will not forsake I knew from When you were in your mothers womb I have been watching I know what you are going through and I will help you. then I knew that was the voice of God and I didn’t go through with the suicide anymore. . . it was later when I took to studying the word of God that I found that actually the words I heard that day was in the Bible Isaiah 49:14-18, 14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. 18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
Many folks have heard or read this story time and time again but for the sake of those who haven’t already… please do read and be blessed as I was when read it.
Godbless
FOR COUPLES AND INTENDING ONES….
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. “I want a divorce!” I raised the topic calmly.She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, “Why”? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew.When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a months time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.She requested that everyday for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.I told Dew about my wife’s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest.. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was greying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday work-out made me stronger.She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me, .. she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy.I drove to office… jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind… I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.She looked at me, astonished. Then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other any more. Now I realized that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money inthe bank, blah..blah..blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to beyour spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do, you just might save a marriage.
Glory to God!!! February is here again and soon everyone will be all about Valentines this and Valentine that, so many people will get engaged on that day or better still get married on that day. . . Well am not against people celebrating or whatever, even I have picked out things I want my husband to buy for me, LOL.
The fact still remains that many rush into things without looking, hence the high divorce rates, and spousal abuse etc (especially in the Christendom) it is scary that even the world have to give advice to Christians now. Perhaps you are already married , about to wed, or in a very serious relationship, I recommend you read this along side with your Bible.
My junior sister’s friend sent me this through email last year
Godbless you as read
SUCCESS IN LOVE RELATIONSHIPS Success in love relationships is not a matter of luck. The state of your love relationship today is a product of your choice till date. Choices are made based on the information at our disposal per time. Having false, wrong or incomplete information will lead to making wrong choices. Having true, correct and complete information will lead to making right choices. Your source of information determines the quality of your information. Information from the wrong source is usually false, wrong or incomplete while information from the right source is usually true, correct and complete. The nature of your source determines the reliability or otherwise of your source. The success or failure in love relationships depends on the nature of your source of information on love relationships GOD AND LOVE RELATIONSHIPS Because God created humans, God is the only authentic source of information on love relationships. God is love. God does not have the ability to love. He is love. He is therefore the only authentic source of information on love relationships. It makes sense to pay attention to whatever love has to say on relationships. Success in love relationships can only be attained by understanding and practicing the principles that guarantee success in the manual (Bible , word of God) . WHY MARRIAGES FAIL AND LOVE RELATIONSHIPS DO NOT SUCCEED. The source of information on love relationships today are friends, magazines, Romance Novels, the electronic and print media, the Internet, and movies. Most of these sources of information contain man’s ideas and no more. Hardly do people turn to the manual when they have questions on love relationships. Because the information is not from the right sources the information is false, incorrect and incomplete. Choices made from false, incorrect and incomplete info cannot be right choices. Consistent wrong choices in love relationship will always lead to failure in love relationships. WHO ARE YOU? Your perspective Until you know who you are, it is not wise to start a love relationship. Self discovery begins with knowing why you exist. A discovery of your purpose makes life meaningful and gives your life direction. Knowing where you are headed makes knowing who can go with you easy. Knowing your dominant temperament helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your dominant temperament helps you know and understand who you need. Knowing your dominant temperament helps you know who can complement you. Knowing your purpose in life helps you understand your likes and dislikes. Knowing your purpose helps you understand your potentials (abilities). Knowing your purpose helps you eliminate wrong partners for marriage. Knowing your purpose helps you appreciate your gifts and talents. Knowing your purpose helps you specialize in your area of gifting Specializing in your area of gifting builds your confidence. Knowing your purpose helps you understand your life experiences, past, present and future. Knowing your purpose helps you to accept yourself. Accepting yourself helps you build self confidence. Knowing your purpose helps you develop a vision for the kind of marriage you desire. Knowing yourself helps you develop vision for the kind of marriage that you