The Wings of Faith: A Catalogue of Testimonies of Faith to Encourage and Challenge Us to Believe

By Lois Egowunma Usonwu

The background to the Wings of Faith was introduced with a divine call through a dream in which the Lord mandated the writer to effectively share her faith in writing with testimonies of the several wonderful things the Lord has done in her life in response to her faith in Jesus Christ and her prayers and cries to God for help in every areas of her challenges from which she has found relevance and purpose in life, as referenced in Philemon 1:6"That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus."

The Wings of Faith is a catalogue of testimonies of my faith, testifying that since I gave my life to Christ through faith in the name of Jesus as the Son of God and as my Lord and personal Savior through confession and repentance and forsaking of my sins and baptism by immersion, daily reading, and studying of the Bible and prayer and fellowship with the brethren and faith in the word of God, which I communicate to God through prayer by the help of the Holy Spirit, my life has never been the same again.

The Word of God that I pray with bears fruit, which results to testimonies. As a widow, God has shown me his faithfulness as the husband of the widow and as the father of the fatherless to my children. He has pleaded my case against opposition, defended the cause of my children, did not leave us as orphans but revealed things to come so as to warn us, relieved us of burdens, provided for us, healed us, intervened in very difficult situations and made ways of escape for us, helped us and sent helpers to us, raised us up from the dust, lifted us up from the ash heap, brought us out of darkness, and translated us into his marvelous light that we should show forth his praises. This is the praise of God, the testimony of Jesus, that he called us to bear fruits of testimony to bring glory to his name and encourage people who hear our testimonies to have faith in God by believing in the name of Jesus Christ, his Son, so that Jesus Christ in turn will draw them to the Father, who is pleased to give us the kingdom, that through faith in the name of Jesus, we might reign with him in his kingdom and live eternally to the glory of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496939111

Lois Egowunma Usonwu

The author, LOIS EGOWUNMA USONWU, trained as a professional secretary and had a successful career as personal assistant to the managing director of Nigerian Ropes PLC and quickly rose to managerial level as the first female manager of the company. She served in both management and administration as the administrative manager of the company. She won two long service awards and was disengaged after seventeen years meritorious service. She attended Grace Secretarial College in Lagos and later attended the University of Lagos (DLI), where she graduated with honors in business administration in December 2003. She founded Anchor Nursery/Primary Foundation in Festac Town, Lagos, in September 1997 and administered it successfully for eleven years as the proprietress before sojourning to the United States. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Administration as well as the Nigerian Institute of Management. She held several executive positions in church societies and the community. Among which are the following: president of the Mothers’ Union of Anglican Church in Agboroko, Lagos, before the arrival of the then Vicar’s wife and general secretary of Christ Morning Star Society, Church of Pentecost (Anglican Communion), Festac Town, Lagos, as well as Band of Grace. She was elected a member of the Synod in 2008 in Anglican Church Agboroko before leaving the shores of Nigeria. She was the president of the women’s wing of the Leader Club of Nigeria and also vice president of Ndi-Okaa Women’s Wing. She is the last of five siblings, born of a widow, (late Harriette Akuocha Amadi) and was married to late Daniel Omemgboji Usonwu. She is blessed with four children—Ijeoma, Obioma, Ikenna, and Uchenna—and five amazing grandchildren so far. She is a born-again believer and a member of the RCCG, Kings Court Chapel, Roswell, Georgia, where she resides. She hails from Umuayika Ngor, Owerri, Imo State, and married at. Ekpiri Ala-Ala, Abia State, Nigeria. The Wings of Faith is her first book.

