UNGODLY WEALTH: A JOURNEY OF NO RETURN- AN EPSITLE TO MY FELLOW YOUTHS COMPILED BY BROTHER IKECHUKWU OFOEGBU HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, NSUKKA ON 21ST AUGUST, 2021 AUTHORIZED AND APPROVED BY: APOSTLE PETER ODOEMENA THE SON OF AN UNREPENTANT ADVOCATE FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
I AM SAYING THAT THIS MESSAGE THAT IS GOING ROUND THE WHOLE WORLD IS PRODUCING SAINTS BECAUSE IT IS TRUTH FROM GOD. IT IS A FERTILE MESSAGE, FERTILIZING THE HEART WITH GOOD INFORMATION TOWARDS GOD AND TOWARDS HUMANITY. A MESSAGE THAT CHANGES THE LIVES OF THOSE THAT BELIEVES. IS IT NOT TRUE? BUT YOU STILL SEE SOME PEOPLE IN THIS SAME FAITH, WRITING THE MESSAGES, PREACHING IT AND BELIEVING IT WITH THEIR MOUTH. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEIR LIVES WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED; GOOD-FOR-NOTHING HUMAN BEINGS, ALL OF THEM IN THE SAME VINEYARD.
~ The Son of Man
Culled from: This is Harvest Time preached on 1st Aug. 2021; page 56:19-21
1
LIFE IS ABOUT MAKING IMPACT
It is expedient that I write this epistle to share my experiences with the children of God that they might learn a lesson and follow not after the worldly fashion of wealth acquisition which is filled with thorns and thistles.
2. Saint Paul through his letter to Timothy warned him about those that abandoned the faith because of the love of money thereby piercing themselves with many sorrows.
3. 1 Timothy 6:6-12 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
4. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
5. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (KJV).
6. [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.
7. For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world; But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content (satisfied).
8. But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.
9. For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.
10. But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.
11. Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses. AMP
12. It is quite unfortunate the way young men and women are dying these days sometimes from unidentified causes. They diminish like flowers that wither immediately after it blossoms leaving parents as mourners when it is supposed to be the other way round.
13. Reports from different quarters has placed the death age of these productive young men and women between 20 to 40 years. The reasons for these recorded cases of premature death are not far-fetched.
14. Investigations has shown that the major cause of this high mortality rate among the youths of this generation is related to the quest to acquire wealth by all possible means.
15. The desire to get rich quick in order to become relevant in the society has pushed many into their early grave, both male and female alike. Hear the word of the Lord on this matter as he was instructing the youths through the message, Preserve Your Youth and Achieve Your Dreams, preached in 2006, Page 12, Paragraph 1, Please pay attention to me.
16. It is at this youthful stage of life that many die mysteriously because they are over ambitious to make money by all means. Some of them enlist themselves in secret societies that involve even human rituals or even their own lives in order to make money at tender ages.
17. It has been proven that money ritual has become the major cause of the deaths recorded among productive youths in the society and many are still venturing into it on a daily basis.
18. Remember, it may not take you to go to a shrine to engage in this profane act. They have even created offices through the social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
19. I have received friend requests from some native doctors on Facebook who boldly advertise that you can make money without shedding human blood. Whenever I receive such requests, I delete it right away because you cannot befriend a leper and avoid his handshake.
20. Please pay attention to me. It is at this youthful stage of life that many die mysteriously because they are over ambitious to make money by all means. Some of them enlist themselves in secret societies that involve even human rituals or even their own lives in order to make money at tender ages due to improper counseling and bad influence.
21. They capitalize on the weakness of the society that believes that the end justifies the means. This ideology or philosophy is from the devil and not from God. It increases the criminal propensities of the youths without measure and must be curbed by the parents.
22. Many embark on this journey without even considering the consequences. All they know is that they want to become millionaires when they do not even know the value of money.
23. If you become a millionaire today, what will you do with money? Let me tell you, if you cannot make an impact in the society while you are poor you cannot make an impact when you become rich.
24. Page 13, Paragraph 1 of the same message. This over ambitious youths will like to catch the wind by becoming millionaires sometimes without any viable and visible means, as a proof to their parents and colleagues that they have arrived.
25. Have you seen it? They want to register their presence as millionaires. These people know nothing about adding value to human life o. That one is not in their program. They want the society to know that they have arrived. That they have also made it like others.
26. Such youths can indulge in unimaginable and abominable profligacy to the hurt of their fellow men to achieve their dastardly objectives.
27. You will hear them singing a song from one Nigerian musician known as Victor “If you no make money wetin you gain… If you know drive motor wetin you gain… This year I must drive motor…
28. This year I must make am…” By the time they will obtain a list of what it will take to amass this wealth, it has become too late for them to turn back. That is when they will realize that the journey to acquire ungodly wealth is a journey to the abyss. A journey of no return.
