The secret of my peace in the storm – T.B. JOSHUA

By Ihechuckwu Njoku

Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua has explained the secret of his calm demeanour even in the face of the calamitous events that have recently shrouded his controversial ministry.

Speaking to the congregation at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) on Sunday 26th October 2014 in a service broadcast live on Emmanuel TV, the cleric referred to the tragic building collapse last month that left over 100 dead, stating that God would reward people according to their actions and reactions.

“What do you think is keeping me here?” Joshua questioned his congregants. “You see me laughing and I still stay because I have seen beyond the situation at hand. What I am seeing - you that are silent about the situation will be rewarded by God. You that are for will receive reward from God. You that are against will receive reward from God. It is all about God!”

The embattled pastor preached extensively on the subject of destiny, counselling worshippers to not be led astray by their challenges. “Whatever situation you are facing, don’t let it overwhelm you,” he advised. “Stay focused because there is something far more important than that situation – your dream and your goals in life.”

Basing the message on his own life experiences, Joshua continued, “I am here today because I know my goal and my dream; I am in line with it. Even though I pass through the fire, the valley of the shadow of death – the question is where is my dream and goal? It’s there.”

The popular Nigerian pastor then relayed how internal peace has kept him going throughout life’s ups and downs. “If not the peace of heart that I have in this world, I would have been zero by now,” he admitted to the congregation comprised of local and international worshippers.

“The peace of heart is so much that when I close my eyes, I can sleep,” he explained. “If I go out now, I would just walk on the streets alone because I have peace of heart. When I want to eat, I eat. If people keep disappointing me, that will not discourage me – I still keep believing that I should carry on because I have peace of heart.”

The cleric opined that desperation to achieve material things hastily had left peace elusive for the majority. “After you have achieved all you are looking for, it is so painful without peace of heart,” he stated, adding that it was not better not to achieve material success than to do so without peace of heart.

“If you don’t have anything in this world but you have peace of heart, the peace of heart will give you everything in need… You need peace of heart to enjoy whatever you have,” he stressed.

“Everything you gathered by desperation, where are they today,” the cleric then asked the sombre audience. “Without peace of heart, you will make a wrong choice; you will choose in a haste; you will always be desperate in choosing. Everything that will last long demands for time and preparation.”

Joshua challenged congregants to examine whether they really believed in their respective businesses or career choices, stressing that the evidence of such lay in their resolve to persist despite challenges.

“If you believe in what you are doing, why should disappointment separate you from it? If you believe in your business, why should failure cause you to abandon it? If you believe in your marriage, why should crisis separate you and lead to divorce,” he asked.

Speaking further on the increasing rate of divorce and separation among married couples, he added, “Today, marriage crumbles because marriage seems to be competition whereas it is supposed to be co-operation.”

Joshua then took a swipe at politicians who deceived people with wild promises, counselling the congregation to not quickly judge by appearances. “We judge people by their actions. That is why today, if a politician comes out to promise Heaven and earth and spray money on you, you are ready to vote for them. When they win the election, they turn around.”

He continued, “The world is upside down because we judge people today by their actions. We don’t know that actions on the outside can be different to actions on the inside. Because of this, we don’t know our friends and our enemies.”

The cleric concluded by advising people to seek God alone in order for their destinies in life to be actualised. “When you are connected to your destiny, nothing and nothing can stop you,” he declared.

During his prophetic ministration, Joshua later spoke of a dark cloud hanging heavily over the nation of Nigeria, explaining the crowd symbolised an impending trouble for Africa's most populous nation.