AS I THOUGHT ON MY WAYS (VOLUME Three) Preached on 24th December, 2000 by THE SON OF MAN (Apostle Peter Odoemena) At THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD Onitsha
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. If The Son Of Man sets you free, You are free indeed. If The Son Of Man pardons you, you are pardoned; For I am the “Mercy Seat”. Believe it if you can…
-Son Of Man
You that called this Faith nothing, you may be laughing at what will kill you. The most dangerous thing for one to do is to play with his salvation. -Son of Man
CHAPTER ONE
REJOICE ALWAYS: HARDSHIP IS NORMAL
Remember the topic we are considering: AS I THOUGHT ON MY WAYS. As I thought on the wrong direction I am heading to, I turned around and ran back to Him. I didn’t say let me continue in error and die in error, and let me face the consequences.
2) At times, I hear some people: “At the end, He will save me. At the end, He won’t save me.” Well, if it is a good statement on your side, continue with it. Hellfire has become too light to you because, you don’t have the Spirit of God in you again. Because once you have the Spirit of God in you, you cannot be wiser than William Branham. When he saw it, he quacked.
3) Hell is not meant for a man, I myself have seen it and I have told you that it is not for a man. It is not for anything human being. Nevertheless, people that don’t know what it is, they can live their lives anyhow. Moreover, I wish that they would be there. Well if you want to be there, you will be. The ticket is very simple. Simply disobey my instructions, walk in a way that seemeth right in you eyes.
4) Suffering is a part of Christian life. I don’t mean suffering because of Christ or suffering because of your faith; I mean general hardship. General hardship is experienced by everybody; whether you are a Christian or not, surely you must pass through hardship in one way or the other.
5) Even infants pass through hardship. If the mother is not well fed, she finds it difficult to feed her baby. If the mother hasn’t enough money to buy some artificial milk, the baby suffers some setbacks which is a part of her own suffering. Suffering is very, very normal. It makes eternity sweet.
6) Philippians chapter 4, verse 11 through 13: “Not that I was ever in need for I have learnt how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learnt the secret of contentment in every situation. Whether it be in full stomach or hunger, plenty or want for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me strength.” (Living Bible).
7) Notice the life of every man of God. Every Apostle of God, every true Christian, you must always be contented with what you have. It is just like this time around. You see intelligent families, where there is harmony; you will notice one thing that goes on there: If the husband and wife with their children see they could not afford a decent meal for the day, they will drink only garri soaked in water and go out for the day. Come and see the man licking his lips as if he ate a great meal. He will be making a great noise about it until you ask him, “What this wonderful food is all about?” He will reply; “Ah old boy, we killed one goat.”
8) Will you cut his belly open to know what food he ate? The lgbos said, “It is the kind of machete you have that you salute with.” A woman can only bring out what she gave birth to. Full stop!
9) Be content with what you have. Saint Paul said that he knows how to live in time of plenty and in time of scarcity. Not when you have today, it becomes, “Christ reigns.” But when it dries up tomorrow it becomes, “Any one that wants to kill me must first kill himself; whoever that is blocking my way of success, may God block his own.”
10) Well, that goes to show you are not a Christian. A Christian is always happy. In any situation he finds himself, he rejoices exceedingly. If the Lord provides for today, rejoice. If tomorrow He doesn’t provide, rejoice. That is all. Learn to live happily both in time of plenty and in the time of scarcity; not when you have enough: “Oh, God reigns!” But when you do not have, your husband becomes a wizard. Are you getting what am saying?
11) You know there are women that are fond of that. Anytime the thing is flowing, when they can see meat, they can see honey; see everything: “Uaaah! Nobody is like my darling; in fact, na now I married a real husband. Before, before na play, play o. Na now I know that I am fully married.” But by tomorrow if you hear: “manage that little thing there,” such women will say, “Eeeh! Manage in this house? It is too early for me to manage.” No, no you must manage. I say you must manage, I must manage.
12) You see, one Pentecostal preacher was preaching on the radio and said, “I asked my friend a question: ‘Old boy, how about life and he said, “Nna I am just managing.” He( the preacher) said, “No, no, no it is a wrong statement. God didn’t ask you to manage, God said you will have it abundantly, you will have leftover. Your store will be filled.” That’s rubbish.
13) The same God, is He not the one Paul worshipped? Is He not the one Peter worshipped? Is He not the One Jesus Himself worshipped? Yet they were all adjusting themselves. Adapting to every situation they find themselves; because no condition is permanent. A poor man today can be a rich man tomorrow. Simply trust God and keep on forging ahead. Food or no food, go ahead worshiping God.
14) Note: The most important thing is to lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE. THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION WILL ALWAYS SEE YOU THROUGH. We are not looking plumpy and good because we are eating more than any other, no; it is the joy of the Holy Spirit that is nourishing our flesh. I Am telling you God’s truth. Many of us look younger than our ages in this Faith because we have peace of mind— merry, merriment.
1) Where you don’t have peace of mind, even if you eat one cow alone you will be lean. What refreshes someone is peace of mind and not too much eating. There are too many people I know, they don’t eat too much. But they are always looking good. Nevertheless, I now people that can stay in one place and finish one basin of garri, one basin of rice, one drum of kai kai, still no weight. Look at them, the same way they are today, the same way they will be tomorrow.
16) So please be at peace with the Holy Spirit at all times and stop worrying. Worrying doesn’t help anybody. Once you are worried, you will be filled with complaining. Worrying and complaining go together. Moreover, once these two things meet, surely, you cannot have peace of mind. In addition, you will not know what to do at every given time.
CONTROL YOUR APPETITE
Every true Christian is a soldier. Anything that comes your way, use it wisely. There are people in this Faith that have laboured themselves that they can eat rice in the morning and yet they have not eaten. Because they were not served akpu—cassava meal. You give him rice in the morning; he will say he has not eaten yet, that it must be akpu. He will not accept he has eaten any food until you give him akpu. All on one belly!
18) Anything you eat and you become filled is food. Even if it is milled beans (okpa) that you took and drank water, it is food. Some people cheat themselves by using what they will grow tall with to become fat. If you use what you will grow tall with to become fat, who have you cheated? Nobody but yourself. Some people eat because there is food while some eat because they are hungry. A Christian eats because he is hungry. But a heathen eats because there is food.
19) So it is to drink. A Christian drinks because he wants to drink. A heathen drinks because there are drinks, whether he wants or not, once there is drink: “Nna, man go de drink o.” Only drinking and eating is your business. It is not a good habit. So stop fooling yourselves. Amen.
Nothing weakens the congregation more than the influence of mixed-multitude. What the Bridal Faith is suffering is mixed-multitude. Many are make-believers. They are the worst. They can be shouting when the Message is going on, but in practice, they are reprobates.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER TWO
CREATE ROOM FOR KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RESPONSIBILITIES
Some don’t even know that there can be a rainy day. You know what I mean by rainy day. Some don’t even know that there can be some unforeseen contingencies.
2) You may encounter some unforeseen circumstances. You may be coming home thinking that all is well; your wife will be lying down ill, or your child. You can even reach home only to fall ill yourself. We create room for all these eventualities. As a man, make necessary adjustments. Not every time you get a little amount in your hand you waste it away like Modecia: “Ha, old boy, it’s only what is in your belly that you are sure of. Man must eat.” Tomorrow you are still alive, yet “man must eat” next tomorrow. “It’s wha you ate that will be in your belly when you die.”
3) See, it is not good. It is not a good habit. You don’t know you have some impending problems. You may fall ill or your child. It can even come from your home from your relations. And as a son in the family you must respond. Even if you don’t have, you must borrow. Think about these things, you are a man. Listen; when a man is born, he has come out. There is no going back; he must see what others saw.
4) Don’t look at women, I told you what helped me in the school. I finished in a mixed school. There is one lady—Bethy Nwachukwu—who was a broadcaster with Brother lgwe in IBC; I so love that girl, she was highly religious. So when people were running up and down disturbing and disturbing, there was a time I was almost tempted to join them. Mostly at a time we had no match ahead, I will have time to stay with them in the classroom. Otherwise, my classroom is games field in the day. Then my lamp will be on in the night. That was my system.
5) So the lady called me one day and said, “Bony, please come let me tell you. Do you say you come from my area?” I said, “Yes.” “But why do you speak Onitsha like Onitsha people?” she asked. I replied, “No, that was where I grew up. Really I am from Uvuru Mbaise.” she said, “Do you really mean it?” I said, “Yes, I mean it. But do you have any business with me?” She said, “Why not, I called you for something important.” I said, “Please I am not interested in that Legion of Mary and Saint something.” Because she was the co-ordinator of these two associations. So I cut her off ahead of time so that we can’t discuss religion.
