INTRODUCTION
The summary of the testimonies I am about to share in this book can be found in Psalm 124:1-7:
1If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
2If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
4Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
5Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
The journey of twenty one month hospitalisation and the indescribable pains that I experienced daily, coupled with the deliverance from death that followed, have made me realise and believe that God has a purpose for my life. The divine opportunity to survive the ravaging jaws of death brings me closer to fulfilling the purpose for which God rescued me to accomplish in life.
Esther 4:14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Rick Warren described purpose as "nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose for your life and that nothing can compensate for not knowing."
If not for making it possible by Jesus for me to discover or understand my purpose in life, it would have been impossible to write this book. Once you know your purpose in life and follow it, then you are truly living. I personally did not realize that God could use me as a living testimony of what He can do for His children. I never thought that He would use my story to bless and encourage others. Of course, I love God and all that He represents in the Bible and the world. But, I was equally contented with gaining employment and building a career to support my family and give to charity. However, I never bothered until now to openly proclaim Jesus as a healer and deliverer. Prior to the sickness, I didn’t know that Jesus could favour and use me in a way to publicise His healing powers to mankind. I was contented with just being a channel of receiving God’s blessing. It did not occur to me that Jesus intended to use my testimony as source of rescue to the body of Christ. It is an honour and a divine privilege that I do not take for granted at all.
Praise God for His unending supply of our needs. It is disturbing that a lot of Church people, including my self just want to receive from God like little babies; we often want to take more from God all the time because He is Jehovah-Jireh (God my provider). some Christians do not realise that God has created us to be givers to others; one of the purposes for which He created us is to be a channel of giving to other people. God wants to love the world through us. I am praying today for a reader of this book that you will find fulfilmentof destiny in your life before you go to meet your Lord in the mighty name of Jesus.
I believe God that my story will give you hope and encouragement that no matter what you are going through right now, it is not over with you until God says it is over. I challenge you with this book not to give up on yourself because Jesus has not given up on you. God specialises in doing things that are impossible with mere men. He is a loving Father and He allows us to go through stuff for us to be vessels of honour for His use. The Bible declared in Romans 5:3-5:
3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
I wouldn’t have understood the kind of pain that those in the hospital go through if I had not gone through the storm of sickness. Up until now, I cannot describe the pain I went through, but I can easily relate to what it means to be in a helpless and hopeless situation on the hospital bed because I was in a prolonged sickness too. Which is why I can say to you, I get it! I understand it! I feel it! I experience it!
If there are brethren going through affliction of any kind, I am encouraging you not to give up; don’t waste all that pain, use it by channelling it to proclaim the love, grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to the whole world. I pray that every kind of pain that you are going through, I see the power of the Holy Spirit come upon you by faith and set you free this hour in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.