“Now godliness with contentment is great gain” – 1 Timothy 6:6
Part 1
Desperate To Make It
I used to be so worried about life and couldn’t wait to ‘blow’ [become rich and live large]. I was always under pressure to ‘make it’ without any delay. I was so hardworking (and still am) but it was all for that purpose. My mum and sisters too were always expecting new things like gifts, you know, and this put me under even more pressure.
It is so true what 1 Timothy 6:10 says “For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows“.
I even chose to be a member of one Church here in Uyo because the first time I went to that church, they preached about money and I was so impressed with the message.
Once, the General Overseer visited and told the church how he bought a shoe of ₦200,000 and our response was “God punish poverty!“
I used to believe that wealthy preachers were the only ones that God really called. If you’re poor, God didn’t call you at all.
So I became a worker in the church, joined the protocol department and really loved the unit because there, we dressed like the ‘man of God‘. You must be properly dressed. If you are not wearing a suit and an Italian shoe, forget it (Heaven is not a broke State). This is where, I believe, the genesis of my discontentment took place.
I would lie and cheat just to make sure I made more money because I wanted to blend in and live like others. I used to earn more than ₦50,000 in a month from my job but that wasn’t enough because of the style of life I was dreaming of. I registered in Nollywood as a producer and started working on my first movie production. But the project was far bigger than the money I had in my bank account. I was told in the church that if I have faith, whatever I want would come to me immediately. So I sincerely believed that faith would provide the money for the whole movie production.
I was so addicted to fashion. I used to spend a lot in boutiques. I made sure I appeared a certain way on my Facebook page so that people wouldn’t take me for granted. I deleted that Facebook page however, when I started coming to God’s Lighthouse and heard Pastor Ita’s teachings on time management and the ills of social media. It wasn’t easy at first, because I was really hooked onto it but I finally obeyed when I realized most of the young people around me were not on Facebook!
I think God literally looked at me and said something like, “this boy your days [in this kind of lifestyle] are numbered“. I was under pressure to get the production completely done. My director would ask me “V., are you sure you will finish this project?” on many occasions. We had done the audition and the casting classes already, and Silverbird cinemas were anticipating the film. (It was a Cinema movie). However, I went to and fro looking for money. The devil was pushing me so hard but I never wanted to offend God either. I wanted to really love God with all my heart.
Part 2
My Heart Exposed
Different thoughts went through my mind constantly. I was so eager to ‘blow’. At a point I was ready to do anything. So one day, while I was driving, a thought came through my mind, “You want money – but you have to decide exactly where you want your money to come from? Do you want your money to come from God or from the devil?“
I replied immediately, “ God, of course!” Again I heard “Then you have to follow God and learn His ways carefully!“
After that, I decided to know more about God and what He was saying about me. Revelations about who Jesus is started coming flooding my path. I had many encounters too. I couldn’t continue in that church group so I went to another and finally left for Lagos where the Lord supernaturally led me to a church group whose pastor I had seen on a billboard in my dream.
I started my class on contentment [through their teachings] and started having better understanding about money and life in general. One Scripture that struck me was Proverbs 13:11 – “Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but whoever works diligently increases his prosperity.”
I also discovered that the main reason I wanted money was due to pride – I wanted to show off. I Iearnt from Scriptures that money should be used to advance God’s kingdom and not feed my ego. I was acting out of time and had to be patient. But I wanted to know more about the kingdom and the life of a disciple because I kept seeing them as I read my Bible and even in my dreams where the Lord Jesus would be talking about it. Unfortunately the church group I was attending at that time didn’t focus a lot on the kingdom.
When I came back to Uyo in August 2019, I told God to show me what job to do. I got employed as a driver in November. It was another chance to be tested practically if I had repented for real so I was excited. I worked hard and determined in my heart not be greedy for money. I was so contented with what I earned.
I came to God’s Lighthouse in January 2020 and heard Pastor Ita talking exactly like the Lord Jesus about money, greed and other related issues. I embraced the teachings because it fell in place with what I believed then and that’s the truth. I learnt about times and season in relation to money.
My boss started trusting me with many things in the company. This helped me stay faithful and diligent. Then, one day in July, he called me. When I arrived, he told me he wanted to make me his manager! What! I wasn’t expecting it at all. He finally announced me as his Manager and handed me the key to his office. Well, other staff who were employed before me murmured that I was the last person that came there so how did I deserve such a post.
I want to sincerely thank God that I have been so contented and happy. And I believe Abba is able to keep me from stumbling and to present me faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding Joy.
Now to God my Savior the only wise God be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power both now and Forever. Amen.
– Bro VP
© God’s Lighthouse 2020.