Heart of the Wise

This is a list of empowered evangelists whose mighty ministries have been widely acclaimed and well-known in my home country Nigeria, and across the continent of Africa, and also globally. They have directly impacted me and many others with the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, with notable miracles, signs and wonders. This list here is limited to evangelists who I have had the privilege of listening to, personally being in their meetings and also reading their books.  Especially those who served within my country. Perhaps, I may do another on the pastoral office. Benson Idahosa , a Nigerian-born pioneer of citywide Gospel campaigns, who had tremendous influence and the powerful gifts of faith, healing and working of miracles. He was bold and audacious. He began ministry in 1968. I watched many videos of his powerful preaching and the mighty manifestations of God’s power. I read his biography, Fire In His Bones: The Story of Benson Idahosa,  written by Ruthanne Garlock. He w...

Yesterday. Wednesday, 15 October 2025. A vehicle coming in the opposite direction and on the other lane came with full speed into our lane and ran into us in a heavy crash. The impact was massive with the sound of clashing and mangling metals. It seemed targeted. It came directly for us.  Our driver was seriously impacted. The front passenger had some cuts and hurt. The three of us behind had a few bruises and bangs. I was under the rubble. We jacked up the metallic cobweb with help from few bystanders or passersby, and we walked out. We were five men.  Writing this, I remember something my father had told me.  Also, about three weeks ago, I was in a meeting with my lawyer and a tenant, then the word “accident” suddenly came to me in a flash as I spoke with them.  My words were precise: “They arrange it to look like an accident.”  Right then I noted that different things could be arranged and manipulated to look like accidents of sorts, from domestics to travels...

  Has Satan tried you? How has Satan tried you? They tried poison, accident, espionage, death of loved ones, loss of marriage, loss of income, loss of opportunities, sabotage, setup, slander, substance, spite, psychological trigger, vexation, false witness, reproach, rejection, ridicule, gross undermining, exploitation, abuse, taking undue advantage, deception, violation, seduction, betrayal, etc.  Like he used on Jesus the Son of God.  If Satan and his subjects aren’t mad at you, then you are not making true impact in the spirit realm. Satan hates God and all that belong to God. He hates the elect of God and works night and day to discredit, disconcert, distract, distress, dissipate, disillusion, denigrate, devastate or destroy them. He touches externals. That’s what he can do.  In the spirit, God’s people are seated far above. So Satan persecutes their flesh. Like Paul’s thorn in the flesh. He uses people like Judas to bait and betray. He uses rogue religion to con...

Sometimes we like people because we don’t know them. Sometimes we dislike people because we don’t know them. Like and dislike can be based on lack of knowledge. That’s why ignorance can be blissful. Just as it can be dangerously deceitful. Ignorance can be (misinformed) love and trust. Lack of awareness can be seen as boldness. True love is based on true knowledge. I repeat: love must know. Love is not ignorant. Love is based on precise, accurate knowledge. Love is not foolishly blind but can overlook flaws. The metaphorical blindness of love is not complete oblivion, careless oversight or dysfunction-enabling negligence.  Rather, it is the choice of commitment not to allow shortcomings to overshadow or eclipse strengths.  To not throw away the baby with the bathwater. For you to truly love a person, you must know the good and the bad about the person and still truly care about them and desire the best for them.  Seek self-knowledge and self-understanding. Also, seek to k...

Those who are not patient with you do not love you.  Vice versa.  If you seem too impatient or overly restless with and hyper irritated by someone’s natural behavior or growth process which should include their flaws, then you may not love them as much as you should.  Or you may not be their “chosen one”, if it’s in terms of marriage or close relationship. And that may be okay. It shows you who you should bond with. Definitely, they’re not your inner-circle person. All these are indicative not indicting. So use the knowledge positively not negatively. Let me reiterate: If you’re deeply impatient with someone, it could indicate that you don’t understand their journey or you have outgrown their company or you don’t love them. And if you don’t love them, then you are not part of their assignment. Love is patient.  God will allow many situations to reveal this to you.  Watch and play, my friend.  Watch. See the prompts, patterns, signs and symptoms.  Analy...

Rev Dr Uma Ukpai a great gift and mighty man took a bow on October 6, 2025 at the age of 80. A man of inspiring faith, courage, praises and visible love for God and His Kingdom. He was married to Mummy Philomena.  Their marriage produced eight children and they adopted an additional child but they lost two of their children in a car collision on the same day. I remember some of his messages which impacted me several years ago while I was on campus and as I attended many conferences and camp meetings. He was a leading figure in the Christian world back in the days. I remember attending some crusades or church events where he was the guest minister.  I have previously written (in my tribute to my father in an article titled Honor Your Father, archived in my blog) about how he was the first guest preacher at the first Great Anglican Crusade, a city-wide revival crusade led by the Anglican Diocese of Niger Delta and which took place in Port Harcourt in the early ‘90s, precisely Ma...