6) She said, “Well, there’s no way I can talk to you without telling you that you must love God, and be in one association and this and that.” I said, “Please, if you don’t have anything this morning, permit me to go.” She said, “Well, one thing I want to tell you is, you see all these ladies, they are tied to a habit. Please don’t join these boys in pursuing them about. I am a woman; I came from a wretched family. But by God’s grace I may marry a millionaire who will take charge of all my problems. But it is not so with you. You are a man. By and by, you must have a responsibility after your service. You must think of building a house, marrying your own wife. Buying your own car, training your own brothers, even helping your parents. If you do not pass out well, surely your future will be hampered. But as for me here, once I get married I will relax. My husband may even buy me a car. I may live in a duplex with him and be enjoying life as a queen. And that time if we see you on the way and neglect you, you will call it wickedness.”
7) Brethren, that day was my birthday, I said, “Bethy, thank you for this wonderful sermon this morning, let me go and think about it.” So I went to bed that morning, I meditated and meditated and meditated, I have never seen this type of love before. That was what I concluded. So the thing haunted me for over a week.
8) So you know what I did? In response to that advice, I went to my library; I noticed some of the books I couldn’t purchase due to poverty. I went and borrowed them here and there. And to avoid somebody collecting these books from me I ran to Onitsha with them within the space of seven days I built my notes up-to-date. I was reading ahead of the school. I returned them back to school.
9) Brethren, this advice helped me. What am I saying Brethren? I am saying that when you look into this Faith, as long as many of us are married, we have married responsibilities that we can never dodge again. I said we can never dodge them again. In addition, nobody will welcome your bug if you wish to pass your bug—nobody will welcome it. You don’t seem to understand what I am saying. If you are the type that like to shift your problems to others, nobody will accept it. Because what problem each has is enough for them. Some even want who will carry their own for them and you are trying to add your own. No, it can’t happen.
10) That is why I am telling you, those days when trees used to be express way for the squirrels, there was what we call helpmate; when a mother is going to the market, or a father, In the days when things are carried only in the head not bicycle. The man or woman will then carry goods and items, reaching the point, about four persons will carry those goods and items well distributed amongst them. Before going to the market, he or she has already instructed the children where to meet him or her. Each will arrive there with empty containers waiting. The man or woman will be labouring, struggling with the heavy load until he or gets there—where they scheduled to meet. He or she will now distribute the goods amongst the children and they will then precede home. You will discover that the good each person is carrying is equal to that person.
11) I am telling you these stories that you might learn from it and it will help you. These are things done many years back. Papa Uwakwe, is it not truth? But today, there is something I want you to understand in it. These children that do such things are called helpmates. Those that go to relieve the parents on their way home from market are called helpmates.
12) But today, there is nothing like that anymore. For that reason, anyone going to the market will only buy just what he or she can carry home. Helpmates are gone. Did you get the message? So don’t go to market to buy overload hoping for somebody that will wait for you on the road, such people are no longer in existence. They have varnished from the main road.
13) Everybody has learnt how to hug goods. Instead of going for helpmate, let me hug goods. When you get this analogy, happy are you. There is nothing I will not use to drive this Message in. When Christ was here ministering, he was using lots and lots of parables, illustrations, and figures. He was aiming at one thing: to drive the message in. That you should recognize yourself as a man that has come out to face the challenges of life, and you must brace up to your responsibilities.
14) Don’t ever aim at trusting a man who will relieve you of your burden tomorrow. Bible said that trust not in a man, trust not in a friend, even your own relations, they will disappoint you. Watch people that are depending on their relatives to come to their aid, surely they are always disappointed. If they refuse to help you, will you kill them? Did you give them money to keep for you?
15) For that reason, buy your goods and carry your goods, which is your burden. Continue on your way, believing that you are meeting nobody to come to your aid but if peradventure miracle happens, then you will give God the glory. But not somebody starting something then hating that thing: “Before I will get to this place, by and by, somebody will come.” And if by and by nobody comes, everybody has become wicked and ungodly pagan—that’s not true.
16) The Bible said, “Every man must bear his own burden.” I have a burden, you have burden. But the burdens defer. My headache is equal to the size of my head. If you know your size, that is equally the size of your headache. Like I saw Brother Okey the other day, I asked him what is wrong with him, he said he has some headache. I said, “Yes, I can understand the kind of headache.” There is a kind of headache that resounds—kim, kim, kim, kim.
17)If you have such headache, you will find it difficult to feed your children. Because the headache is as a result of lack of money to meet his financial problems. He may have only five naira, and this surely won’t be enough for the night meal. He will be thinking what he will do to meet up at home; knowing he has children to feed. He is developing himself as a man because he must think out the possible solution. That is what every man does. But when you have your father Christmas or mother Christmas where you can run to just for the asking; every time you run there. Well, you are not developing yourself. I say you are not developing yourself.
18) Consider what I said Brethren, and let the Holy Ghost give you understanding.
19) Hardship is normal but adjust yourself, know how to live in the time of plenty and in the time of need. Let it not be when it is in your hands you will say, “Man is not wood, you can only die with what you ate.” When you know very well you will live tomorrow. This is what kills drivers—they can hardly save money. Take away the vehicle from him, two days he will start begging for money. Because the little he saved is already in his belly. When he parks in one restaurant, what he will go out with will be “madam’s right man”—especially people that don’t have sense. Come to him and say, “Mody, mody, super glue hand. Oya give me oneGulder.” He will say, “What? Did you call me super glue hand? How many bottles will you drink?” “Okay, give me at least two or three bottle. “Okay, take two.” “Ah! Is it only drinks? Give me something it will transport down.” He will say no problem. After that, she will be waiting for another driver.
20) What I am telling you is truth. I have seen where it happened, because foolish men are tricked by these women that run restaurants. He will give her things to eat yet he will owe her. Some even open credit books. Madam will then be registering his name for all the periods he came to drink. At times, she will add even the periods he did not visit. At the end of the month, she will give him his bill to pay. Ignorant as he is, he will pay without checking properly. He will pay for everything—both the drinks and foods he took and those he did not. He will drink, madam will drink. Tomorrow you will say that such a person is not earning anything in his toils daily. If you say that you don’t gain anything from the motor business, why not sell the vehicle?
21) See, I did motor business at a time I didn’t know what it was all about. When you buy a vehicle for transport business and give to a driver, and he owes you or even tells you stories on it, just use a mallet (wood hammer) to break his head. He must surely give you the account because the whole money is in his pocket there. He wants to go and give it to madam at her restaurant.
22) Transport business is meant for strong-hearted people. If you play dumb, drivers will use you to make yeye. He will drive from morning till evening but what you will hear is that the police held him since morning. That he could not do any driving since morning. “Oga see eh, the hub broke into two, I have been working on it.” He will even say that he is owing the owner of the hub. All lies.
23) The greatest liars of all ages are drivers. If you don’t use sharp eyes on them, you have bought the vehicle for them. He will come home only to tell you that the Road Safety held him and seized the vehicle. That he has been looking for you all over Onitsha but he could not get you. That he later went and borrowed money. Whom did you borrow money from? Some even make business with the mechanics; some make business with the police, informing them that his madam has money, that when she comes, they should demand for ten thousand naira, that they must insist and she will pay. After, he will go for his own share. I am telling you the truth.
24) Let me tell you, I HAVE REINCARNATED SEVERAL TIMES IN THIS LIFE. DON’T THINK THAT THIS IS MY FIRST EXISTENCE. THIS IS HOW I HAVE BEEN COMING AND GOING. THERE IS NO GENERATION THAT WILL NOT MEET ME. EVEN THIS GENERATION, IF IT WILL HAVE A PRECEDING GENERATION, ODOEMENA WILL BE THERE.
25) So, there is no way you behave that I cannot tell you. Your tricks, just play along with it. I will tell you how you did all.
26) Suffering is a part of Christian life. Whether a Christian or not a Christian, the hardship of today, everybody must have to face it. But we are rejoicing that in all, we are not the worst hit. Heathens suffer more than us. Amen.
Whoever that feareth the Lord, to him is the Word of God sent to… the most unfortunate thing that will befall a man or a woman is to marry a sadist—one who delights in causing sorrow or happy in provoking others to anger.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER THREE
AVOID WORRY AND SELF REACHES
First Timothy chapter 6 verse 6 through 8: “Do you want to be truly rich? You are already rich if you are happy and good.” Do you want to be truly rich? The Bible said, “You are already rich if you are happy and good.” If you are truly good and a happy type, you are what? A rich man.
2) 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 7 through 8 again: “Do you want to be rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world.” It said that when we were coming into the world that we came with nothing. And we can’t carry away a single penny when we die.” (Living Bible).
3) When we shall die, we will not remove even one naira? Therefore, we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing.
4) Let us be satisfied with what we have. If we can have what we eat and clothes to clothe our bodies so that we don’t go naked, then you are a rich man, I am a rich man. Did Bible say, “Until I buy Limousine or buy jeep, or aeroplane?” No, no, no. Bible said, “If you want to be truly rich”—Note that word “truly rich.” Do not be confused. There is true wealth, and there is false wealth.