29. To these categories of youths, they prefer money to life and nothing obstructs their ways without being crushed in their bid to make the money.
30. Have you seen it? They don’t care what it will take them. Their target is money. Whoever that stands on the way is regarded as a known enemy that must be eliminated by all possible means.
31. To these categories of youths, they prefer money to life and nothing obstructs their ways without being crushed in their bid to make the money. These people do not know the value of money.
32. The only thing they know is to boast of building estates, riding the best aeroplane, the best jeep, sleeping with every kind of lady in exotic hotels and to take chieftaincy titles at young age. Is this a sign of development?
33. After all these things, has the individual being developed? Remember development has nothing to do with wealth acquisition. That is why the Son of Man, Apostle Peter Odoemena opened my eyes to what development is when I was interviewing him during his 65th birthday.
34. He said and I quote, “A developed human being is one that has the spirit of Christ. The spirit of truth and has love for God, for himself and for humanity…”
35. This is God’s own parameter for measuring development. So, wealth acquisition cannot make you developed. It is the spirit of Christ in you that develops you.
36. A nation can grow without developing in the same manner a man can grow in stature but is mentally retarded. These youths who die for money are mentally retarded.
37. How can a person with sound mental reasoning resolve that instead of not making money let him die in the process and let the relations enjoy it?
38. They forget that this wealth fades away as soon as the person that has been paying the price for it dies.Fiam! It vanishes like leaves swept away by a strong harmattan wind and the person that acquires it is remembered no more for he did not leave any legacy behind.
39. If you die today, what will you be remembered for? What legacy are you leaving behind? What legacy will you leave behind that will point future generations back to you? This matter has nothing to do with riches. It is not the number of exotic vehicles or state of the art, or mansions you have that counts.
40. What value have you added to the life of the people around you? Can anyone smile on remembering your name. Are you sure there are people that will mourn you when you depart this mother Earth?
41. Can somebody stand by your grave with a flower after your death and say, “Here is buried a man that touched my life in a positive way.”
42. The moment you address these questions with every amount of godly sincerity, you will give a new and better direction to your life. You must learn to choose the good path Just like Mary which no man taketh away from you.
43. Luke 10:42 “But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.” (Amplified)
44. “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (KJV)
45. Before I go further; I want to draw the attention of the youths to a Saturday Youth Magazine of Guardian Newspaper of 31st August 2019, published 4:25am By Gbenga Adebambo, titled- Youths: Pursue meaning, not money!
46. “Focusing your life solely on making money shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled” – Barack Obama.
47. Horace Freely said: “The darkest hour in any man’s life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it”. You earn money by finding meaning and solving a problem. Money is the by-product of finding meaning. Life is about making an impact, not making an income.
48. Mike Murdock said: ‘’Money is the reward you get for solving someone’s problem.’’ It is fraud when you plan to get money without solving a problem. The truth is: money is just a reflection of the value you give to others.
49. So, the more you solve problems, the more money you make. Some people are only passionate about doing anything just to get money while great people are passionate about adding value to peoples’ lives for profit.
50. The ravaging news of Nigerians plummeting the western worlds through advanced free fraud is becoming embarrassing and a degrading show of national shame.
51. First, it was Invictus Obinwanne on his record-breaking cyber-fraud totaling $22 million, followed by the 80 Nigerians indicted for cyber fraud by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), followed sympathetically with the list of 23 Nigerians on the hanger’s noose in Saudi Arabia who may be executed any moment for drug-related offences.
52. Next was rather a hilarious tale of a Nigerian that defrauded another inmate inside a prison in Singapore! Amos Paul Gabriel, 48, who was sentenced to three years in jail for defrauding the Ethiopian government of $27.2m, was charged again with cheating another inmate while in remand at Changi Prison in Singapore to the tune of $27, 560.
53. The list released by FBI recently is not an indictment on any tribe or religion but a deeper revelation of our value and reward system. As I watched online where these youths partied and sprayed ‘sacred’ $100 bills like paper, I have no doubt in my mind that our value system has disintegrated to the extent that we celebrate people whom their source of wealth is questionable.
54. In a nation where dishonesty is treated with kid gloves both in high and low places, it is then imperative (Vital or Important) that we work on our perspectives before any significant change can be seen in Nigeria.
55. If we continue to treat issues that bordered on dishonesty and lack of integrity with utter indifference and sometimes admiration, then we will continue to wallow in the mud of global vituperation (cruel and angry critism or abuse).
56. We must educate and inculcate the right values in our younger generation. The source of their wealth should be investigated and the origin of their affluence questioned.
57. How do we reward novel initiatives, hard work, and honesty? How do we reward patriotic services to the nation? How is societal pressure playing its role in shaping the behaviour of the youths?
