CHECKPOINT EXPLAINED Preached From 9th March to 16th March, 2008. By The Son of Man (Apostle Peter Odoemena) At THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD ONITSHA
Let me tell you, I am the only Being that can lay down His life and pick it. Believe it if you can…
— The Son of Man
If your pride is not your family, your pride is useless. Your pride today is not your certificate, your pride today is not the mansion you have erected; your pride today is not the cerebrated office you occupy in government office or in the society; your pride today remains your enviable family. The greatest success a man or a woman can attain in this life is family success. Also, the greatest failure is family failure.
-Son of Man
PRAYER
We are living witnesses and partakers of this wonderful worship today, having been inspired by children, even to take up, Father, the responsibility due to their parents. We are really very grateful to you and we pray, oh Lord that you grant that they will grow in this spirit and may they never depart from it.
2. Cause our parents, oh Lord, to recognize their responsibility towards their children by bringing them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
3. Today, as we have gathered, Lord, we yield ourselves unto thee as living vessels.
4. We pray that your word will cleanse us from every unbelief, doubt and hypocrisy. Let the entrance of your word into our hearts refine us; that we may become better sons and daughters to you.
5. Be with all that are still on their way to this place. Be with all our local assemblies as they gather to worship and praise You this day.
6. Father divine, may all that may come under Your umbrella today, feel the touch of your love and the warmth of Your presence. Heal all that are sick among us.
7. Bless us mightily and in everything, let Your Name be glorified. In any way the enemy may try to distract our attention today, from you Lord, we pray that we resist all.
8. Do not give any room for any opposing spirit to operate against us. Have your way as we listen to your word, through Christ our Lord we pray. AMEN.
PROLOGUE
Be seated everybody. Those coming in, do not disturb the Fellowship. If you want to come in, come in; if you don’t want to come in, stay outside. Even Elders are coming to Fellowship late.
2. If you know you were the one that commanded these children to open the Fellowship, show by raising your hand. Be sincere to yourself, man and woman.
3. I enquired from our Pastor there, whether he was the one that commanded them to open the Fellowship and he said no.
4. Little children, I mean the three that opened the Fellowship, stand up let me see you. Can you please, tell me who commanded you to open the Fellowship? Nobody. Did you discuss it among yourselves before doing it?
5. You mean you agreed here to open the Fellowship? I think that is Agabus; “Fear God.” You took the decision here or now? Shall we put our hands together for them! Be seated. “Keep it up!”
6. May the Lord magnify this Ministry! The difference is clear! I enjoyed the opening of their Fellowship more than what Brother Shed used to do here. I really thank God that I am a partaker today.
7. Get out! Somebody should take that thing immediately. Give me that thing. This is the problem we were discussing in my house yesterday. Bro. Kelechi, sit down there. My friend—Bro Chizoba—come Here.
8. You can hear but you cannot speak; is it not stupidity? There is no human being that cannot speak his language fluently. There is no Yoruba man that cannot speak his language fluently. Only here. You can talk from morning till night and jest with your fellow okada riders, but when it comes to interpreting simple English, your ears are stucked. You are not talking to the crowd you are talking to yourself. I know your voice. I hear you make a hell of noise in your yard. Amen.
PART ONE
THE INTRODUCTION
THE HOUSE OF GOD IS THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP
I decided to stay outside with Brother Kelechi to allow you some time to continue making a hell of noise inside. Our Message said that this place is a place of worship. If you want to chat, go outside.
2. The moment you step into this house called by His Name, you reverence it; your attitude must change.
3. In the days of St. Paul, he warned Timothy; he strictly warned the members that they should know how to conduct themselves in the House of God, which is the Church of God, the Ground and Pillar of Truth.
4. Before he gave the warning, he must have perceived danger or he must have witnessed some people walking disorderly, misbehaving themselves in the House of God. The House of God is the House of Prayer. It is not the house of chatting.
5. William Branham said, “If you have the Holy Spirit in you, you should be in the Fellowship thirty minutes before the time. Once you step into the House of God, bend down there, kneel down there or stand up there, pray; be sure that you prayed through so that you will be a part of the Fellowship.”
6. But many of you will just come here with bunches of flesh and be “talking” like parrot; the talking you started at home, you will complete it here. I wonder what we teach our children. I don’t know what they are learning from us. I am telling you God’s truth!
7. I never wanted to be here; but these children inspired me to be here. Truly speaking, it is not on my mind to be here; but when I enquired from the Pastor, I became certain. I never held any discussion with my children relating to the opening of the Fellowship or anything like that. My wife equally had no time to discuss with them in that respect.
8. I began to wonder who must have commanded them. I believe that they were “expressing their dissatisfaction” over your attitudes in the Temple, in this House of God. Many of us came here on time, while some came late. Even adults were sitting down expecting Bro. Shedrack to come and open the Fellowship, even if it takes him arriving at 12 O’clock, no problem.
9. Some were expecting Pastor Dan, maybe, to rush from Imo State to the pulpit. I believe that the children “over-waited” and they didn’t like what was going on and they decided to disgrace you by reminding you of your responsibilities.
THE MISPLACED LOVE
Little children, I am encouraging you: Henceforth, when you come in here, open the Fellowship; pray, and if possible, handle teachings. Begin to teach your parents what you believe –things that formed your Faith.
11. I believe that some of them (children) are very much conversant with our doctrines more than their parents.
12. Yesterday, in my house, I brought out a copy of the Living Bible and I picked a topic there: “Making the Right Choice.” I read and then summoned my children one by one, starting from Wisdom. I said, “My friend, come closer; read it!” He read it loudly, the whole passage.
13. Then I asked: “Can you tell me what you understood in the whole passage and then read the accompanying questions?” I now turned to him and said, “Can you tell me what you understood from the whole passage?’ He said, “Daddy, of a truth, TV game is an abomination and television is an abomination.”
14. When I called Chukwudi, it was the same thing. I called Obinna, the same thing. Pastor Thomas was there; Bro. Okey Ibeh was also there.
15. Can you see? This is the Bible. I am not the writer of the Bible. What happened? It was of a story between a man and his son. The man thought he was wealthy, he thought he loved his family very well. He thought of what would give his family the desired comfort; he had only but one son. He didn’t want to offend the boy. He wanted the boy to be everything that life entails.
16. So, he went and purchased a TV game and placed it in the house. This boy mastered the TV game. In their Church fellowship, at the end of every teaching, their Sunday school teacher normally gives them “memory verses” which they will write in their quiet-time-jotters, and at home, their parents will continue from where their teachers stopped in the Church.
17. Moreover, the boy was performing very well until his father brought in the TV game. In his class assignment, nobody ever reminds him of his homework. He was up and doing, working without supervision and was maintaining a very nice result in the school, until his father brought in the TV game.
18. So, the boy got himself glued to the TV game every minute of the day. It even disturbed him from eating — he could avoid eating.
19. Yes, because people learn evil faster than good. Even adults, they emulate evil more readily than good things. If you like, believe it; if you like, throw it away.
20. This man watched the performance of his child and he was no longer pleased because the boy has occupied himself with the TV game. One day, he walked into the boy’s room, collected his quiet-time-jotter, opened it and discovered that the boy never answered any of the questions for many, many months.
21. Then, he went for his school bag, checked his books, only to discover that the boy has refused to do his assignments. His result was getting poorer and poorer everyday. The man shook his head. He walked out and started thinking of how to get rid of that TV game.
22. At another time, he walked into the boy’s room, the boy was very busy rescuing the princess and shooting down aeroplanes. The father stood there for over ten minutes and called on his son, “Jimmy! Jimmy!” The boy didn’t hear the father. He (the boy) continued shouting: “I have gunned it down, eee! This aeroplane, I have rescued the princess. Let me pursue, let me pursue, pursue, pursue,” and the father was watching, while the boy was busy with that thing.
23. The man reached out for the monitor and switched it off. Immediately, the boy was shocked. He jumped up from the seat thinking that the power has been interrupted. He looked round and saw his father, he was sweating, really sweating, wasting productive hours. And the man said, “My son, so you never recognized my presence because of this TV game? I switched off the monitor.”
24. The boy shouted on the father: “What is wrong with the monitor? What is wrong with the thing? I like it.”
25. His father said, “My friend listen, this thing that is your delight, this thing that offers recreation to you, may be harmful to you. I don’t blame you. I blame myself for I am the one that imported this evil into my family, thinking I love you. I never knew that I am the greatest enemy; pardon me! But from today, there won’t be anything like TV or TV game in this house again.” The man destroyed all, and then saved the life of the child.
26. Your child might be walking about, yet he is dead. It is the same way with an adult. You may be walking about talking, yet you are dead. Amen.
PART TWO
CHECKPOINT AMPLIFIED
INTRODUCTION
You see, these children have inspired me this morning. I want to read something here.
2. If you have “THE FAMILY MENU volume 2,” bring out your copy. “FAMILY MENU volume 2,” go to section two, it is titled: “CHECKPOINT”. I will like to see all the adults with their copies. I told you that if you are an adult here, also teach your children that same way.
3. You must have a Fellowship bag. Your Fellowship bag must contain all the sermon books; you call them your study books. We are in a college. If we spent money to produce these Messages in book form, the same way, we must devote time enough to go through them, otherwise we wasted our money.
4. FAMILY MENU volume two – all adults; there are no exemptions because I believe you had your copies.
5. Chioma, even if everybody will come with theirs, I know you won’t come with yours. Have you ever come here with a sermon book before? Chibuzor where is yours? You don’t have it? You don’t have a copy? Where is it? You left it at home, so that you will come here and watch television. We are not performing drama here. We are here for a purpose.
6. Father divine, may
all that may come under Your umbrella today, feel the touch of your love and
the warmth of Your presence. Heal all that are sick among us.
7. Bless us mightily
and in everything, let Your Name be glorified. In any way the enemy may try to
distract our attention today, from you Lord, we pray that we resist all.
8. Do not give any room
for any opposing spirit to operate against us. Have your way as we listen to
your word, through Christ our Lord we pray. AMEN.
PROLOGUE
Be
seated everybody. Those coming in, do not disturb the Fellowship. If you want
to come in, come in; if you don’t want to come in, stay outside. Even Elders
are coming to Fellowship late.
2.
If you know you were the one that commanded these children to open the Fellowship,
show by raising your hand. Be sincere to yourself, man and woman.
3.
I enquired from our Pastor there, whether he was the one that commanded them to
open the Fellowship and he said no.
4.
Little children, I mean the three that opened the Fellowship, stand up let me
see you. Can you please, tell me who commanded you to open the Fellowship?
Nobody. Did you discuss it among yourselves before doing it?
5.
You mean you agreed here to open the Fellowship? I think that is Agabus; “Fear
God.” You took the decision here or now? Shall we put our hands together for
them! Be seated. “Keep it up!”
6.
May the Lord magnify this Ministry! The difference is clear! I enjoyed the
opening of their Fellowship more than what Brother Shed used to do here. I
really thank God that I am a partaker today.
7.
Get out! Somebody should take that thing immediately. Give me that thing. This
is the problem we were discussing in my house yesterday. Bro. Kelechi, sit down
there. My friend—Bro Chizoba—come Here.
8.
You can hear but you cannot speak; is it not stupidity? There is no human being
that cannot speak his language fluently. There is no Yoruba man that cannot
speak his language fluently. Only here. You can talk from morning till night
and jest with your fellow okada riders, but when it comes to interpreting
simple English, your ears are stucked. You are not talking to the crowd you are
talking to yourself. I know your voice. I hear you make a hell of noise in your
yard. Amen.
PART ONE
THE INTRODUCTION
I
decided to stay outside with Brother Kelechi to allow you some time to continue
making a hell of noise inside. Our Message said that this place is a place of
worship. If you want to chat, go outside.
2.
The moment you step into this house called by His Name, you reverence it; your
attitude must change.
3.
In the days of St. Paul, he warned Timothy; he strictly warned the members that
they should know how to conduct themselves in the House of God, which is the
Church of God, the Ground and Pillar of Truth.
4.
Before he gave the warning, he must have perceived danger or he must have
witnessed some people walking disorderly, misbehaving themselves in the House
of God. The House of God is the House of Prayer. It is not the house of
chatting.
5.
William Branham said, “If you have the
Holy Spirit in you, you should be in the Fellowship thirty minutes before the
time. Once you step into the House of God, bend down there, kneel down there or
stand up there, pray; be sure that you prayed through so that you will be a
part of the Fellowship.”
6.
But many of you will just come here with bundles of flesh and be “talking” like
parrot; the talking you started at home, you will complete it here. I wonder
what we teach our children. I don’t know what they are learning from us. I am
telling you God’s truth!
7.
I never wanted to be here; but these children inspired me to be here. Truly
speaking, it is not on my mind to be here; but when I enquired from the Pastor,
I became certain. I never held any discussion with my children relating to the
opening of the Fellowship or anything like that. My wife equally had no time to
discuss with them in that respect.
8.
I began to wonder who must have commanded them. I believe that they were “expressing
their dissatisfaction” over your attitudes in the Temple, in this House of God.
Many of us came here on time, while some came late. Even adults were sitting
down expecting Bro. Shedrack to come and open the Fellowship, even if it takes
him arriving at 12 O’clock, no problem.
9.
Some were expecting Pastor Dan, maybe, to rush from Imo State to the pulpit. I
believe that the children “over-waited” and they didn’t like what was going on
and they decided to disgrace you by reminding you of your responsibilities.
THE MISPLACED LOVE
Little
children, I am encouraging you: Henceforth, when you come in here, open the Fellowship;
pray, and if possible, handle teachings. Begin to teach your parents what you
believe –things that formed your Faith.
11.
I believe that some of them (children) are very much conversant with our
doctrines more than their parents.
12.
Yesterday, in my house, I brought out a copy of the Living Bible and I picked a
topic there: “Making the Right Choice.”
I read and then summoned my children one by one, starting from Wisdom. I said, “My
friend, come closer; read it!” He read it loudly, the whole passage.
13.