5) Anyone that is rich but does not have peace of mind, there is no truth in that wealth. You see, a rich man in a fully air-conditioned vehicle, yet he is sweating. His wealth is false. There are too many of them I have around my place; I start wondering what is wrong with them? But the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of the Word of God has revealed to me that they made riches by a foul means—false means. And they can never rest with it. That is why they don’t bless any man with it. They are very hostile and very antagonistic. Spoil any little thing, you will pay for it. They can never forfeit anything to any man. Because of five naira, they can call police to show you that they are not comfortable with their riches.
6) Any wealth that is honestly gotten refreshes the owner physically, and it is always cool and stays cool. It is not irritable or puffed up. Bible is not associated with it; you will notice that it is a cool money.
7) Anyone that moves with an escort, is he a free man? He is a dubious fellow. It will take a criminal to go with an escort. Did Christ move about with escort? Don’t mind them. Is it proper if I get my money that I will be moving about with escort? For what?
8) Philippians chapter 4 verse 5: “Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon.”
9) Let everybody see that you are what? That you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Let everybody see that you are unselfish, that you are not selfish and always considerate in all you do. You don’t do things to the extremes.
10) That is where I love Nnamdi Azikiwe whose philosophy I said God help me to borrow—those aspects of him that were good. He was interviewed by BBC, before he died at Onuiji residence in Nsukka far back in 1984—I was privileged to monitor the interview. The interviewer asked one pertinent question. Said, “Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Sir, can you please tell us the secret of your healthy living all these years?” He said, “Well, the secret of my healthy living is not far-fetched—it is very much around me. I have discovered one amazing secret about this life: worrying shortens a man’s life span, so for that reason I decided to be far more voracious. I have learnt to live between two extremes—I am not poor I am not rich.”
11) That is why till today you can never hear Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe so, so and so limited. It is never anywhere in the world. You can never see Nnamdi so, so Investment West Africa limited or World Wide. It is never anywhere, even in this Onitsha, why? The man discovered the secret of healthy living and then he adjusted himself to live between two extremes—never rich and never poor. Supposing he was a Christian, he would have performed better.
DO NOT COMPETE WITH THE WORLD
The Psalmist said, “God, please do me a favour, do not allow me to steal so that people will not blaspheme your Name because of my character. Do not allow me to go about begging bread, and do not allow people to ask me where my God liveth. Always provide for me that which will be sufficient for my daily needs.” And the Lord said, “Thou has made a very nice request.” Is it not what God promised us? Our daily bread? If we can remember that and stop competing with the world and everybody whose foundations and backup we do not know, then you will have a real quiet Christian life. You will enjoy yourself; you will enjoy your Brethren. I am telling you truth.
13) This is one of the reasons some students even go for armed robbery. They see some of their students go to school with porche cars, not knowing that their parents are millionaires. They don’t know. Before you know it, competition will just crop up from there. They go armed robbery and then get killed. So please, in this Faith, let our moderation be seen by all men.
14) “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Let your moderation be known to all men. Everybody should see me as a moderate somebody.
15) Let me tell you one thing I have loved in this Faith, I have not even seen anybody in this Faith I can say that he is not living a moderate life. Maybe because some of us have not been associated with rich men. If you have been associated with rich men and their life styles, you will know that there is nobody in the Faith who is living a flamboyant life. Even the person you think is living that life is not living it.
BE MODERATE IN ALL THINGS
All of you that are businessmen, do you reveal the secret of your business to anybody? No. That is all. Even these people you see on the street, I thank God Brother Mike is a transporter, these people you see floating all these luxury buses, you think they make profit? Never, never. It is not segmentation, it is not so. Don’t worry. By the time Sister Chukwudi will be floating her transport business, if you love her go closer to her and see the books she is maintaining on the vehicles. You will see that if care is not taken, she will use her own personal money to support some drivers to move their vehicles.
17) Yes! A vehicle can come to a point where one vehicle will be plying the road and the rest will be gulping the money. Yet we want to make profit. No, it is not that way. That is why if you go to any of these transporters for money, they will show you their bank account—red. Always in red.
18) I have had dealings with them even the people you call the best. So please relax your mind. There is nothing wrong. All is well with the Church. But you are the one that is trying to upset the faith of “the simple” by beguiling them, bringing in damnable heresies, and seductive doctrines, intending at seducing them out of the Faith. For which cause the Spirit is no longer happy—trying to pervert the truth. No, it is not the way.
19) Some have been following their pernicious ways, and the way of God is now evil spoken of. Trying to sow seed of confusion, seed of hatred into the Faith. No, it shouldn’t be segmentation. Address the truth in the reality, finish with it and then continue your journey. Don’t run around on a particular thing. It doesn’t help anybody.
20) Time is not on our side Brethren. Let us mean business now by coming together. I addressed you and I told you this is the time the Bride should close ranks. But somebody who heard it was infatuated with anointing of the Devil. Instead of closing ranks, he is bringing in things that will separate; it is not good at all. Avoid it immediately. As I thought on my ways, as I considered the wrong ways I am heading to, I turn back, I turned round, I ran back to Him.
21) I am not celebrating Christmas because 25th December is just a day in December. That is it. There is nothing special about it. I have a day I have my celebration. If I want, I celebrate it; if I don’t want I will leave it. Are you getting what I am saying? It is my day with my family every year. So that time I will be complete forty-three years, so crosscheck your records. So if I’m talking to you now and you are shaking your head, you must tell Me why. Am I a boy? At forty-three, I am now a man, yes! A fool at forty is a fool forever.
22) Do not look at my baby face, are you getting what I am saying? My small stature is always over masking my age. If you look at my baby face, you will underestimate Me. I am now PAPA. You must know that the Lord has made Me strong by nature.
23) First Timothy 2 verse 9 through 10, Living Bible: “And the woman should be the same way, quiet and sensible in manner and clothing.”
24) Women should be in the same way, quiet, sensible in manner and in clothing. This moderation we are talking of—women should dress with moderation—we are not coming to the Church to come and show off anything in the Church. No. If I don’t check you this day, one day you will come with gold ring. I am telling you God’s truth. You know to derail is very easy. It is gradual, gradual he introduces this one and you keep quiet, he introduces the other one: This your hair plaiting, know there is a day you are going to loose all of them.
25) Yes! If Christ tarries, we will loose them in the Church here. Nevertheless, I am watching it gradually until it reaches to the size where they want it. Once it gets there, you loose it. I know because I have said it now that many will like to tamper with it. If you tamper, I must discover it because I know all of you. I see all of you. I know the style of your plaiting; don’t worry.
26) Can a Christian man wear wig? God is judging him by THUS SAYS THE LORD. If he wants, let him put on masquerade. What God is looking at is THUS SAYS THE LORD. Full stop. Did God give him the manner he should behave? No. You are at liberty. He was right. That’s all. I become a sissified man and William Branham even preached it that a man-wearing wig is a sissified man, for the Bible says a man shouldn’t wear his hair long.
27) He preached against it but he is wearing it, yes now. That was what Moses did and Moses gave a law that: God said, “Nobody should make a graven image of anything.” Before their eyes, God told Moses to mould two Cherubims, Moses moulded the thing. To him it was not sin, but let another person mould it because Moses moulded, it becomes sin.
28) You do not know who Moses is. Remain behind so that you can be covered by his righteousness. Then, the only “Mercy Seat” God was seeing in the wilderness was Moses.
29) My aim is to place you were you should be. We are walking to wilderness in a single file and I am the Captain, I am in front. I expect every other person to file behind Me. So, those that have wandered in front already, now, why not say, “As I thought on my ways?”
30) First Timothy 2 verse 9 through 10 again: “Christian women should be noticed for being kind and good. Not for they way they fix their hair or because of their jewels or fancy cloth.” (Living Bible).
31) What you put on doesn’t make you beautiful in the sight of God. What makes you beautiful is your heart.
32) According to First Peter 3:3 through 5: “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands”
33) What God is looking at that makes you beautiful as a woman of God is the Holy Ghost in you. Your character is your beauty. If you like shine like the morning star, and you have no character, you are nothing. Yes. I said you are nothing.
34) Since we are in the Fellowship celebrating our own Christmas, is anybody unhappy? If I do not protect you very well, you can fall prey to Satan. I know that once you leave Fellowship, even if I don’t call you back again, I have saved you from this Christmas period. For what is in you now will see you through if you are really a Christian. But if you are not a Christian, once you cross the Fellowship .hall gate, well God will use broom to sweep out His Word back to His Sanctuary. Amen.
The beauty of man is not in his beauty, wealth, wisdom or knowledge, but in his contribution to humanity.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER FOUR
CHRIST AS OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE
Philippians 1:29: “But you have been given the privilege not only of trusting Him, but also of suffering for Him.”
2) Not only to believe God but to suffer for Him because if we do not become Christians maybe you would have joined people in their dubious characters. We would have joined them in their dubious activities to make both ends meet which can never meet.
3) Romans 5:3 through 5: “When you are suffering, rejoice because it’s going to produce something good in you. We can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us. They help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.”