58. What do we expect from a nation where scammers are seen as being smart and the victims as being gullible? This has triggered a chain of negative responses from the world community as Western Union in Texas (the State with the largest Nigerian population in the US) has blocked all money transfers to Nigeria.
59. The block is actually anticipated to spread. There is now a controversial clampdown on US Visa application by Nigerians as a result of the unprecedented level of cybercrime by Nigerians.
60. While some Nigerians made news for all the wrong reasons these past weeks, there are still many more that are out there living a life worth celebrating.
61. In the midst of all this came news of hope as a Nigerian engineer, Jude Igwemezie won a $500 million contract to build a monorail network in Iraq. Chinedu Echeruo was also in the news for good as Apple bought his company hopStop for $I billion (360 billion naira).
62. I want to emphatically say that there are many Nigerians earning legitimate money that has surpassed the criminal haul of countless fraudsters. I have observed that one of the major differences between the Rich and the Poor is that: The Poor chase after money while the Rich attract money.
63. Your ambition is poor if it is all about money! You find ‘meaning’ in life by looking for a problem to solve. You find meaning in life by adding value. You find meaning in life by making maximum impact in your community. You find meaning by making a difference where you are. When the ambition of a man is chasing after money, wealth becomes elusive (difficult to find, catch or achieve).
64. The richest people in the world were just trying to solve a problem and ended up becoming rich.
65. George Washington Carver once said; “No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.’’
66. The issue of young people running after money without any definite and concrete plans to add value to the world is appalling (shocking or extremely bad).
67. We seriously need to re-orientate our youths on the need to have a sense of value. We need a renewed thinking approach to wealth. Wealth is not all about money; it is about adding value, solving problems, and leaving the world better than we met it.
68. Money is not everything! Myles Munroe said, “Wealth is given to fulfill purpose and divine assignment. You were not born to make a living but to make a difference.”
69. Life is not all about money. It is living out on something that outlives you. The true worth of a man is not measured with money; it is measured by the object of his pursuit.
70. John C. Maxwell said; “Most people are capable of making a living. The significant thing is making a difference.” Life is about making an impact, not making an income.
71. An average youth should be a solution and not a problem in the contemporary world. Let us stop the ‘mad’ and ‘demented’ rush after money; let us proffer solutions to problems and earn money legitimately and credibly.
72. Work hard towards evolving an idea that will solve problems and not just make money the object of your pursuit. Pursue ‘meaning’, value, and purpose.
73. What matters that you leave behind in life is not money, it is meaning – a legacy. Pursue meaning, not money and money will chase you, pants down!
74. The Lord while addressing the youths on this matter during the last Youth Conference held at Government Technical College in 2019, pointed us to the characteristic features of the youthful stage that is filled with impatient and the quest to get anything they desire as quickly as possible.
The most dangerous gadget, the devil developed to destroy the whole world, to destroy all families is the handset. I am telling you God’s truth. There is no crime that is not committed today without the help of handset. With the introduction of handset, there is no man or woman no matter how Holy Ghost filled that can say, “I know the limitations of My son, the limitation of My daughter.” Na lie, you know not.
-THE SON OF MAN-
Culled from: Save Your Family from Extinction excerpt from Be Your Brother’s Keeper (11th August, 2013; page 44:29-30
2
YOUTHFUL STAGE; THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE PERIOD
It is right to desire to be something, but these questions are pertinent. What do you want to be and why do you want to be that thing? If they are not properly answered, your parents may not guide you properly.
2. You will notice that nobody is patient with anything, not even patient with their fellow human beings… At all. … neither are they patient with the affairs of this world.
3. Everybody is trying to catch the wind, when the wind can never be caught. I am very grateful to Almighty God. The most destructive period in life is the youthful stage. True or false?
4. This is the most destructive period in the history of every human being because at this youthful stage, if they are not properly guided, they will become self-destructive.
5. They will destroy themselves with their own hands while trying to meet up with the desires of their heart. Do not ever lose sight of the fact that man’s wants are insatiable.”
6. Have you seen why the scripture enjoined us to be contented with what we have for godly contentment is great gain?
7. [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.
8. 1 Timothy 6:6 “Remember, there is no end to the ever-changing fashion of this world. They keep on changing on a daily basis hence trying to keep up with the trend of life will only cause you many sorrows”.
9. 1 Corinthians 7:31 “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. (KJV).
10. And those who deal with this world [overusing the enjoyments of this life] as though they were not absorbed by it and as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world (the present world order) is passing away.
11. James 1:11-12 “For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways”. (KJV).
12. For the sun comes up with a scorching heat and parches the grass; its flower falls off and its beauty fades away. Even so will the rich man wither and die in the midst of his pursuits”.