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© 2014 Lois Egowunma Usonwu. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/15/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3912-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3911-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

All quotations from the Bible were taken from the King James Version, the New Living Translation and the Life Application Study Bible – New International Version.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

THE WINGS OF FAITH

CHAPTER ONE

ALL ABOUT FAITH

CHAPTER TWO

THE TRIALS OF FAITH

CHAPTER THREE

FAITH IN AFFLICTION

CHAPTER FOUR

THE POWER OF THE PRAYER OF FAITH

CHAPTER FIVE

FAITH IN GOD AS A SHIELD

CHAPTER SIX

GOD AS A FATHER

CHAPTER SEVEN

GOD AS A HEALER

CHAPTER EIGHT

GOD AS A REVEALER

CHAPTER NINE

THE WIDOW AS A CHOSEN VESSEL

CHAPTER TEN

GOD AS JEHOVAH JIREH – THE GREAT PROVIDER

CHAPTER ELEVEN

FAITH AS A SEED

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE ETERNAL KINGDOM

CONCLUSION

THE APPLES OF HIS EYES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTES

FOREWORD

Many Christians live a joyless life, because they tend to focus more on the things that have hindered them and less on the things that propelled them. We tend to focus on the things we do not have or the things we have had and lost, rather than the things we have acquired along our path in life.

In this book, the author opens up her life as she takes us on a journey of all her ups and downs. She gives a descriptive story of how all things work together for good.

It is a compilation of testimonies that will encourage you and renew your Hope in the Faithfulness of God.

Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and understanding of the Word of God, we can attain our Goals.

God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by Glory and Virtue. (2 Peter 1:3).

As you give yourself to the reading of this book, may God allow you to receive renewed energy for your own Journey.

PASTOR KUNLE AKINDOJU

RCCG, Kings’ Court Chapel,

Atlanta, Roswell, USA.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I acknowledge the power of the Almighty God working out His purpose in my life. He initiated this book by a call on me and it has been by His grace that I have been able to share these testimonies of Jesus’ wonderful works in my life. Therefore this book is dedicated to God, for His faithfulness, His power, and His goodness, His wisdom and His glory. Thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for your help in Jesus Name, Amen.

I also acknowledge the support and encouragement of my children, Ijeoma Quinnette, Obioma Laura, Ikenna Eze Daniel, and Uchenna Fortune, Usonwu, and of course my five amazing and wonderful grandchildren, Nkennam Akuchukwu Emmanuel, Tobennam Daniel Nnamdi, Ekelennam Samuel Obinna and Eberennam Ezenna Nathanael, Nnakwe, and my first grand-daughter, Chinemerem Chidera Naomi, Usonwu.

I acknowledge the help and support and encouragement of my relatives, friends and well-wishers who have helped me one way or the other in my life journey; in the persons of Mr. & Mrs. Livinus Nkwocha, Mr. Gideon Ekeh and his loving wife Petronilla Ekeh, Sir Jossy Nkwocha and his Lady, Joy Nkwocha, Pastor Williams, Pastor Kayode Oredugba, Deacon Gordon Nwako, Minister Grace Nwaordu, Pastor Iheobi, Pastor Pamela and Tunde Azeez. Others are, the Mothers’ Union of the Church of Pentecost (Anglican Communion), Festac Town, Lagos, notably, Mrs. Odu, Mrs. Oredugba, Mrs. P.N. Tagbo, Mrs. Dorothy Oparah, Mama Odanye, and other members of the Union and the Church, who responded with brotherly love at my most critical time of need. I must not forget the influence of the then able Coordinator of the Prayer Band and his wife, Bro. and Sis. Zubby Akwu who inspired my prayer life. I also recall the help of Mrs. Gladys Onuoha of Christ Morning Star Society when I was in need, and the friendship of Mrs. Ahumareze. With deep gratitude, I acknowledge the support and commitment of one of my parents, Mrs. Michael Irabor, who joined me in covenant with cash and prayer and tears to God for Anchor Nursery and Primary Foundation.

I acknowledge the nurture of my late mother and brother, Madam Harriette Akuocha Amadi and Mr. Emmanuel Okereafor Amadi. I fondly remember my late husband, Mr. Daniel Omemgboji Usonwu, who called me an inspiration and inspired and encouraged me to pursue and obtain my university degree.

