"I Am A Gentle Donkey" – T.B. Joshua

Humility simply means total dependence on God for everything…

On the heels of the recent controversy sparked by insinuations that Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua had claimed glory for the Black Satellites World Cup victory through his prophetic insight to Coach Sellas Tetteh, a similar event seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of the pastors critics…

A mere fortnight after the Satellite debate was at its hottest, revelations have emerged how coach of the current Nigerian U-17 Team, John Obuh, also received prophetic insight from T.B. Joshua concerning the Golden Eaglets last match with Argentina in the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup. Prophet Joshua also debunked the allegations of claiming glory for the Satellites triumph, referring to such statements as blasphemous and uncalled for.

On Sunday 4th November, a recorded conversation between the Nigerian cleric and Eaglets coach John Obuh was played back to The SCOAN congregation, an event broadcast live to the world via Emmanuel TV. Obuh was said to have called Joshua on Thursday, the day before the Argentine match on Friday.

“I told you in under 2 to 5 minutes they will score,” Joshua was heard telling the coach. “I want to assure you – your people are going home one ahead. That is the promise of God. But for five minutes they will be very dangerous – let us mark our home. 15 minutes to go will be for us – we must make use of it.” Coach Obuh told Joshua he had already informed the players of the prophecy. Another conversation was then played between Joshua and the Eaglets assistant coach Abimbola Samuel in which he told him in a local Nigerian dialect, “Your boys will work a penalty when it is 15 minutes to go…”

As events would have it, the match followed in the footprints of the revelation, Argentina scoring in the first two minutes, Nigeria winning a penalty in the last 15 and eventually winning by one goal to top their group and advance convincingly to the knock-out stages.

Speaking to the enthralled congregants, Joshua clearly defined the role of a prophet in such scenario, demystifying the rumour that he was attempting to ascribe glory to himself. “I cannot help anyone to win any match – I am just a servant,” he carefully explained. “A prophet is to tell God’s opinion. It’s a blasphemy, sin against Holy Spirit if you say a prophet is the one who helped someone win a match. I am a gentle donkey. I am just a donkey Jesus is riding on. If somebody drops beautiful clothes, attires on the floor for the donkey to march on, it is not the donkey they dropped the attire on the floor for, but the One on top.”

He further explained how the opinion of God can guide the team concerned, but the prophet who delivers such message has no say whatsoever in the matter. “There is nothing I can do – I am just a servant. I cannot touch it, I cannot alter it. It is God that can alter anything. A prophet doesn’t make a team win – a prophet only tells you the mind of God. When we know God’s opinion, it will help us to guard against mistake and error…”

The storm that erupted in Ghana over the Satellites Saga seems not to have deterred or discouraged the Nigerian pastor, who is widely known as one of the most persecuted pastors in Africa. Using his own life experience, he encouraged the viewers and those present that they must pass through both schools of persecution and praise as part of the necessary preparation for the journey ahead. “I feel strong in challenges, believing that personal improvement and fulfilment come through the continual process of learning from both negative and positive experiences,” he explained.

Recalling the words of his late mother that have been a source of inspiration for him, Joshua lyrically expounded, “When times are stable, and the sea is calm and secure, no one is really tested.” “People will challenge you, question you, try to get you off track,” he bluntly told the audience. “Don’t listen to the temptation to act out of character.”

On the presumption that such precise prophetic revelations can be dished out according to his own will, Joshua made it clear that the God of all nations who reveals such mysteries shows no partiality, attending equally to all who come to Him in humility and sincerity. “A prophet is a prophet to all nations irrespective of where he is from, and God is the Father of all – and He treats His children equally. For those who come to Him in humility, He opens His heart – and if you receive a prophet because he is a prophet, you receive a prophet’s reward…”

On the reason for the seemingly sudden burst of prophetic revelations about football, the pastor explained it is simply part of God’s mission to save souls, especially those of young people. “God wants to win the souls of young people – and young people today are into games such as football,” he clarified. “If they now see God’s hand in their midst, they will begin to believe God. It’s a game that unites other religions and Christians, even pagans – everyone unites when it is time of the game.”

Speaking on the qualities of true ministers of God, Joshua pointed to the importance of contentment, saying it is the lack of contentment that often causes people to engage in petty and unnecessary criticism of others. “When you are content – you will not compare yourself to others, you will not stand and begin to accuse your fellow brother or pray to rebuke and destroy them… The principle of a contented man is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” Instead of criticising from afar, men of God should do what is good to change the bad they see, Joshua admonished.

The same service also witnessed the testimony of an armed robber who had come to the church last week armed with a gun, and the presentation of a brand new Mercedez car to a physically challenged man who had been begging for food with his three children for many months, his electrical shop having burned down a week after his wife tragically died. The reformed robber was supported with N200,000 while the physically challenged man had earlier been given N330,300, all part of Joshua’s extensive charitable activities.

SOURCE: The Ghanaian Journal, Modern Ghana, All Voices