Then I asked: “Can you tell me what you understood in the whole passage and
then read the accompanying questions?” I now turned to him and said, “Can you
tell me what you understood from the whole passage?’ He said, “Daddy, of a truth,
TV game is an abomination and television is an abomination.”
14.
When I called Chukwudi, it was the same thing. I called Obinna, the same thing.
Pastor Thomas was there; Bro. Okey Ibeh was also there.
15.
Can you see? This is the Bible. I am not the writer of the Bible. What
happened? It was of a story between a man and his son. The man thought he was
wealthy, he thought he loved his family very well. He thought of what would
give his family the desired comfort; he had only but one son. He didn’t want to
offend the boy. He wanted the boy to be everything that life entails.
16.
So, he went and purchased a TV game and placed it in the house. This boy
mastered the TV game. In their Church fellowship, at the end of every teaching,
their Sunday school teacher normally gives them “memory verses” which they will
write in their quiet-time-jotters, and at home, their parents will continue
from where their teachers stopped in the Church.
17.
Moreover, the boy was performing very well until his father brought in the TV
game. In his class assignment, nobody ever reminds him of his homework. He was
up and doing, working without supervision and was maintaining a very nice
result in the school, until his father brought in the TV game.
18.
So, the boy got himself glued to the TV game every minute of the day. It even
disturbed him from eating — he could avoid eating.
19.
Yes, because people learn evil faster than good. Even adults, they emulate evil
more readily than good things. If you like, believe it; if you like, throw it
away.
20.
This man watched the performance of his child and he was no longer pleased
because the boy has occupied himself with the TV game. One day, he walked into
the boy’s room, collected his quiet-time-jotter, opened it and discovered that
the boy never answered any of the questions for many, many months.
21.
Then, he went for his school bag, checked his books, only to discover that the
boy has refused to do his assignments. His result was getting poorer and poorer
everyday. The man shook his head. He walked out and started thinking of how to
get rid of that TV game.
22.
At another time, he walked into the boy’s room, the boy was very busy rescuing
the princess and shooting down aeroplanes. The father stood there for over ten
minutes and called on his son, “Jimmy! Jimmy!” The boy didn’t hear the father.
He (the boy) continued shouting: “I have gunned it down, eee! This aeroplane, I
have rescued the princess. Let me pursue, let me pursue, pursue, pursue,” and
the father was watching, while the boy was busy with that thing.
23.
The man reached out for the monitor and switched it off. Immediately, the boy
was shocked. He jumped up from the seat thinking that the power has been
interrupted. He looked round and saw his father, he was sweating, really
sweating, wasting productive hours. And the man said, “My son, so you never
recognized my presence because of this TV game? I switched off the monitor.”
24.
The boy shouted on the father: “What is wrong with the monitor? What is wrong
with the thing? I like it.”
25.
His father said, “My friend listen, this thing that is your delight, this thing
that offers recreation to you, may be harmful to you. I don’t blame you. I
blame myself for I am the one that imported this evil into my family, thinking
I love you. I never knew that I am the greatest enemy; pardon me! But from
today, there won’t be anything like TV or TV game in this house again.” The man
destroyed all, and then saved the life of the child.
26.
Your child might be walking about, yet he is dead. It is the same way with an
adult. You may be walking about talking, yet you are dead. Amen.
PART TWO
CHECKPOINT AMPLIFIED
INTRODUCTION
You
see, these children have inspired me this morning. I want to read something
here.
2. If you have “THE FAMILY MENU volume 2,”
bring out your copy. “FAMILY MENU volume 2,” go to section two, it is titled: “CHECKPOINT”. I will like to see all the
adults with their copies. I told you that if you are an adult here, also teach
your children that same way.
3.
You must have a Fellowship bag. Your Fellowship bag must contain all the sermon
books; you call them your study books. We are in a college. If we spent money
to produce these Messages in book form, the same way, we must devote time
enough to go through them, otherwise we wasted our money.
4. FAMILY MENU volume two – all adults; there are no exemptions because I believe
you had your copies.
5.
Chioma, even if everybody will come with theirs, I know you won’t come with
yours. Have you ever come here with a sermon book before? Chibuzor where is
yours? You don’t have it? You don’t have a copy? Where is it? You left it at home,
so that you will come here and watch television. We are not performing drama
here. We are here for a purpose.
6.
I will not preach, I will read and I will pause where it is necessary for me to
pause. Amen.
Chapter
One
CHECKPOINT” chapter one, I want to start with the INTRODUCTION: “What is a check point? It is a place, especially on a border, where
official persons, either police officers or law enforcement agents examine
vehicles or people. Mostly, they check for faults; they want to know if you are breaking the law.”
2.
That’s what a “checkpoint” is all about. In this Faith, the “checkpoint” we
have is not the minister who will take it upon himself to monitor you from
house to house, No! The minister that is assigned to you is nothing but the Message;
the doctrines you have received and echoed “amen” to.
3.
These doctrines are the law enforcement agents assigned to check your
behaviour, to check your character; even to check the thoughts of your heart,
peradventure you have in one way or the other infracted, deflected or deviated
completely from the Faith of the Saints.
4.
What is Faith? Faith is nothing but what you believe and what you believe will
determine what your character will look like, for no man behaves above his
belief.
5.
Your behaviour is directed by the teachings you receive. That is why, once you
reject a teaching in this Faith, it reflects in your character. You may preach
it; you may tell others about it, you may explain it very well, but deep in
you, the Message is not in there. You may have a head-knowledge of the Faith,
of the Doctrines, but in-depth heart-knowledge, which will transform your life,
is completely void. That is why we are experiencing difficulties with some
individuals, with many families.
6.
If you are uncontrollable today by your husband or anybody, it is a sure sign
that you have deflected or infracted from the Messages completely. The essence
of the “checkpoint” is to remind you that you are not without a guide. For a
life to be worthy, it must be brought to check. Anybody whose activities cannot
be brought to check must end it all in disaster.
7.
That is why I have told you time without number here that any human being on
earth that does not have one he could fear and respect must live a useless
life.
14.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise the counsel of
God. Some have even concluded in their hearts, according to Scriptures, that
there is no God: “Of what use is my
obedience to something that doesn’t exist?’”
8.
Well, if that is your own philosophy, keep it up. The end will tell you how
foolish you are.
9.
“CHECKPOINT,” verse 2 through 3: “Through such checks, law enforcement agents
have been able to discover so many incriminating things. They have, in fact,
rescued so many lives from the hands of hoodlums and kidnappers. They have also checked many contrabands. Contrabands are
goods that are illegally imported into a country.”
10.
Traders in this Faith, take note of prohibited items that are illegally
imported. I don’t know the reasons you may give that will justify you. You may
have your reasons why that might be your business, keep it to yourself, don’t
propagate it. He that supports a criminal in criminal activities is also a
criminal.
11.
You won’t know the extent you have derailed from this Faith until the day the
law enforcement agents will arrest you. You will know that the law is against
it.
12.
Verse 3: “These agents could arrest
anyone carrying such illegal or smuggled goods.
13. There cannot be a checkpoint
without a law prohibiting certain things. There is a law regulating our driving
system; speed limits, road- worthiness of our vehicles and even the number of
passengers carried by vehicles is regulated. You could be arrested for
dangerous loading, worn-out tires etc.
14. Many things can
constitute traffic offence. Right inside your vehicle, your particulars must be
okay. If your particulars are not okay, you could be arrested because there is
a law against it. What you carry in your vehicle must also agree with the laws
of the land.
15. So, any prohibited item discovered in your
vehicle would cause the law enforcement agents to arrest you, impound your
vehicle and seize your goods. You will forfeit the money you used in purchasing
the goods; you will forfeit your vehicle and you run the risk of being
imprisoned, even for life for carrying contrabands.
16. With the understanding of this little analysis
you will be in a better position to understand where I am heading.’”
17.
Am I referring to vehicles we drive about?
18.
Let’s continue. Verse 8: “There are many
things prohibited in God’s true faith. God delivered His people from the laws
of the Bible and handed them over to the laws of the Son of Man, who is the
true Guide, Leader and Instructor. So, we are not permitted to behave the way
we like.”
19.
The essence of the doctrines of God is to regulate human beings’ behaviour. If
you are left without a guide, disaster awaits you. Many of you behave as if we
are no longer under check; as if we are free to do whatever we like. If you go
to the Message: “THE GREAT SERMON,” it is stated clearly there that: “Surely,
the law has been abolished.” You will see it clearly written there.
20.
Even the Scriptures said, “Because the
law has been abolished, does it mean that we are free to behave the way we
like?” It said, “God forbid, God
forbid.”
21.
How many know that the Message of Grace is higher than the Message of Law? How
many know that? I know many don’t know that. They are just behaving anyhow they
like and that is what they call Grace. But does the Grace of God permits us to
behave anyhow, talk anyhow and even think anyhow? I say God forbid.
FREEDOM HAS LIMIT
Let’s
continue. Verse 9 through 10: “Though we
live in a democratic era, it does not mean: ‘behave the way you like,’ for
there is no total freedom anywhere in the world. Freedom has limits. Nobody is
given absolute freedom.
23. No matter how one practices
his or her democracy there is a limit to everything; there are certain areas
one dares not cross.’”
24.
Is it not true? If freedom of movement is not restricted, why do people commit
trespass? Why are people arrested from time to time for trespassing? There are
certain zones that are strictly forbidden. You dare not cross, otherwise you
die. Amen.
25.
No matter how one practices his or her democracy, there is limit to everything.
26.
Let’s continue. Verse 11: “No matter your
freedom of expression – even as guaranteed by the U.N Charter, listen to me
very well – “It still has a limit. You could be arrested, arraigned before a
court and imprisoned for what you utter.”
27. Is it not true? You have freedom of
expression, but it has a limit. There are certain comments you will make, you
will be imprisoned for life. There are certain statements you will make, you
will be seen no more. Even the press suffer it too, yet there is freedom of
expression.
28.
Freedom has limits. That is exactly what I am trying to express here. Thus, no
matter how you enjoy your freedom in Christ, your freedom has limits. Many are
overstepping their bounds all in the name of “freedom in Christ;” it is all “grace,”
“grace,” “grace!”
29.
What do you understand by “grace?” “Unmerited favour.”
30.
I go further. Verse 11: “Even newspaper
editors could be in trouble for publishing what you utter and their companies
closed down!”
31.
Too many newspaper organizations have been shut down by government and their
editors imprisoned for malicious publications, dangerous publications, yet
there is “freedom of expression;” sometimes, they even say freedom of the
press. The press has no freedom anywhere in the world; yet, we are in a
democratic society. I don’t know whether I am making sense?
32.
Grace of God which gives you freedom, freedom in Christ, does it permit you to
use your tongue anyhow? So, you cannot use your tongue anyhow. You cannot move
anyhow. Your life activities are under strict check. This Message is in line
with the one we read last time titled: “YOU MUST REAP WHAT YOU SOW.”
33.
Let’s continue. Verse 12: “Democracy
guarantees freedom of association but it still has a limit. If you indulge in
cultism, the government will arrest you.”
34.
They will arraign you before an appropriate court of competent jurisdiction and
imprison you accordingly; yet, it is an association. You see, the choice is
yours.
35.
What if you belong to a secret cult and you just kill a human being, and the
government imprisons you? Amen.
You see, there is no “total freedom”
anywhere in the world. God has not given us total freedom. He has given us
freedom with some checks. Amen.
Children, when
you learn to accept your challenges from childhood, you develop it within
yourself as a habit – no situation embarrasses you, no condition is
insurmountable. There is nothing that will come your way that will make you
declare it “the end of life;” you are ever pushing on, because you have
developed it over the years as a habit.
-Son of Man
Chapter Two
2. A life without check is not “worth
living” whether man or woman. We can check our little children, but who checks
us? It is the Almighty God. How? He does so through His Messages.
3.
Without the Word of God, every man is a beast; every woman is a beast. Do you
believe that? That is why when you see somebody who says that he is in this Faith,
that she is in this Faith, but does not live by the concept of the Faith, it
reflects in the person’s character.
4.
The person becomes a semblance of a beast: in utterance, in behaviour, in
dressing, in eating, in drinking and in every other aspect of life. He reflects
that beast’s nature because what could transform his nature has been rejected
and that is the Word of God – The only thing that is capable of transforming
your life is the Word of God.
5.
Let’s continue. Verse 13: “God gives you
freedom to be a free moral agent, but
you are not given that freedom to do whatever you want. No! Your life must be
regulated.”
6.
Your life must be regulated by the Messages you have received. Anybody that cannot submit his or her life
to be regulated by the Message, can we call that person a child of God? No, it
is a sign of rejection of the truth. If you cannot be controlled by the Word of
God, you are not a seed of God, for the Word you are hearing, they are spirit
and they are life. The Message you are hearing is life itself.
7.
The Bible said that Christ was in the world and He Himself is the Message. Therefore,
when you reject the Message, you have rejected Christ, for Christ is the Message,
which we preach.
8.
In addition, remember what Christ is all about – Christ is the Messiah, Christ
is the Saviour, Christ is the Anointed One.
9.
Let’s continue. Verse 14 to 17: “Is it
strange for He that could regulate even the atmosphere to regulate human
activities? He placed the night and the day; He did not mix the two. In the
same way, He regulates our activities. Therefore, you have freedom in God, but
not freedom to do whatever you like. Let us therefore consider some prohibited
items in God’s faith or ministry, which we belong.
10. Check your car
boot; check the articles in your supermarket, may be you have contraband goods.
Because there is a lot of gain in contraband that is why people indulge in carrying
contrabands. Once any item is prohibited, it will encourage black marketing and
smuggling, and then you will have to buy that item at any price.
11. Follow me
spiritually. Please, take your eyes and minds off from shoes, shirts, and other
items. Consider the items that make up God’s true Faith.’”
12.
I am not in a haste in this Sunday school and I don’t want to be in haste. You
must have been reading this Message “CHECKPOINT” for many years, may be many
times a day, but this expository will make a difference. I believe that.