If you don’t get justice here and now, may you at least know the truth. I mean, the real and whole truth according to God the Ultimate and Perfectly Accurate Reference and Judge/Assessor/Examiner of all things known and unknown by mortal man no matter how enhanced, resourced and versatile we may be by reason of scientific technology or otherwise. Understand the game of life.  There are always stakes and interests to which real or borrowed time, energy, attention, money and other resources are channeled to fulfill or realize. Pick your side and thus your fate in time and eternity.  God is just. This is great. Amazing. Beautiful.  The end is joyful for the just. Only those who don’t believe in God don’t believe this.  The just shall live forever in God’s Presence. THERE IS GLORY AHEAD! ✊ That’s pure faith in the Living God. Faithful till the end.  It’s when a man’s spirit is full of faith and God’s Spirit. “He who endures to the end, the same shall be saved.” TO G...

There are people who are “sent by Satan” into your life: to steal your focus, to kill your joy and to destroy your impact.  If you listen to them, they often intentionally speak negatively, disparagingly or with incitement about other people and about situations.  They may be trying to train your mind to be negative because that will short circuit your own greatness and the flow of goodness in your life.  They also plant seeds of ill will, discord and strife amongst people.  They’re sent to also destabilize the progress of communities or groups but they’re very subtle, charismatic and make themselves useful or to be seen as the most intelligent or indispensable part of any group with a show of confidence and strength. Again, it is very intentional and calculated. They are working on you. They gift you to trap you.  They love you to weak you. They seduce you to stain you. They also want you to participate in your own destruction so they can cleverly or craftily p...

  True consistency is character consistency.  It is also relationship/friendship consistency.  It ensures that one isn’t true now but false later.  Or nice here but nasty elsewhere. That you’re not a sweet and loving angel in the morning but a mean little maniac at night.  Or that you’re not a friend today and an enemy tomorrow. That’s true and authentic consistency. Not just being consistent in the popularized sense of staying with or sticking to a particular endeavor, activity, work, field, industry, niche, platform, product, service or other offering. Not just the consistency in business or content creation because we want to make money or build a brand or our online presence or community. But also and more so to be consistent in the core of who you are: your values, virtues, essence and mission to serve, share, inspire, educate, enlighten or empower people. The world has inadvertently adopted some really poor, weak, strange, false or wrong redefinitions, ada...

Religion can be the greatest distraction, obstacle or hindrance to true spiritual life and walk with God. Why do I say so? This is because religion can make you think that you have it all right or all figured out or all together when you are missing the point all the while.  That’s the great seduction of religion.  You must beware of this deception. Beware of false or inaccurate religion.  It can probably happen to the best of us but with time God will deliver all His elect from such religious deception and falsehood. The sad fact is that religious people are not necessarily born again, that is regenerated by God’s Spirit and thus having the life and nature of Christ.  In fact, many times they are not. Satan knows this very well, and so he is very comfortable and okay with religion—whether popular and prosperous—as long as it is powerless to produce the authentic Fruit of the Spirit in people. Religious people think they are worshipping God but it’s not in Spirit and...

In truly royal times and places, virtues like honesty, kindness, generosity, courage and honor were rightly associated with royalty and upper class.  While vices and vile behavior like dishonesty, theft, brawls, betrayals, meanness and cowardice were rightly associated with peasantry and lower class. Courtesy, ethics and etiquette are essentially and evidently the signs of true royalty and refinement. Even when true kings fight, they do so with class.  Royalty respects rules.  Royal wars are marked by order and dignity.  There is usually notification and preparation. It is necessary combat only for contested interests.  Live or die in battle, you do so with honor.  Victory or defeat or yet still surrender, you do that with honor. There are protocols to keep and principles to follow. With the lower class, there is unruly behavior, unmannered attitude and unsophisticated thinking.  They are generally brute, base and basically uncultured people who act th...

When you say that this is the ‘first Black’ person to do something novel, brilliant, great or outstanding, that classification is likely or usually from the mentality of the history of deprivation rooted in slavery and racism. Why is it a shocker for a so-called ‘Black’, as they call it, to excel?  Especially if given the right or similar opportunities  and conditions? You see? Why should it be a surprise or shocker if all humanity is equal in essence before God? Don’t you see there’s something retrogressive there? Would you say the same of other ethnic origins? Do we say the ‘first White’ to go to the moon?  Or do we rather just say the ‘first man’? Like the first man to discover River Niger, right? Looks like there is the man, then there is the black man. Or am I missing something here? Perhaps I am but allow me to lay these pointers. Just thinking out loud, and sharing few thoughts. The post-deprivation excitement or thrill is quite understandable but that should not d...