desire. You are a product of your environment and your experiences in life. Your environment and your experiences contribute and concretize your belief system. Your belief system determines how you process information received from your services. Your environment and your experiences shape your expectations in life. More than 57% of marriages contacted worldwide fail because most people get married without knowing God’s purpose for marriage and they end up abusing themselves and their marriage. Marriage is first and foremost for the establishment of a home where Godly children can be born and unturned to become responsible citizens of God and the world. Marriage is also for the purpose of providing suitable help for a man to fulfill God’s purpose for himself and his wife. Marriage creates the right atmosphere where man and his wife can work together joyfully as companion to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. Marriage is not just to stop people from being promiscuous. Marriage is not just for financial security. Marriage is not just to provide a man with an unpaid domestic help. Marriage is not just to provide women with a bread winner. Marriage is for two spiritually mature children of God. Marriage is honourable and adultery is forbidden. God judges adulterers and adulteresses Marriage is a life time commitment and should not be entered into unless one is ready to be committed to another person forever God hates divorce and judicial separation. Two people became one with unity of purpose, vision and direction. Marriage attracts the favour of God. WHAT DO YOU WANT? The place of expectations Expectation is the mother of manifestation If you do not know where you are going you will end up anywhere. If you do not know where you are going you won’t know when you get there. After knowing yourself and knowing God’s purpose for your life, you must know the kind of mate you require. You must have a dream of your mate, spiritually, physically, temperamentally and socially. You must realize that you are not perfect so you cannot expect a perfect mate. You must understand that God doesn’t give us finished products. It takes faith to choose the right partner. THE PLACE OF PRAYER God wants your marriage to succeed more than you want it to succeed. God knows the beginning from the end and he knows who is right for you. You must consciously ask God to lead you to the right person. You must give God thanks continually for hearing and answering your prayer before the manifestation of the right mate. You must rest in God and not allow anxiety or pressure from friends and family to make you jump at the first available choice. You must believe that God loves you as much as he loves Jesus Christ and he cannot mismanage your life if you trust Him. WRONG EXPECTATIONS Your expectations about spouse must be rooted in the manual (Bible , word of God). Your expectations must not be based on information from romance novels or soap operas. Your partner may not immediately have all the qualities you desire in a spouse. Your partner may not have all spouse but they may have the potential for those qualities Asking a lady to get pregnant before marriage to prove that she is fertile is unwise. Sleeping with a lady before marriage to prove that you are not impotent is unwise. Asking a lady to sleep with you before marriage to prove her love is unwise. Footing the education bill or caring for the family of your partner before marriage is unwise. Not Waiting to hear God’s voice about the choice of a marriage partner is unwise. Getting married because someone said it is God’s will without hearing from God yourself is unwise. Hoping to get married to the first person you enter into courtship with is not wise. Asking God to give you a rich man for a husband is not wise. Getting married to someone who has promised to change their character is unwise. Expecting someone to get married to you out of sympathy is unwise. Marriage in itself does not bring joy, peace, happiness or fulfillment. Marriage in itself is not the solution for your emotional needs Marriage in itself will not provide you with self worth. Marriage in itself will not make you a better person. Married life is not a bed of roses. It is foolish to serve a man, hoping he will end getting married to you.
I Appreciate your Prayer Requests,(Thanks to God for all who have been sending already) Keep them coming in Please, I love Praying for you... Lets Trust Jesus Together! HALLELUYAH!!! Thank you Holy Spirit
Funny I said , “High” as if there should be even “low” assault rates in the Christendom!? this has become a terrible trend in in that, almost every other month you hear of notable men of God falling for this same weakness (hitting a woman). It is not the constant increasing rates of divorce, it is now the redesigning of woman’s faces that we are dealing with now, how low can we go!? it is not easy to say who is at fault here but judging by what the Bible says about women being the weaker sex . I think men should be able to restrain themselves even in most extreme cases where the woman just refuses to back down from an argument (for we women can sure argue our point to a fault) some of us will let go of the Holy Spirit and let go of all self restraint and lash out at the man and forgetting that as much as we like to see and believe that men are strong willed and powerful in the home, they also feel pain and are also anxious about their future like women too but too many women do not understand men’s pain for it is different from theirs while a woman is worried about “what type of cloth she is going to wear for an occasion a man is busy thinking of money and work or if he can keep on taking care of the family in the coming years” not that we do not have irresponsible men but we also have irresponsible women too, but in most cases men would be men and women will act like women. . . as we have all seen.
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