CHARISMATIC SIGNS

“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.” Psalm 93:4-5

Mrs. Ijeoma Nwike of the Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, Satellite Parish, Lagos, had expected to carry her own babies shortly after their wedding in 2004. But she experienced a delay, and this, according to her, affected her relationship with God, and so, the situation lingered. But through the prayers, care and understanding she received from her pastors, God restored her and blessed her with a lovely daughter. Few months ago, the happy parents, Gibson and Ijeoma Nwike, invited friends and relations to a special Thanksgiving service where Mrs. Nwike shared her testimony:

“PRAISE the Lord! The Lord has exalted me and darkness could not overshadow the light. God has also changed my name. Before now, people referred to me as Sister Ijeoma but today, I am Mummy Blossom! I have come to glorify the name of the Lord for wiping away my tears. This is the eighth year of my marriage and God has blessed me with this precious baby! When people were always calling me by my name, I didn’t like it, but there was no option; but today, God has given me an option.
My husband and I were married in 2004. I never knew that I wouldn’t conceive soon after the wedding. After about three months and there was no sign of conception, I was devastated, but my husband kept encouraging and urging me to take it easy. My hope was completely dashed when after a year nothing still happened. I least expected this kind of experience because I had a good relationship with God, and I was sure about that. At a point, I got angry even with God because I felt disappointed. Though I was angry, I want to thank God for not giving up on me. He that searches the reins of the heart didn’t leave me alone. Sometimes while walking on the road, I would hear a voice speaking to me and encouraging me not to worry. My advice to everyone today is this: if you get angry with God, you will just miss all, because there is no better alternative. I realized that if my relationship with God had remained in tact, maybe my miracle would have come earlier than now. But when I came back to my senses and embraced Him again, that was when the miracle began.
During that period, several people showed genuine concern for me. I thank God that He has given me joy and peace and I am singing a new song today. God used a number of people as instruments to intervene in my case.
You would all remember what happened at one of the workers’ meetings, when one of our pastors called out my husband and ministered to him. He also called me on phone and asked me to see him. If you saw the type of dress I wore the day I went to his location (Mushin) to see him, you would not believe that he would even talk to me. But, he sat me down and gently asked me what had happened to me. I could see his love and genuine concern over my plight. He encouraged me to hold on tight to the promises of God upon my life. At the end of the day, he asked me what I wanted God to do for me and, of course, I said that I wanted God to give me children. He said if he prayed and God gave me children, would I come back to God? My answer was: Yes! He prayed for me and after I left, I said to myself that I had never seen such display of love and encouragement from the heart. I was so touched and as I left I said that I would not wait for God to give me children before I returned to Him. I reasoned that if I returned to God with every seriousness, anytime He saw me in the Church, then He would be moved to play His own part because I was playing mine.
I came back to the parish here as a new comer. I knelt down and prayed that I have come to receive from this pulpit and because I have come, He should give me what I am looking for. One of the days, one of our pastors from Festac Parish preached a message entitled: ‘Place A Demand On The Calling Of God Upon Your Pastor’ and that message changed my life. Each time I saw my pastor or any other pastor ministering, I would be telling God that I was placing a demand on his ordination and the mandate of God in his life: let the favour that the calling of God in his ministry attracts help me get what I am looking for! Let the anointing of God on his life be released to work in my favour. I kept making this prayer from that time and before long, I heard that our pastor called my name in the course of ministration. He was shouting: Where is Sis Ijeoma! Unfortunately, I was not in the fellowship that day. He then declared that from that day, I should be known as ‘Mama Chinenyenwa.’
Some brethren called my husband and I on phone to inform us of the declaration of the pastor and I took it line, hook and sinker. If one hasn’t studied our pastor very well, one would not benefit from his ministration. Any time I notice our pastor praying with his usual vibrancy, I usually hold firmly to the declarations coming out from him. So I held on to that declaration because I knew that God had started the work. The second incident was when my sister-in-law was dedicating her baby and pastor asked me to carry the baby. I knelt down here at this pulpit and the question he asked me was: Sister Ijeoma, do you believe God? Those of you that were in the fellowship that day would remember what happened that day. Well, today, my husband and I are happy and humbled to present our lovely daughter, Chinenyenwa Blossom Nwike. I will not forget to mention some of the brethren who gave me words of encouragement during that trying period. Some of our sisters also came and one of them in particular prayed and declared that within six months God would visit me. I believe that God also honoured that pronouncement because it was not even up to three months after she made that declaration that I took in. God will bless you all, praise the Lord!”