CROSS POWER MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Mailing Address: 370 Willowbrook Dr, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
(Phone & Fax) 732 940 2041, infocpmi777@aol.com
http://cpmi777.org/
BIOGRAPHY: THE CALL, CONSENCRATION AND COMMISSIONING
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Dr. Godfried Baning, Psy. D., PHD. (c), D.Min. (c), LPC, CRS, LPCC; is an evangelist and State licensed Christian psychotherapist with a private practice in Somerset, New Jersey. He hails from Ghana, West Africa; but now lives in North Brunswick, New Jersey in the United States. Dr. Godfried Baning is an unassuming man of God who walks in The Presence of Almighty God. The Lord ministers through His humble servant in the power of the Holy Spirit to glorify His Holy Name.
His fiery prophetic preaching and teaching on repentance, hope and healing are confirmed by signs, wonders and miracles. This strong message is bathed in urgency, deep love, compassion and humility to call the church and the lost from sin, apostasy, lethargy, apathy and indifference back to God -Their Maker and Lover. Wherever he ministers the Glory and Power of God come down in great intensity resulting in hearts being broken in repentance, revival, healing, deliverance, and restoration to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The thing most commonly said is,” We have never experienced anything like this before.” To God be all the Glory! This is the result of his intense ministry of prayer, fasting and worship unto God. He is a man with deep intimacy with God, a broken heart for America, especially for the youth, and the nations.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
Doctor of Psychology (Psy. D.) International School of Graduate Studies.
Doctor of Ministry Candidate (D. Min.) Pastoral Care & Counseling, Drew University
Doctor Philosophy Candidate (PH. D.) International School of Graduate Studies.
Master of Science (MSCC) Christian Counseling Philadelphia Biblical University
Bachelors in French & Spanish (B. A.) University of Ghana & University of Havana- Cuba.
Diploma in Spanish, University of Havana - Cuba
Diploma in French, Alliance Francaise, Paris – France
Theological Studies, Somerset Christian College, N. J; USA.
Above all, the best of all degrees Dr Baning earned was in the “PHD” from “The University of The Wilderness” Piled High and Deep with Suffering cum Glory (PHD SG). The end time ministry does not depend on accumulation of knowledge, but accumulation of the Power and Presence of God; punctuated by holy living, intense prayer and fasting. The combination of these and godly intellectual acumen is dynamite in the Kingdom of God.
Evangelist Baning was born at dawn on August 5, 1966 in Ghana, West Africa. He is the last born of a Ghanaian chief. He came to know the Lord Jesus Christ at a young age through his mother whom he describes as a fiery Pentecostal praying and fasting woman of God. Godfried received his calling at a very young age. The anointing of God has been on him since childhood. As his name Godfried denotes “God’s friend”, he has walked all his life as a dear friend of God. God himself created him and gave him the name Godfried and called him to walk with Him as Abraham, His friend (James 2:23).
Brother Godfried had always had always known the Supernatural Being Who always walked with him as a Friend. He was different among his peers, lonely but not alone. He is a man with deep intimacy with God. He is indeed "married” to Christ. He has been involved in ministry since childhood. As a child he used to lead his Presbyterian congregation and his peers in Bible reading and hymnology. During his elementary school, while preparing for a regional Bible contest, he memorized almost the entire book of Acts. He saw the power of God and knowing that one day he would be a minister, he began to hunger and thirst for God to demonstrate such great power in his life.
Brother Godfried’s background is filled with tragedy, pain and sorrows. The mother lost her first husband and a son after a short illness in her younger years. She married Godfried’s father and lost another daughter again. His mother then began to cry out to God for a son in her latter years. God answered her prayer. Once again the devil struck the family and tried to kill Godfried many times. While pregnant with him, his mother almost miscarried due to the sudden death of her brother. He was born under weight with many severe complications. As a child he suffered many ailments and was in and out of hospitals many times.
At the age of 20 he again suffered another debilitating sickness and was almost blinded by the devil. His eyesight kept on getting worse and worse; reading with or without glasses caused him intense headaches and watery blood shot eyes. The enemy hated his passion for The Word of God. He saw the enemy inflict sicknesses on his siblings and killed some of his siblings and friends prematurely but The angel of The LORD always delivered him from all the numerous near death experiences and gave him his sight back so that he no longer has to use glasses to this day. Oh Glory be to God for His great mercy! The Bible says in
Psalm 34:4-8
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
These painful sufferings birthed a compassionate heart in him to see The Lord heal the sick and set the oppressed free through his ministry. He started to fast and pray with his mother at a tender age for more power of God to destroy the work of the devil. The Lord Jesus answered his prayer and anointed him to pray for the sick. He started praying for the sick as a child with amazing results. He also began to operate in the prophetic gift. He would know when the enemy was going to attack his family in advance. He would tell the parents and they would combat the enemy with prayer and fasting.