4) When you see these troubles coming your way, you start lamenting, worrying and complaining, surely the aim will not be achieved in you. You can never be a valiant and a strong Christian for life. You will always be a synthetic and artificial flower like the one in my parlour—flower that is very beautiful, very attractive, very conspicuous in outlook but it has no fragrance of a flower. There is no sweet aroma, no scent but very fine. It has no life, it has no water, it has no scent, no strength—empty. So there is nothing there, it is artificial.
5) Hebrews 5:8: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;” (KJV).
6) So suffering can make you to be obedient. I am saying that if God will permit suffering to come our ways, we should be very, very humble enough to glorify God, knowing that the purpose is for good and not for evil. He knows what we are passing through. So do not over blot it to the point of disturbing your peace and the peace of your families, or even the peace of your Brethren. Don’t do that, it’s not good at all. It is unchristian.
7) Colossians 1:28 through 29: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” (KJV).
8) “God has sent me to help his Church and to tell his secret plans to you Gentiles. He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plans are for you gentiles too. And this is the secret: that Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory.” Living Bible.
9) Hebrews 2:9 through 10: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (KJV).
10) To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. So it s very, very normal. Put it down in your Bible because we have large crowd of witnesses round about us.
11) Christ should be our perfect example seeing we have this large crowd of witnesses round about us, let us cleanse ourselves of filthiness of flesh and of the soul and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, looking unto Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
12) In other words, having Christ as our Leader, our Instructor and as our example in all things. If He suffered, we ought to suffer with Him. He passed through hardship, what we are passing through today is not too hard.
13) Let me tell you something I know and I believe. If we say that we are passing through hardship on the way, that the days we are living are full of hardship, it cannot be full of hardship more than the time Moses found himself in Egypt with the children of God. If we are passing through hardship this time, it is not harder than the period Daniel saw himself in Babylon. It was not harder than the period Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego saw themselves in Babylon and they maintained very good reports. It is not harder than the period Peter and the rest of the Apostles were being chased up and down to the point that they were going without dresses, they were walking naked hiding under the rocks. Do you think that life was easy for them? The Bible said that this world was not good for them to live and they maintained good reports.
14) So all I’m trying to say is that when you say because the days are evil, it’s too hard, for that reason you cannot be a Christian, to begin with, you were never a Christian. Let me tell you, when the goings becomes tough, tough people go tougher; and when the journey becomes too tough, the end is in sight.
15) Whatever you are doing in this life, once it becomes too tough, the end is in sight. Moreover, before you get there you must have done a lot of digging. If you can succeed in opening that hole, you will catch the thing alive. So if we can be patient and then gradually and gradually pouring little water, doing little digging and the thing will make wow, and we will enter. In addition, once you get there, you will see the palace well scrubbed.
16) If we can cross this hurdle, we have won the battle finally. Nevertheless, I am crossing it because I am not alone, He is with me always. Wherever I go, He is with me and I keep on trusting, keep on forging ahead.
17) Now I told you that no true seed of God overdo anything at all.
18) First John 2:4 through 6: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (KJV).
19) Second Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (KJV).
20) Galatians 6:4: “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” (KJV).
397) Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (KJV).
21) We are just like a woman under labour. Whatever we are passing through now will be nothing once we hear the cry of our baby. That the suffering of this very present time is nothing to be compared with the glory that we shall be enjoying when we shall meet Him there.
22) Romans 10:18 through 21: “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” (KJV).
23) To Israel, God said, “I have always stretched forth my hands to receive a rebellious and stubborn people and yet they are refusing, their minds full with questions.” I hope as Israel of God—the Church—that nobody is becoming stubborn here refusing to come. If that is your position, continue. Nevertheless, I want you to understand something: When God said “Israelites,” not all that are going to Israelites are Israelites.
24) Romans 6:6 through 7: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (KJV).
25) Romans 9:6 : “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” (KJV).
26) Please look at the two Scriptures, Romans 10:18 through 1 and Romans 9:6 through 7. God is still talking about His people. Not all that claimed to be Christians are Christians. I have told you that.
27) The fact that somebody come into the Church with Bible, or our Message(s), jumps up and down, calls us Brother and Sister, that doesn’t qualify the person to be a Christian. A Christian is known by his characteristics. The same way Christ is known by His characteristics. A sheep is known by its characteristics, a goat is known by its characteristics. In short, every living thing is identified by its characteristics.
28) That is why I gave my illustration of a synthetic flower. A psychedelic Christian. A make up. A man-made, artificial flower—very attractive, very conspicuous, a decorative instrument in the House of God; very attractive but there is no life— no water, no sand, a sign that it has no aroma. It has no sweet fragrance, it is just there. If you want it to be clean, just wash it with ordinary water, that’s all. It is lifeless. If you touch it, it remains the same.
29) In other words, even if you excommunicate the person, he or she is the same outside. Bring him or her inside, the same inside. Detach a synthetic flower, watch the leaf, watch the leaf, no change day in day out. Frankly speaking, no true child of God walks against His instructions. They have His fear in their hearts, they obey all His instructions. They aim at pleasing Him so that they can always be at peace with Him. Only on that condition can they obtain His favour and grace in the time of need.
30) The truth of God reaches the cloud if we can accept it. As many as have been following this Message from the beginning, they will accept that the truth of God is reaching unto the clouds. It is not ending in the Sanctuary.
ALWAYS OBEY GOD’S WORD TO THE LATTER
Psalm 108:4: “For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.” (KJV).
32) If you have been following this Message from the beginning, the Message is titled: AS I THOUGHT ON MY WAYS: “As I thought on the wrong ways I was heading to, I turned round, I ran back to Him.” That is what the Bible said. If you have been following it, at this very point where I am standing now, that’s where we have reached. Where I can say “remain blessed” to everybody. You will acknowledge that the truth of God so far revealed reacheth unto the clouds.
33) In other words, I don’t need to go about policing anybody again. The truth is that no true seed of God walks contrary to His instructions. Every true seed of God, even if he strays away, once he hears “come back,” he will come back. “Sit down,” he will sit down. He does not rebel, he doesn’t make noise, he doesn’t complain, he doesn’t murmur, he takes God at His Word. That is what we know a Christian with, because in Bridal Faith we are likened to soldiers, if we are really soldiers, we are under strict instructions from our Instructor. If He instructs us “at ease,” He means “at ease.” He doesn’t mean anything more than that, you stand “at ease.” If He said, “chest out,” you chest out, that’s all. Your duty is to obey. So you know what instructions you received there in those days when He wants you to mark your time, He will command you and tell you what He needs. He will say forward or left or He will say backwards.
34) “I have told you four paces behind mark time,” you mark time four paces. Four paces in front mark time, four paces to your right mark time. You have to keep the four paces and then complete the mark time order, and then you know you are a true soldier. You are following instruction. Moreover, when you refuse, you find yourself in the guardroom. It is not entering the guardroom that is the trouble, it is what you will suffer before you enter guardroom.
35) If any man takes you into guardroom straightforward, he loves you because when you get there you smoke your Indian hemp and make jest there, play well, well then there is no trouble there. No soldier harms a soldier. If he beats you, beat back. You received the same training, that is all. But what he fears in the army is what we pass through before you. You must be weakened first so that when you enter the cell you will sleep. There you will pass faeces and urine and sleep on top of them because the pains will be too much. They will bring hard food to you so that you won’t have teeth to chew them or they will weaken your jaws very well.
36) So it happens to a conscripted soldier here. If you dare disturb this peace, it is not locking you in the cell that matters. What we will give you before we take you there; we will make sure we give you so much that you won’t have mouth to talk again.
37) Therefore, if we are soldiers, believe that we are under strict command and we are under a strict Instructor who wouldn’t like to miss anybody in the battlefield. It’s the aim of every instructor that after you pass out and you are deployed to the warfront, you fight gallantly and come back, all of you maintaining your stand. Nobody will be killed in the battle because you received real gross training.
38) In addition, I know why I gave you this gross training. If segment boxers are being trained, you know that training is very good. When a real trainer is handling his boy, he gives him real tough punches at dangerous areas, gives him serious wounds, bring him down, put him up and down. If he should complain, he is a mad person because what the trainer is giving him is rough training for his own good.
39) Because once he enters the circle, his opponent can never show him pity. His opponent can hit him hundred percent harder than the trainer. So that’s why at times trainer will hire somebody to come and help him to punch his trainee left and right until his eyes will bulge. I mean two professional boxers; take their stand and punch—real training. They are not going to die. It is for their own good. So when you resist those things and enter the circle, oh no, you kill your opponent in two minutes, remove the teeth immediately, give him straight punch and give him uppercut, that’s all. Flit him across the rope and then come out with your towel, you just raise the thing, the thing is over. You collect your cheque and go away, that’s all.
40) So, that’s what I’m doing in this Faith. You think I am crazy? I am not crazy. You think I hate you? I don’t hate you. I know I am rough on you. I know I am rough on all of you in this Faith. I have my reasons. I want you to be completely independent. I want you to maintain your integrity, maintain your honour, preach this Message; don’t present it beggarly to any man. Be rough and build up your family that same way. You won’t panic, you are never amazed by day or by night and there is nothing any man can use to brag before you. What is that thing? Nothing. Because you have been trained in a very rough way.
