The General Overseer of the Church of New Age, Bonny, Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple has emphasised that faith in God is the key to overcoming life’s challenges.

Se-Alabo Jack-Wilson made this emphasis on Friday, September 29, 2023 during the Archangel Michael’s Day celebration at the church premises at James Hart Street in Bonny, Rivers State.

“Have faith in God, please can you turn to your neighbor and say ‘neighbor have faith in God? Brother, have faith in God; sister, have faith in God. We’re living in an era of hopelessness, per say, but I want to say to you it’s not hopeless.”

“Don’t forget God loves you, and it is because God loves you that Jesus came. In other words, if you’re not of value the Master wouldn’t have come. You must have faith in God, because only God can do it, no other person can do it.”

“Listen to me, if a man gives you favour, a woman gives you favour, it’s not that man that did you the favor, it’s not that woman that did you the favor, God did the favor to you through that individual. So God is still saying something, God is still active in your life.”

The Archangel Michael’s Day Celebration happens on September 29 every year worldwide and affords people around the globe the opportunity to celebrate the good works of the warrior archangel as well as other archangels in Christian tradition.

The cleric, who is also the Chief and Head of the Jack-Wilson Pepple Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom, encouraged his audience to trust in God’s plan, citing examples of people questioning their faith amidst difficult circumstances, urging them not to emulate such examples.

“Sometimes, when you look at life, you’ll say I’m tired, I want to quit. You move to the left, the left seems not to be producing result, you go to the right the same thing, you say can I go back to where I’m coming from? It’s like I cannot move forward, you say oh God I’m tired.”

He highlighted the importance of unwavering faith, drawing parallels between human trust and belief in God’s ability to protect and guide, stressing that the latter was the way to go for believers.

He further urged his congregation to see challenges as stepping stones and to trust that God’s love covers all, emphasizing that even in the face of adversity, their faith in God should remain unshaken.

“God is preparing you for something greater, take every challenge as a stepping stone. You must exercise faith, in the midst of our challenges you must exercise faith.”

“Whether it is good, whether it is bad, you must have faith in God, cause there’s nowhere else you can go, He is your maker, he is your provider, he is your protector. All those that demonstrated faith, at least in the Bible, we saw how God worked with them. Abraham was a man of faith, and he became.”

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward, for ye have need of patience, for after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry.”

“Now, the just shall live by faith, but if any man does bad, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back.”

The event, which usually marks the beginning of autumn and includes religious observances and cultural activities worldwide, had as highlights a feast, special presentations and ministration by other anointed prophets.