13.
Let’s continue. verse 18: “There are things God has prohibited us from
doing in this faith, or has He allowed everybody to have access to everything
at all times? Is there no restriction about certain things? Is that the Faith?
Was that the Message we received?’”
14.
Has God given us the permission to have access to everything at all times?
Never, never.
15.
Let’s continue. Verse 19: “Your life must
be guided and regulated by the Message you hear. What then is the essence of
the Message if it is not to regulate human behaviours?
16.
What then is the essence of the Word of God if it is not to regulate your behaviour and my behaviour? If you still
go to Church, carry the Bible, preach the Message and live anyhow, it is a sure
sign that you have not embraced Christ for one day.
17.
Once a man embraces the truth, his life no longer remains the same. His vision
changes, his philosophy of life changes. He becomes a totally different person
within. Outwardly, he looks the same but inwardly, a remarkable change has
taken place. Am I making sense?
18.
In second Corinthians 5 verse 17, it was written clearly there that: “If any man be in Christ, that he is a new
individual. Old things are past away, behold, all things have become new.’”
Living Bible says: “He becomes an
entirely new individual within’.
19.
You don’t continue with your old way of thinking, your old way of talking. You
don’t even continue with your old association. The newness of life will usher
you into a new association. You will have the same vision for yourselves
because birds of the same feather flock together. This is where I query many
for the Word of God calls for total separation from unbelief.
20.
If you say you are in Christ, you have embraced the truth and you still
continue to roll on, roll on, and roll on with your old association, in short,
your testimony must be queried; your testimony is questionable, for there is no
way you can have that change within and your old association will accommodate
you. They will say “bye” to you.
21.
It is either they will repent and come to you or you will compromise with them.
Check it; one must surely take place.
22.
Let’s continue. verse 20: “Every Message
from God is aimed at regulating the habit of man’” – underline the word “REGULATING,”
– “We come to God to be educated and to
be enlightened by Him, so that we will behave rightly. It is only in that way
that we can be useful to ourselves, to the society and to God.”
23.
If you come to God and refuse His education, you are a useless fellow. You can
never be useful to yourself, your society and to God. In other words, you are
good for nothing. Remember what God said in His Word: “My people mingle with heathens and have learnt their wicked ways. For
that reason, they have become unprofitable like half-baked bread.”
24.
When you mingle with heathens and associate with them, you have crossed the
boundary line. You are walking as if nobody is checking and regulating you.
Definitely, you must learn their way of life, their way of talking, their way
of dressing, their way of doing everything. In the end, you must become
useless, good for nothing; half-baked bread.
25.
Have you ever tasted half-baked bread?
Nothing is as useless as half-baked bread. It is not worthy to be thrown
away, it is not worthy for consumption. There is nothing you can do to renew it
or make it edible. It is useless. It looks like bread outside but inside it, it
is poison. We have such people here, cosmetic flowers, synthetic materials; I
mean synthetic materials like the ones you use to decorate your house.
26.
If you want it to have something like a fragrance, you perfume it – that is
artificial. How long will the perfume last? Only God knows. I don’t care how
expensive the perfume might be, as long as the wind is blowing, the weather
will act on it and within one hour, the fragrance will fizzle out; so it is
with many of you in this Faith.
27.
You are sitting in the Fellowship looking angelic and the Message is being
poured on you as a sweet perfume. If you do not have the nature of God, the Message
is just purely a cosmetic perfume, which will last only for today. Tomorrow,
the trouble continues.
28.
However, if you are a seed of God, the entrance of the Word of God in your
heart will rekindle the right attitude in you; will rekindle even the latent
powers in you, the hidden gifts will be ignited immediately and those precious
memories will come back. You begin to think and meditate on how wonderful and
glorious this Message has been sounding from the very beginning.
29.
If you have departed, you begin to weep like the Psalmist saying, “How are the mighty fallen, tell it not in
Gath, publish it not in the streets of the heathens; lest, the uncircumcised
rejoice.”
30.
How are the mighty fallen? You come back to your senses and then regroup. David
said, “The Almighty God said that He will
forgive me and set me free from this
iniquity. Surely, I will teach sinners your way and they will come back to you.
31.
Let’s continue. Verse 21: “However, it is
wrong for you to receive the Message, go home, misinterpret it, behave anyhow
and call it freedom in God.”
32.
Why not underline it in your heart? It is absolutely wrong for anybody to
receive a Message from God, go home, misinterpret it, misplace it, behave
anyhow and call it “freedom in God,” “freedom in Christ.” What absurdity we are
experiencing!
33.
Let’s continue. verse 22: “Check your car
boot, check your supermarket and find out if you have been displaying, selling,
importing, exporting or distributing prohibited materials or contrabands or
things that are strongly against the faith of God.”
34.
Chai! Have we ever meditated on this Message at all? Find out for yourself all
these years whether you have been displaying, through your character, importing
and exporting prohibited materials. You are not only importing, you are also
distributing and spreading everything. Amen.
Experience has
proved to me that all the Messages we have received require courage for one to
put them into practice. No matter how
little you think that Message might be, courage is needed to put it into
practice. Let me tell you something: without courage, it is impossible for one
to take a strict decision.
-Son of Man
Chapter Three
You
know, character is influential; every evil character is contagious; every good
character is also contagious. Do you believe that? That is why I believe that
my life is influencing somebody either to do bad or to do good. Amen.
2.
Let’s continue. Verse 23: “Life entails
checks and balances. Anyone living his life without checks and balances will
end it all at nothing.”
3.
It is advisable that from time to time, you take a proper look at yourself;
think seriously about the things you do and the way you do them. Advise
yourself. I believe nobody is a goat. Even if it is a kid that misbehaves,
there is every tendency that, one day he will wake up and say, “Enough is
enough.”
4.
Ah! Ah! That one’s teeth are decaying is due to laziness. Nobody brushes his
teeth with water and toothpaste without getting them clean. Ah! Ah! What is all
this? Worshipping God entails godly sincerity, addressing the truth in it’s
entirety in your heart.
5.
Is there anybody here that is a goat? Is there anyone that eats through the
nose? Does anybody tell you to give way for an on coming vehicle are you blind?
I believe that nobody tastes a juicy morsel and spits it out. Even if he is not
hungry, he must at least lick his tongue.
6.
There is nothing wrong with our Message. If there is anything wrong, it is
found in us. We should not blame God; we should blame ourselves. For everything
we are passing through, check, it can be traced back to us.
7.
Let’s continue. Verse 24: “From time to time, call yourself to order’.”
8.
Was this Message written this morning? From time to time, what? Call yourself
to order. Did it say allow the Pastor to call you to order? This is why we are
not a denomination. In denominations, they set up “policemen” that will go from
house to house to know how people are living. But here, we give you the Word,
and we allow you to go. If the Word cannot regulate your life, you are not a
seed of God.
9.
Let me repeat verse 24: “From time to time, call yourself to order, take
full inventory of your life and ask yourself how you have faired all this while.”
10.
Yes sir! I believe it. Take full inventory of your life activities. What is
your life like? Do you derive joy from it? From time to time, call yourself to
order, take full inventory of your family life: How are your children coming up
in your presence? What type of impression are they creating before you from the
type of life they live? Where do you think the force following them is leading
them to?
11.
Remember that it does not just end at giving birth to children. If you give
birth to children and you do not train them, will you claim that you have
brought forth children? Even mad people give birth to children also. So,
what makes you a father or a mother is not because you have children, no. So, there is nothing special in having
children or that you are pregnant.
12.
Go to Ochanja Market, there is one mad woman there carrying a very big belly
now. In the next few months, she will deliver. All of them are mothers.
13. Verse 24: “Take full inventory of your life
and ask yourself how you have faired all this while.”
14. mDid it say the Son of Man ask them?
You ask yourself how you have faired so far. How have I faired all these
years?
15.
Verse 24 through 25: “Are you going
forward or backward? What can you say concerning your life? What can you say is
responsible for your present state?
16. Truly speaking, if you are sincere, by the
time you are through with checking yourself, you will see many things that are
against you, which you imported to harm yourself. So, there is need for check
point.”
17. This is just the INTRODUCTION. Follow
me to Chapter two. Little children, remember I said I did not want to come to
the pulpit, but because of what happened this morning, I was inspired to. So,
give me your attention also. Amen.
PART THREE
THE
BEDROCK EXPLAINED
Chapter One
CHECKPOINT,”
chapter two, “The Bedrock-Child Training:” “I
shall begin at the bedrock,’”—yes, it is very, very essential, for there
cannot be a structure or building without foundation. Amen.
2.
Listen to me; if a lawyer marries a policewoman, surely you know what their
children will be. If a doctor marries a nurse, their children will
automatically become their first patients. Are you getting the Message? What if
a policeman marries a warder? Their children must be prisoners.
3.
Please, listen to me. There is something in “bedrock.” We are going to talk
about family. This is “THE FAMILY MENU vol.
2.’”
4.
Last Wednesday, we heard it from the mouth of God that before you go into
marriage, you must be very careful. You must scrutinize your own family very
well; scrutinize the family where you want to pick your wife from. If you do
not do that, you are running on moral rails. Your life is in danger.
5.
Assuming that in your family, the criminal tendencies there are very high among
your people; if you have escaped, you only escaped when you embraced Christ.
Are you getting me?
6.
Now, you have known the truth, you want to pick a wife and you notice that your
wife comes from a family where the criminal tendency is also high; without
proper investigation, you marry your wife. A man from a criminal family married
a woman from a criminal family, what would they produce? They will produce
“cannon fodder.” They will produce what? You know what canon fodder is? They will produce people the
police, the army and the vigilante groups will use to experiment the power of
their equipment.
7.
When Bakassi came, they used human
beings to experiment. Little children, are you getting what I am saying? If you
indulge in criminal activities, police will use you to test the power that is
in the gun. The vigilante groups will use you to test the power that is in the
machete, and of course, you know what will follow.
8.
If Bakassi happens to come in your
day, they will heap tyres on you and then use matches to test whether a human
being can be set aflame. The best fuel I know is the human being. How many know
that a human being is fuel? Okay, when you get home from here today, lie down,
tell your wife to put tyre on you and then use matches and try it. Do not run
with the tyre, just stay there. We go back to the Message brethren.
9.
Let’s continue. verse 1: “I shall begin
at the bedrock. Which mother will like to have grown up daughters that will
remain at home with her quarrelling over domestic issues, instead of getting
married like her and raise their own families? Would any mother be happy to
have such daughters here?’”
10.
Who is a mother here that will be happy to have grownup daughters that will
remain in their father’s house quarrelling with them in their kitchen everyday?
Who will cherish such a thing?
11.
Let’s go further. Verse 2: “Let me
explain what I mean. How would you feel as a mother if you have grown up
daughters who are supposed to be married and be in their husbands homes, yet remain
with you in your home, unmarried and keep quarrelling with you in your kitchen,
morning, afternoon and night, day after day? No one!”
12.
Is there any mother that will like to witness her son being butchered as a
result of criminal activities? Any mother? Any father? Hear me very well, whether
you are saying yes or no, if you are not careful and diligent in training your
children, what you “say no” to will come to you. Amen.
13.
Let us go further. Verse 3 to 4: “If at
the end of reading this Message you grumble in your heart against the Message,
then know that you want such daughters. It is high time those who went into the
bush in search of the thing that kills the fowls came back, for that thing is
in the house not in the bush.”
14.
I am not even sure that we read this Message at all. I think it is because we
have a lot of Messages coming out in book form, that’s why these ones have been
put aside. Yet, what is killing us continues killing us. Looking at your faces,
it looks as if this is an entirely new Message.
15.
Come out from the bush, what you are looking for is not there. Are you getting
me? Charity begins at home. You cannot be a rat in the house and a lizard
outside, can you?
16.
Let’s go further. Verse 5: “Charity
begins at home. You know that when the stone goes up, fear grips the clay pot. Make
sure you do not say in your heart that he who did not eat stinky food does not
sniff his hands.”
17.
In other words, do not say, “It is none of your business;” you are involved. I do not care about your age, if you are a mother here, are you
older than Mama Ikebude? If you look
at her face, you will see fingernail scratches all over her face. I noticed
this on Wednesday when she came here. It is her grown up daughter that gave her
those scratches when they were fighting.
18.
Just imagine mama fighting with her rickety legs and arms. Can you just imagine
mama clenching her fists to fight Ngozi, the “man-mountain,” and also a mother
for that matter? Ngozi is a grandmother; mama is a great grandmother.
19.
Well, I don’t need to talk. I must stand to be vindicated in this age. This is
sign of ungodliness; a sign of irresponsibility, but who should be blamed,
Ngozi or mama? Mama should be blamed. Do you know that? “Any seed a man soweth
that he must reap.” Mama sowed the seed in her youth and mama is now reaping
the fruit in her old age. Do you believe that?
20.
Mama was a politician. Mama was called “Margaret Thatcher,” – Iron Lady – in
her day. Today, she has repented; she has now become a daughter of Christ; will
that exclude her from reaping the fruit? So, mama does not deserve sympathy.
You must reap what you sow.
21.
So, whatever you sowed in your youth, awaits you in your old age. You see why
God came down and said that the only children we can place our hope on are
those we produced in this Faith with “purified blood.” Life is in the blood. I
said Life is in the blood. Blood cannot tell lies, can it?
22.
Can you see them this morning taking up the responsibility of their parents by
opening up the Fellowship? But watch those we had before we came into this Faith,
not even one had the inspiration to go there. Their minds are still somewhere.
They are managing to stay here, peradventure, their lives will be better
tomorrow.
23.
We are just praying for God to help them because we know the type of blood with
which we bore them. We knew the way we were in the world before we gave birth
to them. When the type of life we lived in time past begins to bear fruits,
will it be a surprise to us? Amen.
24.
Let us go further. Verse 5: “See yourself
as one that has eaten that stinky food; start sniffing your hands now, for what
is found in a white man’s toilet is also found in a black man’s toilet.”
25.