41) When we traveled to lsialangwa, I told Brother Kelechi, I said, “I think you have convinced me now that you are still on your line of duty. We left here, we didn’t care whether we ate or not, we just left. There was nothing like ice water or pure water, we carried nothing. Our bags were empty. No biscuits, no groundnuts—nothing. And we didn’t care to buy any. I was watching my Brother, when I rejected the food, he rejected the food. I rejected water, he rejected water too. He ministered in the pulpit and I ministered in the pulpit. We remained the same person we were. Six-thirty, we were still very strong walking on our two feet. We rejected the vehicle that they brought to us. We were walking on our two feet, we never fainted. We got to a place, then took only a bottle of swan water, and then continued our journey. We took one bottle of small stout each and then continued walking with our feet until we got motorcycle and that is the training I gave them from the very beginning, because there were places we went, God said we shouldn’t take anything.
42) I remember the day we went to Kaduna from Jos. As many as went, you were there. We went to Kaduna from Jos, and I disguised myself because they were waiting for me anxiously. I gave my Brother my bag to carry. So they didn’t know who the Apostle was. Their eyes were on Brother Peter and they were all seated there even the people that brought us to that very hall after made much sufferings from Jos to Kaduna. We were just fainting yet no water. When we got there around four o’clock, we saw what was happening and so on. They were asking their question, “Ehen, introduce yourselves.” “We are so so and so.” I disguised myself.
43) So, from the beginning, Brethren started introducing themselves one by one, one by one, and I had earlier warned while we were coming, I said, “They are waiting for me and they will like to know me. They don’t know me. They have seen my picture in the publication. Please, I am wearing a new dress, let nobody even introduce me to them. Let nobody even try it. I surrendered my bag. So when I surrendered my bag, I felt that will betray me, I collected my bag again. While I was carrying my bag and everybody carrying bag, they didn’t know who was who when we got there. If I have surrendered my own and then they would have noticed maybe this one.
44) So we got there. Introduction continued. Brethren introduced themselves. It came to my turn and I said, “Well, I’m Brother Boniface.” They said, “Ah, ah! We have been waiting for Brother Peter, why didn’t you come with him?” We said, “Ah, ah. We can’t bring Brother Peter anyhow. He is our Apostle. We have to at least respect Him. We want to see and know what you believe after which if you agree with us then we can then go home and give Him report.” They said, “No, no, no, no. We have made every preparation to receive Him— oh—why can’t we? If we never believed, why inviting you? Oh no!” So they got discouraged.
45) Brethren said, “Well, if you don’t see Brother Peter, wouldn’t you talk to us?” They said, “No, let me go and call others.” So casually like that, they gathered. I couldn’t see the spirit in them. I was watching to know where they were heading. Then the topic started with questions and everything. Bishop Okey hooked the matter with other Ministers. The thing was going and going and going, I was supplying my own nuggets from a corner.
46) You know, the thing got to a point where the thing got to, one of them said, “Ah, ah! Allow this man to talk now. Why are you supplying all these things?” I said, “Yes, that’s how we do it.” They said, “Ah, ah?” They were looking at themselves. We saw their hands moving. A little while they passed papers around: “Could it be this man?” So the thing continued.
47) Brethren—Bro Okey in particular—lashed them up and down, showed them Scriptures, then at a time they were too inquisitive, I helped. So I helped and helped and helped and helped and helped. They said, “Oh, you could have been talking to us long before this man now, we perceive you are the very Brother Peter. But you don’t want to disclose your identity.” I said, “No, I am Brother Boniface, let’s continue.”
48) I continued talking and talking and talking up to the point where I established the Deity, I then said, “Please gentlemen, I am He,” and it was the time we were about to go when I had already exhausted all questions. It was too late in the night as at that time. No water, no food. Their water was there; their minerals were there. They were ready to do more. They volunteered to harbour us in their houses.
49) Remember we were there with empty stomach. Do you know that we couldn’t taste all these things? Nobody tasted water or mineral. They were watching and watching me. I tasted bread, I said, “Drink now. Fear them not. Take your water.” They looked at me, everybody was quiet, including our former Pastor Stephen. Ben Adikwu and Andrew Sarki were there.
50) So it was a big meeting in Kaduna. At the end of the whole thing, we showed them Scriptures why we should not touch anything they placed on the table. We are real children of God. Then they shrinked, fear gripped them.
51) At the motor park, very late in the night around nine o’clock in the night, we were there stranded, but the Lord saved the situation. Between ten we succeeded in getting a vehicle. Yet no water, no food, from Kaduna back to Abuja.
52) That same night we got to Abuja around twelve midnight. We were happy. It was at Abuja that we all fainted. Fainted in the sense that when we got there something terrible happened. Around one o’clock in the morning, by the time we finished undressing ourselves because we were weak, our former Sister served us. My own was yoghurt. Ha! I saw hell. I walked with my head. Not ordinary yoghurt, yoghurt with iced milk.
53) Brethren, I am trying to show you that hardship in this Faith is proper. It is Scriptural. I said it’s Scriptural. Make no mistake about it. So there is no way we can preach this Gospel and completely avoid suffering. So when you are in this Faith, rejoice exceedingly, but throw your full weight behind the Faith. You will reap the benefit thereof.
54) We drained ourselves that time, and we were ready for the worst to come. I am telling you truth. But it wasn’t so in our days. So I don’t want to train somebody that will suffer kwashiorkor in the time of trouble.
55) So, don’t think I hate you. I don’t hate you. I want to present all of you spotless, unblameable, unreprovable in His sight. We want to appear as Super Saints. I am not producing feeble Christians who cannot stand in the time of storm, no. I want to produce rugged Christians who will stand the test of time come what may. Amen.
Don’t run away from challenges; pray that challenges will come, for they will help you to develop. A man that doesn’t face difficulties from time to time does not grow in knowledge. For every difficult time you pass through, there is a lesson to learn and there is no limit to learning. Learning only stops in the grave. So when you stop learning you become old. So many great minds that have appeared were guided by this principle.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER FIVE
AVOID WORKERS OF INIQUITY
I have a warning, real warning. What is this warning? I will tell you people you must avoid. Anybody you see possessing this type of character, please avoid the person. It is for your own good. We have not come to Church to make friendship, have we?
2) William Branham said that we don’t come to Church only to shake our hands. We come to Church to hear the Word of God that we may live. But if your aim of coming to Fellowship is to come and make Sister friend, Brother friend, surely you have missed the target. You have missed the context why we gather here.
3) The people you must avoid. Roman chapter 16:17: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”(KJV).
4) Romans 16:17. “And now, there is one more thing to say before I end this letter. Stay away from those who cause division and are upsetting people’s faith.”(Living Bible).
5) Anybody you notice that causes division and goes about upsetting people’s faith; that is changing our Faith, bringing in new doctrine which he coined out after the imaginations of his or her evil heart, you should avoid such people.
6) if I should do that, run away from me. Don’t ever accommodate me in your house. If anybody is coming without this wholesome doctrine, know that he is disconnected from the Head. He’s trying to cause division in the Church. We have come to a point where people will now say, “I belong to Brother Ceaphas, I belong to Brother Andrew, I belong to Brother John.” No! Anybody bringing it into this Faith, God will destroy him or her because I know what God has done in this Church. God has passed sleepless nights to unite us in love. I say God has passed sleepless nights to unite us in love. What is uniting us in love? Uniting us in His Word, which He has given us as His absolute, as a sure sign that He is ever with us.
7) Anybody you notice that goes from house to house to disturb you, thwarting your Faith, giving it another interpretation, trying to show you that he has a more perfect understanding than any other person, please run away from that person. He is trying to make himself something run away from him or her.
8) “Teaching things about Christ that are contrary to what you have been taught. Such teachers are not working for our Lord Jesus but only want gain for themselves.” They are not working for Christ, they want gain for themselves. They are good speakers and simple minded people are often fooled by them.
9) If you watch the way they will present it, you think truth is there. Bring Bible together, bring their brain together knock the whole thing together in an oratory way, they present it to you, you think the person is still holding on to the Faith, you don’t know he is gone.
10) Who are people that are always guilty of this? Ministers! People that have reputation in the Church, not ordinary people, people of repute. These are people that have the authority to sit down with somebody and then knock these things together, thwarting the Faith, disturbing the faith of the simple.
11) Nevertheless, who is simple in this Faith? I don’t want to produce anybody with simple faith. I am producing everybody with faiths that has hairs. I say faith that has hairs, faith that has muscles. Faith that has foresight. You know this Faith has foresight. These are the people I’m producing in this Faith. But if you are simple minded after hearing all these things, well, you are not my material, I say you are not my material.
12) Second Thessalonians 3: 6: “Our brothers, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from all brothers who are living lazy life and who do not follow an instruction that we give them.” (Good News Bible).
