There is so much wisdom to learn from history, and God wants us to get it. If we do so, we shall avoid the mistakes of the past, and we shall be a success. In 1988, Roberts Liardon released an audio series entitled “The Healing Evangelists” which I got to listen to in 1999. The opening remarks of that series (which unfortunately is no longer available) went something like, “This could be the most important series you will ever hear in your entire life”.

Those teachings are the most important success lessons I have ever received as a Christian. I listened to them over and over again, to the extent that I could tell you everything about those twelve Generals. That is why, to this day, my closest friends from back then call me General Moses. I was so enamored by the teachings that I went ahead to study the book he later wrote - “God’s Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Failed”. When he redid the teachings, adding more information, I purchased the complete set of DVDs from his church that was then in California.

One thing about those teachings, especially the 1988 series, was the heavenly wisdom they carried. I was so captivated by what I learnt, that I started praying to God to give me all the wisdom that Roberts Liardon had gained from his many hours of studying God’s Generals. Though I met Liardon twice in 2006 and he prayed for me, I knew that my prayer to have all his wisdom had not yet been answered. So I kept praying earnestly.

Sometime in 2016, I travelled to California. When I arrived there, I learnt that Liardon was going to hold a two-day meeting at a church in the city of South San Francisco. I attended both days. The first day, after he ministered, we got to talk and I gave him an offering. That night, I had a dream instructing me to sacrifice ‘big’ and give Liardon another offering. When in the dream I obeyed that difficult instruction, a very strong electrifying presence of the Lord came over me. The following evening, I met and gave Liardon the exact amount of money I had dreamt.

Many weeks after my return to Uganda, the Lord Jesus told me, “The prayers you made many years ago were answered; you got the spirit of wisdom I gave Roberts Liardon, which wisdom he accumulated by studying the history of the lives of My Generals.”

In the book, “The Path” by Rick Joyner, the importance of history is further emphasized:

“As to your first question about what led me to study history, especially church history, I was given instructions to do so. I was told that is where some of the greatest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. It is true” (Page 108).

“. . . I will share with you what I think is the most practical lesson I learned from studying history: The saying is true that ‘those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.’ The repetitious cycles of history are tragic . . . We keep repeating the same mistakes” (Page 110).

“That is the most important lesson?” William inquired. “It’s become such a cheap cliché that everyone repeats.”

You are right. Everyone says it, and I think most really believe it, but they keep doing it,” I answered.

Why do you think this is?” someone else asked.

“It’s a combination of things, but I think the most prevailing reason is pride. The core of this pride causes every generation to think that they are better than the last one. We tend to think we are smarter, wiser, and definitely not like our parents, and this keeps us in the trap” (Pages 110-111).

“God commanded Israel to repeat their history every year. This was not to get them to live in the past, yet we cannot deal with the present or the future as we should if we forget the lessons of the past. Not respecting the past enough to study it is probably the main cause that so many empires have risen, through all that it takes to build such a thing, only to quickly disintegrate for the lack of a simple, basic, understanding” (Page 112).

Let us therefore study all the history we can, including church and political history. I am practicing what I am preaching. Months ago, I finished reading various books on the history of Uganda; thanks to Denise M. Ayume who bought me some of those books. Last month, I completed a 700-page book, “The State of Africa: A History of the Continent Since Independence” by Martin Meredith. I am now getting ready to read European history.

I pray that we shall succeed in our callings as we gain wisdom from history.

God bless you.