13. I continue with the Bridal Youth Conference. “There is no way, human wants can be satisfied, every human being represents Oliver Twist. The more he gets, the more he will be desiring.
14. That is why whatever is your affection, watch over it whether it is good or bad. Watch over your affections to know that which you have given your life over to accomplish, because it gives you joy.
15. Pause a little. To what extent will you go on with it before you can quit that character? It may give you joy today, but look into the future because whatever we are doing, whatever we are expecting must have future consequences. True or false?
16. That is why a wise fellow not only considers today, he considers the future. He sees the end of everything he wants to do before he indulges in them.
17. A robber must see the end. He must not only see the pleasure; he must see the premature death. He must see the likely imprisonment. He must see even lynching on the street by people that are provoked.
18. He must see all of them. But if his eyes are focused on the pleasure of that present loot, he will be handcuffed.
19. I know we must all die, but we must not rush into our premature graves. We must not send ourselves into early graves.
20. Do we have people out there who are sending themselves into their early graves? Good. Tell me whether any man has achieved his ambitions in life in the grave. Has the grave profited anybody anything? Thank God.
21. – Culled from PAPER PRESENTATION, 2019 YOUTH CONFERENCE @ THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD ONITSHA, ANAMBRA STATE ON 28 DECEMBER 2019, PAGE 19 VERSES 78 THROUGH 89.
22. It is very unfortunate that while many people that rushed out of the country in search of greener pastures are returning home worse than they left, many still have the desire of traveling out of the country even when they have nothing to offer.
23. No skill, no talent, no certificate. You are not doing anything that can be paid for in Nigeria and you think you will go abroad and pluck money from the trees. We better stop deceiving ourselves.
24. I know of one returnee from Turkey who came home empty handed with the confession that life over there is contrary to his expectation. Yet the foolishness in him is still pushing him to travel to Brazil because he believes life is better there.
25. A graduate of marketing oo, instead of sitting down to think of what he will do for his country he is loofing about, doing fine boy, waiting for the day the money he will use to process his Visa will fall down from heaven.
26. What if this young man eventually finds himself in Brazil only to discover that life over there is worse than where he ran away from, he may probably come back and start looking for another country that is flowing with milk and honey.
27. He then becomes the legendary Ajala that traveled all over the world without anything to show for it. These days, cybercrime has become so rampant that your son or daughter may be involved yet you do not know.
28. Some have even gone to the extent of getting themselves acquainted with voodoo practices to enable the people they are trying to dupe cooperate with them without raising any suspicion.
29. Wealth acquired after an ungodly sort. It is ephemeral, it only lasts for a while, then it fizzles away never to be seen anymore. The most unfortunate thing is that the society celebrates this type of wealth.
30. When you have the money, they will hail you but when you get caught they will also be the same people that will crucify you. I can remember the case of Ramos Abbas, a Nigerian Yahoo boy know as Hushpuppi who was an Instagram celebrity with millions of followers who were following him because of the way he was flaunting his proceeds of cybercrime which everybody knows about.
31. One day, he duped an American company upto the tone of 1.1 million dollars in what was regarded as a transnational cyber operation involving many Nigerians in the US and also here in Nigeria of which Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyar, the suspended Commander of Intensive Response Team of the Inspector General of Police is being investigated.
32. The young man known as Hushpuppi thought it was business as usual only for him to be whisked away to the United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where he was tried and convicted for global cybercrime.
33. Today where are his followers who were urging and hailing him to continue in his fraud to the extent that he became a model to many? Have you seen how evil is celebrated by the society? It is quite unfortunate that evil is celebrated in the society more than good.
34. This does not mean we should be discouraged from doing good. Remember, you have a reward for doing good.
Many think that poverty is lack of money. No no no. If money makes you think you are better than others then you are the poorest person on Earth.
35. Poverty is lack of Christ in your life. When Christ is not in you, you are the poorest person on Earth. Many things have been Identified as the factors that push young men and women into unhealthy competition for wealth.
36. Some of these factors are: Societal pressure– imagine a situation where you attend the traditional wedding of a friend only to discover that the #200 you want to spread on the couple is irrelevant compared to the dollar currency bills being spread by those younger than you.
37. Imagine how you will feel seeing a girl you love and wants to marry abandoning you for a richer suitor. Imagine how embarrassing, insulting and humiliating it would be when a posh car splash dirty water on you only for the occupant to be your junior in the secondary school.
38. It will only take a heart that fears and honours the Lord to resist the temptation of asking these people to show you the road that leads to wealth.
39. Remember, the prosperity of the wicked has always been a great temptation to the righteous. We should not be overtaken by this temptation that is now surrounding us.