13) Who do not follow the instruction we gave them, keep away from such people. If you know any brother is living a lazy life, all instruction we give them they throw away, such people, please do not have anything to do with them. Even if they come your way, please, lock up your doors. I say lock up your doors, you are not a sinner.
14) Second Thessalonians 3:11: “For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.” (KJV).
15) They are busybodies. Working, not at all. Busybodies especially in other men’s affairs. They can never mind their own things, they go about asking questions here and there intruding into things that do not concern them. Whatever you hear that happens, you rush there pararam chaa! Collect information. Rush to another Brother: “You see what is happening now.” Newscaster, talebearer, it is a foolish character. Your tongue can never be still. Foolish character. Run away from such people.
16) First Timothy 6:3 through 5: “For if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”(KJV).
17) “Some may deny these things but they are the sound wholesome teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.”(Living Bible).
18) Some may deny this Faith but they are sound, wholesome doctrine of Christ. Have we not seen some denying it? Has it not fulfilled? Who knows who will deny it tomorrow?
19) “But they are the sound wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the foundation for a godly life. Any one who says anything different is both proud and stupid.”
20) Anybody that says anything different from what I am telling you is both proud and stupid. That person is proud and stupid.
21) “He is quibbling over the meaning of Christ’s words.”
22) He is what? Quibbling over the meaning of Christ’s words. He is dotting about, trying to fabricate his own meaning.
23) He is quibbling over the Scriptures of our Lord, the meaning of the word of the Scripture of Christ our Lord, which is of no private interpretation—as plain as the day. If it requires interpretation, the preacher in our midst has already highlighted everything, stamped, God confirming it to be perfect. Why trying to quibble it this way, the other way, why trying? Leave it to flow that way the preacher handed it.
24) “He is quibbling over the meaning of Christ’s words and stirring up arguments ending in jealousy and anger and finally will lead to name calling.”
25) Idiot, idiot, stupid person who went from place to place thwarting and twisting, fine-tuning already made Message as if it was preached in a parable and feeble-minded fellow will take him serious. And Bible say such people should be avoided. They are dangerous, they are a canker in the Church.
26) “He is quibbling over the meaning of Christ’s words and stirring up arguments ending in jealousy and anger, which only lead to name callings, accusations and evil suspicions. These arguers— their minds worked by sin—don’t know how to tell the truth.”
27) Their minds worked by sin, they don’t know Holy One to tell the truth.
28) “To them the good news is just a means of making money.”
29) To them this Gospel we preach is nothing but a means of making money.
3) Anywhere they go, they are expecting to get something out of it. Was it the way this Message came to us? You are my witness that I have preached this Message without charge all these years, presenting it to you free of charge, so you cannot accuse me.
31) For that reason, notice the manner, the characteristics of such people, so that when they come your way, even if I’m not there, WHICH YOU KNOW I SHOULDN’T BE THERE PHYSICALLY, AS A MAN, I AM AT BENJAMIN STREET; IT IS ONLY WHEN I WANT TO VISIT YOU SPIRITUALLY, I CAN VISIT YOU, OR I WANT TO COME TO YOU PHYSICALLY, I CAN COME TO YOU. But I’m showing you these things, warning wherever I go that you know the characteristics of such people and how they achieve their target. In the end, they want to gain something. Amen.
32) We saw a lot of it in the End-time Message. A little while you see them coming with their big bags. They will talk few words and then pretend as if they want to go, you give them Fanta or Coke, they will sit down again.
33) Before you know it, “Brother, I have something to tell you. My sister was driven out of school in the village and I want to travel during the weekend. Can you just help me? I want to rush home and pay her fees.” The sister is not in the faith, but he is collecting money to go and pay her fees in the village.
34) Anywhere they go, they must make request. That was why Edwald Frank the last circular he published, he was warning people that wrote letters from Africa—especially Nigeria—begging for alms, begging for material things like television, video and this and that, and even dollars. He was telling them in that letter that they should remember that this is a Mission field that his expenses are greater than his income.
35) That the money they have there are meant for printing and spreading of the Spoken Word, and not to meet person’s private needs. It is in this last circular he published. And really, many Nigerians are guilty of begging alms from Germany which some of them were in our midst here. Some were begging from America. Some even collected us that time and took photograph with us; send our photographs to America, telling them, “Look at the little Church I’m pasturing; they are suffering, send some money, Bible—send some this and that.”
36) I was a victim of it. Each time they want to marry, they will send invitation letters to America. When they print wedding cards, they send to America. I don’t know whether the guest will attend wedding ceremony in Nigeria. I don’t know whether Peddy Green will attend wedding ceremony in Nigeria. Does Peddy Green know you? Does he know where your Church is? Nigerians have not finished attending the wedding, but Americans will know, they will attend.
37) That was why I told you I met no Church on the scene. What I met was just smart young boys. However, I thank God who allowed me to be patient because that was what He ordained. I was patient, I waited, following, trusting God until elderly men started coming in till at the appointed time, it pleased God that I should handle this Word in their midst.
38) And the Lord had to remove their hopeless altar, remove that hopeless altar and then rebuild a new altar. Because it was that same place the Prophets of Baal build their altar, the same stone they used was the same stone Elijah used, but he rearranged it. That was what the Holy Ghost did in the Church—rearranged it. Then call Jehovah, He answered and then we took off. Today, look at where we are.
39) In spite of dangerous prophesies we heard, “This move will quench this year, thus says the Lord.” “This move will never cross Upper-Iweka, thus says the Lord.” “I have not found your work perfect, you are deceiving my people. I’m cutting you down like an oak three weeks from now, thus says the Lord.”
40) We are still marching on. We have escaped their two weeks, one month—everything. Even Pentecostals who were praying for our death, we are still here watching them. We say, “God allow them to live. May they live so that they will see our end.”
41) Avoid such people like you avoid snakes. The people you must avoid, avoid all agents and strong adherents of Moses Laws. All adherents and the agents of Moses Laws, avoid them.
42) Titus chapter 1 verse 10: “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision.” (KJV).
43) Second Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (KJV).
44) First Timothy 1:6: “From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling.” 324) Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt with every man the measure of faith.” (KJV).
45) Second Corinthians 6:14 through 15: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? nd what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (KJV).
46) So many of you have formed the habit of impregnating heathens outside this Faith. The Bible says, “Do not be mismated with them.” But by and by, you must claim your son or your baby. You must bear responsibility for the pregnancy whether you like it or not. Nevertheless, I will visit that matter the day I will visit it. It is happening in your Church.
47) I’m coming gradually to the end of the Message, but I’m not in a haste. If I am not tired of talking, I am not tired of standing up here, are you tired of hearing me? When you feel tired, you go your way, after all I gave you permission to go home for Christmas. And I said anybody I see here we pastor him. If we don’t see anybody, we pastor the seats and the roofs. But I have seen more than the seats and the roofs, I’m duty bound to pastor you.
48) This is Christmas period, a dangerous and evil period. If you do not know, you may be hooked up with it. For that reason, I’m fortifying somebody. I say I am fortifying somebody.
49) Remember the Message, AS I THOUGHT ON MY WAYS. As I thought on the dangerous ways, the wrong ways I was heading to, I turned round, I ran back to Him. That’s where we are. Amen.
The greatest asset on earth is character. When character is lost, everything is lost. Remember that what should occupy your mind at all times is how to develop yourself. Don’t grow without developing yourself. If you grow in stature and you are not growing in intelligence or wisdom, you are an imbecile. The worth of a man is not in his bank account but in his brain. That is what differentiates a human being from a beast.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER SIX
BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS
Beware of covetousness. The Bible says that covetousness is idolatry. You can never be faithful to God and mammon at the same time. It is impossible. That is why you have to be very careful from now.
2) This is a warning to all that have been wandering away from pillar to post. Some that have coveted dangerous spirits already and they are manifesting it in their daily habits; I want to call you back.
3) And you cannot come back to me, unless you are a seed of God. For the seed of God heareth His Voice. But if you are not God’s seed, no matter how I speak, you will not hear me. Even the more I preach, the more angry you will become. The more I preach the more you will hate me.
4) You know Saint Paul came to a point where he was speaking to the people, he discerned that while he was talking, the people hated him. He turned and said, “Why hating me because I’ve told you the truth?” It happened in Jesus’ ministry also. Say, “Have you now hated me, you Jews because I have told you the truth?” So, there is no way I can reveal this truth and all that are guilty will love me.
5) Only those that come from God will love me, the rest will hate me. Some will even be wondering why I have even overstayed: “Is there anything strange He is saying? Is He bringing anything new? Those are the things we’ve been hearing before.”
6) We know you have been hearing it, have you ever obeyed it? Did Bible say hearers of the Word are saved? No, it is doers of the Word. You have been hearing it, I know, there is nothing strange. Why not carry your bag and go? What is tying you down? If you have been hearing it all these years, it doesn’t make meaning to you, you don’t know why He should be screaming and shouting over it, after all it’s not new, it’s not strange, the only thing you will do so that you will not be a hypocrite is to take your bag and then go. We will know you are not a hypocrite.