Is it a lie? If you go to a Whiteman’s place of convenience, what do you see
there? If you equally go to a Blackman’s place of convenience, what do you see
there? Is any of them good for food? Whether you call it a Whiteman’s faeces or
a Blackman’s faeces, they both smell.
26.
Thus, do not say it is not your business. It is not a laughing matter. You see,
you may be saying, “Glory be to God my children are still coming up.” Do you
know what tomorrow will be? Begin to see ten years from now. Begin to see fifteen
years from now. Then you begin to appreciate what God is doing now.
27.
Do you know what prompted the Message titled: “THE DANGERS OF OVER PAMPERING CHILDREN?” Many names were called there and I heard my own there too. “THE
DANGERS OF OVER PAMPERING CHILDREN” was dedicated to our former brother, Bishop
Umezulike. Do you believe that?
28.
Many were here that time and that was where God attacked Brother Mike Emmanuel
and the family for the dangerous way they were bringing up their children like
the man who imported the TV game for his child not knowing that he had imported
poison that will exterminate his family. Amen.
Most of the things you are passing through today
are the crops you are harvesting which your father planted the seed, not
knowing that the trees will not survive until their children will also come up.
The same way, the good things that are happening to you today might be as a
“good will” of your father or your mother or your own, which you sowed
ignorantly or consciously, sometime, somewhere. -Son
of Man
Chapter Two
2.
Experience is the best teacher. Even if you have not experienced it, have you
not heard about it? Have you not witnessed it in so many families? I mean, in
godless families. Families where there could be money, there could be
everything, yet there is no rest. Why? The parents refused to train their
children in a godly way.
3.
There is no reformatory in Nigeria or anywhere in the world today, that can
reform anybody. The greatest reformatory I know is the Word of God; that is the
only purifier. Obedience to the Word of God refines an individual. This is why you
must cause your children to obey the Word of God.
4.
God said to Abraham, “I know Abraham. He
is my friend; he is able to command his children to obey me.” Can you be a
friend of God? Can you win such compliments from God today? Can you command
your entire family, your children to obey God? If the answer is no, you have
failed woefully.
5.
The first responsibility God gave to parents is to command the entire household
to obey the Lord. In that family-devotional book of mine, I showed them what
the writer wrote there said, “You will be
a blessed child if you will make the Word of God your first priority in life.
If you will desire the righteousness of God by living right in His Presence,
you will be a blessed child.”
6.
They then asked me a question, “Daddy,
what is priority?” I said, “The
first thing in your life.”
7.
Furthermore, remember the Message God gave us some years ago in the beginning.
In that Message, the Holy Ghost inspired me to tell you that whatsoever have
the first place in your life is your God. Whatsoever that takes the first
position in your heart is your God. After all, wherever a man’s treasure is,
there his heart will be.
8.
I do not know where your treasure is; whether your treasure is stored in your
children or in your bank account; whether your treasure is stored in your
children or in your business sack.
9.
Remember that the Lord reserved a saying here and I quote: “The greatest
investment a family will make is the training of their children for that is
where their hope lies.” If you are embarking your hope outside there, your hope
is already dashed.
10.
Please follow me gradually. Remember that the only way you can have rest as
parents is to train your children in the fear of the Lord.
11.
Let’s go further. Verse 7: “You must
bring them to a point where they must see your word as the word of their
creator, because without you there will be no one to be your sons and
daughters. You are the blacksmith that made them.’”
12.
To the children, God made it clear that the first visible god around them
remains their parent; either their mother or their father. Who believes this? Who believes that the blacksmiths that moulded
the children are the parents?
13.
Little children, can you see the position your parents occupy in your life? If
you know you could have come into this world without your parents, show by
raising your hand. So, you now believe that without your parents, you couldn’t
have come into this world?
14.
In other words, whatever you are enjoying as life today, the credit must go to
your creator and your creator remain your parents. If you believe it, say “amen.”
15.
Now, it is our responsibility to bring up our children until they attain this
knowledge. If you have not done this, do not rejoice yet. The tendency is there
for your child to wake up tomorrow and slap you or resist your word. Before you
know it, he will disgrace you publicly because he does not see you as his
creator, his maker, his all and all.
16.
Remember the Voice: “Anybody that does
not have one he or she fears and respects must live a useless life.”
17.
You see why God enjoins our children to obey their parents in the Lord, so that
it might be well with them; so that they will live long in the land the Lord
has apportioned to them? Watch children that do not obey their parents, do they
live long on earth? Do they prosper?
18.
Therefore, when you obey your parents, you live long on earth. You disobey, you
die quick.
19.
“Madam, get out of here. If you cannot
control that little one now, do not worry, tomorrow will tell you what I am
teaching now.’” Amen.
THE
SECRET OF CHILD TRAINING
Let’s
go further. Verse 8: “No one encounters
problems and difficulties until he neglects the word of God and His
instructions.” It is well underlined there.
21.
You cannot encounter problems and difficulties, even in raising of your
children, in your daily activities until you have completely neglected the Word
of God and His instructions.
22.
Let’s go further. Verse 8: “There is no
aspect of this life on which we have not received instructions from God. We
have received instructions on how to face challenges but oftentimes, we throw
them aside, thinking we can get along well or better without God.’”
23.
No matter your ideology, no matter how sharp and clever you think you might be,
you can never get along better without God; there is nothing you can do better
without God. Tell me that thing you know you can do better without God? If you
know what that thing looks like, please, tell me?
24.
Let’s go further. Verse 9: “The reason
many people are what they are today is because God came their way, gathered
them from market places, high ways, mechanic workshops etc and brought them
into His Household, brushed them up and gave them a new, ethical re-orientation,
repositioning them for a brighter tomorrow.”
25.
You see, this Message was even here and we did not know it, “REPOSITIONING
OURSELVES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW.”
26.
Let’s go further. Verse 10: “Many people
would have been useless because their parents neglected to teach them the right
way of life. They did not see their training as something very vital. They only
paid attention to feeding them and paying their school fees. That was all.’”
27.
Duty! Duty!—Feeding the children, paying their school fees, clothing them – “I
have done my duty!” But is that all? If that is where you have stopped, you
have done nothing. You have paid the school fees, you have equipped the child,
you have clothed the child, you have fed the child with the best food and then
that is your duty as parents? To begin with, you have never gone beyond the
level of a mad fellow in the market, for a mad fellow does more than that.
28.
Let’s go further. Verse 11 through 12: “But
concerning proper up bringing in the right way which should give one a sense of
belonging in the world, and a sound perspective of life, they never did that.
Yet, that is the most important thing both to a man and to a woman.
29. We rejoice each time a baby is born. This
is good and proper in the sight of both God and man, but that is not all. Your
joy is incomplete until you train that child. If you do not spend time to train
your child, that blessing will turn out to be a curse and it will be in the
later days; the later part of your life when correction is almost impossible.’”
30.
Please, take note. God loves us. I wonder whether we do go through these Messages
at all. If parents can go through these Messages, they will never import
anything into their houses that can destabilize and disorganize something they
have been struggling to erect all these years.
31.
Sometimes, we say no to these things; but indirectly, we sponsor them. Just
like in the case of Sister Egbuna. I have spoken to her in diverse ways. You
see her son here; she claims to have ownership of Chuka even more than the
father. She hates evil, but indirectly she is bringing up her only son in the
worse way of life.
32.
The same thing is applicable to Brother Onyema Cotonou. If there is somebody
here whose eyes should be red in training the children, knowing the repercussions
or consequences of your life in your youth, you are the one. If you will permit
your children to make the same mistakes you made, their own will even be worse.
Theirs may even be more disastrous than yours.
33.
There is a lifestyle you can introduce to your child, that child becomes very
useless. In our Message: “CHILD TRAINING,” God said, “Do not ever tell your child that he will never suffer as long as you
are alive.” If you tell your child that he will never suffer while you are
alive, you have spoilt that child. Your child must suffer in his own way, but
he will not suffer what you suffered. Will he suffer? The answer is “yes.
34.
In addition, do not ever give your child the impression that life is a bed of
roses where he can get everything he wants just for the asking. Even if the
money is flowing like a river, restrict it from the child. But some foolish
mothers can never do that. In the Message: “CHILD
TRAINING,” God said and I quote: “One of the ways parents lure their children into evil habits is by
keeping their money within the reach of their children.’”
35.
Is it not true? It said, “You may say, ‘I
know my child, I know my children, they can never touch my money.’” The Message
went ahead to say, “Don’t worry, one day
you will raise a criminal. It will start with N10
unnoticeable to N20 unnoticeable. It will progress from N20 to N50. Once it gets to
N100, it becomes noticeable. By then you will know that a criminal is a
habitual liar.’”
36.
Even if you catch a criminal red-handed, he will deny. At the point of death,
he will deny. You will accuse everybody in the house but a criminal is still
holding it because it is a spirit that has been acquired over a long period of
time. T
37.
hat is why God said to children: “Don’t
steal. If you are stealing your parents’ money and you think it doesn’t mean
anything, you are not better than a big criminal, for you are acquiring a criminal spirit which can never be crushed when
it develops. Once it develops in a child, it can never be crushed because nothing
is as enjoyable as stealing. Nothing is as enjoyable as evil habits.”
38.
Watch people that stay long in evil habits, they take pleasure in it. Some even
brag with it: “Do you know who we are? If we hear one more word from you, we
deal with you.” You see, such comments are too rampant in the society and they
are mostly heard from among our youths and some reckless parents that can never
give up crime in their lives. Amen.
Let me tell
you, if you are strictly connected to the Son of Man, death cannot gamble with
your life. Your life is higher than the agent he is sending to come and arrest
you—your life is
higher than that; why? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in them.
More so, the Kingdom of God lives in you. The totality of God, the Deity lives
in you. And because He lives, you can face tomorrow.
-Son of Man
Chapter Three
2.
The Bible said, “Train your child when
there is hope for a time cometh when you cannot correct him anymore.’”
3.
Do you learn how to use your left hand in old age? Train your children when
there is still hope; when they have not hardened up in their evil tendencies.
Do you know more than God? Surely, you don’t know more than Him for He knows
the end from the beginning. Train your child when there is hope.
4.
Let’s go further. Verse 13: “For a time
shall come when there will be no more hope of correcting that child, attempting
to correct that child will be a wasted effort.”
5.
Wasted effort, a mere dissipation of energy. And once that happens to a family,
the hope, the confidence, everything that they have invested on that child is
completely wasted. Hear me very well, the greatest heartbreak parents will have
is a useless child; a child that will constantly bring shame, disgrace and
reproach to the family, that is the greatest heartbreak any family can have.
6.
You see why we are shouting; why we are weeping; why we are struggling; why we
flog; why we slap; why we rebuke; why we do everything to make sure we catch
them young.
7.
The Bible said, “You should train up the child the way he should go so that
when he grows up, in adolescent, he won’t depart from it. Be sure that your
child is not merely following you to Fellowship. Make sure your child is a part
of the Fellowship.
8.
Hear me very well; parents that are careless may not know when their children
are merely following them to Fellowship. I mean nominally following you to Fellowship.
How do you notice it? As he continues to come of age, one day his language will
change: “I am tired of this nonsense; I don’t want to go anywhere again.” You ask him, “My friend, what are you
saying?” He will reply, “Please don’t
disturb me; I want to have my rest!”
9.
Who will like to hear such language from his child? Whether you like it or not,
somebody must hear it; whether you like it or not, I say somebody must hear it
but why should it be me?
10.
It is a disastrous language; a sure sign that you never brought up that child
in the fear and admonition of the Lord. You did not bring up that child to the
point where worshipping of God will be a revelation to him, personally. You
never allowed the child to get convinced why it is necessary to serve the Lord.
You just allowed the child to “nominally” follow you to Fellowship; it becomes
a routine affair. It is a disaster.
11.
So please, monitor your children when there is hope. Find out what they are
manifesting. If you are not being encouraged by what they are manifesting, they
are showing traits of evil, settle down and curtail their wings immediately.
Are you getting what I am saying? I say settle down immediately and curtail
their wings. Cut off their tails if it is possible.
12.
I remember those days when we were in school. You were not yet a student until
your tail has been cut by the senior students. Until then, you are regarded as
a tadpole.
13.
You know what a tadpole is? I don’t forget it. In my first year at St. Peter
Clever Seminary, they were calling me “onyo,
onyo.’” I did not know what “onyo’”
meant until I was made to understand that it meant tadpole. I said, “Ehn! Why
call me a tadpole?” They said I had a
very long tail that has to be cut.
14.
On the day they cut our tails, we saw hell. They kept everything secret from
us. The beans we were eating for over two weeks, they kept piling up the water
in too many drums until that day. We were told to dress in our best uniform. We
lined up. The senior students, hefty boys, gathered. One by one, we were
appearing.
15.
Then we were dancing with the long tails because they asked us to tie our
wrappers crossed in between our laps. Then your fellow students would hold you
on the tail, the other would hold also until a chain of tadpoles was formed,
and our leader just marched as we all followed to the drum.
16.
So, they lifted us one by one inside that pool –“Igbuuoo.” The flies in the whole world were on us. In short, it
was a very nice experience. All that passed through it never insulted their
senior students.
17.
Once somebody is senior to you by a class, you worship him as your god or else,
one; he has the right to stop you from coming to the refectory for eating. He
can banish you from your house because he is your senior student. He will tell
you that it takes three hundred and sixty five days to secure promotion into a
new class – three hundred and sixty five days.
18.
He will tell you plain, and if you report to the chaplain, the chaplain will
tell you: “Wait for your turn.” That next term or next session, some people are
coming and then you will cut their tails.
22.
So, what am I saying? If you see some dangerous signs in your children,
indicating that they are growing wild, settle down and cut their tails.
20.
Let me use Brother Ojiakor for example. He is an Apostle in this Faith, a
medical doctor. I know his likes and dislikes. At a time, his first son,
Ngosike, started having some bad influence from some friends in the yard. He
began to watch television with them; began to dodge his civic responsibilities
in the family and the parents were over worried. They flogged him, rebuked him,
corrected him, but this boy became intransigent.