According to the mother as he grew up, she saw that he was a unique boy of exceptional wisdom and intuition. He could read The Bible in his Akan dialect before he went to school. His mother bought him a Bible, which he would take with him to church on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He would take notes and listen attentively. He was always fascinated with the preacher and the worship leader and he used to imitate them at home. If the service went on late in the night he would sleep under the pews and walk home after service. His house was far away from the church and walking caused his tiny legs to hurt but he would never miss a service even if he was sick. Before bedtime, he would read his Bible to his parents and his mother would put the opened Bible underneath his pillow so that The Word would sink into his spirit. What a mother! At dawn he would wake up with his mother to pray, worship and study the Bible.
His mother knew he would be a man after God’s own heart like King David or Prophet Samuel who would be used mightily for His Glory. She continued to pray fervently for him. On Fridays they would go to the woods or the mountains to fast and pray. Since childhood he has loved to pray, worship, fast, study The Word and be actively involved in the things of God. He always thanks God that He gave him such good parents who modeled His nature and character to him. As a chief following the Akan traditions, his father practiced ancestral worship but he would never prevent Godfried and the mother from going to church. Glory be to God, the father miraculously got saved before he passed away in 1998. (That is another testimony of our Awesome God to be told someday) Through his earthly father, he experienced the love of God -The Father. He learned how to be loving, kind, humble, and have a holy reverential fear towards God.
Brother Godfried, being a little prince in the palace, often in the company of the father, the council of elders, other chiefs and also acting as his father’s spokesman acquired a lot of wisdom and cultural knowledge about kingdom principles, which in latter years he would discover has some similitude in the Bible. The tradition of his ancestors has semblance to the Jewish culture and the father told him that his ancestors originated from the northern part of Africa and might be of Jewish descent. His family name BANI (the original name BANI was anglicized to Baning) is found in The Bible. His family believes they might have descended from the line of the Levitical priesthood. According to
Nehemiah 8:7-8
“The Levites- Jeshua, Bani, and Sherebiah instructed the people in The Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”
Also see Ezra 2:10 and 8:10. Please this assertion is not for self-exaltation but only to prove that the gift and callings of God are truly birthed in His heart even before He sends us here on earth with His mission. They are therefore irrevocable and can never be taken for granted. We will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) to give an account of His gifts and callings. We therefore cannot run away from our calling. It must be taken seriously; God Himself preordains them.
At the age of 14, he left home for a Presbyterian boarding school. He joined The Scripture Union and the Red Cross and became president of both clubs in his senior year. His hunger for God continued to increase as he continued to cry out for more of God. The Lord was with him always and blessed him with favor. He was awarded scholarships from middle school to university. Just before he went to the university, he had a powerful encounter with God. On September 18, 1988, something happened to him that would change his life forever. This day he kept on crying upon God past midnight for the baptism of The Holy Spirit in his room. The Lord Jesus came and baptized him with His Holy Spirit fire power with the evidence of speaking in tongues. He confirmed His calling on His life and threw His mantle on Him. He trembled at His Presence the rest of the night. He gave him His Spirit the same way He gave the Apostles. The following day family and friends knew he had had a visitation from God.
One amazing thing about his calling is that before he knew where America is on the map (as a child) he had the inner knowing that he would come to America as an Ambassador of Christ in the future. Miraculously God provided the means, the visa and a place to stay in America. On September 18, 1992 he came to America. He worked as a security guard (a watchman) then started to teach in the public schools in New Jersey. There, he saw the hopelessness, the death and spiritual poverty, the deception, and the satanic oppression of the youth. This drew him to his knees in agonizing prayer and fasting for The Lord to have mercy on the children whom he dearly loves. These prayers intensified in the midst of the school shootings in 1998-99. He went on a forty days fast for The Lord to break the power of death from the children. What broke his heart the most was that he could not talk to them about Christ - The Savior and Lover of their souls and their only Hope! It grieves his heart to know The Bible has been taken away from these children for over thirty years.
In 1996, on his 30th birthday, The Lord took him to the top of The Statue of Liberty, where he spent his birthday; looking down over New York and seeing the darkness and oppression, he strongly sensed the time had come for him to take the message of liberation to the masses with a similar mandate of Moses,” Let my people go to worship Me.” Within that year The Lord spoke to him from Jeremiah chapter 1 at a church service and confirmed His calling on his life through many prophesies from pastors, circumstances, prophets and the Body of Christ. But the Lord had to test him. He took him to the desert for three years of testing in very painful suffering. He describes these years as “the 3 years of death on the Cross and burial in the tomb of Christ.” He battled satan, death, and diverse sicknesses daily for 3 agonizing years.
