Amazing Discoveries: Uncommon treasures in the scriptures you need to know

By Amara Ifeakor-Ezenwa

Do you know that your physical appearance and size are not the real parameters to triumph in the battles of life? Else why didn't giant Goliath, a warlord, swallow up David, a young shepherd boy? And that age is not a sure ticket to career success? Otherwise, why didn't Ahab win in sound leadership and political proficie

• Language: English
• Publisher: LIBERATION PUBLISHERS
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9782487298088

Book preview

AMAZING DISCOVERIES

(Uncommon treasures in the scriptures you need to know)

Amara Ifeakor-Ezenwa

Published by

Liberation publishers

A publishing body of Liberation Court International Gospel Centre.

9 rue Jack Kerouac 35700 Rennes, France

www. Liberationcourt.org

COPYRIGHT

Amazing Discoveries- (Uncommon treasures in the scriptures you need to know).

Copyright @2017 by Amara Ifeakor-Ezenwa ISBN 978-2-487298-04-0

All Right Reserved

The author freely grants permission to quote up to 100 words of this book as long as the name of the author and the source accompany quotation, beyond that, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any manner whatsoever or herein after invented without the written permission of the author.

All scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan and the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible, except where indicated otherwise. All right reserved worldwide.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my dear mother, Deaconess Florence Ekedinma Ifeakor, who suddenly went to be with the Lord in the morning of January 12, 2016. The magnitude of your labour in the Lord, only heaven will tell.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PREFACE

1.BENJAMIN MUST HAVE HAD SOME DREAMS

2.WHEN WE HELP GOD OUT

3.I HAVE NO ONE

4.THE MARYS AND MARTHAS

5.THE GREATEST JUDGEMENTS

6.I LOVE THE PRODIGAL SON

7.THANK YOU JESUS FOR INTERVENING

8.JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

9.MY PASTOR!

10.DO YOU KNOW…?

11.THE DAYS OF ADVERSITY

12.FAVOUR AND CHARACTER

13.CONTRACTIONS

14.WORKERS IN THE VINEYARD

15.YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST

16.BEING IN THE RIGHT COMPANY

17.OBSERVING LIMITS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sometimes, we need a push to be able to take a remarkable stride in life. Pastor (Mrs) Olayinka Johnson, you gave me one without knowing it, and here lies the result in substance. I sincerely appreciate you.

And to my three great people, who took all the pains to go through the manuscript and made valuable contributions, in spite of their very tight schedules : Mrs Titi Oladele, Pastor (Engr.) Mike Kalu, and Engr. (Dr) Chuddy Ifeakor. Thanks for all your comments and encouragements. Thanks my dear Ebuka, for all your contributions and commitments during the production of this book.

And mes deux anges (my two angels); Chidiebere and Vicnelly, thanks for your understanding all the time you needed my attention, but you got none, because I was busy with this work. I promise, I will make it up to you, you'll see!

To my dear husband and bishop, Michael, your support and encouragement whose can beat? You always stand in for me, even up to the domestic chores while I was writing this book. As I always say, we wrote this book together. I held the pen, while you held the morale.

And to my dear God and Master, I am only a clay in Your pottery stand and a ready pen in Your genius hand.

Can a finished vessel boast of its finesse? and can a pen boast of its mastery? So can no one take the glory for this work, but You !

PREFACE

Each of the seventeen chapters of Amazing Discoveries exists in isolation, making them unique in their own way. The opening chapter; Benjamin Must Have Had Some Dreams , a sheer fiction, takes us down the imagination lane, letting us peep into the imaginary agony of young Benjamin at the sudden disappearance of his brother, Joseph. Here, we sympathize with his sadness and loneliness, his wishes which were translated into nightly dreams, then his convictions that Joseph could still be miraculously alive somewhere, and his belief that he, Joseph, would reunite with their family someday.

The other inspiring topics are derived from some stories in the Old Testament and the direct teachings and miracles of Jesus in the New Testament. The lessons are portrayed in a natural and simple style. Some of the biblical events that seem distant and far removed are narrated in a plain language, so that one is at home with the messages they portray.

Chapter one

BENJAMIN MUST HAVE HAD SOME DREAMS

My name is Benjamin, and I am the last son of Jacob. I have ten half-brothers and only one brother from my mother's womb. Father told me that Mother named me Ben-oni at birth because she had a hard time during labour. She died shortly after I was born, so I never got to know her. But I learned that she was a very pretty woman. Everybody said Joseph took after her in comeliness. Joseph isn't only good in appearance; he also has a good heart. He is such a nice young guy, I wish you had met him. He was full of life, and had so many interesting dreams that he could hold you spellbound as he was narrating these dreams to you. His eyes would beam and his face would radiate as he excitedly chattered nearly every morning. I bet you would never get tired of listening to him.

Little did he know that those dreams about the heaps of corn bowing to him, and the eleven stars including the moon and sun prostrating to him, were not going down well with our big brothers. Even Father had reproved him about his kind of dreams. Joseph was also full of love for his brothers. He was especially fond of me. He told me more stories than he told anyone else; we were particularly close. Father loved him dearly. One wonders why he referred to him as the son of his old age instead of me. Although it's not a problem for me, I get all the love I need from my family. And that's enough for me. As for my elder brothers, they are my heroes; strong and stout. They are all shepherds, as this has been our generational business. It was handed down by our great-grandfather Abraham, to our grandfather Isaac, and then to Jacob, our father.

One certain day, Father sent Joseph to take food to our brothers who were in the field tending the sheep. Joseph was elated to leave the house that hot afternoon to be in the field with our brothers. I wished I could follow him, but Father wouldn't hear of it. Thus, Joseph set out excitedly, promising to give me the full gist of all that happened in the bush. Not long after he left, I fell asleep. I was bored stiff. Father didn't make a good company. I can't tell how long I had slept before I was awakened by some noise later that evening.

I saw my father holding a piece of cloth smeared with blood, weeping. By now, some of our neighbours had started converging on us. Everyone was sobbing. I began to search for Joseph so that he could explain to me what exactly was happening, but he was nowhere to be found. The wailing was getting louder and louder, and all attention was on our father. I went to him too, this time sobbing likewise, though I didn't know why I was sobbing. I stooped down where he was sitting on a bare floor, and holding his hand I asked, Father, why are you crying? It was then that Gad came and drew me aside to himself, and said, Joseph is no more, - a wild beast killed him in the bush. I stared blankly at him. I just couldn't make out what he meant. My face suddenly became dry, tears refused to form at that moment. Some minutes later, my head started spinning. I rushed out from his grip and screamed with a loud voice, Oh Joseph, come back home, please come back home, please!

I stood there screaming my head off when Judah came and took me inside the house. Nobody ate that night. The next morning, I still refused to take my breakfast, for the person I normally ate with was no more. Papa's condition was getting worse, and his health was deteriorating. He indeed looked pale and bitter.

One of those nights, I refused to sleep alone in my bed because it was frustratingly lonesome. My tears just wouldn't stop flowing,