I also acknowledge the love and support of my sisters, Joy Mgbere Okere, Margaret Nwauzuka Njoku and Abigail Onyenachi Onyemetu, and of course the invaluable support and assistance of my nephews and nieces, notably, Robert Amadi, Killian Amadi, Bartholomew Okere, Michael Amadi, Michael Onyemetu, Rebecca Amadi and Onyinyechi Njoku and my in-laws, Nicholas Onyemetu and Bridget Amadi.

I also acknowledge the support and help of all those who in one way or the other have been part of my testimony: Osi Umenyiora, Mr.& Mrs.G. Songonuga, Mr. & Mrs. B. Aramide, my grandson in the Lord in America, Timothy Songonuga, my other spiritual grandchildren, Eniola, Adedamola and Jibola Aramide, Nathanael Miles and Tijani Truth Umenyiora. They are God’s instruments for helping to make my dreams come true.

I must not forget to mention the sons and daughters I have begotten in marriage, Emmanuel Nnamdi Nnakwe, Juliet Nkechi Usonwu, Denise Usonwu and Ijeoma Usonwu’s husband; thank you for being part of my family.

My heartfelt appreciation goes to Pastor Kunle David Akindoju for nourishing my spiritual life with his dynamic sermons and teachings and especially for finding time out of his busy schedule to read my manuscript and write the Foreword for this book. I also extend my deep gratitude to my brethren in Kings Court Chapel, Deaconess Chinyere Obi, and Mr. & Mrs. Dapo Oguntola for the brotherly love they exhibited in conveying me to and from the Church and giving me a sense of belonging in the Church.

I also acknowledge Matilda Okebugwu who with the support of her husband Adolphus Okebugwu, assisted my son Ikenna (who is her God-son) with his admission into Kings’ College Lagos.

Finally, I acknowledge the help of Nkem Alozie and her husband Ogbonna Alozie, who yielded themselves as instruments of financial blessings and added to the testimonies in this book.

PREFACE

The inspiration for writing this book, the Wings of Faith, stems from a divine call on me to actively share my faith by acknowledging every good thing that the Lord has done in my life and family through my faith in His Son Jesus Christ and in the word of His power through prayer, and declaring and testifying about them through this medium so that those who read may believe that God exists and that His word is life and truth and Spirit and can manifest into physical reality to the one who has faith and calls on God in the Name of Jesus through prayer for help concerning any situation.

My personal experience with God is a real testimony that can challenge anyone to accept that God truly answers prayers. But for the faithfulness of the Lord, I would not be where I am today, there would be no reason for this book; but because of God’s faithfulness, and the faith I exercise in Him, I am what I am today, translated from the reproach of widowhood unto an instrument of testimony that can challenge any widow to trust in God for help, and not just widows but anyone for that matter, to rely on God for help in any situation for transformation. Jesus is the answer for any question and the solution to any problem.

I was left with nothing when my husband passed in 2000 with four children to bring up. Of myself, I could do nothing to help myself. I resorted to the Bible, and God as the revealer of mysteries to reveal Himself in His word to me as the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless; I understood that if I relied and depended on God in trust and faith for help through prayer day and night, He would manifest the power of His word to my situations and help me out. I simply believed the word of God and trusted Him as my husband and called on Him to come through for me by helping me provide for my children’s education and upkeep, and He proved Himself faithful, He did. He did much more, He is the reason I am alive; He answers my prayers, provides for me, takes care of my family and defends us. He is the reason I am in the United States of America, He asked me to come; He guides my every step and helps me in my decision making as I trust in Him.

Therefore let him who reads this book understand and believe that God exists, He is real; He is my husband now and I do not feel a need for any man because I so believe in His reality. He is ever-present with me and seeks to have personal relationships with each of His children, if we are willing, through faith in Jesus.

The resource base of this book is my life experiences and the impact and role of my faith in Jesus in causing a change and transformation through those experiences resulting in testimonies to the glory of God. The Bible is the source of most of the quotations except where otherwise stated.