It was a time of deep darkness, severe depression and loneliness for him. No human power or medication could help, only God but He withheld His hand of healing to test him till the testing time of 3 years was over. On 4 occasions that he felt he was dying, he had to drive himself to the emergency room but they could not find anything wrong with him. Within these painful times he lost his dear father and a family member within a month. He lost jobs, became poor, was miraculously delivered from near death car accidents, was swallowed up in huge debt of medical expenses, he often went without food, lacked basic necessities such as toiletries and was at the point of homelessness.
Things were extremely hard for him at that time and what made it worse was being in a foreign land alone without family. All was gone but God, his friend, stood by him. Godfried never gave up on his real Father and Friend, even to the point of death. Like Job he used to say, “Though He slay me yet will I praise Him.” He had to beg God for his breath moment by moment. There were many nights he thought he would not be alive the next day, but God would give him the strength and the next day he would worship Him in grateful tearful adoration. The power of God would come down mightily but He would not heal him.
These painful experiences went on for 3 years with the enemy tempting him to end his own life, but Godfried had faith in his God that His promises never fail; God had promised him that he would preach the Gospel therefore he could not die without fulfilling his destiny. He therefore humbled himself before God to endure these tortuous moments of trials, testing and disciplines without complaining for 3 years. He followed the footsteps of His Master according to
Hebrews 12:7-10
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek
In the end Godfried, through the power of The Holy Spirit, triumphed over satan and sickness. Glory be to God! He is a Good God! Hallelujah!
This wilderness experience had been the most painful but the most rewarding in his life in that he was broken, humbled; knowing that he is nothing and his absolute life, even his next breath, depends on God. He can therefore never touch The Glory of God when He lifts him up to glorify His name in His ministry. He has truly come to know and experience God as a dear, loving true personal Father and a friend who will be with him always and will never leave him nor forsake him. He has come to understand
Romans 8:35-39
“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
He has also developed a great faith for the most impossible situations and above all deep compassion for the sick and the lost. He vowed to God to sacrifice his life to Him to be used to save the lost and heal the sick. He has entirely dedicated himself for the alleviation of the suffering of humanity: the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the oppressed in bondage, the destitute and those who are marginalized by society. For this lifetime, he will be a warrior to wage an intense aggressive war on satan, death, sickness, injustice and help to depopulate hell to populate Heaven.
In summer 1999, The Lord spoke to him that his suffering was over. He has finally “died” at the age of 33 (The same age of Christ when he died and was resurrected by The Father). He had remained faithful in the trials and tribulations. Coinciding with graduating from Philadelphia Biblical University at the age of 33, with a master’s degree, he also graduated from the School of the Wilderness with a master’s degree from The Master Divine. The Father told him that just as His Son died at the age of 33 and was resurrected after 3 days, similarly, at the age of 33 he was finally going “to die”; his 3-year season of death has come to completion. God also told him at this time, that He is going to resurrect him with great power and great glory and that he must get himself ready for the Risen Glorified Christ to demonstrate the Power of His Presence and Glory through him and that the next season of his life will be the outpouring of the Resurrection Power of Pentecost with a double portion anointing. He rose up ‘from the tomb’ after 3 years as a walking dead man who has tasted the suffering of His Master, giving Glory to God and waiting on Him day and night with deeper love and thanksgiving.
In October 1999, The Lord told him to go hide himself again in the wilderness (Hosea 2:14) and that he must build him an altar and call upon Him in preparation for what He is going to do through him. In obedience to God, he started to worship, fast and pray intensely, waiting on the Lord day and night for another four years. The Lord began to visit him in His Glory and Power on a daily basis; the power and manifestations of God that he recounts are very unusual. The Lord revealed Himself to him as God of The Bible: THE GREAT I AM; “The same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8) He spoke to him through His Word, dreams and visions about many future things; some of which have come to pass: The election of President Bush, Y2K, (which will not come to pass) the impending judgment, 9/11, the tragedy of the space shuttle, and many other things to come (for more of these revelations please go to “WHO WE ARE” later on).
The Lord showed him His grief over America, the western nations, the church and the lost. The Lord’s anguish is still so great that at times brother Godfried weeps to the point of exhaustion. These groanings are so intense that he will even suffer nose breeds. These lamentations of Gethsemane have not ceased until date. It sometimes takes days or weeks for him to recover from such intense heart wrenching (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual) anguish. This is God sharing His painful heart with His servants who walk close to Him.
