NIgeria, Guinea match would have turned in our favour if... -T.B. Joshua breaks silence

Last Sunday, Prophet T. B. Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations reacted to the avalanche of the criticisms heaped on him over his prediction of the Nigeria, Guinea match. OLU OSUNDE was there:

AS thousands of people from different parts of the world who converged within and outside the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) were anxiously waiting to hear his sermon that Sunday morning, Prophet T.B. Joshua, in his usual casual appearance, had mounted the well-designed altar, holding a copy of a national newspaper. No one knew which of the national publications it was, but he seemed determined to read portions of it to the congregation.

The atmosphere was charged; the congregation was expectant. It was obvious there was a strong point to be made; to be revealed as part of the 'lessons' of the day. And Prophet Joshua, in his calm and gentle flowing prose dropped the hint: he was shocked that some Nigerians had called him names over the prediction he made the week before. It was a prediction which was unfavourable to Nigerians but as a servant of the Lord, it was his duty to let the people know the truth, which in his position, could not be changed. It centred on Nigeria's draw with Guinea in a football match which would have secured a place for the country in the African Cup of Nations.

“I have been called names and many newspapers have criticised the vision I gave, and even wrote on the internet that my action was wrong,” — the unruffled prophet told the congregation. His message was clear; people did not know that as a servant of God, he could see visions without being able to effect any change of the situation. Even if there was anything to be done on such, how prepared were the people to pray and influence God's own decisions on issues? If it was God's own decision that Guinea should trash Nigeria in a match, what could ever be done about it? Guineans are humans and ambitious too like Nigerians. They also believe in God like Nigerians, and are prayerful and hopeful. What could have given anybody the impression that Guineans must lose?, he asked.

It did not end there. He, the Prophet had tried to reach out to very concerned people, highly placed Nigerians to reveal other facts associated with the problem on hand; the goalkeeper at Nigeria's post was programmed to work against Nigeria's interest, as revealed in the vision. But nothing could easily be changed without the influence of coaches who could re-organise the team. Before things went wrong, the prophet told his audience, effort was made to instigate, though silently, a possible replacement of the keeper, but it failed to reach the right officials. The result could not have been otherwise.

The prophet then reeled off the numerous instances, in the past, in which his predictions on matches recorded success, just like the last one, and wondered why some people felt like twisting the truth as if it was unimportant.

As he complained, mentioning such instances of the matches between Nigeria vs Mozambique and Nigeria vs Tunisia (2009), among others, he wondered why Nigerians did not applaud his positive visions then, but pretended as if nothing of such happened, only to turn around now to heap; endless insults on him after his prediction that technical mismanagement would send Nigeria out of the competition, an event which occurred, though painful!

His keen observations on Nigerians' insensitivity and distrust of prophetic visions equally extended to the competitive nature with which some church ministries treat other ministries, even when they should all form attention on Christ's power of salvation and deliverance. Addressing the congregation, he said: “Ministry work is not a competition, it is being able to work with God. Seeing vision is God's project; seeing vision and events to come is about getting interested in His plan. Life is not what you see. A ministry is not a matter of competition.” Having worked as a minister for 25 years and getting stronger as a prophet, T.B. Joshua insisted that he knows of a truth that being a minister is “being able to act with God, His ideas and opinions about the world, see light as He sees it, and get interested in His plans,” adding that when ministers of God lived up to their calling, there would be peace as contrary to the prevailing situation in which ministers saw others as rivals.

The respected visioner said men are sheer lovers of pleasure, but that his duty as a true minister of God “is to tell people only what God has revealed to me,” especially being a patriot who sincerely loved Nigeria. I feel pain like you all; I love this nation so well,” he said, referring to his past prophecies which sections of the press did not publicise despite their accuracy. To him, “holiness is much more than the mineral resources of the country, especially as such mineral resources are now a curse instead of blessing.”

He said the search for and belief in God, should be the central focus of man. “We must understand God, we cannot instruct God. We can only ask what could be done when visions are revealed. God's information is truth which cannot be changed. Facts can be changed. Not even God can change the truth because He is truth.”

He said that seeing vision “is a special gift, a beautiful gift to see God's plan everyday. If I am not humble, it means I am a fool. It is a sweet gift.” He also explained that football is politics though much more decent and sincere than politics as it is being practised. “Football is transparent, business is not transparent,” and that being a patriot, he means well for Nigeria at all times, “no one can love Nigeria more than me. I cannot control God.”

Though he also acknowledged genuine ministers of God who are rare while the fake ones are everywhere. There are also middle pastors who are neither fake nor genuine,” stressing that such people dance anywhere the wind blows them especially for pecuniary reasons.

Source: NigerianTribune