21.
I said, “Brother you caused it. You have not done what you are supposed to do.
Now go home, strip him of his rights as the first son. Call him before other
children, strip him of his rights and place him in the position of a slave.
Deploy him to the kitchen. He will be fetching water; he will be joining in the
cooking, in the washing of plates, in everything in the house. If you do it,
you will regain your child.”
23.
He went home immediately and reasoned with his wife, employed it.
24.
I said, “If your wife will be against it, slap the hell out of her.” I gave him
the authority: “I did not say spare
your wife if she tries to resist, I said slap hell out of her because if the
boy spoils, you will be blamed. He will damage your reputation as a man of God
and as a medical doctor.”
25.
Our children must be exemplary. Remember my message long, long time ago that
the family of a servant of God must be exemplary in all things. That is why I
don’t take any evil report concerning my children light, no matter how
inconsequential it might be, I don’t care. You may call it a light thing, to
me, it is not light. I don’t have any light evil.
26.
So, if you will be courageous to indulge in that evil character, be courageous
enough to bear my punishment. He immediately employed my advice; stopped buying
everything for the son; stripped him of his good clothes. He was wearing
slippers up and down. He subjected him to the rigors of family life. The brain
of the boy calmed down. What was the result? He made 8 alpha’s in G.C.E. Today,
he is vying for a position as a medical doctor also.
27.
What if he had ignored my advice, the boy would have grown wild. He would have
missed it all. Many ways we corrupt our children and turn round to blame it on
the society. What is society other than you?
28.
Let me tell you, the first society your child knows is you. The relationship
between you and your wife is the first society. Your conversation with your
wife influences your children. Your dressing, your relationship, everything;
even the type of friends you are keeping in your house. Amen.
29.
The same way, I warned Bishop Moses when his own son Emmanuel wanted to grow
wild. He brought the matter to me. I said, “This is a confession of weakness.
You are confessing your ineptitude before me. What a shameful thing from a
Bishop. You want me to tell you what you should
do to Emmanuel?’”
30.
He told me measures he had already taken. I said, “No, it’s not enough’.” I then equipped him the more. He went back
to Nsukka and displayed all and Emmanuel calmed down. Today, he has regained
his son.
31.
When you are all out to put your family the way it should be and bring up your
children in the fear of the Lord, let there be no obstacle at all. Whoever
tries to constitute a stumbling block, regard that person as a part of your
problem and then deal with that problem treacherously without looking back
because there is no excuse for failure. Is there any? There is no reasonable
excuse for failure. If you have failed, you have failed. It starts from
infancy.
32.
Bro Victor Ugwu, I hope you are paying attention? Victor Ugwu, are you paying
attention? I don’t know whether you study this Message. If you really paid
attention, nobody will tell you what your family will look like. You must catch
them young. Go and erect a family altar in your house. You have enough to offer
to your children, at least using your own experience. Are you hearing me?
33.
Whatever we were, were as a result of what we collected from our parents, but
whatever we are today is as a result of what we have made ourselves. Whatever
we shall be tomorrow will be what we make ourselves today.
34.
It is not good for you to stop at condemning your parents. After condemning
your parents, maybe for their injustice towards you, what steps have you taken
to correct it? I say what steps have you taken to correct it? If you do not
take bold steps to correct it, you may be worse than your parents; you may live
a legacy worse than that of your parents. Amen.
I
have always told you that things like washing of gutter, spreading of cloth,
fetching of water from the pump should not cause trouble between you and your
neighbour. Every character exhibited by somebody has a spirit that influenced
it. Do not say because of what somebody did, that you will follow the person
hastily. Allow him sometime, proof the person; because there is a way you will
follow the person, in the end you would not know what to do, shame will cover
your face—you are now exposed. So, let everybody follow his neighbour with
wisdom.
-Son of Man
Chapter Four
In
the Message: “THE DANGERS OF OVER
PAMPERING CHILDREN,” God said, “No
child is a kid; no child is a kid even from day one.”
2.
I saw Bro Chime’s baby this morning looking sad, looking very, very angry. When
I called him, the boy immediately switched off and went into voicemail. You
know it is a dangerous thing for one to go into voicemail. Is it possible? Yes,
you can go into voicemail. “Makua,” Makuachi, went into voicemail with his eyes
red. I knew he was angry. He couldn’t talk but he was demonstrating.
3.
I am saying that even the baby you are breastfeeding can demonstrate against
you. Sometimes, he will start biting your breast in demonstration of his angry
resentment. Sometimes, you bring food nearer, he will use leg to kick the
plate, yet he is not walking. You want to give the baby food when he is angry,
he will use all the hands together to beat the spoon and everything down, and
you want to tell me that the person is a kid.
4.
I don’t know whether parents actually take. Do you really take notice of all
these things? Now, if those toddlers can behave that way, what can you say
about these minors, I mean these teenagers. They know more than that, sometimes
they suppress their feelings and vent them outside. Are you getting me?
5.
Please, be very careful to watch over your family; but, begin by watching over
your own life, your own conversation before your children must be guided by the
Message. There are two many statements parents dare not make before their
children. There are certain discussions you do not even hold before your
children. Are you getting me?
6.
Let me tell you, it is stupidity for parents to quarrel in front of their
children. If you want to quarrel, quarrel inside your bedroom so that when you
come into the parlor you pretend that all is well, lest your children will
understand what is happening.
7.
Are you getting what I am saying? Your
children are watching you. Parents are role models. Is it not our Message? I
will read it here.
8.
You are role models. The first life that influences our children is the life
they are witnessing in the family. The family is between their father and their
mother – that is the first life before them.
9.
So, don’t blame the children, blame yourselves. You are the ones equipping your
children to misbehave and then you turn round to blame everything either on the
society they have found themselves in, or on God or on the weakness of the Faith.
The Faith is not weak. How can the Faith be weak? If the Faith is weak, Christ
is weak. Do you know what I am saying?
10.
It is your inordinate desire that renders the Word of God ineffective. I don’t
know whether somebody is getting what I am saying? Your incorrigible lifestyle
is what nullifies the effect of the Word. When you obey the Word, you will see
the power at work. Until you obey, the power will not come out. Amen.
11.
Let go further. Verse 13: “In the Message
earlier mentioned, I made it unequivocally clear that a child should be
corrected when there is still hope, for a time shall come when there will be no
more hope for correcting that child. Attempting to correct that will be a
wasted effort. Do you begin to learn how to use your left hand at an old age? I
also pointed out in that Message that whoever wants to catch a bird must learn
how to set an early morning trap.’”
12.
You must set the trap early in the morning when the birds are still feeling
cold. If you set the trap when the sun has risen up in the sky; when the birds
must have acquired enough energy to fly about, do you think you will catch any
bird? Do you understand what I am saying?
13.
When a male child comes to a level where he feels he must have known everything
his father knows and the female child also comes to a point where she now knows
what her mother knows, there won’t be the need to talk anymore. Once the male
child knows what his father knows, he becomes his father’s age mate; ditto for
the female child.
14.
Then if he or she is not given proper training, the greatest disaster has
befallen the family. Going to the university will not solve the problem.
15.
Bro Nwobu in Jos is now crying over his son who is a graduate in Computer
Science for he has brought sorrow to his family because of his unguided
behaviour. What caused it? He refused to be in the faith of his parents. With
his university degree, he is a beast and his beast nature has now brought
humiliation to him and his parents.
16.
A child that is left to be on his own must bring shame and dishonour to his
parents. Who do we blame? We blame Brother Nwobu because he never brought up
his children in the fear of God.
17.
God made it clear that as long as your child is under your control and
tutorship
18.
I mean you are paying the fees, you are
clothing the child, you are doing everything for the child, that child is
strictly under your supreme authority. Note the word, “supreme authority.” “Supreme”
means all and all— final. Amen.
If an unrighteousness person
or a fool talks to you, answer him not in the foolish way, else you yourself
become a fool. If somebody asks you a foolish question and you answer the
person back in a foolish way, you yourself become foolish. So, if somebody asks
you a question in foolishness, answer him back in wisdom; answer him back in
love. Bombard your enemies with love. Use love and bombard them, sincere love
that is from the depth of the heart that is without bitterness in it. -Son
of Man
Chapter Five
Let’s
go further. Verse 14:“I have had a lot of
experiences and interactions with many families and have come to discover one
thing. You see so many well dressed, handsome and beautiful people walking on
the street or working in the offices and you think all is well with them, but
they do not have a single rest in their homes.”
2.
Do you doubt me? I mean handsome men, beautiful women, riding pouch cars, own
establishments, employers of labour. Some of them might be directors in their
offices. When you look at the way they pull their cars around, how gorgeously
dressed they are, how they spread money about, you think all is well with them,
but you do not know that they don’t have rest in their homes. Why? Their
children are not trained. Their children are hooligans.
3.
Nothing troubles parents more than raising hooligans at the end of life. And
hooligans do not manifest easily. They normally manifest at the time when the
man and the woman have become tired; when they are completely exhausted – that’s
the time hooligans will manifest.
4.
Let me use myself for example. Assuming I am a hooligan and I am troubling my
parents, when my dad is almost 86-years this year, my mother 72, what do you
think they will do to correct me at my age? Anything?
5.
Brethren, we had better pray hard. God really loves us. I say, God really loves
us. Does it mean that they escaped it? You know my brothers; you know my
relations. My parents have not escaped it. If I don’t trouble them, what about
the others? That you don’t trouble your parents does it mean that others are
not troubling them? What do you think is responsible for that? Improper
training when they were young.
6.
What if you are in this Faith and you dodge the training of your children or
shift the responsibility to your wife alone or to your husband alone or you
feign complete ignorance of the need, what type of fruit are you expected to
harvest?
7.
Hear me very well; the earliest fruits we harvest are our children or the
earliest fruits we harvest in life all come from our children. Refuse to bring
up your children in the fear of God now, I bet you, in the next ten years, you
will begin to harvest the fruits thereof and the fruits actually are going to
be wonderful.
8.
Do you know one funny thing with a human being? If you plant tomatoes, you are
certain you are going to harvest tomatoes. But it is not so with human beings.
You can hardly predict accurately the type of fruit you will collect from an
unguided child. I don’t know whether somebody is catching the Message?
9.
When you are going to farm to pluck coconut, you are certain that you planted
coconut and you will harvest nothing but coconut. But in the case of human
beings, it is different.
10.
When you deliver your children, for the fact that you refused to instruct them
in a godly way, the fruits they will bear are highly unpredictable. You cannot
accurately predict what you will get from your child, but when you give your
child godly training and he grows up in the fear of the Lord and abides in the
fear of the Lord, you are certain of the fruits.
11.
You can even place your bet on him or your banker on him, just like the pool
stakers; the “try-your-luck” people. They have some numbers they call “sure
bankers.” But unfortunately, at the end of the week, you see, the way they will
look at the blackboard will show you that “the bankers” had become “fraudulent
bankers.” He will look at the number 10 over ten times. He may even ask
somebody by the side, “Please, is that number ten?” Disappointed expectation, I
say disappointed expectation.
12.
When you are training your child the way you are training him, the way you are
training her, what do you have in mind your child will be tomorrow? Is the kind
of training you are giving to your child going to help your desire for the
child come to accomplishment? Or do you have one thing in mind and give out the
reverse in training?
13.
Yes, our Message here on Wednesday made it clear that sometimes, our actions
are in direct conflict with our volitions. You do not want your child to be a
criminal, yet you keep dishing out money to him indiscriminately. You have
indirectly trained a criminal. You do not want your daughter to be a
prostitute, you do not want your son to be a drunkard or a never-do-well in
your home, yet you expose him or her to a costly way of living; a life far higher
than what is meant for people of his or her age, may be as your way of showing
love. Is that love?
14.
Love means nothing but making and causing your child to live a life in
consonance with his age, finish! Not when you see all the fashionable styles in
the market made for loose families, families that know nothing; families that
don’t know where to spend the money, you rush and get them for your children.
They think that the best material is the expensive type. They think that love
means flooding their wealth on the children without restriction. That is not
love.
15.
I know one who loved his son that way even to the point of buying a jeep for
that child when he was in the secondary school. What happened? The child
disappointed him. Why? The father had already disappointed himself before the
child disappointed him. He gave the boy a false impression of what the world is
all about; he gave him the impression that the world is nothing but living the
life of pleasure; living a pleasurable life. That means enjoyment. That is what
life is all about.
16.
You buy a mobile phone for a schoolchild, you buy radio, you buy this, you buy
that, you are equipping your child to destroy himself and destroy you.
17.
Hear me very well, are you a father? I am a father myself. Do you go about
observing what is obtainable in some families? I do the same.
18.
What I have realized in recent times is that so many wealthy men are now tired
of their wealth because of the kind of trouble their children give them. For
this reason, some decided to send their children overseas, yet it could not
solve the problem; the thing even worsened when they got back to Nigeria.
19.
There is nothing you can do to correct this anomaly which you caused by trying
to show the child what you call love or that he cannot lack anything. If you
feel you have money and you want to lavish it on your child, use it to prepare
him for the future. Do not use what is meant to make you tall to shorten
yourself.
20.
When you are cautioned on how you lavish money on the child, you will say it is
nobody’s business; after all, it is your money. Do not worry, one day, you will
become like a mad man who set his house ablaze and went about rejoicing that
there was light everywhere. A mad man sets his house ablaze and went about
rejoicing: “Heee! Heee! Everywhere is now clear!” But a little while, the rain
started; the sun came in a very hot way and the mad man started looking for a
shelter and began to quarrel over the house he destroyed with his hands.
21.
When you are doing whatever you are doing today as parents, please, remember
your old age. I say remember your old
age. There was a day I was chatting with a man who told me that he thanked God
that his first son is not the only son he has. If he had been the only son,
newspapers would have carried news items of how he (the man) jumped into River
Niger so as to get drowned and leave this earth.
22.