40. Psalms 73:1-3 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (KJV)
41. Truly God is [only] good to Israel, even to those who are upright and pure in heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious of the foolish and arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (AMP).
42. Have you seen the confessions of David, a man after God’s own heart, how he almost slipped because of the prosperity of the wicked in his day? Some blame the government for their woes because of the inability of the government to provide a sustainable employment.
43. They may be right in their own way but God has taught us better. While addressing the youths during a conference organized by Dignity Consult of the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus at De English Hotel.
44. He pointed the Nigerian youths to skills acquisition for gone are the days when one dreams of an appointment letter with other incentives after graduation.
45. You should not indulge in illegalities because the government failed your expectations. This is no longer the time you should be waiting for what Nigeria will do for you rather this is the time to think of what you will do for your country.
46. A wise man once told a prostitute who claimed she started prostitution because of poverty that you cannot decide to use shovel to eat because you don’t have spoon. You know shovel looks like a spoon and in an attempt to use it to eat, you will end up tearing your mouth apart.
47. A person that claims he is stealing because of poverty is fooling himself. After all, not all poor people are thieves. Let us look at another factor that leads people to this journey of no return.
48. Parental pressure- it is quite unfortunate that the parents who are supposed to understand the plight of their children has turned round to worsen the situation by pushing their children into nefarious (Criminal or immoral) practices in order to be bringing money to them in Ghana must go sacks without consideration to the source of the money.
49. You ask some parents what their children are doing, I mean their occupation, they will tell you their son is a business man. Which line of business are they into? They will tell you it is import and export.
50. What are they importing? They do not know. Where is their office or warehouse? They do not know. All they care about is the money. As long as it keeps coming, they don’t care how it was made. Let us hear what God documented on this all-important matter.
51. “Please pay attention to me. It is at this youthful stage of life that many die mysteriously because they are over ambitious to make money by all means.
52. Some of them enlist themselves in secret societies that involve even human rituals or even their own lives in order to make money at tender ages due to improper counseling and bad influence.
53. They capitalize on the weakness of the society that believes that the end justifies the means. This ideology or philosophy is from the devil and not from God. It increases the criminal propensities of the youths without measure and must be curbed by the parents.
54. How can this hydra-headed monster that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the society be curbed when the parents are now pushing and encouraging their children into it!
55. Some silly parents are also guilty of mounting undue pressure on their youths comparing their financial standings with that of their compatriots irrespective of how they make the money”.
56. I can see a mother shouting “Ngozi, what are you still doing in this house? Your mates are all married and you are here finishing my food.”
57. Papa Ade on his own side will be shouting ” Ade, your mates are building houses, buying cars and taking good care of their parents and you are here struggling over a bottle of drink with me.”
58. Mama Ngozi has forgotten that you don’t buy husband in the market and papa Ade failed to realize that money does not grow on trees talk more of plucking them.
59. This is the plight of children in so many families where the parents have decided to make their life a living hell because they do not meet their expectations.
60. A wise youth should not succumb to that type of devilish pressure or competition for wealth. Wealth is good only if it is acquired honestly in the fear of God...” Taken from, Preserve Your Youth And Achieve Your Dreams, Preached by the Son of Man, Apostle Peter Odoemena, in 2006, Page 12, Paragraph 1 & 2.
We must as a matter of urgency rise up to this fight. What is the fight? Operation save your family from extermination, from extinction. Operation save your family from disaster, GSM disaster. Save your family from extinction, from hell. Sometimes, they may not be browsing or chatting, they are meditating on the information they have collected from their ungodly friends. Hence, the child can now have a list of friends: “My list of friends.” Even adults among us have lists of friends. Friends on what? Why are you friends? What makes you friends?
-THE SON OF MAN-
Culled from: Save Your Family from Extinction excerpt from Be Your Brother’s Keeper (11th August, 2013; page 44:29-30
3
WHAT IS THE POINT OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP?
Let us consider another factor. Peer pressure- the type of friends one keeps has always determined the fate of the person. That is why there is a saying, “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.”
2. Let us consider page 48, of the message, Preserve Your Youth and Achieve Your Dreams, Preached by the Son of Man, Apostle Peter Odoemena, in 2006. SECTION EIGHT: FRIENDSHIP AND DEATH.
3. A friend is the person that corrects one when he or she goes wrong. Any other definition than this is unacceptable in the sight of God. People mistake friendship to mean exchange of pleasantries.
4. This notion is erroneous. This is why to such people that holds these erroneous beliefs, anybody that reprimands them of any evil act is regarded as an enemy.
5. For two to become friends, they must be like-minded. I said two, because it takes two to tango. The two cannot walk together except they agree.
6. This is pure truth. It is either you are influencing the person or the person is influencing you negatively or positively. If whenever you meet with someone, he or she is always talking about how to drive the latest 4MATIC car and buy the most expensive property in the city, run for your life before the person will use you to actualize these ungodly desires.