7) But if after saying such a thing in your heart, you sit down, you are wounding your conscience because I am going to prick you more. I will prick you more.
8) Beware of covetousness, which is idolatry. Psalm 73:1 through 22: “How good God is to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure, but as for me I came so close to the edge of the cliff.”
9) So God is good to those whose hearts are pure, but to those whose hearts are not pure, can God be good to them? “My feet was slipping and I was almost gone.”
10) I came to a cliff, I came to a point where my legs almost slipped off—nearly, nearly. I have told you that to be tempted is not sin but when you yield yourself to temptation, you commit sin. David was tempted by the prosperity of the wicked and David wanted to follow that way. Nearly!
11) “My feet were slipping and I was almost gone for I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked.”
12) David was envious of the prosperity of the proud and the wicked. Have I not told you in this Faith? I have told you that the prosperity of the wicked is always a great temptation to the righteous.
13) When you see a wicked person prospering, if you are a Christian and you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, the tendency is there for you to start asking questions: “If God is with me why am I not prospering? Does it mean that God is blind to all my labours or what? Why can’t God come to my rescue? Anywhere I put hand—chichichim. I try this one chichichim, ah, ah!”
14) Some will even take a decision, “Anyway, I know where I’m holding God, if I wait for the next three months and nothing goes, in short, in short.” What will you do? In short, in short, Bakassi will put you where they put others.
15) “My feet were slipping and I was almost gone, for I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and the wicked. All through life, their road is smooth.”
16) Note their character. Note what followed them. All through life, their road is smooth.
17) “They grow sleek and fat. They aren’t always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else. So their pride sparkle like a jewel necklace and their clothing is woven of cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish.”
18) Look at the word the Bible used, “These fat cats.” As cleaver as a cat. They have everything their hearts wish. No wahala, no skin pain. So when you talk of God perfecting His people through suffering, it’s not for them. No hardship.
19) “They scoff at God and threatened his people.”
20) They do what? They scoff at God and threatened His people. Always threatening God’s people, mocking God, scorning God and that was the way David wanted to follow because David was experiencing severe hardship and he saw the wicked prospering, everything easy going like that. But the Lord held him back, because anybody God loves He withhold him from committing sin against Him.
21) IF GOD HAS PERMITTED YOU TO GO AHEAD SINNING AGAINST HIM, THE LORD HAS ALREADY GIVEN YOU OVER TO THE SPIRIT OF DELUSION. A SURE SIGN THAT HE IS POISED TO DESTROY YOU BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU DO IS RIGHT IN YOUR EYES.
22) “How proudly they speak.”
23) How proudly they speak. Notice how God is describing the character of these unrighteous rich people in the society. If they are in the Church, notice their character. That is why I am telling you, remember the topic: AS I THOUGHT ON MY WAYS. As I ponder over the wrong ways I was heading to, I turned round, I ran back to Him.
24) “How proudly they speak, they boast against the very heavens and their words thrust through the earth. And so God’s people are dismayed and confused, and drink it all in. ‘Does God realize what is going on?’ They ask. Look at these men of arrogance; they never have to lift a finger. Theirs is a life of ease.”
25) David was tempted by it.
26) “All the time their riches multiply. Have I been wasting my time?”
27) I want you to see, you that have been going about trying to covet a dangerous spirit, that you cannot be wiser than father David. This thing now that is attracting your attention, father David saw it and it nearly swept him off. When he realized his senses, he regretted the mistakes he made, he ran back to Him. As I thought on my ways, I gave serous thought to my ways.
28) “Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure?”
29) Why take the trouble to be pure? David knew that they were gaining those things in unrighteousness, they were not pure, and David said, “Oh, these people that are wicked, are impure and myself, I devote time to be pure, I am dying of hunger and starvation.”
30) The Bible said, “All that are written in the Scriptures are for our learning that we through the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
31) “All I get out of it is trouble and woe everyday and all day long. If I had really said that, I would have been a traitor to your people. Yet it is so hard to explain it – this prosperity of those who hate the Lord. Then one day I went into God’s Sanctuary to meditate.”
32) One day, where did he go? I went into God’s house, God’s Sanctuary, the Church, to do what? To think about my ways. To think on my ways? When he went there to think on his ways, what did he get?
33) “Then one day I went into God’s Sanctuary to meditate and thought about the future of these evil men. What a slippery path they are on. Suddenly God will send them sliding over the edge of the cliff.”
34) Suddenly, at a time they are not expecting it God will send them sliding over a cliff—suddenly.
35) That is why if you are a Christian, don’t allow the prosperity of the wicked to attract your attention. Remember you are pilgrims and strangers here; this is not our permanent place. Whatever we have here is what God want us to have for our comfort and then we go away. That is all! No more, no less. Then why scrambling?
36) “What a slipping path they are on. Suddenly God will send them sliding over the edge of the cliff and down to their destruction: an instant end to all their happiness.”
37) And down to their destruction and put an instant end to all their happiness.
38) “And eternity of terror. Their present life is only a dream. They will awaken to the truth as one awakened from a dream of things that never really were. When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart. I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant.”
39) I saw myself what? Where were all these things happening? In the Sanctuary. God and David now in the Sanctuary. God consoling David: “Why worry?”
40) Why worry? When you can pray, trust in Christ and He will lead your way. Don’t be like doubting Thomas that trusted not His promise, why worry when you can pray?
41) “I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant, I must seem like an animal to you 0 God! But even so you loved me. You are holding my right hand; you will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven. Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you. my health fails, my spirit droops, yet God remains. He is the strength of my heart. He is mine forever.” (Living Bible).
42) What we have is greater than silver and gold. When we have the Word of God, we have eternal life. We are at peace with the Holy Spirit, at peace with all men, we rejoice exceedingly.
43) Are we wiser than father David? Can we now say, “God forgive us of our stupidity and ignorance. We never knew we forgot what manner of persons we are called to be and our attention were drawn away. We never knew when we were even competing with our neighbours, heathens whose background we don’t know?”
44) We tried to compete with our age grades, heathens. Who are you? That is why I have always told you to avoid such people because evil communication spoils good character.
45) If you follow a man that has hot temper, a little while, you will have hot temper. If you follow a stammerer, before you know it, you become a stammerer. The same way, if you follow a wicked man who is very rich, you don’t know the source of his riches, surely you must be influenced by his riches. You will like to be like him. But look at what the Bible said about them, is it not a fearful thing?
46) David had the fear of God in his heart.
47) Saint Luke chapter 12: 15: “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (KJV).
48) Romans 14:17 through 19: “For after all the important thing for us as Christians is not what we eat or drink but stirring up goodness and peace and joy from the Holy Spirit.”(Living Bible).
49) Do you see the most important thing?
50) Please, read first Timothy 6:3 through 19 at your private time.
51) James chapter 5: 1 through 8: “Look here you rich men.” Look here you rich men. “Now is the time you are going to cry and groan with anguish. Because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is even now rotting away and your fine clothes are becoming mere moth-eaten rags. The value of your gold and silver is dropping very fast, yet it will stand as evidence against you and eat your flesh like fire. That is what you have stored up for yourselves to receive on that coming day of judgement.
52) Hear the cries of the field worker whom you have cheated of their pay. Their cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have spent your years here on earth having fun, satisfying your every whim, and now your fat hearts are ready for the slaughter. You have condemned and killed good men who have no power to defend their course.
53) Now as for you, dear brothers, who are waiting for the Lord’s return, be patient like a farmer who waits until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen.” (Living Bible).
54) Jeremiah chapter 9:23 through 24: “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (KJV).
55) “The Lord said let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the mighty in his might, nor the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone that they know Me and understand that I am the Lord of justice and of righteousness, whose love is steadfast and that I love to be this way.” (Living Bible).
56) To some of us that have been labouring so much, very much industrious, well, look at the way God is seeing the whole thing through the Prophet.
57) Haggai chapter 1: 6 through 7: “You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely enough to eat or drink and not enough clothes to keep you worm. Your income disappears as though you are putting it into pockets filled with holes. Think it over, says the Lord of host.” (Living Bible).
58) Think it over, consider these things; consider your ways, consider your ways.
59) “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” (KJV).
60) Thus saith the Lord of host, consider your ways. Too many of you in this Faith, I hope you have not been hearing for hearing sake? If I should start calling names, you think I am abusing you. You have been labouring all these years because you don’t want God to counsel you.
61) Money is coming into your hands quite alright but you don’t know where you are keeping them and you can never see anything you are doing with the money. It is going out like wind because you cannot sit down and consider your ways. And the Lord is saying by the Psalmist: “Why not think about your ways. Think about the way you have wandered away, and see whether you can run back to the Lord.”
62) AS I thought on my ways, I turned round, I ran back to Him.