He said, “Odoemena, you see, people often do not know what God has done for
them when He gives them reasonable children. The day you will realize that
money is useless, is when you give birth to useless children. You will then
realize that the money spent on the woman when she was pregnant, the running
about, money spent on the out-dooring of the child etc., are all useless
non-sense.”
23.
Who will like to have such experience? We learn from the mistakes of others,
but a foolish man will like evil to befall him before he learns his lessons.
24.
Let me repeat verse 14 through 15: “I
have had a lot of experiences and interactions with many families and have come
to discover one thing. You see so many well-dressed, handsome and beautiful
people walking on the streets, or working in offices and you think all is well
with them, but they do not have single rest in their homes.
25.
Each time they hear that the government has approved one form of vigilante
service or the other, their hearts faint. Why?
They know that their children are likely to be victims. They fear
vigilante groups because they have corrupt children?.”
26.
Whenever anybody that has a criminal at home hears that the Bakassi vigilante group has arrived,
what does he do? I remember when Bakassi came
to Onitsha some years ago; we had emergency born-agains. Almost all the
criminals ran into all the Pentecostal Churches carrying Bible to escape from Bakassi. Immediately Bakassi was disbanded, they dropped the Bible
and went out.
27.
Now, everywhere is uncomfortable for them. Some have migrated to other States
while some are still carrying on in the Church, changing styles; nevertheless,
how long will it last? Thou knowest.
28.
Let’s go further. Verse 16 through 17: “Parents
who have grown up children and have trained them in the fear of the Lord,
children who listen to words of instruction and are very obedient to their
course, will have no need to fear if vigilante group operates in their
neighbourhood.
29. Many people go to Fellowship
suppressing their feelings. They go there because it is the place they can have
a little peace, but when they go back home, there is no peace
in their homes.”
30.
Even their pastors, apostles, evangelists, archbishops, deacons, archdeacons,
no exceptions. There are too many of them like that. Can you imagine a
situation where a man will go to Church with his wife, the rest of their
children will go for a jamboree in a pub, gathering in one place or the other?
You go to a place called Markins along Enugu Road or one place along New
America; a very hot point there, Chalton. Go there and see.
31.
Today being Sunday, almost all the youths in the New America quarters are
converged there. Go to Agbakoba Park and see what is happening there. While the
parents are in Church, their children are in the eating and drinking houses;
places of iniquities. At the end of it all, what do you expect it to be?
32.
Do you think these parents have rest when they get home? When you keep your money, your child steals
it. When you see a man hiding his money from one corner to the other, you may
think that he is running from armed robbers. The armed robber is his child. You
keep hiding things because of your child.
33.
Before you know it, he holds you by the tie, trying to strangle you and say, “Man,
I am going back to school tomorrow, you hear me? Ah! Ah! Ah! Mummy, mummy, no,
no, no; there is money in the house? I can’t hear that mummy. Mummy just fifty
T, just fifty T.”
34.
Yes, he knows that you are above fifty T, just fifty T, “chicken change.” “Mummy,
you have more than that. Mummy, so after next week, mummy you will make it seventy-five
T.”
35.
Yes, gradually, gradually, he keeps on increasing it until the day he will
murder you. Before your very eyes, a young man who was a hooligan went to
America, came back and killed his mother in a cold-blooded murder at Awka; a
commissioner for Women Affairs here in Awka in Anambra State. It should be last
year, 2006. Didn’t you hear it? It happened here.
36.
Was he not a graduate? Then he carried the mother’s jeep and ran away. Because
of common jeep, Naira and Kobo, he murdered his mother in cold-blood and you
say, “Hei! Hei! Hei!”
37.
The bedrock, the foundation of all these things, is where I am touching now.
You don’t keep on looking for mystery, mystery, mystery all the time. If you
know all the mysteries in the whole world and lose your family, it profits you
nothing. Gain everything you want to gain; become whatever you want to become
and lose possession of your children, you have wasted your time here on earth.
38.
Some are just walking about; they have children, but they are not sure of who
will bury them. Sometimes, you see people who are full-fledged adults living in
the city, may be in a place like Lagos, sometimes staying up to 10 or even 20
years without asking after those at home, especially their parents.
39.
They can hardly send a penny home. Nobody dies and they show any concern – a
human being. What caused it? Poor training, poor exposure. It is applicable to
both men and women.
40.
Any seed a man soweth that he must reap. You must reap what you sow. When you
leave your children untrained and unguided, get ready to harvest unpredictable
fruits. Remember that the training of children remains a joint responsibility.
Husband, you are involved; wife, you are involved, and this is where the world
has missed it all.
41.
Let’s go further. Verse 17: “Many people
go to Fellowship suppressing their feelings. They go there because it is the
only place they can have a little peace, but when they go back home, there is
no peace in their homes. Why? Their children are giving them headaches. The
children are already showing signs of rebellion even at tender ages, while some
of them who are in the secondary schools have grown above the parent’s control.
Yet, the parents watch helplessly.”
42.
Parents watch the development
helplessly. Woe onto such parents that will helplessly watch their children
grow wild, turn renegades to every family order. I say woe unto such children
and woe onto such parents that will not do anything to arrest the situation.
43.
Little children are you getting with me? Are you reading with me at all? I mean
little children here. I want to hear your response. Are you following at all?
How many will like to be a hooligan here? How many will like to be a headache
to his parents?
44.
I know in the Fellowship you will say no, but when you get home, your character
will prove that you have already grown wild.
45.
Let’s go further. Verse 18 through 20: “Then the question arises: when and where
will this evil habit end, if you watch your children grow up in that wild
manner? What does the future hold for such children?
46. You hear people
say, ‘Anyone of my children that is killed, his own is gone.’ Is that a good
thing to say? If you console yourself with such silly statement, is that a good
consolation?
47. In that same Message
on the danger of over pampering children, I made it clear to all a sundry that
no matter how a girl grows she can not grow or out grow her mother. No matter
how a boy grows, he can never out grow his father. Can the okra tree grow or
surpass its owner? Oftentimes, parents shy away from their responsibilities
only to turn round and say that their children are above their control.”
48.
You abandon your duty towards your children and keep walking about bothering
yourself with material things, clothes and the rest. You then begin to make a
lot of noise when your children grow wings, lamenting that they have grown out
of control: “You see, we are trying our best,
but this child seems to be greater than us. Please, help us.”
49.
Who do you want to help you? The only help I know I can give you is to provide
you with a knife so that you chop his head off. Yes, because a popular dictum
stipulates that: “An ear that does not listen to advice often goes down with
the head.” No be me go kill am, na you go
kill am. Amen.
You
can never live a life higher than your thought. Whatever you think in your
heart, that’s how your life is. Does your life bring
shame? What are people saying about you? What are people saying about your
family? What are they saying about your children? You have to answer these
questions yourself. -Son
of Man
CHAPTER
SIX
Let’s
go further. Verse 21: “Do not direct this
Message to anybody; direct it to yourself and to your entire household before
you direct it to someone else. It is said that when the she-goat chews the cud,
her little ones learn from her.”
2. Do
not direct this Message to another person, it is meant for you; it is also
meant for me. It is our families that are being talked about. Our lives are
being talked about. Keep your home in order before you start poking your finger
at another person’s home. Train your children. Before you preach this Message
to others, first and foremost, preach it to your family members and be sure
that they are convinced. Just saying it orally is not enough.
3.
Let’s go further. Verse 22: “I also
pointed out in that Message that the worst and most shameful thing that would
befall a mother is to be alive while her daughter puts on trousers in her
presence.’”
4.
What about a woman that puts it on before her children? What about a woman who
is desirous of such clothings? What about a woman who always loves to polish up
her nails with nail polish amidst heavy make-ups all over her face? If her daughter
decides to do the same thing tomorrow, does she have any say there?
5.
If you always delight in putting on clothes with too many openings almost to
the extent of going naked in the name of
fashion and somebody decides to give clothes that are large enough to cover
your daughter’s nakedness and she declines saying, “I will like to put on the
type of clothes mummy wears,” will you be surprised?
6.
Yes, who did she learn it from? She learnt it from her mother. Keep checking
these things because God said we spoil our ways and turn round to blame it on
God. The same way, we spoil our children, spoil our families only to turn round
and blame it on the society.
7.
There is nothing wrong with the society, but something is wrong with you and
your family. The first society I know is my family; the second is your family.
What do I mean? It is a collection of families that form a society. The society
is not made up of goats and rats, it is made up of individuals and individuals
come from families.
8.
So, the first society is my family, the second is your family. If there is anything you are doing at home
and you think your children do not know, you are deceiving yourself. Nothing
influences the children more than what they see with their eyes and what they
hear with their ears.
9.
That thing which you are doing, your children are seeing it. That which you say
and you think it means nothing to them, they are hearing it. These things
influence their character. Whether you like it or not, parents still remain role
models.
10.
Let’s go further. Verse 22: “I also
pointed out in that Message that the worst and the most shameful thing that
would befall a mother is to be alive while her daughter puts on trousers in her
presence or have a daughter that comes home with protruding belly to present
pregnancy as a gift to her parents.”
11.
For those who constantly pressurize their children to bring something home when
coming back, I believe that pregnancy is a very nice gift to be brought home.
When the daughter finally brings back such “nice gift” home, the mother begins
to make unnecessary noise. After some time you, may hear: “Is it an abomination
that my daughter got pregnant? Is she the first to have done such a thing?” No
shame.
12.
Yes, when you are bragging, you don’t even know how people are seeing you. Your
children can drag your reputation to the mud. The character of your children
will either exalt your family or debase your family. Righteousness exalts a
family, but sin, iniquity and reckless living debase a family.
13.
That is why God warned us seriously that as parents, we should be careful about
what we say and how we behave, for if we are not careful; all we are trying to
build in our children all these years may be destroyed by one single
misbehaviour in their presence.
14.
A single misbehaviour in the presence of your children can do great havoc by
destroying all the virtues you have struggled to inculcate in them all these
years. One single misbehaviour nullifies all, renders them ineffective and then
opens your reputation before them to question.
15.
Therefore, parents should be very careful. I told you a story of a family. This
family was blessed with a baby girl and while the baby was coming up in life,
pregnancy was delayed. Her mother couldn’t conceive until about 4 years later,
but within that period, that woman never saw peace with her husband. They were
constantly quarrelling. The father was so hot-tempered that he never spared
beating the woman everyday; even in the presence of the little girl.
16.
So, one Sunday evening, the man came back with some of his friends and he was
in a happy mood. The daughter just rushed forward because the man was carrying
a loaf of bread in his hand. This little girl embraced the father: “Daddy, you
are welcome. Good evening sir,” she referred to the father’s friend who was
accompanying him.
17.
Very close to entering their parlour, the girl collected the bread from the
father and then rejoiced, ran into the house and came back: “Daddy, daddy, will
you beat mummy again today?” He said, “Ehn! Shut up!” “No daddy, will you beat
mummy again today?” the girl said again.” Daddy, please don’t beat mummy again.”
18.
Then the friend was shocked. He turned to his friend and said, “My dear, any
problem in your house?” “Don’t mind this stupid girl. That is one of the
dangers of sending them to nursery school. I don’t know whether I will withdraw
this child. She talks too much,” the man said.
19.
The friend replied, “But she is talking sense; she is talking sense.” A little
while, the woman came out from the house with bulged eyes and the man enquired:
“Woman, ah! Ah! Ah! You are looking so weak and sad, what happened to your
eyes?” “I mistakenly jammed my eyes on the door while entering the kitchen.”
Immediately she said this, the little girl heard it; she ran and shouted: “No!
Daddy beat mummy in the eye.” So, the man went after the girl.
20.
It can happen anywhere; it can happen anywhere. What am I saying? This single
girl that is still alone and is being exposed to this type of lifestyle
starting from her family, what do you think the future holds for her? If she
turns out to be renegade tomorrow, who will be blamed? The baby or the parents?
You see why it is very, very bad for parents to lay bad examples before their
children.
21.
Most of the mistakes our children are making today are as a result of what they
are seeing in our lives; If not now, previously. What if you are of the type
that loves taking your children to the public places? Anywhere you want to go,
you will like your son or your daughter to follow you there, exposing the child
to rough, rough places.
22.
If you are a businessman, you place order for goods. When the consignment
arrives, I do not believe that you express any surprise at the type of goods
you are given because those must have been exactly what you ordered for.
23.
Mrs. Awudu, the general secretary of SEC, was sharing her experiences in her
book. This woman has investments both in Nigeria and abroad; she raised an
enviable family. In one of her trips, one of the sons stipulated all the items
the mother must purchase for him in London for she attended the London stock
exchange seminar.
24.
The woman got there and phoned the son to tell him that those items were not in
London market. The boy changed his mind and mentioned other items. The woman
wondered how the boy managed to know the existence of those costly items and
then while she was coming back, she made a stopover in Lagos and purchased all
the “tokunbos”— fairly used— in
Alaba: second-hand clothes, second-hand shoes, all contrary to the boy’s
request.
25.
When she got home, the boy was fuming with rage. The mother said, “My dear,
don’t be offended. I bought all that you requested. You wanted so, so and so,
but look at what you needed. So, I am here with all that you need. I cannot
provide what you want but I can provide what you need.”
26.
Can we learn something from there? What do you provide for your children as parents?
Do you provide what they want or what they need? Mothers, fathers, everyone
must answer this question. What do you provide for your children? For whatever
provision you are making for your children must influence them rightly or
wrongly.
27.
There is a way I will cloth my son now, he will begin to look down on all of
you. Do you believe that? Can you imagine a little boy who is still under aged
wearing a costly shoe of about N7, 000,
N6, 000, trousers worth N11, 000, N10, 000? If he becomes an adult, the father will sell a plot of
land to meet his needs. That is what it means. He cannot ride 504 or these cars
here. The father must kidnap somebody, sell a human being. This is true.
28.
What am I saying? Flamboyant life leads
to every kind of evil. There is a particular level where you will keep your
child and he will know nothing but himself—filled with ego. From time to time,
he examines his watch, his suit, his tie and he will only go to places that
match with his class because you have now given him class; you have promoted
him to another class and every class has its own associated evil. I do not know
whether you do really understand me?