INTRODUCTION

THE WINGS OF FAITH

During the early period of my widowhood I was prompted to join the Prayer Band of my local church, the Church of the Pentecost (Anglican Communion) in Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria. Little did I know then that God, who is the Alpha and the Omega, who knows the end from the beginning, was grooming me for the future, knowing the battles ahead of me.

Becoming a Prayer Warrior equipped me with the readiness to pray, and pray until there is result. I remember recurrently praying to God to make me a testimony as a widow so that I could be an example to other widows to trust in God to help them, and in general to be a reference point to anyone who reads or hears my story.

In particular, I prayed for God’s help to bring up my children without having to be a nuisance, or looking here and there; it took a form of a vow I suppose, because I said, if God did it for me, I would declare it in testimonies to other widows, and other people, so that they too can have faith in God.

No sooner than I made this commitment, I noticed that God started manifesting physical results and answers to my prayers. It became a regular trend then that I became scared that people could become envious of me on account of the frequency of the Thanksgivings I was giving - precisely, I would pray for a specific thing and make a tangible vow of an amount to thank God with when He answered me, and to my pleasant surprise, God would honor my prayer.

God did so much for me that, let me confess here, that I failed to live up to my vow to testify on many occasions, and honestly, it came to a point that people openly became antagonistic on account of the many wonderful things God was doing for me and as a result of the fear of peoples’ enmity I slowed down on my thanksgivings or at most I would do it secretly which negates the mode of the vow.

As at this point, I had not come to terms that the prayer I made had been answered and that God had actually made me a testimony, but here I was, being ashamed or afraid to testify! The reality of the matter dawned on me when He called me and said to me; Write: Philemon, and I awoke and lo it was a dream and I thought for a while and then recollected that Philemon is one of the epistles in the New Testament written by Apostle Paul, and I prayed and looked it up in the Bible, and read it, and reflected and meditated on the passage and asked the Lord to reveal the message meant for me there, and was led to Philemon verse 6, That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

After reading this message, I was convicted without gainsaying that I had swallowed up many testimonies, thereby failing God on my own side of the bargain, and realized the occasion called for redemption of lost time and opportunities for the sharing of my faith. As time elapsed and events passed, and peering into my antecedents as a secretary, who was usually drafted by social organizations and church societies to write for them, even when I literally shied away, I realized this to be the call of God on me into this ministry.

I believe in the word of God that His gifts and calling are without repentance and that whoever He calls, He also equips. Therefore I have accepted this challenge to write this book; THE WINGS OF FAITH which is a catalogue of testimonies articulating the wonderful works of the Lord in my life through faith in everything about God, knowing that He who has called me is faithful and He will do it; as it is written in Phil. 1:6 being confident of this, that He who begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Situations arise daily in life, that tend to test our faith to determine whether there is a harmony between the faith we profess and our actions in order to validate or otherwise invalidate our testimonies as Christians.

Series of challenging events have occurred in my life, the experiences of which are capable of disrupting the course of one’s life. In the face of these life disrupting events, one’s faith is put to the test; it is a trial of our faith - storms, persecutions, afflictions, temptations, losses, sicknesses, sufferings, and even deaths. It is very easy to lose focus at this vulnerable state with the consequence of falling and being defeated. It is however challenging to look up in faith and focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith to be able to continue to stand in victory. It is a matter of choice. My prayer is that believers would always wait on the Lord for renewal of strength at such times to be able to mount up on the wings of faith to victory as is the case in this book.

