A Letter To My Precious Son!

A letter to my son, Josiah Timothy Tonge.

Dear Josiah, as I hold you in my arms
as a first time father,

I am struck with a holy reminder.

You are ours to hold, not ours to own.

You are a gift from God, intricately
woven by the Divine Designer,

fashioned in the secret place by the same hands that flung stars into space.

A precious gift entrusted to us -
for a season, for a reason.

And in that trust lies the sacred
weight of stewardship -

to shepherd your heart toward
the One who breathed life into it,

whose fingerprints mark
every fibre of your being.

To love fiercely, yet hold freely -

tight enough to help grow
but light enough to let go.

For it is not the firmness of our grip,
but the fullness of your growth.

And true love prepares to leave.

So I carry you carefully with the consciousness of the One who carries us both.

As your transition from the womb
to the world approached,

there were many questions that crisscrossed my mind.

But the sound of your first cry
silenced them all.

It was a simple revelation.

What it takes for the task is
already embedded within,

for no divine assignment comes
without divine allotment.

In fact, Josiah, your arrival awakened a part of me that simply lay dormant,

for there is no duty more holy than the role of raising a child in the fear of the Lord.

Yes, Josiah, you have entered a
world filled with uncertainties.

But there's one thing you can be certain of - that's your place in our hearts.

We have no power to determine what awaits you, Josiah, in this journey of life.

But as long as God gives breath to our lungs, your mum and I will walk with you.

When life tries to knock you down,
we will help you to get back up.

When the nights feel long and lonely,
we will stay with you until the dawn breaks.

When vision seems vague, we will point you prayerfully towards your purpose.

When the line between hope and discouragement seems to blur,

we will be a signpost to the only One who can never disappoint.

And when the world attempts
to question your identity,

we will remind you who you are -
a child of promise.

We will remind you who you are - be it with a gentle encouragement or a stern rebuke.

We will nurture you and nourish you with all that God has given to us,

knowing that when we
take care of the nourishing,

He takes care of the flourishing.

The true value of God’s gifts lies in our willingness to give them back to Him.

Josiah, I pray that one day,
you will read these words

and find in them the courage to face
your own storms in faith,

knowing that the One who formed
you goes before you.

Remember who you are named after,

the king in 2 Chronicles 34 who sought God's heart at a tender age

and saw life clearly - so clearly that the power of earthly kingship

did not taint the purity of spiritual sonship.

A man whose passion for the
Word of God was not passive

but overflowed into actions and convictions that outlived his lifetime.

May his story be an inspiration.

And may our lives be a sermon of the standards we seek to set.

For as Christians, we
strive towards perfection

from a place of surrender to
the One who perfects us.

Josiah, it is our joy, our privilege, our honour
to dedicate you to the Most High God

and in His presence, I declare
these blessings over you

in accordance to Numbers 6:24-26.

Josiah, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord turn His face towards you and grant you peace.

In Jesus’ mighty name, amen!

My son, I love you with all my heart.

Thank you for ushering me
from brother to father.

Above all else, I pray you grow
in love for Jesus Christ,

with all your heart, mind,
spirit, soul and strength.

For that is the firm foundation upon which everything else flows.

With love from your dad.

P.S. - I hope you grow up to dance
like your mum, not like your dad!

In Jesus’ name.

Grace and peace to you all, people of God,
in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.

There are two events in life

that provide unavoidable opportunity
for spiritual awakening -

to witness the beginning of life
and to witness the end of life.

I cannot conceive how it is possible
for someone to see

the dawning or the departure of life,

without deeply reflecting on the meaning of life, on what life is really all about.

And I'm sharing this with you today,
because the last few days of my life

have certainly been among the most memorable, miraculous, humbling,

challenging, exhausting
experiences of my life -

to have the privilege to witness
the arrival of our first child, Josiah,

on Thursday, 29 May, 2025.

First and foremost - glory be to God!

Thank You, Jesus, for the
beautiful gift of life.

I also want to salute my wife, Allison,

and indeed, I want to salute
mothers all over the world.

I salute your persistence, perseverance, faith when it comes to childbirth. Wow!

And a practical word of advice for the husbands who may be watching this right now.

As your wife labours in childbirth,
labour with her in prayer.

Stay close to her in the flesh and
stand firm with her in the spirit.

Be a voice of calmness and an anchor of peace in the sea of pain.

This is a mystery. It's a mystery,
my brothers and sisters in Christ -

how something so beautiful comes from the process of something so painful.

But that's a principle of life.
It’s a lesson of life.

Submitting to God's process does not necessarily bypass the pain.

But the pain will pass (John 16:21).

People of God, the pain will pass.

Perhaps you're watching this right now
and there is a painful situation in your life.

Physical pain. Emotional pain.
Spiritual pain.

As a child of God, the pain
may be part of God's process,

but the pain will pass.

A lesson of life - if we attempt to take a shortcut, to sidestep the process,

to try and speed up God's time -

look, if you manage to bypass the pain in it,

don't be surprised if you
bypass the beauty of it.