29.
If I place my children in the class of children of money magnates, they will
surely start behaving like them. This is because any class you find yourself
calls for a defence. If the person is a lady the same thing.
30.
This is the reason why, if you watch a lady that rides a car when she is not
married, her marriage is delayed. Moreover, at the end of it all, she must
marry a hooligan, somebody who will come to her because of that car or her bank
account. That is why intelligent ladies do not buy cars until they get married.
It is widely believed that a lady living on her own and rides a car is a
prostitute; not ordinary prostitute, but an international one and is above
staying under the rulership of a man. I believe that that ideology is right.
Are you getting me? It’s applicable to a boy.
31.
Know the type of training you are giving your children. Know the class where
you are placing your child. Are sure you can bear the associated burden? These
needs not be over emphasized.
32.
What am I saying here? Parents, be careful. CHECKPOINT. CHECKPOINT means
recognize where you have erred and make a necessary correction. Recognise where
you have strayed away from the Faith. Recognise where you have lowered the
standard. Recognise what is responsible for the troubles you are passing
through in your family. What do you think is responsible for the misbehaviour
of your children?
33.
For I believe that God has given us a very powerful equipment with which to
bring up our children as models in our day, present ourselves also as models in
our day. There is no group, in short, we have no rival as far as “sound
teaching” is concerned. We have no rival and we have no excuse if we fail.
34.
A Roman Catholic catechist who collected FAMILY
MENU Vols. 1 & 2 from me came back to my shop on Thursday, full of
appreciation. I thought he was returning my books. Rather, he said, “Son of
Man, this ‘Son of Man’ nearly stumbled me, but somebody said ‘Son of Man’ doesn’t
mean God. He began to show me ‘Son of Man’ in the Bible. It was then that my
idea and my vision about you changed. I began to show interest in your books.
While going through your books, I now discover that they are ‘indispensable
materials in every home.’ So, I am here to make request for twenty copies.”
35.
I said, “Sir, your request can only be granted by my own group. I cannot even
provide one tomorrow.” He said, “Well, forfeit your own.” I thought the man was
kidding. He engaged me in too many questions, which I cleared to his
satisfaction.
36.
He said, “My friend, please, do me as favour: if you cannot get twenty copies,
please, get at list ten, ten. I have many, many families. I am a marriage
counsellor in St. Luwaga’s Church and I have been using what I gathered in your
books from that day till now and my people are pleased. But this ‘Son of Man’
nearly caused trouble!”
37.
You see, there must be a stumbling block. Until he removed it, he did not yield
to the Message. Immediately he removed it, his eyes opened. He became
appreciative. If a Roman Catholic could acknowledge the Message to be true, to
be useful and a veritable instrument in every family for child training, what
is your own opinion about it?
38.
To some of you, it is only good for decorating your parlours; good for
equipping your hand bags; good for
increasing the number of books you have in your shelves, but to the man, they
are very, very important and unavoidable in every family.
39.
You must have your own opinion about these Messages. Holding the books without
going through them profits you nothing; rather, the contents may turn out to be
your condemnation at the end. God has given us the dress. We have to dress
ourselves, do you believe that?
40.
The essence of the Son of Man is to give you the dress and the dress is the Word
of a God. You have to clothe yourself. Do you believe that? The Bride is
clothed with the Word of God and the Word of God is the righteousness of the
Bride for the Word is God Himself.
41.
Let’s go further. Verse 23: “The father
and mother of such a girl have failed because it must take the two to make up
the family and the art of training children is a joint responsibility.”
42.
My wife will play her role while I also play my own role. If the thing becomes
too hectic for her, she transfers it to me. There is a point the training of a
child will get to, the man simply pushes the child to his wife. Is it not true?
Please, be careful.
FALSE LOVE LINE
Let’s
go further. Verse 24: “The man and woman
must agree. They must have one mind and one purpose for the family; otherwise,
the family must be divided along false love lines, false love lines.’”
44.
What is false love line? Let us see, verse 25 through 26: “Here is what I mean: if a woman sincerely desires that her children
must be trained in a godly way, and she spends her time checking the excesses
of her children, doing her best to bring them to order, but the husband is opposed
to her honest intentions; instead of cooperating with his wife to raise up the children
in a godly manner, the man indoctrinates the children to believe that their
mother hates them.
45. So, the children
start to see their mother as the enemy and then love their father who offers
them false security by providing them pleasantries, things that will make them
happy. The man is dividing his family along false love line.”
46.
Their mother hates them, is it possible? It has happened before my eyes. I have
once witnessed where a man told his children to run away from their mum, that
the woman was a witch. What made the woman a witch was that she broke the
television in the parlour and discarded all the nonsense the man parked everywhere,
which were sources of distractions to the kids.
47.
The man just called up the children and told them to run away from their mum,
for she was a witch and that she hated them. And you know that children believe
such things easily.
48.
Let’s go further. Verse 26: “Instead of
cooperating with his wife to raise up the children in a Godly manner, the man
indoctrinates the children to believe that the mother hates them, so the
children start seeing their mother as the enemy and then love their father who
offers them false security by providing them pleasantries, things that will
make them happy. The man is dividing the family along false love lines.
49.
Loving my children does not mean buying biscuits and bananas for them. It does
not mean buying a TV game with joystick with which to play the game. We have to
be very careful Brethren.
50.
Sometimes, a man may be correcting the son, the wife just comes along, pulls
the child away from the reach of the man and tells the child to run; that the
father hates him; that if the father ever loved him, he should be buying him
shoes, clothes etc; but, for the fact that he does not buy these things, that
the man is a wizard and really hates him.
50.
How can my wife be buying all these things for the child and I still go ahead
to buy mine as if we are competing? Whether it is my wife that bought it or I,
it is still the same thing; we both bought it. Finish.
51.
How can a woman buy a piece of clothe for her child and on trying it out on the
little child begins to make some lousy comments like: “Well, let me keep buying
you clothes, after all, your father does not care whether you wear clothes or
not. It is none of his business.”
52.
Well, anyway, my wife cannot try it, for she knows what I will do if she tries
it. You know, I behave somehow. I am known for that. If she tries it, for one
month, nobody will eat. Any amount of money that comes into the house must go
into clothes. I must go to Main Market and come back with a “Ghana-must-go bag”
full of clothes and shoes; for one full month we will starve.
53.
Ah!Ah! I will just gather the children and tell them that the items have
arrived. I will carry the whole thing ‘”e
via’.” When the time comes for food, I will say, “Well, we used the money
to buy clothes.”
54.
They will think I am kidding. The following morning, I will land with another
basket until everybody starts shouting: “Are we going to eat clothes in this
house?” I will say, “Na so mummy want am.”
55.
All I am saying is this: we should be sensible concerning all these things;
otherwise, we will divide our families; we create unnecessary disaffection
between our children—either our wives or husbands giving that impression that
you love your children more than your husband or you love your children more
than your wife. It is a stupid behaviour that must be avoided with all malice.
56.
It is a joint responsibility. No particular person takes the credit. If there
is a disappointment, all of us are disappointed. If they succeed, all of us
have succeeded. Amen.
For you to gain respect, you will first of
all humble yourself down. Do not be puffed up, do not be proud; the fear of God
is the counsel of righteousness. Whatever righteousness you exhibit which does
not come from the fear of God, is nonsense; it is not taking you anywhere.
-Son of Man
Chapter Seven
So
please, all of you should change your attitude immediately because your
children are learning from you. Until you ask me to come down, I will not come
down. So, if you want me to come down, tell me to come down.
2.
Let’s go further. Verse 27: “Remember,
human beings by nature, hate instructions that will give them life. Human
beings love to tilt towards the area where they are always given pleasantries
as an expression of love. Children love people who give them pleasantries more
than those who rebuke them.”
3.
Children, from today, change your attitude. Anybody that gives you pleasantries
to win your love is your enemy; but whoever that rebukes you when you go wrong,
love that person. He is the person that loves you for the love of God is
corrective but the love of the Devil is a gift. Devil manifests his own love
through gifts and unnecessary pleasantries, so avoid those people.
4.
Let’s go further. Verse 28: “Unless you
want your daughter to be dragging the kitchen with you and the boys to be
dragging palm wine and every other thing with you, you will spend your time
with them to bring them up in a godly manner.’”
5.
If you do not want your son to break your head with a bottle while scrambling
over alcoholic drinks with you, bring out enough time to train that child in a
godly way. If you do not want your daughter to be running about with you in
your kitchen, even after she has been married when it is not even clear whether
she is married or still living in her father’s compound, spend time to train
her in a godly way.
6.
Let’s go further. Verse 29: “It is a sign
of failure for your son to quarrel with you over land when you are still alive.
As long as a man is alive, the son should buy his own land if he wants one. If
his father does not give him a portion, he has no right to contend with his
father over any portion of land, because the father is still alive. Can you
struggle over the property of the living?”
7.
It is a sign of failure for a son to quarrel with you over land when you are
still alive. To start with, did he give you any property to keep for him? It is
a sign of failure. If you don’t want it to happen, begin now to train your
children. Teach your children these doctrines so that you re-direct their footsteps,
otherwise where they are heading to may be disastrous.
8.
Let’s go further. Verse 30: “In clear
terms I tell you this: When you spend time to train your children well, you will reap the reward thereof ; but,
when you do not bother about training them, or you refuse to train them, you
will equally reap the reward thereof.”
9.
You must reap what you sow. You see,
this Message has been preached indirectly before now. God is confirming His
Words in diverse ways. You must reap what you sow; will you deny this? I am
saying that retributive justice is here also and it is very much explained as
it relates to our children.
10.
Let’s go further. Verse 31: “Consider a
situation where a man takes refuge in the house of his neighbours because his
first son is after him. Is that not a shameful situation? Who will like to have
such a son? What do you think caused it?’
11.
A terribly shameful situation. You may begin to wonder whether this can happen.
It is happening. I mean the first son of a man chasing his father out of the
house using a cutlass while his father runs for his dear life and seeks refuge
at his maternal home or in neighbour’s apartment. Who is he running away from?
His first son.
12.
I told you a story of what happened where I was living some years ago. A young
man who was very stubborn and arrogant—although his father was equally stubborn
in his youth and continued in it in old age. One day, there was a quarrel
between the father and his son. So, we were just passing and we saw what looked
like a play. Before we rushed to the scene, the boy had already lifted his
father up and floored him on the ground. After he floored the man on the
ground, he was screaming and screaming, crying and weeping. His hands were very
loose. He couldn’t punch his father.
13.
We never knew that the boy was dying. We were pleading with the father to have
mercy on the young man and the man said, “No, no, no I am holding him in a ‘bad
junction.’ Leave me; let me teach him a lesson.”
14.
The father gripped his testicles tight and was squeezing them with his hands.
Saliva was just dripping out of the son’s mouth. The person I am referring to
is the father of Brother James. He is
right here. I mean Brother James. He is not too far from me. It is his real
father not his grandfather, for he was a very stubborn man, very stubborn.
15.
Anywhere he attended their “Egwu Ozo,” he must fight. He will be number one to pick
up his stick and hit somebody. After fighting, he will jump into his 504 and
drive home. So, he taught that boy a lesson he never forgot. He never made the
mistake of insulting his father till he died. What I am trying to bring out is
the level of humiliation there—a son fighting his father publicly not in
secret. What caused it? Poor training.
16.
The man used the time he could have devoted training his children for something
that wasn’t meaningful at all.
17.
What are you doing in your day today? Where are you spending your time? Where
do you spend the time you could have used to sit down with your wife in the
family to look after your children? Is it at the Main Market or Ochanga Market
or in your mechanic workshop or in your offices?
18.
These questions are pertinent because whatever a man esteems higher than his
family is what will destroy the family. Anything you esteem higher than your
family; that thing which is more important to you than your family, take note
of it; it is what will destroy your family. If it is your academic pursuit,
surely it must destroy your family. If it is your office, if you are not
careful, it will destroy your family.
19.
I am saying that in everything; create enough time to sit with your family so
as to see to their welfare. At the end of your toils in this life, the only
thing that will be your comfort is that your children are doing well: “I have
raised well-behaved children that are successful.” Finish. If not, you have
wasted your own time.
20.
You see, we are blessed here. That’s why we can hardly appreciate a teaching
like this. You won’t understand what I am saying until you have gone out and
met with families that are really on the ground looking for a way out, yet
there is no way. Every hope is lost— not in one, not in two—but in all.
21.
I came into contact with a family. The head of the family was a multi
millionaire. He had everything; had estates in America. He even raised his
children in America. They all came back here and became drug addicts both men
and women till today. All of them have become beasts and the man has reclined
to stay at home waiting for death to strike. It is a shameful thing. Who will
like this kind of situation to befall him? In short, we need to be pitied.
22.
Let’s go further. Verse 34: “That which gives you sleepless nights, that
which you esteem higher than staying at home as a mother or as a father after
the day’s toils, to look into the state of your home and how your children are
faring. That thing which gives you pleasure outside your home and keeps you
away from your home, be it your work or any other thing; know that the same
thing will spoil your family.’
23. Let’s
go further. Verse 35: “Show me a child
that performs very well within and without his or her home and I will show you
parents that stay around that child. Any child that is allowed to have his or
her way must bring shame and dishonour to the parents at last.”
24.
If you believe it, say “amen.”
PART
FOUR
MOTHER’S
ROLE EXPLAINED
2.
Please, take note of the statement: “men must.” Then the question arises: Do
our wives have some of their excesses? Do we notice some excesses in the
behaviour and utterances of our wives? If you don’t notice them, how can you
check them? “I love my wife,” “I love my wife,” yes! And that “love” will
compel me to check some of her excesses.
3.
There are certain things that are my own exclusive preserve, which I will never
allow her to encroach into. The same way, there are certain areas in family
life that are her exclusive preserve. I dare not encroach into them. Are you getting
me?
4.