63) I have my reasons why I am giving these Scriptures out. Many of you have formed the habit of copying the Bible, go home and sleep with them. You can hardly crosscheck the Bible. As if I laboured in vain searching Scriptures for you.
64) James chapter 4 verse 1 to 10: “What is causing quarrels and fights amongst you?” (Living Bible).
65) What is causing fight and quarrel among you Church? Among Brethren even in their yards, even Brethren that live together, even right inside this Church, what is causing this fighting and quarrel?
66) Infants, be careful. When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, no infant escaped. When the generation of Noah was destroyed, no infant escaped. When Jericho was destroyed, no infant escaped except those that were approved in the harlot’s house.
67) “What is causing quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it because there is a whole army of evil desires within you?”
68) There is a whole what? Army of evil desire. Do you know what army is? All of them are well armed. That is why you can war and fight against yourselves because there is an army of desires fully armed in your heart. Hidden, hidden agendas.
69) “You want what you don’t have.” So you kill to get it.”
70) Because of that you do what? You kill to get by all means, and foolish people will stay somewhere and start to emulate or become envious or even jealous or even tempted. Why staying in the Church? Why not leave us and go out? Let no man deceive you, any seed a man sows that he must reap.
71) “You long for what others have and can’t afford it.”
72) You long for what others have but you cannot iafford it because the tail of a lizard is its defence. It is happening in this Church. Many of you have even discarded your old business because you want to get new ones and there is nothing in your hand to get that new one. Why not settle down with the one you already have. A bird at hand is greater than one million in the bush. You can dream a dream in the night and become a millionaire, but it is a dream.
73) “You long for what others have and you can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it from them. Yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask. Even when you come to God and ask, you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong.”
74) You don’t get it because you have a wrong motive, you have a wrong aim. May be you want to compete with Brother; you want to compete with Sister, that’s why you are making the request. God will not give it to you.
75) “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong. You want only what will give you pleasure. You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies.”
7) You are an unfaithful wife that loves her husband’s enemies! So it will take an unfaithful wife to love her husband’s enemies. Remember Christ is our husband in this Faith. We represent the wife of Christ; if we are faithful, we must hate what Christ hates, so it is in the family. Whatever I hate, my wife must hate it whether she likes it or not. Otherwise, there won’t be peace in the house.
77) “Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies, the evil pleasure of this world makes you an enemy of God?”
78) When you are making friends with God’s enemies, you are becoming God’s greatest enemy.
79) “I say it again that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasures of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God. Or what do you think the Scripture means when it says that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, watches over us with tender jealousy? But He gives us more and more strength.”
80) So, He watches us with “tender jealousy.” No wonder Saint Paul says, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy.” How can? How do you think I can permit you if you are a seed of God to stray away like that? Never, never. I must disarm you; I must make it completely impossible for you. If it requires baking bread for you to enter the kingdom, I will place you there. Because the Holy Spirit God has given to us is following us everywhere with tender jealousy.
81) If He is not following you that way, well, don’t regret, maybe He has not remembered you or He will remember you tomorrow or in the rapture.
82) “But he gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings as the Scripture says, ‘God gives strength to the humble but sets Himself against the proud and haughty.” Amen.
83) God gives strength to the humble and sets Himself against the proud and the haughty. Are you proud and haughty because of material things? Wait for God. In the day the Lord will wake up in anger, can your heart endure? Because, surely God will crush you into powder. The Bible said it is a sledge hammer. There is no respect of persons with Him.
84) So if you are playing and doing all these things and the Lord wants to check you being a tender Holy Spirit with a tender jealousy, He can never leave you to fly away. What He did to David, He will do to you so that you will remain in the Sanctuary and when you come to Fellowship, you will see how foolish you are. You will even regret your utterances, your behaviours and the extent you have walked wrongly, then you can now say, “Oh, as I thought on my ways, I turned round, I ran back to Him.”
85) I know you are running back. As many as have wandered away, who belonged to the Household of God, they are running back very quickly. Before the end of this Message, all of them must have come back.
86) But as many as do not belong to us, from now, they will be walking headlong to the ditch. I say, headlong to the ditch. Things we could not endure before, why accommodating them now? It is too late.
87) You are my children whom I have begotten by the Gospel of Christ, having ministered unto you; I want to impart a little wisdom into you. I say, I want to impart a little wisdom into you. And if you meditate on this wisdom, surely, it’s going to keep you from death and it’s going to keep you from falling. You will never regret today. Amen.
88) Follow me gradually.
89) Proverbs chapter 10:22: “It is the Lord’s blessings that make you wealthy. Hard work can make you no richer.” (Good News Bible).
90) It is the blessings of God that makes a man wealthy. Hard work improves you no better. So, when you notice it, now be very happy. I say, be very happy. God is blessing everybody. There is nobody in this Faith God is not blessing in one way or the other. But if you are measuring material things, using it as the only yardstick for God’s blessings on you, you are a pagan! I say you are a pagan. You will be ensnared. You will cut yourself with many sorrows.
91) Proverbs 12:9. “It is better to be an ordinary man working for a living than to play the part of a great man but go hungry.”
92) It is better to be an ordinary man working for a living.
93) I said I want to impart little wisdom in you. Though everything can vanish on your way, wisdom will not vanish.
94) Proverbs 11:4: “Riches will do you no good on the day you face death. But honesty can save your life.”
95) Bro. Charles, your own is reading what? Read it in your own. 11 verse 4: “Riches will do you no good on the day you face death, but honesty can save your life.” Riches will do you no good the day you face death, but honesty can save your life.
96) Proverbs 12:15 through 16: “Stupid people always think they are right, wise people listen to advice. When a fool is annoyed, he quickly let it be known. Sensible people will ignore an insult.”
97) Proverbs 14:3. “A fool’s pride makes him talk too much; a wise man’s wealth protects him.” A fool’s pride makes him talk too much.” Verse 7: “Stay away from foolish people, they have nothing to teach you.” Verse 17: “People with a hot temper do foolish things. Wiser people remain calm.”
98) Proverbs 16:27 — 28. “Evil people look for ways to harm others even their word burn with evil. Gossip is spread by wicked people. They stir up trouble and brake up friendships.”
Proverbs 27:1. “Never boast about tomorrow. You don’t know what will happen between now and then.”
99) Proverbs 28:4. “If you have no regard for the law, you are on the side of the wicked. But if you obey it, you are against them.”
100) Proverbs 10:18 through 19: “A man who hides his hated is a lair. Any one who spreads gossips is a fool. The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. But if you are wise, you will keep quiet.”
101) I hope we are getting the words of wisdom.
512) Proverbs 10:12: “Hate stirs up trouble but love overlooks all offences.”
102) Proverbs 11:20 through 24: “The Lord hates evil minded people but love those who do right. You can be sure that evil men will be punished, but righteous men will escape. Beauty in a woman without good judgement is like a gold ring in a snout. What good people want always results in good. When the wicked get what they want, everyone is angry. Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautious and yet grow poorer. Be generous and you will be prosperous. Help others and you will be helped.”
103) Proverbs 11:27 through 29: “If your goals are good, you will be respected. But if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get. Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer. The man who brings trouble on his family will have nothing at the end. Foolish men will always be servants to the wise.” Foolish men will always be servants to the wise.
104) Proverbs 12:22: “The Lord hates liars but is pleased with those who keep their words.”
105) Proverbs 14:13 through 14: “Laughter may hide sadness, when happiness is gone sorrow is always there. Bad people will get what they deserve. Good people will be rewarded for their deeds.”
106) In other words, any seed a man soweth, that he must reap.
107) Proverbs 10:23 through 24: “It is foolish to enjoy doing wrong; intelligent people take pleasure in wisdom. The righteous gets what they want but the wicked will get what they fear most.”
108) The wicked will get what they fear most. But wise people will get what they want.
109) Proverbs 12:8. “If you are intelligent, you will be praised. If you are stupid, people will look down on you.” 14. “Your reward depends on what you say and what you do. You will get what you deserve.” Any seed a man soweth, that he must reap.
110) Proverbs 12:19: “A lie has a short life but truth lives on forever.”
111) Proverbs 15:26: “The Lord hates evil thoughts, but he is pleased with friendly words.” Verse 17:1. “Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than to have a banquet in a house full of trouble.”
112) Proverb 15:27: “If you try to make a profit dishonestly, you will get your family into trouble. Don’t take bribe and you will live longer.”
113) How many will read Scriptures if I give you when you get home?
114) So in conclusion Brethren, follow those that follow our example. As many as have us as their example, follow their lifestyle, amen.
115) Be very sure you don’t stand in the ways of the mockers and scoffers.
116) Psalm 1 verses 1 and 2: “Oh, the joy of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing a the things of God.”—The joy of those who do not hang around with sinners, who do not even follow those that mock God, laugh at God and his people. –“But they delight in doing everything God wants them to.” –They are only interested and delight and take pleasure in doing those things which God commands them to do—“And day and night are always meditating on His laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.”
117) Everyday, they are meditating about the ways of God and thinking of how to follow Him.