Because the pain along the journey makes its ending all the more beautiful.

I also have a word of advice,
people of God,

in the light of this experience,
in the last few days.

If we look at the Scriptures, God’s framework for family is clearly revealed.

See what the Scripture says in
Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2.

God's divine design for family,
for marriage is clearly revealed.

It is clear that the responsibility of raising children is meant to be shouldered within

the covenant of godly marriage.

That is why the devil is so intent on attacking homes, families, marriages.

He wants to subvert God's perfect plan.

And the consequences of sabotaging this plan are indeed generational.

But take note - running away from responsibility is akin to running away from reality.

And it's a race you will never win.

To the young adults watching this right now -

if you claim you are not ready for children, you are not ready for marriage.

If you are not ready for marriage,
you are not ready for sex.

Please flee sexual immorality.

Run from sexual immorality.

If we stir up ‘love’ before its time,
we will only awaken lust.

To those who are waiting on
the Lord for marriage - good.

But don't just wait on the Lord.
Make sure you are waiting in the Lord.

Because a time to wait is not a time to waste.

The discipline required
to keep you for marriage

is also required to keep you in marriage.

Don't waste your wait.

The lessons you learn in the journey of faith on the road to your destiny

will sustain you to the point
and from the point

where the right time brings the right person.

This is an encouragement to those watching today.

I have a lot to share about this subject after this experience of the last few days.

There are a lot of lessons to share,
but I will pause at this point

and simply say thank you to all the viewers,
friends, partners, supporters of God’s Heart TV.

Thank you for your love, your prayers,
your support, your encouragement.

And I tell you this - the arrival of Josiah
has only increased our desire

to continue to spread the Good News to the four corners of the world,

to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ
in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And there is no better way for me to say, ‘Thank You, Jesus’, for this precious gift of life

than to do what God has called me to do.

So right now I want to pray
for you in Jesus’ name.

Right now, let us pray for the married couples who are connected at this moment

seeking the face of God
for the fruit of the womb.

Use the case of Josiah as a point of contact.

Let this testimony ignite your faith.

Seize this moment to put a
demand upon the anointing.

First of all, remember this - the primary ingredient of a settled home is a settled heart.

Whatever is troubling your heart -
I say, be settled right now!

Be settled in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!

What is it that is blocking your fruitfulness?

That blockage behind barrenness -
be removed in Jesus’ mighty name!

Every spirit of miscarriages -
I say, come out right now!

Come out, in Jesus’ mighty name!

What is that affliction frustrating
your fruitfulness?

Is it fibroids?

Is it an ovarian cyst?

Is it a low sperm count?

Is it hormonal imbalance?

Whatever it is, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, healing is available.

Be healed in your womb!

Be healed in your organs!

Be healed in your system!

Receive healing in Jesus’ mighty name!

Receive fruitfulness in Jesus’ mighty name!

Every spiritual attack on your home,
your family, your marriage -

that strange nightmare, I say be cancelled!

Be cancelled in Jesus’ name.

That nightmare at the point of breakthrough in the search for fruit of the womb,

that strange nightmare - be cancelled,
in Jesus’ mighty name.

Thank You, Lord.

I will pray right now for the parents watching this program.

Remember, raising a child, raising children is an assignment from God.

I pray you receive that strength from above to remain focused on that assignment,

to remain committed to that assignment,
to remain alert to that assignment,

in Jesus’ mighty name.

Do you have a child or children
with rebellious behaviour?

Let me pray for that child.

Let me pray for those children right now.

Let there be a change.

Let there be a supernatural change
from the inside out!

Receive that change in
Jesus’ mighty name.

The delay in Hannah's miracle
was only preparation

for the extraordinary child of promise destined from above.

People of God, are you facing delay
in your search for a child?

Don't become desperate because of delay.

Don't give in to desperation
because of delay.

Be endowed to endure!

Be endowed to persevere without fear,
in Jesus’ mighty name!

Yes, I know there are some connected
right now who are in pain.

Physical pain, emotional pain,
mental pain, spiritual pain.

As a child of God, that pain will pass.

Every spirit behind pain - get out!
Get out in Jesus’ name!

Every form of pain - physical pain,
spiritual pain, emotional pain -

receive healing in Jesus’ name!

Receive healing by the
precious blood of Jesus Christ.

People of God, God's process does not necessarily bypass the pain,

but the pain will pass.

I assure you - the pain will pass.

I pray right now you receive that strength to persevere and not give in to fear.

Don't let the voice of pain
mislead you to fear.

Receive that strength to persevere in
Jesus’ name, knowing the pain will pass.

As the arrival of Josiah has brought joy,
as a child of God, joy is your portion!

Let there be celebration in your home.

Let there be rejoicing in your family.

Let there be unique testimonies in your household in Jesus’ mighty name.

Thank You, Jesus, for the precious gift of life.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, amen.