This is the message of this book - to share my faith - life’s experiences, my faith in God through Jesus Christ and His Word, and His mighty interventions resulting in deliverances, miracles, healings, blessings, victories, provisions, and diverse answers to prayers; to share God’s faithfulness in answering prayers; to share the truth and power and life in the Word of God. To share how faith in God through His Son, Jesus Christ and His Word can make a difference. To show the possibility of your perception of God manifesting to physical reality of the things you believe God for. To encourage the believer to trust in God and believe His word for answers to every sort of prayer; solutions to problems: whether you are a widow like me, if you believe the word of God and trust Him as your husband, He will prove Himself faithful to you as the husband of the widow and you will not be ashamed of the reproach of widowhood because He will make you forget it. If you are sick, He is the Jehovah Rapha; He sent His word and healed your diseases and delivered you from your destructions and with His Stripes you were healed; if you are barren, remember His word that in Mount Zion, there shall be none barren, and that He makes the barren woman to become a joyful mother of children; examples abound in the Bible: Hannah bore Samuel and five other children, Sarah and Elisabeth begot sons, even covenant sons, great instruments in God’s hands, and it might be for the purpose of bringing forth a covenant child that you are being delayed but mind you, delay is not denial. If you are poor and needy, it is written, He raises the poor from the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap. All that is required for the manifestation of God’s power in the answers to our prayers is faith. If you are embattled; He is the Mighty Man in Battle Jehovah the Man of War, the Mighty Warrior, Great in Battle, Jehovah is His Name. He is the Lord of Hosts, The King of Glory, the Lord Strong and Mighty, the Lord Sabaoth, He is the Captain of the Lord’s Army. The battle of your life is not yours; surrender it to Him, be still and know that He is God and the Egyptians you see this day, tomorrow, you will not see them again and forever. He has wrought the victory for us on the Cross of Calvary and all our battles are over. He gives us His Shield of Victory continually; all it takes is faith, even as little as a mustard seed and the mountains are moved.

People may have written you off as nobody; a never do well; despised you, hated you, called you names, rejected you, denied you your rights, betrayed you, accused you and judged you. He is the avenger, the vindicator, the judge and the one to whom vengeance belongs. All it takes is a little faith that is grounded in Him and He shows up and makes a difference. He is the one that condemns and judges and justifies. If you are in Him, there is no condemnation for you, for by your faith you are justified and your righteousness, salvation, vindication and justice are of the Lord.

You may be a student being confronted with a difficult examination and you have studied at your optimum best and yet lack the confidence to go in for the examination, let your confidence be in the Lord and in the word of His Power. Ask God for the wisdom to succeed in your examination because it is written, If any lacks wisdom, let him ask from God who gives liberally without upbraiding, James 1:5. In asking, have faith that you will receive what you ask for and you will have it.

This book issues from a background of challenges and faith in God resulting in solutions to those challenges, hence the need to share those experiences and how they were overcome.

In July 1996, I lost my job as the Administrative Manager of Nigerian Ropes PLC after seventeen years of meritorious service in the mainstream of the company’s administration; and thought I had lost my life but the Lord opened another door for me in September 1997 when Anchor Nursery/Primary Foundation was found, lending credence to the saying that if one door closes, another opens. Three years later in October, 2000, I lost my husband, Daniel Omemgboji Usonwu on the same day with his mother, Jemima Ugoji Usonwu and I thought anathema! It felt like the end of the world!! A point of no return!!! Then exactly six months later in April 2001, I lost my mother, Harriette Akuocha Amadi (my only brother, Emmanuel Okereafor Amadi, having died before her in 1998); and this felt like the last straw that broke the female camel’s back. I thought God really hated me, and has left me all alone and then in July 2006, the structure housing my school was demolished! I was devastated, and thought all hope was lost!

In the midst of these challenges, I resorted to God; I daily searched the scriptures and prayed without ceasing, looking up to Jesus and putting my faith in the author and finisher of my faith and He proved Himself faithful. These series of events and God’s help which made it possible for me to pull through them have heralded the Wings of Faith. It is a testimony of how God manifests the power and truth of His Word into reality; raising the poor from the dust, and lifting up the needy from the ash heap; making a widow forget the reproach of widowhood; it is a replay of how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and bore them on eagles wings into the promised land.

