In the beginning...
I was born 40 years ago... precisely 14th August, 1972. My birth was not accident. It was predetermined by God and it was meant to fulfill a purpose. I didn't know what that purpose was until I was in my early 20s. Even then, it was vague but the activities I engaged it gave credence to it later.
I have had a heck of a journey for 40 years! I have had bumps, de-tours, distractions, obstructions, obstacles, mountain climbing times and valley walking seasons. Through it all, it has been with the God-factor in it. I have also had some very joyful moments. That is how journeys are. They are not always straight in nature. The most important thing is the fact that I have my destination in focus.
The days of naivety and ignorance
There was a time in my life when I lived in ignorance but I was a curious and inquisitive person. I have always been a nice person; trusting everybody hook, line and sinker! Believing any body and just trusting that everybody meant well. I have learnt hard lessons in the course of my life that not many people actually care about me. But my days of naivety and ignorance were not excuses for the penalties I had to concede. The penalties were huge but I survived them.
I am a better person for the lessons I have learnt from the stress that came from making bad decisions which was as a result of poor information.
Godwin the Determined Person
I read somewhere recently that persistence and determination are equal to omnipotence. Today, on my facebook page, a friend, in extending his congratulations said he wonders where I get the strength to keep pushing forward inspite of all odds. In my 40 years of life, I have had to suffer all kinds of set-backs, set-ups and all. As a pastor and a minister of the Gospel, besides being a management/leadership trainer, a media consultant, a professional writer/author and a life coach, I run a family and had the good fortune of being a leader in at a very tender age. These did not come without its very devastating challenges. But today, I speak as a victor.
I want to encourage those who are passing through challenges to know that you fail when you give up. I don't give up once I believe in a cause. Things may get mad, but I don't go with them. In 40 years of being alive, I have been married and divorced; lost 3 children with 2 alive; have had to go through 2 devastating job losses one of which took place 2 weeks after my wedding. I have had my fair share of crisis. I have had time when I have been misunderstood, misconstrued, misquoted, and mis-everything. But I am here today because God loves me!
I don't beat myself up. I don't blame myself too much and don't take myself too serious. But I work hard, I go for goals that I pursue and I wake up everyday speaking to myself that I am a victor because of Christ.
God blessed me with early...
I didn't go to a conventional university. I went to the University of Hard Knocks! I did most of my higher education through correspondence and part time basis. I started working at 15 after secondary school. I had to pay my way through school pushing truck in Wurukum Market, in Makurdi, Benue State. In spite of what you might call a faulty start, at 22 I was a senior officer in a multi-national company, went on to work at Access and Zenith Bank for a combined period of 8 years and garnered enough experience to now begin to run my business today. I have been recently blessed with a national award on entrepreneurship. God has indeed blessed me.
I got saved at the age of 17 in Murtala Square, Kaduna, North West Nigeria on October 20, 1990 during the Reinhard Bonnke Gospel Crusade in that city. That is the best foundation of my life. I went on to become a very active Christian till date. I served in virtually all arms of the Church in The Open Christian Assembly leading to my ordination as an Elder at the age of 30. By the time I was 33, I was ordained a Pastor. I spent 16 years in that Church. I cut my ministerial teeth there. Today, I run LoveHouse International Gospel Center. At 40, I am a blessed man.
My future is bright
Don't ever allow your present circumstances to define who you are. You are not the situation you find yourself in. The situation and circumstances should be treated as an event. Your life is happening in process. If you have God in your life, then He is the anchor of your life. He orchestrates what you call the bad, the good and the ugly to achieve His Divine purpose. Don't scream out too loud because of pain and offend God. Trust Him through the dark. There were times my life didn't mean much to me or people around me. Some people gave up on me; but there was no reason in doing that because my success or failure wasn't going to affect their own lives. People get mad at you for no just cause, therefore do not be too careful to please any man. Your life is entirely up to the decision you make and how you go about implementing your decisions.
I will marry again; I will have children too! I will be great and everything will be fine. I will be a reference point and people will come to me for help and I will help them! I have a good life in spite of everything. Be encouraged if you have my kind of story... you too are going to be a success!
You don't need a perfect life; you must live your life to the full:
Don't surrender the driving seat of your life to people who think you ought to do whatever they say. Live based on God's principles and the peculiarity He has packaged you to be. You are special; you are unique and you are different. It is not wrong to be different as long as you are in line with God. People will not like you much at the beginning, but if you keep your cause in front of you and pursue your purpose with determination, you will become a star and an inventor of a concept that becomes a style for the future.
I am so thankful to God that He allowed me to see this day and allowed me to share this information of encouragement with you, my friends. Let me know if this has helped you...
God bless you richly.