7. That person that you have as a friend, what is the point of your friendship? Do you have the same ideology, or principle with the person you call your friend? What is the basis of your friendship? Is the relationship or friendship symbiotic? If yes, why?
8. And if no, why? Do you have the same vision with that your friend? The answer you supply to these questions will determine where the friendship will take you.
9. Your enemy will not destroy you but your friend. All evil suggestions that have grave consequences have been traceable to friends and not enemies. Nobody exposes a friend to rough life more than a friend.
10. Friends have even lured their fellow friends to their death grounds unsuspectingly. The easiest person that can poison you is your friend.
11. Love him or her and do good to your friend but do not blink your eyes whenever he or she is around. If it is possible, maintain no friends, no enemy. The best friend you have in this life that is trustworthy is yourself.
12. Enjoying a free lift in a car on the basis of friendship is disastrous. You may be carried dumb to an unknown destination and that may mark the end of your journey on earth. Your friend with whom you pass the night may use you for ritual sacrifice.
13. Cases abound where people that visited friends they met on Facebook and other social media platforms never returned to tell the story of what happened to them. There are so many unsolved cases of this magnitude in police departments all over the world.
14. Sometimes the body parts of these victims will be found many weeks after they disappear while some may not even be seen at all.
15. Avoid friendship the same way you avoid cultism and robbery. Cases abound where robbers made confessional statements to the police that their friends lured them into violent robbery and rape.
16. People always tend to look like their friends without consideration to their financial background. This has led some into money ritual and cybercrimes so that they will belong to the social class enjoyed by their so-called friends.
17. It is quite unfortunate that these days, friends have become one of the greatest forces that pushes young men and women into money ritual and internet fraud or cybercrime.
18. They have gone through this journey of no return and seen their end. They don’t want to die alone that is why they are beckoning on you. Remember, they will not tell you that you will sacrifice your lovely mother, your caring father, your lovely siblings or a part of your body.
19. If they do, you will run away. They will rather tell you it does not involve spilling of human blood. No problem, “it does not involve spilling of anybody’s blood,” they say, it is your own that will be spilled on the long run.
20. Your friend who is envious of your success can even plan for your rape and execute it with ease even in his or her house.
21. Since friendship is often associated with death, every intelligent youth should avoid it like wild fire. When you preserve your youth, you secure your future and transform your dreams into realities.
22. Before I rest my case on this matter, I want to share with you an experience I had some months ago; “On that faithful Monday morning, I went out with some house agents in search of an apartment. On getting to the Estate, they took me to, we were redirected to the owner of the house who happens to be a lawyer.
23. At the man’s house I ran into a primary school classmate. In those days in primary school, I used to write assignments, tests and even examinations for him because he could hardly spell his name”.
24. The last I saw him was two years ago where he was doing menial jobs. To be honest, seeing him that day was a great shock to me. Why? You may ask. He has changed so much that he was even the one that recognized me.
25. He now lives in a mansion, drives a posh car and is married to a gorgeous lady. He even told me that God decided to flash torchlight for him. What an irony of life, I thought.
26. Many thoughts filled my head that day until I had to expel them with the messages from the Almighty God that warned us not to envy the prosperity of the wicked.
27. I remembered who I am and glorified God. After all I am better than him. He has wealth but I have Christ which is the ultimate. Some of my mates have even died but here I am, alive and healthy.
28. I want you to learn a lesson from this story bearing in mind that it is not often the fastest runner that wins the race. Slow and steady wins the race. If you cannot run, walk. If you cannot walk, crawl.
29. It is not how long it takes you to reach your destination that matters. What matters is “How well.” We often see the outward happiness enjoyed by some people but we fell to see their pains, sufferings and sorrows.
30. Some have wounded themselves even beyond restitution in the quest to make money by all means. Am I against honest labour? Never! I am only crying out against the get rich quick syndrome.
31. You that want to be a millionaire, billionaire or even trillionaire by all means to the point of planning the death of your loved ones, who will you enjoy it with? No matter how wealthy you want to be, you cannot be wealthier than king Solomon who constructed his palace day and night for thirteen good years, married the fairest of princesses, amassed the purest of golds, maintained the highest of courtiers and yet branded all of them as vanity.
32. Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity”. (KJV).
33. “Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities! All is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and vainglory)” AMP.
34. Ecclesiastes 1:14 “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit”. (KJV)
35. “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind” (AMP).
36. I want to draw a reference from the death of Eze Ego 1 (King of Money) of Ihiala in Anambra State, who lived the most luxurious of life but ended his earth journey a day to his 34th birthday.