It is written they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like the eagles, they will run and not be weary, and will walk and not faint. Waiting upon the Lord implies having faith in God. If you do not believe that God exists, there is no way you can come to him, let alone ask anything from him; and in order to ask anything from anybody, one has to know them. You cannot wait on anyone you do not know. It requires one to know God before they can trust in Him. Knowing God confers boldness and confidence on one who has known Him. No wonder the Bible says, those that know their God shall be strong and do exploit.

In order therefore to put our faith in God, we should enter into a personal relationship with Him by accepting Jesus Christ the Son of God as our Lord and Personal Savior, who died, was buried and resurrected on the third day for our justification; then can we be strengthened to freely put our faith in Him and ask from Him whatever we need in life, believing and then we will receive what we ask. This is the result of our faith - bearing fruits, receiving answers to our prayers, solutions to our problems and being able to share our faith – in this, God is glorified, knowing that our faith in Him results to testimonies which are meant to be shared amongst people who would hear and be encouraged to trust in God and also exercise their faith in Him. It is the whole essence of our being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, when through our faith and fruits of our faith others come to know the Lord.

It is a call to look at life’s problems with the eye of faith, trusting in God to proffer solutions to such problems with the realization that exercising faith in the word of God and His promises, strengthens, energizes and encourages us even during the trials of our faith; under temptations of diverse kinds, to endure those situations; knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience and when we allow our patience to be complete the purpose of such trials being usually for our benefits, then we will be perfected and approved before God to be worthy of His reward. James 1:12 states that, anyone who endures temptation to the end is blessed and will receive a crown of life. Such a person obeys the word of God and is seen to love God, and will lack nothing.

In Living Faith, the Catholics Daily Devotion, Claire J King wrote "loving God and living in God’s divine, merciful love is not a private affair, For Christians, God’s place in our lives, and His presence in our hearts are not meant to be carefully guarded secrets, we are to actively share our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with people we interact with daily, our friends, neighbors, colleagues, family, etc. to proclaim the wonderful works of God and to tell the truth of His word so that people can hear and believe and be encouraged to trust in God.

It is therefore my prayer that as we read this book, we would be inspired to have faith in God and trust Him to help us in every areas of our needs as we look up to Him, and that as God proves Himself faithful to us in turning our prayers into testimonies we will readily and actively share our faith with others declaring what wonderful things God has done so that in turn they would come to faith thereby fulfilling God’s call in our lives, in Jesus Name, Amen.

ACTION: LORD JESUS CHRIST; I come to you as I am, a sinner, and I repent of all my sins, I put my faith in your saving grace and ask that you forgive my sins and wash them away with your precious Blood. I thank you for forgiving me and I accept you as my Lord and Personal Savior in Jesus Name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, you are now born again and you are a child of God. Having now accepted Jesus, be confident as a child of God to come to Him with faith in His word and faithful promises through prayers, and whatever you ask in His Name, believing, you will receive.

CHAPTER ONE

ALL ABOUT FAITH

Faith is scripturally defined as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb. 11:1. Faith, simply put is, believing without having seen. Faith is what one believes in. It is belief. Faith is, believing, and trusting that what one believes and hopes for will come to pass. Faith always has a basis. It always depends on something for its work. Faith is, believing what is true.

Faith motivates one to believe in God and trust Him to answer one’s prayers even as touching things that seem impossible naturally. Faith is the hope we have in God to help us achieve our heart desires. Faith produces an outcome in our prayers; makes our prayers effective and results in answered prayers. Faith is trusting in God’s ability to respond to our requests and cause a change which translates to testimonies.

It is recorded in Heb. 11:2, that by faith the elders of our faith obtained a good testimony. At the creation, God said let there be light, and there was light. God believes in Himself as the Almighty God with whom nothing shall be impossible; and, as His creatures who He, made in His own image and likeness, He has endowed us with the power to do even greater things by faith in Him and His word. By faith, we understand