Amos 3:7
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
This is a sign of the broken heart of God The Father, weeping over America, His Church and His children who have rejected Him. He also showed him that the imminent Coming of His Son is sooner than we think. And it is time for the church to wake up, clean up and get ready. When The Lord began to show him these things he went before Him in agonizing fasting and prayer to plead for mercy for America. For His mercy triumphs over His judgments. Even though Brother Godfried is a foreigner residing in America he has a deep love for this country. God brought him to this country for His purpose. Brother Godfried’s heart desire is that America and the Western nations will repent and escape the impending disciplines of God.
The Lord enabled him to go on a supernatural fast for fourteen months starting from October 1999 to December 2000 (eating a meal a day). At the end of every 40 days session The Lord would come down and touch him; give him more strength to go on for another 40 days. This continued till December 31 of 2000 when he broke the fast. The Heavens were moved and supernatural events began to happen, even worldwide. The things God continues to show him and the supernatural experience are incredible.
The Lord told him He was calling him to an unusual, earth shaking ministry of power and authority like that of an earthquake, thunder and lightning and that He will manifest His Power and Glory through him like the prophets and the apostles. He will also confirm His message with great signs and wonders like the prophets and the apostles. He also told Godfried, what He will do through him will help prepare the Way for The Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The power of God on his life increased tremendously in that season. The first person he prayed for after this ordeal was a cancer patient who the Lord healed miraculously, the next was the worst case patient in ICU diagnosed to die by the end of the year, and he walked home within a few days. To God be all the Glory, the honor and power and dominion forever and ever, Amen!
The Lord, having trained His servant for 14 years with a 3 year period of intense trials and tribulation, then knew he is a faithful, humble and obedient servant He can trust with His Glory and power. The Lord birthed Cross Power Ministries International in his heart and then gave him the vision and mandate: preach the same message as Jesus, John the Baptist and the apostles (Matt 3:2, 4:17; Acts 2:37-38, 3:19). This message is the repentance message of The Cross: For the preaching of the Cross is the power of God! The Lord established His covenant of love and miracles with him according to Deuteronomy 31:6 and Exodus 34:10
Deuteronomy 31
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
And also
Exodus 34
10 Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.
The Lord then gave him this command: He must stay so close to His heart, follow Him only, stay holy, humble, have a childlike faith, never covet money and material things, fame and popularity, be bold and courageous to proclaim the message, stay with his calling, message and gifts, love his enemies and give God both The Glory and the pain that come with such a calling in all situations. He gave him many other promises from His Word and He sent other prophets to confirm them to him. Godfried promised God never to touch His Glory and if he does He should take him home before he brings His name into disrepute.
The Lord assured him that He will stand by him in great Power and great Glory, he would bring many to the Kingdom of God and that unusual signs and wonders will follow his ministry; even the dead would be raised to life for His Glory for He is a God who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8). As result of this consecration, suffering and walking in the Presence of God, many have been healed, delivered and restored to The Lord Jesus. The crippled have walked, the barren have conceived, those bound to die have been “resurrected to life”; the oppressed who are in bondage have been set free. The Lord continues to turn the mourning of His precious children into dancing and to God be all the Glory! Amen and Amen!
In effect, the call, training and commissioning of Godfried Baning took 14 years. The Lord himself called, trained, ordained and commissioned him on one of His powerful visitations to send the message of repentance to His Church and the lost “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Malachi 3:1, 4:5; Isaiah 40:3-5). He is called to be “God’s friend” and Friend of The Bridegroom to help prepare the Way of The Lord for His Second Coming. He therefore sent him with His strong hand upon him to take the message of repentance, hope and healing to the church and the world at large. And whether they listen and repent or not they will know a prophet (messenger of God) has been among them. (Ezek.2: 5).
Please this testimony is not for self exaltation, but to encourage you that God can use you mightily, if you surrender all your self to Him; walk in His Presence in holiness, prayer, fasting, feeding His Spirit within you with the Word of God and Worship.
I pray that The Presence and Power of God will rest on you as you leave this page. I will be fervently praying and fasting for you. Please feel free to contact me with the above information if you have is any spiritual need. We are all members the same Body of Christ, therefore when one hurts the whole Body hurts, but remember nothing lasts forever except Almighty God and His chosen children. There is a time and season for everything, remember the situation you may be going through now will surely come to pass; these sufferings will make your stronger in The Lord.
Precious one, we will meet in Heaven some day, where there will be no more pain or sorrow but joy everlasting! NEVER GIVE UP! Because Romans 8:28 says “All things (including the good and the bad, lo malo y lo bueno) work together for good for them who love God and are called according to His purpose!”
And to God Almighty, be All The Glory, Honor, Power and Dominion Forever. Amen!