37. As I am talking to you, his Palacia (Spanish word meaning Palace) compound has been overgrown with bush. His Limousine, Pathfinders, Porsche, Rolls Royce, etc. has all been abandoned inside his compound.
38. Even the lawyer handling his affairs was mysteriously assassinated with his wife to the end that his will remains unknown till this day.
39. Why not be like king Solomon who concluded all these things as nothing for nothing in this world has any guarantee of permanence.
40. It is only Christ that fails not for he remaineth the same yesterday, today and forever. Instead of wounding our souls with many sorrows why don’t we make do with the much God has given to us. Remember the scriptures admonishes that godly satisfaction is great gain.
41. In the days of the Lord Jesus Christ, he thought his disciples how to pray thus; Matthew 6:9-12 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. (KJV)
42. He further charged them to be content with food and raiment. But today, when we get a car, we will like to have more. We build a house; we will like to upgrade.
43. I want you to know that there is no limit to the fashion of this world. They are ever changing and for you to keep up, hmmm, you must be ready to dance the mystic surugede music which is meant for the spirits.
44. I can remember few years ago when a particular brand of smart phone led to the death of many people. Many marriages crashed. Many students became dropouts. Many tenants got ejected from their apartments.
45. I am certain you know the phone I am talking about. In case you feign ignorant, I will do well to remind you. I am talking about the almighty BlackBerry. Today, this phone worth nothing. Even if someone gives it to you free of charge you may likely reject it.
46. This is how the fashion of this world comes and goes. That is why the scriptures reminds us not to be conformed to this world’s vain riches which rapidly decays rather we should build our hopes on things eternal.
47. Overcoming the god of this evil age, the unrighteous Mammon which is money, riches, wealth acquired after an ungodly sort, is not an easy task. Sometimes the temptation may come like a raging harmattan fire but the remedy lies in Christ. With Christ, all things are possible.
48. It is only God that makes a man rich at his own due time and adds no sorrow to it.
49. Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it”. (NIV),
50. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (NLB)
51. The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (KJV)
52. The blessing of the LORD brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God] AMP
53. The LORD’s blessing enriches, and he adds no painful effort to it. Christian Standard Bible.
54. Holman Christian Standard Bible- The LORD’s blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.
55. American Standard Version- The blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich; And he addeth no sorrow therewith.
56. Aramaic Bible in Plain English- The blessing of LORD JEHOVAH makes rich and there shall be no sorrow with it.
57. Brenton Septuagint Translation- The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous; it enriches him, and grief of heart shall not be added to it.
58. In conclusion let us consider chapter 4 of the message, A Sure Anchor Volume 1, preached by Apostle Peter Odoemena at the Voice of God Studio, The Bridal Lodge Nsugbe Anambra State Nigeria, on Sunday, 18th July, 2021.
59. CHAPTER FOUR- NOT EVERY WEALTH IS FROM GOD. “If God could take care of the lilies in the forest, animals in the forest and the birds in the air. If God could take care of them, the Bible asked a question, “why do you think that your Father in heaven will not take care of you?”
60. Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. ARE YOU NOT WORTH MUCH MORE THAN THEY?” [AMP]
61. Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither [wearily] toil nor spin nor weave; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory (his splendor and magnificence) was not arrayed like one of these.
62. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, HOW MUCH MORE WILL HE CLOTHE YOU, O YOU [PEOPLE] OF LITTLE FAITH?
63. You are the highest creature God made after His own image and likeness. How can God forsake His own? Impossible for God to tell lies.
64. AT A TIME LIKE THIS, WE OUGHT TO LOOK UP TO THE REDEEMER WHO WAS PROMISED TO BE HERE IN THE LAST DAYS, STANDING ON THIS PLANET EARTH ON TWO FEET WHILE HE JUDGES THE ENTIRE WORLD.
65. Let us pay attention to all we are going to hear in this Sunday School. Let us never allow the conversation of the wicked to entice our souls.
66. Do not give ear to such fables that there is a place you will go to and then you will carry money like sand without suffering. Do not ever give in to such fables.
67. If money is like sand everywhere, why do Chinese people come here to work? Why do Indian people come here to work? People from all walks of life; as we go to their own, so they come here.
68. Do you not see them on the streets? I have worked with them and I am still working with them in the factory.
69. THERE IS NO PART OF THE WORLD WHERE YOU WILL GO WTHOUT SEEING POOR PEOPLE. THERE IS NO PART OF THE WORLD YOU WILL GO WITHOUT SEEING SHANTIES AS STRUCTURES; WITHOUT SEEING BAD ROADS AND POOR TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS.
70. WHAT IS OBTAINABLE HERE IS ALSO OBTANAIBLE THERE. IF MONEY IS LIKE SAND WHY ARE OUR PEOPLE WHO TRAVELLED TO MAKE MONEY COMING BACK IN THOUSANDS? THEY HAVE NO TRANSPORT FARE.