A star in the dark sky is very contrasted to its environment. It can’t even really blend in because of its true nature no matter how much it tries to.  You’re who you are. A light! As Jesus said you’re the light of the world, it should tell you something about the world.  You are light in darkness.  Are you truly listening to Jesus? The implication is that the world is in darkness.  Do you understand what that means?  Spiritual darkness.  Ignorance of God and His truth and His life, in spite of all the religious activities.  Darkness of deception and wickedness facilitated by demonic operations even in places you won’t believe it.  The high, the low.  The rich, the poor.  The educated, the uneducated.  It’s easier to not believe it.  It’s easier to ignore it and not face the facts here and now.  But easier now will mean tougher later.  There are two paths. You’re on one of them. There are two kingdoms. You’re in one o...

The treachery of money refers to the potential negative effects that instant financial gains or economic boom can bring upon a person if they are not circumspect, cautious or careful about the immediate influx and influence of seemingly sudden financial abundance in and on their lives. Simply put, it is the menace and affliction that unguided growth or success can inflict on you. There are four key aspects and insights to the treachery of money that I will be sharing here. All of these are as a direct result of the lack of due process or stepwise growth in attaining the particular level or height of success attained. Going through due process would really accord one the opportunity and necessary time to build capacity to manage the new situation of plenty. This capacity includes the strength to withstand external pressure of unwholesome factors which come in increasing measure to compete for one’s attention, time, energy and limited resources. The following are four components of perso...

Delusion is a terrible condition. You don’t know you’re are wrong.  You really think that you’re right. But you’re totally ignorant of your deep foolishness and the immensity or gravity of your wickedness and wretchedness, especially in the spirit realm. Salvation is thus the greatest blessing!  It means to be delivered from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s Son.  Do you understand the power of spiritual darkness within the soul of a man? If you do, you will preach the Gospel for therein is the light of the Truth being revealed to the heart of man. Only Mercy can save man from delusion and damnation unto salvation IN CHRIST. In memory of Charlie Kirk:   The image is the picture of a a young American who laid down his life in a righteous cause amidst a world filled with the gross darkness of deception and dark agendas. He was a Christian who will be remembered for courage for his faith. He was also involved in political activism and engaging the younger ...

Thank God for both great movements. Let’s consider their pros and cons respectively. Just a brief high-level summary of analysis. Our aim is to consolidate on the good. To grow the areas of strength. And note areas for improvement. Trust this provides useful insights. God bless the entire Body of Christ. ORTHODOXY The beauty of the Orthodox Christianity is devotional coordination, doctrinal closeness to foundational truths and deeply-held convictions well-guarded by sound and spiritual principles of humility, piety, simplicity, order, reverence, values, virtues, uprighness and moderation. The pitfall however is loss of spiritual vitality or vibrancy in the seemingly sincere delusion of and preoccupation with rituals and religious complex shy of spiritual fervor and heartfelt engagement in personalized and intimate prayer, worship and fellowship due to over-standardization of devotional routines that may degenerate into rigidity. Good for preserving age-old treasures of traditions but w...

Marriage is not to be taken lightly.  It is a close and consequential relationship.  Better to be unmarried than to be married to someone who is not a right fit for you.  Misalignment in marriage has very far-reaching consequences for all of the parties involved. It is expedient to exercise particular caution and practice due diligence in spouse selection. Not everyone who seeks your attention means well for you or has something beneficial for you. Life is a marketplace—not everyone who calls you really has what you need and not everyone who you call really needs what you have to give.  If they call you, you can smile and wave at them but keep on walking, if they’re not for you. A potential spouse must meet certain criteria. You must have certain ideological and philosophical standards for a person you want to do life with. More importantly, your standards begin with you.  You must meet your own standards of mindset, attitude, ethics, values, trustworthiness, em...

God knows our human frailties. He only requires that we be just and treat others as we would not mind being treated. In other words, treat others fairly and justly as you would treat yourself or like to be treated also. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the greatest commandment of God. No need to go offering great sacrifices or doing fancy and lofty religious ceremonies when we have not obeyed the basic laws and principles. It is attempting to solve very complex scientific or mathematical equations without even knowing or understanding the first principles. So again, God knows our basic human framework. He understands the basic human need for nutrition, locomotion, exertion, restoration and copulation. These are the things He designed for the continuity of His natural creation, namely, creatures of Nature. Following the Fall of Man, post Creation Glory, Man has had to deal with the practical and ideological implications of his fallen human nature or state, in the order or image ...