The same thing applies to mine. Any attempt by my wife to encroach into those
areas must be resisted. That is what it means to check the excesses of our
wives. This is because by nature, every woman will like to be in control.
5.
A woman can only be in control of her kitchen not the parlour. You can’t
control the kitchen and control parlour too, but the control of the bedroom is
our joint control. This is because the parlour is the resting place of the
king. Do you believe that? The resting place of the queen is the kitchen. This
is hard to believe.
6.
If a man comes back from work and wants to rest, he simply goes for a mat with
which he lies on the floor of the parlour. Can a woman do that? If a woman
wants to sleep on the floor, she gets into the bedroom and sleeps on the bare
floor. Is it a lie? The parlour is the palace of the king from where he dishes
out orders: “Bring me star, bring me stout, get me fish and get me a plate of
pepper soup.” That is where a man relaxes his nerves. Do you understand what I
am saying?
7.
But hear me very well, the topic says: “Men Must Learn To Check The Excesses Of
Their Wives.”
8.
I told you of a woman who was very, very strong, stronger than a man, stronger
than her husband; very quarrelsome. She could leave the house anytime she wants,
come back anytime she wants. The husband might be there, before his eyes,
somebody will come with a car, blow the horn and she gets outside, joins the
man in the vehicle and off they go; even, without asking for permission from
the man.
9.
Each time she comes back and the man makes any noise, the woman simply beats the
hell out of him since she was very strong. Another thing was the fear that if
he speaks, the woman will hire people to kill him. So, the man kept quiet until
his friend began to ridicule him and cajole him up and down.
10.
So, he got instruction from somewhere and then the idea of how to beat the wife
came into his mind. He did something: He went and gathered “Nsukka pepper.” Do
you know what we call “Nsukka pepper?” We have special pepper that is from Nsukka,
which is very, very hot.
11.
He grounded the pepper very well, poured little water into it and then
purchased two strong canes. He placed them at the back of the door.
12.
This woman went out as usual. The man waited and waited and waited. At about 11
p.m, the woman was singing on her way back and knocked on the door as usual.
One of the daughters stood up and opened the door. Immediately, the man carried
the little plate containing the red pepper—Nsukka pepper—and poured the whole
thing into his mouth. He placed the remnant behind the door. While the children
were saying, “Welcome mummy, welcome mummy,” she enquired with a masculine
voice: “Where is your father? Is he not in the house? Has he not heard my
voice?”
13.
So, the man came out and the woman was shouting and shouting. The man pretended
as if he was sorry and was coming closer and closer and closer; the lioness (the
woman) was shouting and shouting, and the man just made pooo! Splashing the
pepper into her eyes and all over her face.
14.
She dropped her bag and was rubbing her eyes while the man looked for his cane
and picked up the cane. The man lashed her mercilessly that night. So, he was
lashing and pushing her until he come to the wall and knocked her head against
the wall, pulling the woman down in the process, neighbours came.
15.
After that incident, the woman never resort to violence, but took dialogue. Any
bush that abhors baskets mustn’t grow mushrooms. Any day the weak man becomes
strong, havoc must be wrecked. Are you getting
me?
16.
You know what it takes for a blind man to see from his father’s room. He will
run round the whole world in a minute.
17.
So, from that day, the man learnt the secret of how to beat the wife. Each time
the wife makes any noise, he will say, “Remember that day. Another day I will
handle you, it will be in another style.” Amen.
18.
Those you feel do not talk, cannot keep quiet forever. They must one-day talk.
Are you getting me?
19.
Let’s continue— still on verse 1 — “No
one trains the child more than the mother and no one spoils the child more than
the mother’.”
20.
Those of you children who always like to follow your mum about, take note, for
the Igbos said, “A boy trained by a woman usually goes gaga.” Does it mean that
you should hate your mother? No. Love your mother, respect your mother but
honour your father. I repeat: Love your mother, respect your mother, but honour
your father. Amen.
21.
Let’s continue— still on verse 1— “That
same person responsible for the training of the children is the same person
responsible for spoiling the children.”
22.
Is it not wonderful to know that? Was this Message written this morning? Did we
write it having a particular person in mind? It is a Message from God, which
was given to all of us. It’s ours. Take yours home while I also take mine home.
23.
Let’s continue— still on verse 1 through 2 —“That
same person that is responsible for the training of the children is the same
person responsible for the spoiling of the children. When a woman spoils her
children, she turns round to blame it on their father, but no man spoils his
children unless he is in enmity with their mother.”
24.
Whenever a man has a dispute with the wife, the children are surely in for
trouble. Do you understand what I am saying? Wherever a lion fights with an
elephant, who will suffer? The grass will suffer because the impact must be
left there. The impact must be left behind. You can’t quarrel with your wife
endlessly without leaving the impact on your family. Glory be to God.
25.
Let’s continue. Verse 3: “The greatest
favour and love the man can show his children as a father, is to love their
mother.’”
26.
If you don’t love your wife, you don’t love your children because your wife is
closest to them than any other person, and can snatch them away from you. I say
she can snatch them away from you. What I mean by snatching is snatching their
hearts away.
27.
Let’s continue. Verse 3 through 7: “Once
a man hates his wife, he looks for a way to use his children against their
mother. The same also is true for the woman. When a woman hates her husband she
must look for a way to win the children to use them against their father.
28. Any child used by the mother to fight the
father must be a hooligan. I repeat: any child that is seduced by the mother,
as an instrument to fight the father must be a hooligan.
29. Look into the society; watch all you can
see on the streets, highways and in the homes. You will begin to wonder whether
they came from families. Trace their problems and you will find out that their
mothers spoilt them. Their mothers used most of them to fight their fathers.
30. Let us now consider home ideals or home
idiosyncrasies.”
31.
What is your family known for? There is no family that does not have a peculiar
thing for which it is known. Some families are known for too much talking; some
are known for coming home late at night; some are known for rascality; some are
even known for trouble making; some are known for cooking their meals late in
the night whereby the woman will disturb the entire neighbourhood with the
sound of mortar and pestle etc. These are the things we call home
idiosyncrasies.
32.
I am coming to something Brethren. Please, bear with me.
33.
Let’s continue. Verse 7 through 10: “Your
family must be known by something. When your family is mentioned, what crosses
people’s minds? If you raise criminals-children who give your community
trouble- once the name of your family is mentioned, what do people say? They
will associate your home with that of hooligans and armed robbers.
34. When you cross the street, what do people
say? ‘There goes the father of that armed robber that shot someone the other
day.’ Please, drive this Message home. Do not direct it to someone else but
yourself.
35. One thing is to have children; another
thing is to train them. If you have children, it is a blessing from God. If you
do not train them, it becomes a curse from God; a blessing can be a curse, if
it is not properly managed. Ignorance is foolishness and it is a deliberate
misfortune.”
36. Ignorance
is what? Foolishness and also a deliberate misfortune.
37. “A poor man is not
a man without money, but a man without wisdom.”
38.
A poor woman is not a woman without one naira but a woman without wisdom.
39.
Let’s continue. Verse 10 through 12: “For
wisdom saves your life, but your wealth cannot save you because without wisdom,
you cannot control your wealth. Wealth is controlled by wisdom, but wealth does
not give wisdom—Does it?—“With wisdom
you can secure your wealth.
40. As earlier mentioned,
when you observe the society, you will notice many people on the streets or
even in the churches, some of them are Reverends, Pastors or Archbishops, among
the clergy, and highly placed men and women in the society. When you see them
in their flashy cars, you think all is well with them. All is not well.
41. If you get to their
homes, often times the man cannot tell the wife what to do because he is afraid
of the wife. He cannot even exercise his authority in his family because he is
afraid of his children”
42.
Is it not possible? In some families, the man doesn’t talk, for the woman is a
tigress. From time to time, you may hear something like: “Just disturb me here
and I get my relatives to teach you one or two lessons.” The man may even be
terribly afraid of the children: “If I hear any noise from you again, I put you
into the boot.” Who is he referring to? The father (Nwobu).
43.
The man will be dying in silence. The man is no more at rest. He will be
troubled about the wife and the children. The life of the man is in danger. He
does not know what to do so as to ensure that tomorrow gets better. What caused
it? He did not spend enough time to train the children. Again, he did not check
the excesses of the wife when there was hope, when there was still time.
44.
I believe that there is a stage in marriage where a single misbehaviour from
the wife can be corrected by one hot slap; but there is an age the man gets to,
he dares not slap her unless he wants to die. The only thing he can do at that
stage is to walk about displaying his angry resentment: “Somebody will die in
this house one day!” The next thing he hears is: “If you know the person you
are referring to, just touch him or her.”
45.
The wife jostles him by the trousers with her left hand. Before the man knows
it, she beats the daylight out of him amidst the shouts for help from him. This
is why in your youth, put her in the right shape. Give her office, so that it
becomes her way of life, finish.
46.
You train a woman the same way you train children. If you train your wife well,
you gain; but, if you do not train her well, just get ready; she will use you
to learn boxing. If she happens to wear a tight—you know that knickers are out
of fashion now—she can do too many things to you.
47.
You know there are assorted tights nowadays; those made of rubber. The thing
will be so tight on her skin that she doesn’t trouble herself checking whether
the thing is pulling off or is loose. She will just tilt her leg at an angle
and give the man a powerful kick that will get him sprawling. The man begins to
look for a way out. I am telling you the truth.
48.
If you ever complain that your leg or head is aching, no more. She grips you
there until you wet yourself. This is true because that which you could do in
your youth, you couldn’t do them anymore—since time and events weary down a
man. Amen.
49.
What I am telling you is clear; as clear as the day. You may not know how
reduced your stamina (strength) is until the day you annoy your wife. She will
just grip you by your trousers and give you one “round.” You stagger this way and sway that way: “Woman, I will deal with
you!” Are you going to deal with her when the strength to do so is no more
there?
CHECK
THE EXCESS OF YOUR CHILDREN
So
please, what I am saying? Try to check the excesses of your children. When you
are checking that of your children, check that of your wife also. Unless these
two agree with you, you can never see peace in your family.
51.
Nevertheless, remember that it is in the hand of the woman to dictate the type
of atmosphere that will be prevalent in the family at any given time. If she
wants the atmosphere to be hot, it must be hot. Do you understand me? That
there is peace in the house; that the air-conditioner produces cool atmosphere
is only determined by the woman. If the woman decides that the air-conditioner
will produce heat, it must produce heat.
52.
This is why you must blend your family in such a manner that they will
cooperate with you at all times, so that the purpose of erecting the family
might be achieved. Let me go further before I come down.
53.
Let’s continue. Verse 13 through 20: “Often
times, you see the children threatening their parents, what do you think is the
cause? Which parents will be happy to have daughters that will be bold and
arrogant enough to stand before them and challenge their authority?
54. Imagine your own children harassing and
threatening you in your own home, threatening to deal with you in your house.
Threatening to show you who is who in your house. Some girls are bold enough to
menacingly point a finger at their mother threatening to show her who is who.
55. Will you be happy to have such children?
Who will desire such children in this life? Yet, that is the point where the
world is heading, and if you do not recognize this and find out the cause,
surely you will never escape it. Find out why and then escape it.
56. God blesses us with children who are
growing up every day. They mix with every kind of person both in schools and
colleges and since we do not have our own private colleges and private nursery
or primary schools, they must go to these schools whether we like it or not.
57. Some of their teachers are from broken
homes. Teachers who do not have rest in their homes, whose husbands and children
trouble them. They carry their troubles to the classroom. If you cannot
recognize this truth, you are going to be the next victim.
58. I observed a little
girl in the Junior Secondary School whose parents I know very well. Every
afternoon a young man using a flat boot Mercedes car drops her nearby my office
and the girl walks the rest of the way home.
59. At mornings, she
goes away in her school uniform but when coming back, she comes wearing another
dress. In other words, she goes out with two different dresses.
60. Whatever
explanation she gives her parents to warrant her change of clothing in school
or anywhere is best known to her. You do not teach a criminal how to tell lies,
for it a part of a criminal’s life.”
61.
A criminal can stand up and tell one million lies in one second. He doesn’t
think on how to tell lies, it is a part of life to him.
62.
Let’s continue. Verse 21 and 22: “Now, if
her parents are observant and wise, surely they must caution that child by
interrogating her. They must find out why she changes her dresses everyday.
63. If this girl has
started living this kind of life at this early stage of life, by the time she
gets to Senior Secondary School, if she ever gets there, what do you think will
be her condition?”
64.
I thank God that this particular girl I am talking about here has stopped going
to school. She didn’t go beyond J.S.S 3 and got pregnant. You see, I am
vindicated. How I wish all of you know her.
65.
Let’s continue. Verse 23 through 24: “I
know a man whose headache is to locate where his son normally goes when he
leaves home for school. Every morning he leaves home for school but will never
be in school. The father has taken it upon himself several times to check the
son without meeting him in school. Who then is responsible? It was because of
that same habit that the father changed his school but he has become worse.
66. The parents did not
give that child proper upbringing from the first day, for his problem started
right from primary one; now, he is in Junior Secondary school. How can the
parents attempt to correct him in Junior Secondary school? What cannot be
achieved in a child as an infant cannot be achieved in him when he is an adult’.”
67.
It is underlined there. Catch them young.
68.
Let’s continue. Verse 25 through 26: “Let
me put it this way, it will take a miracle for you to bring back your child
that has tasted cigarette and liquor!
69. How do we raise our
children? What do we have in mind while preparing them? Are we preparing our
children so that they will remain with us forever or are we preparing them so
that they will raise their own homes? If we want them to raise their own homes,
what do we wish them in their own homes? For it is what you wish your child
that determines the way you will bring that child up.”
70.
CHECKPOINT! CHECKPOINT!! CHECKPOINT!!! Look into your family order, look into
the lives of your children and look into your own personal life. If there is
anywhere you have noticed you have derailed from the Message, you have failed
to obey, please correct it while there is hope. Today may be too early, for a
stitch in time saves nine.
71.
On this note, I say remain blessed.