71. THEY ARE BEING EVACUATED FREE OF CHARGE BY ALMOST ALL THE NATIONS IN THE WORLD AND THEY ARE COMING WITHOUT EVEN “GHANA-MUST- GO” BAG. THERE IS NO WATER-PROOF [POLYTHENE] BAG IN THEIR HAND.
72. When they come back, they say, “We thank God that we could arrive here alive.” Many died at the airport. Some died at the seaport. While waiting to be lifted, they perished there. And their parents are expecting them to come back, maybe one of these days.
73. Our Brother Chika from Opi was testifying to us that if he knew that it will be like this, he would have become a reasonable fellow in Nigeria than wasting his time travelling abroad, only to come back empty-handed.
74. Let us be very careful. Do not allow yourself to be lured by the conversations of the wicked. THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT TEMPTATION TO THE RIGHTEOUS.
75. They see green pastures or greener pastures, but they will not see greener snakes hiding under the greener pastures, for there can never be green pasture without green snakes.
76. And who will notice the green snakes? A child of God who has the spirit of God. He is the one who will get to the place where everybody is jumping up and tell them, “See! I can see snakes where you are marching.”
77. YOU CAN NEVER TRAVEL OUT WITHOUT GETTING SNAKE BITE THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO MORTUARY OR BRING YOU BACK HALF DEAD, AND YOU WILL BE A LIVING DEAD.
78. Many who travelled out thinking they will go there to push drug, when luck ran against them, they were injected [with an incapacitating substance] according to the rule of that country and then pushed back to Nigeria as a nuisance or nuisances. Living dead!
79. They will inject the fellow and push him back to us here in Nigeria. There are too many of them. A good number of them are brilliant students and graduates from first class institutions who wanted to make it by all means.
80. GET RICH QUICK AND THEN GET DEATH QUICK. WHEREVER THERE IS QUICK MONEY, THERE IS QUICK DEATH. IS IT ANY WONDER?
81. Watch obituary posters everywhere. 35 years! 40 years! 28 years! Was it like that in the beginning? Was it like that before? Why these deaths? People that do not see but they have the eyes.
82. But it is not so with us. We are in the Light. We are children of the Light. We will never allow our eyes to be blinded by the prosperity of the wicked; or our hearts to be deluded into not remembering the warnings God had earlier given to us concerning the hour we are in.
83. Who cherishes all these things most? Greedy parents! Covetous parents hiding among us. Unbelievers hiding among us. They cover the hypocrisies of their families. They know they are not in the Faith. They know their children are not in the Faith of Christ.
84. You dare not correct them or expose them. You incur their wrath. Say anything wrong concerning their children, they will mark you their greatest enemy. But those who are really in the Faith are doing everything within their power, and within their capacity to help their children to understand what the Faith of Christ is all about; the only place we have our security; the only place we have our Sure Anchor; and the only place we have our eternal life.
85. The wealth of this world perishes. I have seen everything, but I have not seen anybody that died and his wealth was emptied into his casket or into his grave. Have you seen any? Have you seen any?
86. Some will even vow, “Let me get it, but let the living eat.” Well, thank you for labouring for strangers to eat. The people you do not know, and for them you mortgaged your life.
87. BE VERY CAREFUL. THIS IS THE ERA WHERE CHILDREN THAT STARTED IT WITH CHRIST ARE LIKELY TO END IT WITH THE DEVIL BECAUSE THEY ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE CONVERSATIONS OF THE WICKED.
88. THEY ARE KEEPING COMPANY WITH THE WICKED, USING THEIR TELEPHONES TO BROWSE EVILS. THEY LOVE PLEASURE MORE THAN GOD. THIS IS THE ERA OF MASS DEPARTURE FROM THE FAITH OF CHRIST.
89. This is the period of mass departure; family departure. Any family that esteems wealth more than God must raise their children as cannon fodder.
90. Both they and the members of their household must perish in the end, for God cannot speak in vain. Neither will the Word of God fail.
91. But whoever that trusts in God liveth forever. No good thing shall the LORD God Almighty withhold from those that walk uprightly. Is it not Scripture?
92. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honour, splendour, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. [Psalms 84:11 AMP]
93. IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THE RIGHTEOUS. IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT THE UNGODLY WILL NEVER SEE GOOD DAYS, FOR GOD FRUSTRATES ALL THE AMBITIONS OF THE WICKED, BUT MAKES AN OPEN DOOR TO THE RIGHTEOUS.
94. Not every wealth is from God. Of course, I do not need to dwell on that. Anybody who does not know the truth about it, let him remain ignorant about the fact that not every wealth is from God.
Remain Blessed Saints of God!